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An overmodulation method is proposed for an in-wheel system where two motors are coupled to a sum gear. In the dual-motor dual-inverter single shaft systems, the output voltage magnitudes of two inverters are not the same in the overmodulation range due to the angle offset between two motors. In this article, to maintain torque balance in the overmodulation region, holding vectors are defined between adjacent vertices of two voltage hexagons. Around these vectors, the holding region is also defined by the holding angle. If a reference voltage vector is in the holding region, it is modulated to the holding vector; otherwise, it is modulated to the vector on the arc of inscribed circle. For a given the modulation index (MI), the holding angle is obtained based on the Fourier series expansion. The proposed method keeps the output voltages of two inverters the same even if two motors have the angle offset. Further, it has the characteristic of maintaining the linearity between the reference and output MI to the maximum MI. The proposed overmodulation method is demonstrated by simulation and experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A lad-used servo permanent magnet synchronous motor has been accidentally damaged due to overcurrent. On the one hand, the mechanical damage, in the end, bearing and break part generates acoustic noise even when rotating the shaft by hand. On the other hand, the back electromotive force of the motor becomes unbalanced and exceedingly high torque ripple is produced. Such torque ripple results in intolerable speed ripple and will increase the acoustic noise. This article aims to reuse this damaged motor by adding a repetitive observer (RO) to the existing speed loop, both the speed control performance and the acoustic noise of the damaged motor can become comparable with its healthy version. The RO is functionally the same as a repetitive controller (RC), but the stability of the RO is independent of the feedback loop, while the stability of the RC will affect and be affected by the rest of the system. Therefore, RO can be applied for both the healthy motor and the damaged motor. This work opens the possibility of further enhancing the fault tolerance ability of a healthy motor or even reusing a damaged motor and still achieve high performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the design and analysis of a 12/7 (numbers of stator/rotor poles) hybridly excited asymmetric stator pole doubly salient machine (HEASPDSM) with a main focus on the special topology and operational principle by using the analytical and 2-D finite element analysis. A full comparison is conducted on the average torque, torque ripples, no-load back electromotive force and flux regulation capacity under the condition of different structural parameters, which can provide good references to the machine design. A 12/7 HEASPDSM is designed and the main performance indexes are analyzed in detail. Based on the parameters, the performance of 12/7 HEASPDSM is compared with traditional 6/7 doubly salient permanent magnet machine (DSPMM) with the same volume and thermal load. Finally, a prototype of the 12/7 HEASPDSM is manufactured and tested to validate the theoretical analysis. The results fully demonstrate that the HEASPDSM possesses the merits of strong flux regulation capability, higher torque density, and wider constant power speed range benefitted from the dc field winding than the traditional DSPMM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a combination of a two- and three-phase switching method to reduce switching loss is presented. In the conduction region, the conventional two-phase switching topology is used to reduce switching loss. On the other hand, in the short commutation region, the proposed modified three-phase switching strategy that incorporates a voltage compensation method is used to reduce torque ripple. The design of the proposed torque compensation method is based on the back electromotive force (EMF). The goal is to optimize the phase current slope by using the phase voltage and back EMF at the start and end point of the commutation region. Assuming that the slope of the back EMF in the commutation region is almost the same as a sinusoidal waveform, a proper pulsewidth modulation duty ratio can be determined to control the current slope. Experiments with a practical brushless dc motor and drive were performed to verify the performance of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the nonlinear behavior of the conventional voltage feedback flux-weakening control, i.e., the voltage magnitude feedback control on the nonsalient permanent magnet synchronous machine, and proposes an adaptive control parameter tuning method for the voltage feedback controller. Due to less voltage margin in the flux-weakening region, the current dynamic performance is degraded. This issue is more serious when the system operates in the overmodulation region and could affect the system's stability. Based on the designed voltage feedback controller, the system performance in the flux-weakening and overmodulation regions is further improved by utilizing the current and voltage reference modifiers. Consequently, the system can operate well in both linear and overmodulation regions with the specified scaling factor, which is beneficial to general-purpose applications. The viability of the proposed method is demonstrated by the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flux-weakening (F-W) based on feedback voltage regulation is commonly adopted in interior permanent magnet synchronous motor drives. Voltage space vector magnitude is controlled in a closed loop, modifying the current reference, following a value related to the inverter limitations. A stable and fast voltage control allows to operate with lower voltage margin, leading to higher torque versus speed capability. Theoretical analysis and gain adaptation of the F-W regulation loop was reported by Bolognani et al. partially overcoming the difficulties due to the strong nonlinearity of the plant. An approximated closed-form design method was proposed and refined by Bedetti et al. This allowed the application of the algorithm to drives where autotuning is needed, ensuring stability and dynamical performances. A fundamental enhancement is introduced in this article, namely the use of a speed regulator with explicit torque reference output. An advantage of this technique is that the speed loop becomes linear in the whole operating range and an accurate control of machine torque is possible. Thanks to a novel gain adaptation for the voltage regulator, the F-W behavior is decoupled from the speed control response at speed steady-state (at constant or slowly changing torque), improving performance of the overall drive