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In the application of electric railway traction, induction machines may suffer momentary power interruptions. Restarting control while machine running is a critical part of such applications, but residual flux in the free-running rotor deteriorates conventional controller performances, leading to inrush current and torque impact. Thus, this article proposes an improved feed-forward current controller that compensates voltage variations in the restart process. The residual rotor flux, as well as the induced back electromotive force, is estimated only with the measured speed in the free-running stage. The exact electromotive force is compensated at the restart moment, and the following current re-establishing stage. Based on the feed-forward compensation, the restart impact is eliminated and the restart current is controlled accurately in the predefined trajectories. Verified by experiments, the restart controller provides flexible restart manipulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Back-electromotive force (back-EMF) self-sensing is commonly used in induction machine (IM) drive systems for its maintenance cost and safety considerations. In recent years, compared with standard indirect field oriented control, deadbeat-direct torque and flux control (DB-DTFC) has been shown to be a highly effective method for IM control with a fixed switching frequency. It has advantages such as fast torque dynamics with one step dynamic response for torque and flux with no current regulator. This paper evaluates the synergy between back-EMF self-sensing technology and DB-DTFC for IM drive systems. In this paper, an observer-based closed-loop back-EMF tracking self-sensing control in an IM DB-DTFC drive system is presented. It includes a back-EMF state filter, back-EMF tracking observer, and cascaded motion observer. Back-EMF harmonic decoupling is explored to improve the low-speed performance. The band-pass filter method (BPF) for back-EMF self-sensing is also presented. Finally, the closed loop system dynamic stiffness at very low speeds, with and without the BPF method, is experimentally evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes a mathematical model for a switched reluctance (SR) generator feeding a dc link through a power electronic converter. SR machines are operated in single-pulse mode at close to and above base speed. The SR generator is modeled as a current source, controllable with dc-link voltage $V_{\text{dc}}$ , prime mover speed $\omega _m$ , and switching angles ($\alpha _{\text{on}}$ and $\alpha _{\text{off}}$) of the converter. This current source model is used to predict the dc-link dynamics for constant resistance, constant current, and constant power loads. This is further utilized to derive the voltage build-up condition for an SR generator. The generator model, dc-link dynamics and voltage build-up conditions are validated through simulations and experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In low-speed sensorless control of surface-mounted permanent magnet synchronous machine (SPMSM), high-frequency (HF) signal injection methods are often used to estimate the rotor position by tracking the motor saliency characterized by the inductances. Cross-saturation effects caused by the load current will influence the inductances, and consequently the saliency, which will introduce position estimation error to the sensorless drive, degrading the drive performance. Such load-dependent position estimation error, which is inherent in HF signal injection sensorless methods, is difficult to be identified by the sensorless algorithm itself. This article proposes a new online method to detect and compensate the load-dependent position estimation error for SPMSM without additional devices or the knowledge of the load-dependent HF inductances. The proposed method can identify effectively the load-dependent position estimation error by simply varying the direction of the current vector. Experimental results are presented to validate the proposed solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In speed sensorless induction machine control, the reduced-order observer, i.e., the combined voltage and current (UI) mode flux observer, obtains good flux estimation results in the full-speed range but has some drawbacks in the stability characteristics. This paper constructs the small-signal model of the UI mode flux observer and derives the characteristic matrix to realize the stability analysis, based on which the stable range with corresponding conditions has been calculated explicitly. Furthermore, a cross-coupling feedback mechanism is proposed to solve the instability problem when the machine runs in the low-speed regenerating or plugging-in mode. The cross-coupling feedback coefficient is adjusted by the estimated speed or the speed command (conditional) for further simplification and is easy to be implemented. The improvement strategy is well verified by both the simulation in MATLAB and corresponding experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper extends the application of a frame-angle-based (FAB) direct torque controller (DTC) for permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drives to low and very low speeds. The FAB-DTC is intended for PMSM drives that are fed by $3\phi$ six-pulse wavelet-modulated dc–ac converters. The foundations of the FAB-DTC are based on regulating the $d\text{--}q$ -axis stator voltages, in response to variations in the load torque and/or drive speed. The adjustments in $d\text{--}q$ -axis stator voltages are created by changing the angle $\vartheta$ of the frame spanned by the $d\text{--}q$ -axis stator voltages. In order to extend the FAB-DTC to low and very low speeds, the changes in $\vartheta$ are accompanied by changes in the maximum scale. The values of maximum scale and $d\text{--}q$ -axis stator voltages are used to update or change the reference signals employed by the wavelet modulation to generate switching pulses to operate a $3\phi$ dc–ac converter. The complete PMSM drive system incorporating the modified FAB-DTC is implemented for a 10-hp PMSM drive system. The performance of the FAB-DTC is investigated for different changes in the command torque for various low and very low speeds. Performance results demonstrate stable, fast, dynamic, and accurate responses, which have minor sensitivity to variations in load torque and/or drive speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the speed and position estimation for synchronous reluctance motors (SyRMs) and interior permanent-magnet synchronous motors (IPMs). A unified design and analysis framework for a class of back electromotive force-based observers is developed and the links between apparently different estimation methods are brought out. State observers equipped with a speed-adaptation law are shown to be mathematically equivalent to voltage-model-based flux observers equipped with a position-tracking loop. The error signal driving the adaptation law or the tracking loop is presented in a generalized form. Using the framework, a stabilizing gain design is reviewed and detailed design guidelines are given. Selected observer designs are experimentally evaluated using a 6.7-kW SyRM drive and a 2.2-kW IPM drive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a resonant-based backstepping direct power control (BS-DPC) strategy for doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) under both balanced and unbalanced grid conditions. Proper formulae for the BS-DPC strategy are obtained based on the elaborated analysis of the mathematical model of DFIG. The influence