control. Adoption of this novel method allows smooth operation with invariant dynamical behavior of both the speed and F-W control loops. Extensive simulations and experimental tests are reported to prove the validity of the proposal. A sensorless operation of the drive system has also been considered in the tests to further validate the proposed solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One-axis actively positioned bearingless motors are studied for industry applications such as pumps and cooling fans. In particular, single-drive bearingless motors have a great advantage of having a simple regulation system. Only one three-phase inverter is required to generate both torque and a magnetic suspension force by the q- and d-axis currents, respectively. Therefore, their voltage equation is unique. In addition to the rotational speed induced voltage in the q-axis, the translation speed voltage is generated in the d-axis. Therefore, both the current–force factor and the torque constant can be identified from the back electromotive force (EMF). In this paper, a novel simplified identification method of the current–force factor is proposed that does not require the measurement of the active axial force and current. Furthermore, it is experimentally verified that this method is effective in the identification of machine parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the design and implementation of a novel low-cost speed sensorless control technique for a permanent magnet assisted synchronous reluctance motor (PMa-SynRM). A robust adaptive speed (RAS) observer is designed for estimating the rotor speed and position, respectively. The RAS observer estimates the PMa-SynRM speed and position from the back electromotive force space-vector determination without voltage sensors by using the reference voltages issued from the current controllers instead of the actual ones. The novelty of the proposed RAS estimation technique is the adaptation of the feedback error of the actual values. Thus, the proposed observer structure promises a higher degree of robustness against PMa-SynRM parameter changes in the sensitivity analysis presented in this paper. The dynamic model and experimental realizations of the proposed control technique are introduced. A 6-kW PMa-SynRM drive test setup is constructed including a dSPACE 1104 board as the control heart of the proposed system. The hardware-in-the-loop Typhoon HIL 402 device is used to experimentally emulate the PMa-SynRM and the inverter connected to a dSPACE MicroLabBox. The proposed RAS observer robustness is evaluated using a HIL model and experimental results under different conditions. A comparative experimental analysis between the proposed RAS and Luenberger observers has been performed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integral-slot electrical machines require modifications and optimization of both stator and rotor to maximize the machine performance. In addition, sub-harmonics in magneto-motive force distributions is an important issue in motors with fractional-slot concentrated windings. These additional sub- and super-harmonics increase iron losses, which becomes an even bigger challenge in high speed/frequency applications. A permanent-magnet (PM) motor with unbalanced winding (UBW) and unconventional slot numbers is a good option for applications that require smooth torque output and low back electromotive force voltage harmonics. In this paper, different winding configurations and displacements of an unconventional nine-phase PM motor with both balanced fractional-slot winding and UBW structures have been investigated. The focus has been on 117-slot with 12-pole (for the balanced winding motor) and 36-pole (for the UBW motor) combinations. Motor prototypes with UBW configurations have been manufactured. The finite-element analyses results have been validated with experimental results and it is shown that such unconventional slot/pole combinations can be a good option for some high-power applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel model predictive torque control with discrete duty ratio optimization for a six-phase PMSM machine with high robustness against weighting factor variation. First, a two-step lookup table is developed to initially select the optimal voltage vector, which is to regulate the torque and flux in the energy conversion related subspace, as well as suppress the harmonic currents in the x–y subspace. Then, a null vector is inserted along with the selected optimal voltage vector to adjust the duty ratio with a set of value to avoid the complicated derivation. Subsequently, the optimal duty ratio is determined by a cost function to minimize the torque and flux error. So by using the proposed method, the torque ripple is reduced and even applying an improper weighting factor will not deteriorate the machine performance severely. Finally, experimentations are carried out to verify the validity of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As for mass-produced sub-fractional horsepower drives, non-optimal motor behavior (e.g., high cogging torque, output torque ripple, and noise) is often accepted when cost can be reduced, provided reliability is not compromised. This paper proposes an innovative claw-pole motor design for a low-cost single-phase brushless direct current fan drive, improving motor behavior with no increase to the manufacturing cost: 1) reducing cogging torque by proposing unconventional claw-pole skewing and 2) ensuring self-starting capability by implementing air-gap asymmetry. Both measures help reduce the total output torque ripple. The goal is to reduce fan drive noise, especially at low-speed operation, where cogging torque is often the dominating noise source. The design of stator claw skewing and air-gap asymmetry is presented; their effects on motor quantities are studied via simulations and experiments. With the exception of a small reduction of about 1.8% in the back electromotive force fundamental, skewing the stator claws by 30 $^{\circ }$ can reduce the cogging torque by 23% in the simulations and by 28% in the experiments. [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]

A synchronous reluctance motor drive exhibits an inherent unlimited speed range capability; in fact, the maximum speed of this kind of machine is bounded only by mechanical limits. In order to exploit this peculiar characteristic of the drive while assuring the lowest power losses, a proper control algorithm has to be used. In particular, while the working speed is increasing, the control must be able to command the reluctance motor under the maximum torque per ampere condition at first, into the flux-weakening region, and then on the maximum torque per voltage trajectory. To this purpose, a novel voltage control loop is presented in this paper. It is combined with a field-oriented current control and profitably exploits a polar coordinate representation of the current reference to operate the reluctance machine in compliance with current and voltage rating constraints in all the different operating conditions. Additional merits of the proposed scheme are the ease of implementation and the simple design. The stability of the proposed control algorithm is proved through a small signal analysis and simulations and experimental tests confirm its effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of GaN mosfet and the performance of three-phase traction inverter for electric vehicles are closely investigated in this paper. Two versions of inverter have been illustrated: first one with Si-IGBTs, whereas the second one is built with GaN-mosfets with similar rating of voltage and current. The loss model is expounded for both the inverters; thereafter total losses are calculated considering New European Driving Cycle profile along the speed and torque of the permanent magnet synchronous motors. Further, for close-loop operation of propulsion drive, predictive current controller is proposed and compared with conventional PI controller while to control the speed, only PI controller is used. Moreover, the losses of both types of inverters are compared and the compared result confirmed that the inverter built up with GaN-mosfets with proposed current controller increases the efficiency of the propulsion drive leads to enhancement in driving range of the vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent novel dc-biased sinusoidal current reluctance machines (dc-biased VRMs) adopt a doubly salient structure and concentrated windings, which is similar to that of switched reluctance machines (SRMs). The special point is that the phase current is in the form of an ac component superimposed with a dc component. Some literary works show that these machines would have better performance than the existing SRMs and variable flux reluctance machines. In this paper, the slot/pole combinations and winding configurations of the dc-biased VRMs are deeply investigated. First, relationships among slots/poles are given based on the operation principles. Then, several feasible slot combinations are obtained, and the electromagnetic performances including magnetizing inductance, virtual back electromotive force, torque quality, and losses are compared by the finite element analysis. Finally, the correctness of the proposed analysis is validated by the experiment on two 12/10 prototypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Back electromotive force (EMF) self-sensing is commonly used in induction machine (IM) drive systems, which can be effectively controlled using deadbeat-direct torque and flux control (DB-DTFC). Accurate machine parameters are needed for back EMF self-sensing DB-DTFC drive systems. In this paper, an injection-based, real-time parameter estimation method for IM DB-DTFC drives, in the back EMF self-sensing mode, is proposed. The methodology for choosing appropriate frequencies for injection signals is introduced. With encoder-based velocity feedback, the proposed DB-DTFC injection method induces no additional torque ripple, compared to traditional d-axis pulsating voltage vector injection used in indirect field oriented control. However, in the self-sensing mode, the injected flux linkage induces an erroneous speed ripple, which causes a real speed ripple. This paper presents two approaches to eliminate the speed ripple. Finally, the injection-based real-time parameter estimation method for the system is experimentally evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High speed permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) are used in electric vehicles because of their intense power density. The high speed implies a significant electromotive force and requires flux weakening. The usual control algorithms realize flux weakening by adding a negative $I_{d}$ current component when the voltage required by the current regulation exceeds the maximum voltage depending on the battery. If the magnet can be totally defluxed, then it is better to use a maximum torque per volt strategy. Furthermore, there is no speed regulation in the control and the driver gives a torque reference. This reference value has to be limited by the attainable operating points; therefore, the battery power limit has to be taken into account in addition to the voltage and current limits. The d–q current references are calculated to minimize the total current magnitude required to reach the reference torque. This paper proposes a strategy to control a PMSM operating continuously since the speed zero up to the maximum speed without the switching algorithm, in order to take into account the different limitations (current, voltage, and power) and to expand the overspeed zone. In order to validate the proposed strategy, experimental results are shown for a low power machine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims to provide a guideline for rotor design of permanent magnet (PM) assisted synchronous reluctance machine (PMa-SynRM). Unlike interior PM machines, the PMa-SynRM is essentially an SynRM with dominant reluctance torque. The PMa-SynRM is often designed by directly embedding magnets into an SynRM rotor to improve the performance. However, how the PMs can be arranged in the rotor to enhance motor performance has not been fully discussed. This paper investigates the influence of several key factors concerning the PM arrangements, including number of PM layers, inserted positions, and PM sizes. The torque, flux linkages, power factor, and motor performance are comprehensively evaluated. Based on the analysis, a brief guideline is suggested for PMa-SynRM rotor design. Finite element analysis is used for evaluation and experiments are conducted to validate the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the development, implementation, and performance evaluation of a new active dc link for permanent magnet generator (PMG)-based wind energy conversion systems (WECSs). The proposed dc link is developed based on the multiport converter (MPC) topology with two dc–dc power electronic converters (PECs) that have separate inputs and parallel-connected outputs. The first dc–dc PEC is designed as a boost converter, while the second dc–dc PEC is designed as a flyback converter. Each dc–dc PEC is operated and controlled independently to facilitate processing continuous and/or discontinuous input dc voltages. The performance of the MPC active dc-link is experimentally evaluated using a grid-connected 7.5-kW PMG-based WECS, when operated under different wind speeds and/or levels of power delivery to the host grid. Test results show that the proposed dc link can produce a high-quality-regulated dc