of the unbalanced grid voltage on the normal BS-DPC is analyzed. Furthermore, a resonant-based improved strategy is proposed to achieve different control targets under unbalanced grid condition without the need of decomposition of positive- and negative-sequence components. Comparative experimental studies of the resonant-based BS-DPC and the normal BS-DPC for DFIG are conducted to validate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy under both balanced and unbalanced grid conditions. In addition, the experimental results also prove that the proposed resonant-based BS-DPC can achieve a satisfying transient performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs) are popular due to their high efficiency and favorable dynamic properties. In practice, these machines often have a back-electromotive force (EMF) waveform, which deviates from a theoretically ideal sinusoid or trapezoid. In the past, current waveform shaping techniques were developed for these machines to calculate nonconventional current waveforms to reduce the torque ripple. However, in the light of global warming, energy efficiency has become more important than torque ripple in many applications. Therefore, current waveform shaping techniques can be used to focus on maximum efficiency. In this paper, a technique is presented that maximizes the efficiency of both the PMSM and the drive simultaneously. A time domain approach is used instead of the classical frequency domain approach, which allows us to include many machine aspects that had to be neglected previously, i.e., armature reaction, reluctance, zero-sequence components, and iron losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a self-sensing control scheme based on pulse-voltage-injection for permanent-magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs). Multiple saliencies, as well as the saturation and reluctance-based coupling effects, are studied by means of analytical methods, and are proved with finite element method simulations and measurements. These phenomena cause a constant estimated error of the rotor angle, as well as periodic errors with harmonics of order 6 k. The primary saliency of the considered interior PMSM with concentrated windings is strongly dependent on the load, so that the self-sensing capability disappears at some critical operating points. In this study, the parameters of the multiple saliencies are identified based on the proposed self-sensing method. The secondary saliencies are compensated with a closed loop control structure. The effectiveness of the proposed method is confirmed by experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents a load torque estimation method for self-sensing brushless dc drives. Torque ripples in brushless dc machines can be reduced using load torque information. This method uses the terminal voltage, the virtual neutral point voltage, and the dc bus current of the machine. The algorithm uses the variation of successive back electromotive force (back EMF) samples to estimate the rotor speed. The rotor position is estimated by defining an intermediate function of estimated speed and back EMF samples. An estimate of acceleration is used to estimate load torque. The load torque information is used for increasing the dynamic stiffness of the drive. The mathematical background is given and discussed, and the simulations and the experimental results prove the performance of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper provides and analyzes a simple, robust, and universal model for rotor position estimation for synchronous machines. The rotor position is estimated using an equivalent electromotive force (EMF) model of a synchronous machine or, alternately, using a sliding-mode observer (SMO) based on the equivalent EMF model. The SMO provides fast convergence and low sensitivity to parameter variations. Experimental results with a 3.7-kW interior-permanent-magnet machine have validated the effectiveness of the proposed equivalent EMF scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the requirements for safe, stable, sustainable, and profitable operation of doubly fed induction generators (DFIGs)-based wind energy conversion systems (WECSs) is the accurate and reliable protection against electrical faults, in particular, ground faults. The performance of protective devices employed to achieve this requirement is highly dependent on the grounding configuration of the DFIG-based WECS. This paper investigates impacts of the grounding configuration on the performance of protective devices used to protect DFIGs-based WECSs from electrical ground faults. Investigated grounding configurations include solid grounding, low-resistance grounding, high-resistance grounding, and no grounding. This paper also investigates the use of a capacitor in parallel with a low resistance, as a grounding configuration, to limit ground potentials, reduce ground currents, and minimize impacts on responses of ground protective relays. The impacts of the grounding configurations on protective devices are observed through their ability to identify faults, as well as their speed to respond to identified faults. Simulation and experimental results reveal that adequately designed low-resistance grounding offers the minimum impacts on protective devices used for ground protection of DFIG-based WECSs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Switched reluctance machines (SRMs) are witnessing increased interests and applications in the industry and scientific communities thanks to the advantages of rigid structures, high reliability and robustness, the absence of permanent magnets, fast dynamic response, and low manufacturing cost. SRMs have become a feasible and popular alternative to conventional electric machines, such as induction machines and permanent magnet machines, with variable speed drives in many applications. Since improving the electromagnetic and thermal performances of an SRM at the design stage is of significant value, this paper presents an in-depth literature review on the status and potential trends of the technology pertinent to the design and optimization of SRMs in the following aspects: the mathematical modeling of the electromagnetic and thermal fields in SRMs, the enhancement of the performances in terms of the torque ripple, acoustic noise, efficiency, and torque density, and the multiobjective design optimization incorporating all the above factors. Finally, the presence of SRMs and their design considerations for specific applications in electric vehicles, aircraft and aerospace systems, wind generators, high speed, and energy storage systems are extensively discussed in this paper. The existing approaches advancing the SRM technologies are systematically and comprehensively summarized and compared for each category. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronically commutated motors produce a mechanical torque by switching the currents in their stator winding system according to the instantaneous rotor position during rotation. The rotor position is determined by Hall sensors capturing the magnetic field of the rotor's permanent magnets. In operation, the Hall sensors are exposed not only to the rotor field, but also to the field of stator windings. This inevitably leads to a certain commutation angle error (CA error) and a reduced motor performance. This paper presents a general 3-D magnetic field simulation approach for computing the CA error and for finding an optimal position of the Hall sensors. The obtained numerical results and their verification by measurements are presented in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]