output voltage over a wide range of wind speeds and levels of power delivery to the host grid. Performance results also demonstrate that the operation of the MPC active dc link has minor impacts on the operation and control of the generator-side and grid-side PECs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Design of a transverse flux machine (TFM) with high power factor and high torque density is presented. Detailed analysis and verification of the benefit of TFMs over conventional radial flux machines, in terms of torque production capability, is described. A comprehensive investigation of the ideal torque production capability, power factor, and deviation from ideal cases is explained. Factors contributing to performance degradation are identified and a robust method is proposed to design and improve the machine performance. Simulation and experimental results are provided to validate the innovation and the robustness of the design process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a framework for the design and analysis of a coreless permanent magnet (PM) machine for a 100 kWh shaft-less high strength steel flywheel energy storage system. The PM motor/generator is designed to meet the required specifications in terms of torque–speed and power–speed characteristics given by the application. The design challenges of a motor/generator for this architecture include: the poor flux paths due to a large-scale solid carbon steel rotor and zero-thermal convection of the airgap due to the operation of the machine in a vacuum. The magnetic flux in this architecture tends to be 3-D rather than constrained due to lack of a core in the stator. In order to tackle these challenges, several other parameters such as a proper number of magnets and slots combination, wire thickness, number of turns in each coil, magnets with high saturated flux density, and magnet size are carefully considered in the proposed design framework. Magnetic levitation allows the use of a coreless stator that is placed on a supporting structure. The proposed PM motor/generator comprehensive geometry, electromagnetic design, and mechanical dimensioning are followed by detailed 3-D finite-element analysis (FEA). The torque, power, and speed determined by the FEA electromagnetic analysis meet the application design requirements and constraints for both the charging and discharging modes of operation. Furthermore, the design and analysis of the coil holding structures are discussed. Finally, the motor/generator static thermal analysis is discussed in order to validate the proposed cooling system functionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensorless control of synchronous reluctance motors (SyRMs) relies on the knowledge of the machine current-to-flux maps. Previous work demonstrated the feasibility of sensorless identification of the flux maps, performed by exciting the machine with square-wave voltage pulses at standstill, and without the need of rotor locking. The rotor position was initially estimated and then used throughout the identification, in open-loop fashion. In some cases, rotor oscillation and eventually position drift led to stop the identification before the programmed $dq$ current domain was covered entirely. In this paper, the rotor position is closed-loop tracked during the motor commissioning to counteract the occurrence of rotor movement. The hysteresis-controlled excitation voltage is augmented with an high-frequency (HF) square-wave voltage component, and the position is tracked through demodulation of the current response to such HF component. The proposed approach is experimentally verified on a 2.2-kW SyRM prototype. The results show that the $i_d, i_q$ commissioning domain is substantially extended, resulting in more accurate flux maps. Moreover, self-tuning of the method is addressed and possible causes of error are analyzed and commented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a comprehensive comparison of switched reluctance machines (SRMs) with short-pitched and fully pitched windings for the same machine geometry. An SRM designed for off-road vehicles with short-pitched windings is rewound with full-pitched windings and the two winding structures are compared. The two different winding configurations were evaluated with unipolar excitation at the same bus voltage level for the driver. The machines are compared with respect to their electromagnetic behavior, operating range, torque per ampere, and efficiency. The effect of winding configuration and the number of turns are investigated as they determine the torque speed characteristics of SRMs. The comparison in this paper would better guide designers on what type of winding configuration would best suit their applications. The comparison is conducted with the aid of finite element analysis. A 50 kW prototype SRM is used for experimental validation of the short-pitched and fully pitched SRMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deployment of renewable energy sources in power grid causes an undesirable characteristic in the voltage profile due to its stochastic nature. Such electrical perturbations may impact the performance of equipment or machines connected to the grid, especially large rated machines (e.g., 250 MW). This paper investigates the electrical, thermal, and mechanical stresses on large rated doubly fed synchronous (fixed speed) and doubly fed asynchronous (variable speed) machines used in pumped storage power plants under voltage unbalance. Also, the lifespan of the drive train considering thermal stress is estimated. In this paper, considering the medium voltage distribution system (15.75 kV), the magnitude of voltage unbalance is opted as 2.5% and 5% to test the performance of doubly fed machines. With respect to these considerations, the impacts on machine parameters such as rotor current, stator current, input power, torque, and losses are comprehensively investigated. To observe the performance of large rated doubly fed machine drive system under voltage unbalances, the MATLAB/Simulink environment is adopted. Also, to realize the real-time impact on doubly fed machines, a prototype rig (with 2.2-kW synchronous and asynchronous machines) are experimented. The practical significance of this relative analysis is to minimize voltage collapse in the system and for developing the robust system with countermeasures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes the novel scalable saturated model of synchronous permanent magnet machines, which combines ultrafast scaling laws with a saturated flux-linkage and loss model. The scalable model is used for the fast and accurate calculation of efficiency/loss maps and can also be used for drive cycle analysis including the calculation of energy consumption. It is verified by comparison with an existing state-of-the-art efficiency map and drive cycle analysis software. Additionally, an experimental verification of a saturated flux-linkage and loss model is presented. The additional possible usage of the scalable model is to find the optimal size of a scaled machine in order to meet the drive cycle performance and requirements of a traction motor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three optimized pulse-width modulated (PWM) techniques for the overmodulation region of two-level inverter-fed ac drives are introduced and investigated from the harmonic loss minimization point of view. The optimization is elaborated for the lowest loss-factor, which is proportional to the square of the root mean square value of current harmonics. The loss-factors are computed for different switching numbers as the function of the motor fundamental voltage. It is shown that, with respect to the motor heating and torque ripples, the acceptable drive condition can be guaranteed by a relatively low value of an inverter switching frequency up to 96%–97% of maximal possible motor voltage. Furthermore, it is shown that the so-called three-vector methods have considerably better performance in the lower part of the overmodulation region than the so-called two-vector method for the same number of switching. The performance of the techniques is compared with other existing PWM techniques. This paper discusses the implementation details of the proposed optimal PWM techniques. The theoretical results are verified by experimental and simulation tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the modeling and field-oriented control (FOC) for hysteresis motors, with the goal of achieving position control of hysteresis motors for servo applications. Hysteresis motors include a wide range of machines with solid cylindrical or ring-shaped steel rotors, which generate torque primarily via the magnetic hysteresis effect of the rotor material. Previously, hysteresis motors have been mainly used under open-loop operation. However, they are also attractive for position control in some special applications such as in-vacuum operation or when smooth running and high speed is required. In this paper, an equivalent circuit model for hysteresis motors that describes the motor's transient-time dynamics is introduced, and a state-space model for hysteresis motors is developed. This model is used to construct a rotor flux orientation observer for the FOC for hysteresis motors. Three methods for estimating the rotor field angle are introduced. The proposed FOC-based position control method was tested with three hysteresis motors, including two custom-made motors of different rotor materials and one off-the-shelf hysteresis motor. Experimental results show that position control for all three hysteresis motors can reach a bandwidth of 130 Hz with the proposed methods. To the authors’ best knowledge, this is the first experimental study on FOC and position control for hysteresis motors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Torque production capability of permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs) depends on the magnetization state of the permanent magnets (PMs). Electrical stress, thermal stress, or the combined effect of both can produce demagnetization of the PMs, which eventually can result in several adverse effects including decrease in the motor torque and efficiency and increase of the torque ripple and vibration, eventually degrading the performance and reliability of the motor and drive system. A number of approaches have been proposed for detecting PM demagnetization using model-based flux estimation, signal injection, and spectrum analysis of current/back electromotive force; however, all these methods show limitations in terms of invasiveness, implementation cost, and/or reliability of the diagnosis. In this paper, accurate PM demagnetization detection based on measurements from Hall-effect sensors is proposed. Such sensors are often mounted in commercial PMSMs; the proposed method can, therefore, be implemented at practically no cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the advantages of high torque density and simple mechanical structure, permanent magnet vernier (PMV) machines have attracted more and more research interests. In this paper, the inductance nonlinearity of an advanced concentrated winding PMV machine is investigated with consideration of both magnetic saturation and cross-coupling saturation under different d-axis and q-axis current loading. Then, the mathematical model with a variable inductance matrix of the PMV machine is established through incorporation of the finite-element analysis and the surface fitting method. Further, a back electromotive force based sensorless control method is developed for this PMV machine model with design of a current-dependent state observer. Based on the sensorless algorithm, the influence of inductance variation on rotor position estimation performance is then quantitatively evaluated. Simulation results show that the PMV machine can be well controlled for steady- and dynamic-state operation, and the position estimation error is effectively decreased. Finally, the proposed sensorless control algorithm is validated through experimental tests of the PMV prototype machine. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents a simplified implementation technique for direct torque control (DTC) of asymmetric six-phase induction motor drive. Current harmonics of fifth and seventh order are observed in the phase currents if conventional DTC scheme is extended for the asymmetric six-phase machine. These harmonic components are not responsible for torque production, thus causing losses in the motor winding. Synthetic vectors are generally used for reduction of current harmonics. Average voltage in $xy$ subspace is maintained to zero by synthetic vectors leading to reduction of currents in $xy$ subspace. A simplified method of implementation of synthetic vectors is proposed in this paper, which eliminates the need for designing of switching sequence and requirement of field-programmable gate array. Also, the number of synthetic vectors that can be possibly produced is increased compared with the ones developed by techniques available in the literature. The experimentation is carried out on a laboratory-developed prototype and the experimental results are presented in this paper to verify the proposed scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The field-weakening scheme is generally adopted for traction motors to achieve a wider speed range where the common proportional and integration compensator is needed to regulate the flux-producing current. However, the regulator performance deteriorates due to dc-link voltage disturbances and motor parameter nonlinearities in the different speed regions. To solve this issue, a model predictive control (MPC) based field-weakening algorithm is proposed for a traction electric vehicle using a low-voltage induction motor. The augmented prediction state relationship between stator voltage and flux-producing current is established for motor current control. The steady-state error can be eliminated with an integrator embedded within the augmented equation. The overall closed-loop control is presented where the system eigenvalues are adjusted in real time for various speed regions, and accordingly, the controller performance can be evaluated with the amplitude of the eigenvalues. Moreover, the weight coefficient in the cost function can be adjusted corresponding to speed variation for guaranteed motor control performance. The simulation and experimental results are provided to verify the proposed MPC-based field-weakening algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Grid voltage disturbances pose serious problems to gas compression stations powered by drives such as load commutated inverters (LCI). Until recently, drive control systems used in industrial practice were not capable of handling reduced grid voltage situations appropriately, and instead interrupted the supply of drive torque. Without drive torque, compressors may quickly enter surge conditions, under which the gas flows rapidly back and forth, causing wear and risking damage to the equipment. In this paper, experimental evidence is provided showing that a combination of a revised control scheme for LCIs based on model predictive control and an advanced protection scheme for compressors, the so-called dynamic time to surge improves robustness of the system during voltage dips. We share successful voltage dip ride-throughs of two 41.2 MW LCI-fed synchronous machines, each powering a gas compressor at a large industrial site in Norway. We further analyze the impact of partial torque during voltage dips on the availability and safety of the gas compression station. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, new model-based sensorless control methods are proposed that include independent estimations of position and speed errors, and compatible position and speed estimators. Using the proposed position estimator, a unity transfer function can be achieved from the actual position to the estimated position, eliminating the effects of load disturbances. This implies that the position error would ideally be zero, even in a transient state. In addition, the effects of parameter and voltage synthesis errors on the steady-state position error are analyzed. Experimental results verify both the analysis and the effectiveness of the proposed methods under severe load disturbances such as speed transient (20 000 r/min/s) and load torque transient (10 p.u./s). With the proposed methods, position estimation errors are significantly reduced by more than 50% during speed and load torque transients at identical dominant-pole placements, verifying the enhanced tracking capability and robustness of the proposed methods against external load disturbances. [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]

In this paper, a special control solution called virtual voltage source (VVS) is developed for no-load tests of induction machines. This concept is applied to a 2 × 27 MVA high-power machine test bench where the test bench is requested to precisely characterize, e.g., 3 MW machines at no-load currents. The developed VVS thoroughly solves the stability issue of induction machines at low-speed ranges. A set of optimizations is presented here that systematically improves the voltage precision of the test bench. Experimental results prove that the proposed concept achieves 0.08–0.12% voltage unbalance, less than 3% current unbalance, with less than 0.3% harmonic-voltage-factor, and verified by more than 100 induction machines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A winding design approach is proposed to create a single motor winding, which is able to produce both radial force and torque. This approach can be used to design new bearingless motors, as well as to transform conventional motor designs into bearingless motors by simply modifying the winding end connections. The resulting winding has two sets of terminal connections, one for torque and one for suspension. The suspension terminals experience no motional-electromotive force when the rotor is centered, which means that the suspension drive can have a low voltage rating and that rotor vibrations can be passively dampened by simply short-circuiting the suspension terminals. Bearingless motors that use these so-called dual purpose no voltage windings can be designed to have higher torque density and lower losses associated with the magnetic suspension operation than traditional bearingless motors, which utilize separate torque and suspension windings. It will be shown that many popular winding designs, including fractional-slot and concentrated windings, can be realized as dual purpose no-voltage windings. The proposed approach applies to traditional $p\pm 1$ pole-pair bearingless motors, as well as the bearingless consequent-pole and ac homopolar motors. Fractional-slot motor winding theory is used to derive the new winding requirements and a generalized design procedure; example designs are explored through finite element analysis and experimental results from a hardware prototype of a bearingless ac homopolar motor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a result of dead-time, device on-state voltage drop, dc bus voltage measurement error, etc., volt-second errors degrade precise control of torque and flux linkage, particularly at low speeds. This is true for deadbeat-direct torque and flux control, which directly manipulates the volt-second vector sourced by inverters, as well as for indirect field oriented control drives. This paper introduces a real-time sensing scheme to measure the motor terminal volt-second vectors for each switching period with negligible phase lag. Based on the volt-second sensing, a model reference adaptive system-based approach is developed to decouple the volt-second errors from inverter nonlinearity, and dc bus voltage fluctuation and measurement error. By delivering an accurate volt-second vector for each switching period, torque and flux control accuracy, self-sensing performance, and parameter estimation accuracy are significantly enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DC-link voltage and temperature variations are critical issues when designing an electric vehicle (EV) traction system. However, systems are generally reported at fixed voltage and temperature and may not, therefore, be fully specified when considering the variation of these parameters over full vehicle operating extremes. This paper presents an assessment of power-train options based on the Nissan Leaf vehicle, which is taken as a benchmark system providing experimental validation of the study results. The Nissan Leaf traction machine is evaluated and performance assessed by considering dc-link voltage and temperature variations typical of an automotive application, showing that the system lacks performance as battery state of charge decreases. An alternative traction machine design is proposed to satisfy the target performance. The vehicle power-train is then modified with the inclusion of a dc/dc converter between the vehicle battery and dc-link to maintain the traction system dc-link voltage near constant. A supercapacitor system is also considered for improved system voltage management. The trade-offs for the redesigned systems are discussed in terms of electronic and machine packaging, and mitigation of faulted operation at high speeds. [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 proposes a sensorless direct flux vector control scheme for synchronous reluctance motor drives. Torque is controlled at constant switching frequency, via the closed loop regulation of the stator flux linkage vector and of the current component in quadrature with it, using the stator flux oriented reference frame. A hybrid flux and position observer combines back-electromotive force (EMF) integration with pulsating voltage injection around zero speed. Around zero speed, the position observer takes advantage of injected pulsating voltage. Instead of the commonly used current demodulation, the position error feedback is extracted here at the output of the observer's flux maps, thus resulting in immunity toward the cross-saturation position error. The maximum torque per ampere (MTPA) strategy is used. A detailed analysis puts in evidence the key advantages and disadvantages related to the use of the MTPA in the sensorless control of the synchronous reluctance machine, for both the saliency-based and the back-EMF based sensorless methods. Extensive experimental results are reported for a 2.2 kW synchronous reluctance motor prototype, showing the feasibility of the proposed method. These include speed response to step and sinusoidal load disturbances at standstill, up to 121% of rated torque, and speed response tests covering the flux weakening speed region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computational burden is a major hurdle for practical implementation of finite-state predictive torque control (FS-PTC) of motor drive fed by a multilevel inverter. One of the reasons of computational complexity is that all voltage vectors are evaluated for prediction and actuation. This paper proposes a reduced number of voltage vectors for the prediction and actuation, which are called prediction vectors in FS-PTC. The performance is investigated for a three-level neutral-point clamped inverter fed motor drive in terms of torque and flux response, stator current total harmonic distortion, robustness, average switching frequency, and neutral-point voltage variation. The number of prediction vectors is reduced based on the position of stator flux and the deviation in stator flux from its reference. Experimental results confirm that the computational burden could be reduced by 38%, while the dynamic performance is comparable with the conventional all voltage vectors based FS-PTC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper identifies possible topological reconfigurability of a T-type inverter for direct torque controlled (DTC) induction motor drives when an open-switch fault occurs. In open-switch fault, inverter current path is different than normal path. This causes undesirable inverter switching states. Since DTC is based on a voltage vector selection criterion, open-switch fault causes ambiguous torque control. Analysis of DTC drive under two different inverter open-switch fault conditions viz. half-bridge and neutral-point switch fault are presented. The operation of the inverter in DTC mode against faults is achieved by simple topological reconfiguration. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper proposes four open-end nine-phase conversion systems with a reduced number of controlled switches. For this to be achieved, a converter is shared among the three three-phase groups that compose the machine. In addition, in order to reduce the number of controlled switches even more, three of the studied topologies with a shared converter make use of diodes replacing some of the switches. Because of the shared converter, the configurations that make use of diodes are only applied for machines with no spatial shift between the machine three three-phase groups. Analysis of harmonic distortion for equal and unequal dc-link voltages is presented. It is shown that the harmonic distortion for configurations with diodes are higher when unequal dc-link voltages are used. Besides, study of machine torque ripple is performed and a pulse-width modulation strategy modification is made aiming torque ripple reduction for two of the proposed conversion systems. Simulation and experimental results are presented to validate the theoretical approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Design rules of multiple multiphase winding configurations are investigated from the perspective of phase shift between adjacent winding sets in flux-switching permanent magnet (FSPM) machines. The relations between torque/rectified voltage and phase shift for any multiple multiphase winding topology are theoretically derived, directly showing the influence of phase shift on torque/rectified voltage harmonic components. It can be learned that the optimal phase shift for the lowest torque ripple and dc voltage oscillation depends on the winding types. Symmetrical winding is not always appropriate for any occasion. To verify the analytical results, the static characteristics of the dual three-phase, four three-phase, triplex three-phase, dual six-phase, and triplex four-phase FSPM machines with specific stator/rotor-pole combinations are studied by finite-element (FE) analysis. The FE-predicted dominant torque ripple and rectified voltage pulsation components for symmetrical and asymmetric phase shifts are in good agreement with the theoretical derivation. Prototypes are built and tested to verify the analytical and FE results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stator dc field winding excited vernier reluctance machines are increasingly attracting research interest recently due to their low cost and highly reliable rotor structure. In this paper, the design of these machines is studied systematically using both theoretical equations and finite element analysis (FEA). First, the general structures of these machines and their operation principles are discussed. Second, based on the operation principle, the back electromotive force, torque, and power factor expressions are deduced in terms of the geometrical variables. Several key design parameters are defined, including stator/rotor slot/pole combinations, air gap, split ratio, field/armature coil turn ratio, and stator/rotor tooth arc combination. Third, the deduced theoretical expressions are verified by the FEA. Finally, a prototype is designed and tested to verify the analysis results. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Different kinds of anomalies in industrial power lines create a number of problems for normal operation of induction motors. One of them is an excessive amount of motor vibration. The industry today widely uses different kinds of nonlinear systems operating in the power lines, for example, adjustable speed drives, which cause voltage distortion in the power lines. Single-phase load in three-phase power systems may cause voltage imbalance. Induction motors operating under voltage distortion or voltage imbalance usually have experienced significant vibration of an electromagnetic nature. Vibration of an electromagnetic nature may also be a result of an internal fault in the motor. Motor vibration data contain substantial analytical information about stator and rotor winding and core condition, air gap eccentricity, current/voltage imbalance, and voltage distortions in the power line, etc. Condition monitoring and fault diagnosis of induction motors based on the vibration analysis technique are widely used in the modern industry. Accuracy of the machinery diagnosis made using vibration analysis depends on the ability to correctly analyze vibration data. The aim of this paper is to clarify the origin of the motor vibration of an electromagnetic nature at line frequency, twice line frequency, harmonics of line frequency, and at twice slip frequency. This opinion is based on the author's many years of experience in the field of vibration diagnostics on electrical machines from different industries. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Iron losses have a large share in the overall losses of high power density electrical machines operating as variable speed drives. Especially in the partial load area, the ratio of iron losses is dominant with respect to the copper losses. Therefore, commonly used control strategies, such as maximum torque per ampere or maximum torque per voltage, aiming at minimizing the current for given restrictions as the maximum voltage do not select the best direct and quadrature currents to maximize the efficiency or minimize the overall losses at each operating point. This paper elaborates a stator current vector determination strategy considering the iron loss distribution at all operating points, comparing different iron loss models in a machine with distributed windings. Depending on the operating point and the operational conditions of the machine, the overall losses can be reduced up to 7%. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper is dedicated to exploring real-time parameter identification approaches and their integration with deadbeat-direct torque and flux control (DB-DTFC) without additional torque ripple. Using the voltage model at medium- and high-speed ranges, DB-DTFC is insensitive to parameters. Performance degrades at low speeds with the rotor time constant errors, because the current model is utilized for flux linkage estimation. Two different real-time parameter estimation approaches are developed, including a flux observer-based model reference adaptive system (MRAS) and a pulsating flux injection-based method. Both are experimentally evaluated for how well they mitigate DB-DTFC performance degradation at low speed. For the MRAS-based method, the fundamental components are used for parameter convergence, which does not induce additional torque ripple. For the injection-based method, traditional d-axis pulsating voltage vector injection used in indirect field-oriented control (IFOC) yields significant torque ripple, particularly at high speed. The proposed pulsating flux injection scheme used in DB-DTFC excites the same magnitude of current harmonics and induces no additional torque ripple over a wide speed range. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper proposes several slot-pole combinations of flux-reversal machines (FRMs) with fractional-slot windings (FSWs) to achieve a larger torque density and a lower pulsating torque. First, the general rules for the determinations of the winding pole pair and slot per pole per phase (SPP) are introduced, and then the feasible slot–pole combinations of three-phase FRMs with FSWs are given. Second, the analytical expressions for the back electromotive force (EMF) and torque of fractional-slot FRMs are derived and expressed in terms of machine dimensions. Based on the analytical equations, the effects of rotor pole number, split ratio, slot opening ratio, permanent magnet (PM) thickness, and rotor pole arc on back EMF are investigated and analyzed, which gives a prediction for maximal achievable back EMF and power density of the FRM with FSWs. Third, the proposed 12-slot/14-pole FRM is compared to a conventional 12-slot/16-pole FRM in terms of cogging torque, flux linkage, back EMF, average torque, torque ripple, and efficiency. It is found that the cogging torque and torque ripple of the proposed FRM are 55% and 48% lower than that of the conventional one, respectively. Moreover, the rated torque of the former is also 4% higher than the latter. Finally, the analysis results are verified by the experiments on a 12-slot/14-pole FRM prototype with FSWs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper proposes an integrated field and armature current control strategy for a variable flux reluctance machine (VFRM) with an open-winding topology. By using an open-winding inverter, the field and armature currents can be injected into a single coil as a sinusoidal current biased by the dc offset rather than the separated field and armature windings. The integrated current control can reduce the copper loss to half and extend the operating speed range owing to the reduction in the winding resistance. In order to utilize the zero-sequence current as a field current, a zero-vector modification technique is proposed, in which the switching-on time of the zero vectors is modified to generate the constant zero-sequence voltage between two inverters. The proposed scheme is implemented in a synchronous $dq0$-axis frame with space vector modulation. For the validation of the proposed method, a machine model of the VFRM is developed and implemented in MATLAB/Simulink. The simulation and experimental results verify that the proposed strategy can effectively reduce the copper loss and extend the operating speed range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]