Thomas M. Jahns

Pulsating torque minimization techniques for permanent magnet AC motor drives-a review

Permanent magnet AC (PMAC) motor drives are finding expanded use in high-performance applications where torque smoothness is essential. This paper reviews a wide range of motor- and controller-based design techniques that have been described in the literature for minimizing the generation of cogging and ripple torques in both sinusoidal and trapezoidal PMAC motor drives. Sinusoidal PMAC drives generally show the greatest potential for pulsating torque minimization using well-known motor design techniques such as skewing and fractional slot pitch windings. In contrast, trapezoidal PMAC drives pose more difficult trade-offs in both the motor and controller design which may require compromises in drive simplicity: and cost to improve torque smoothness. Controller-based techniques for minimizing pulsating torque typically involve the use of active cancellation algorithms which depend on either accurate tuning or adaptive control schemes for effectiveness. In the end, successful suppression of pulsating torque ultimately relies on an orchestrated systems approach to all aspects of the PMAC machine and controller design which often requires a carefully selected combination of minimization techniques.

Fault tolerant three-phase AC motor drive topologies: a comparison of features, cost, and limitations

This paper compares the many fault tolerant three-phase ac motor drive topologies that have been proposed to provide output capacity for the inverter faults of switch short or open-circuits, phase-leg short-circuits, and single-phase open-circuits. Also included is a review of the respective control methods for fault tolerant inverters including two-phase and unipolar control methods. The output voltage and current space in terms of dq components is identified for each topology and fault. These quantities are then used to normalize the power capacity of each system during a fault to a standard inverter during normal operation. A silicon overrating cost factor is adopted as a metric to compare the relative switching device costs of the topologies compared to a standard three-phase inverter.

Improved Reliability in Solid-State AC Drives by Means of Multiple Independent Phase Drive Units

Phase redundancy is a proposed technique for improving the reliability of large solid-state adjustable-frequency ac drives. Based on the more general concept of parallel redundancy, this new technique relies heavily on the inherent capability of a general n-phase ac motor to continue operation with (n -1) or less of its stator phases excited. Motor performance degradation which inevitably accompanies such operation is sensitive to a variety of system parameters including the number of stator phases and the type of excitation source. A thorough evaluation of (n - 1)-phase excitation performance characteristics of an n-phase squirrel-cage induction motor is presented in this paper. Under favorable conditions, a large percentage of the motors balanced excitation rating can be retained during postfault conditions of steady-state (n -1)-phase excitation. The n-phase-drive units must be conservatively designed to withstand transient stresses associated with fault-induced transitions from balanced n-phase to (n-1)-phase excitation. Key analytical results have been experimentally verified by tests conducted on a 5-hp six-phase squirrel-cage induction motor. Results of this investigation support the basic soundness of the phase-redundancy concept.

Optimal flux weakening in surface PM machines using fractional-slot concentrated windings

A design approach is presented for achieving optimal flux-weakening operation in surface permanent-magnet (SPM) synchronous machines by properly designing the machines stator windings using concentrated, fractional-slot stator windings. This technique makes it possible to significantly increase the machine inductance in order to achieve the critical condition for providing wide speed ranges of constant-power operation. The conditions for optimal flux weakening can be achieved while simultaneously delivering sinusoidal line-to-line back-electromotive-force waveforms and low cogging torque. A closed-form analytical model is described that can be used to design SPM machines to achieve optimal flux-weakening conditions. This technique is applied to design a 6-kW SPM machine that achieves constant-power operation over a wide speed range. Performance characteristics of this machine are compared using both closed-form and finite-element analysis.

Initial rotor position estimation of an interior permanent-magnet synchronous machine using carrier-frequency injection methods

This work presents a method using carrier-frequency injection to estimate the initial rotor position and magnetic polarity for an interior permanent-magnet synchronous machine. A nonsaturating inductance model of the machine provides no information about the polarity of the rotor magnet because the position observer based on this model is locally stable at both poles. To distinguish the polarity of the rotor magnet, the magnetic saturation effect can be used. The Taylor series can be used to describe the nonlinear magnetic saturation relationship between the current and the flux linkage in the d-axis rotor reference frame. The second-order term produces the second harmonic component of the carrier frequency, and the sign of its coefficient identifies the polarity of the rotor magnet being tracked. Both simulation and experimental results show good response of the position observer at several rotor electrical positions using either a rotating vector in the stationary reference frame or a oscillating vector in the estimated rotor reference frame.

Analysis of surface permanent magnet machines with fractional-slot concentrated windings

This paper presents a closed-form analytical technique for analyzing surface PM machines equipped with fractional-slot concentrated windings. Since this class of winding configuration deviates significantly from conventional sinusoidal distributions, classical steady-state phasor or dq analytical techniques cannot be used to provide accurate results. The presented analytical model provides a fast and reliable method to analyze and compare candidate machine designs. Stator slotting effects are taken into consideration and a wide range of concentrated winding configurations can be analyzed. This technique is capable of analyzing the machine both below (constant-torque) and above (flux-weakening) base speed. Average torque, cogging torque, and ripple torque are all evaluated. Analytical results are verified using finite element analysis.

Motion control with permanent-magnet AC machines

Motion control techniques have been developed to exploit the high efficiency and extremely fast dynamic response capabilities of permanent-magnet AC (PMAC) machines. Control techniques are reviewed separately for the two major classes of PMAC machines referred to as trapezoidal (i.e., brushless DC) and sinusoidal machines. While trapezoidal PMAC machine drives are distinguished by their controls simplicity and minimal sensor requirements, sinusoidal PMAC machine drives offer opportunities for extremely smooth torque production and extended high-speed operating ranges. Advanced PMAC machine control topics including sensor elimination techniques and robust servocontrol algorithms are reviewed, concluding with a discussion of PMAC machine drive application trends. >

Experimental verification of optimal flux weakening in surface PM Machines using concentrated windings

Previous analytical work has shown that it is possible to design surface permanent-magnet (SPM) machines using fractional-slot concentrated windings to achieve wide speed ranges of constant power operation by satisfying the optimal flux-weakening condition. This paper presents a 6-kW 36-slot/30-pole concentrated winding prototype SPM machine that has been designed using a closed-form analytical technique developed specifically for this class of machines. Experimental testing of this machine has been carried out to determine its performance capabilities, including flux-weakening operation. Detailed comparisons between analytical, finite-element analysis (FEA), and experimental results are presented, which confirm the ability of fractional-slot concentrated winding SPM machines to achieve their high-speed operating objectives. Important issues including the machines back EMF voltage at top speed, eddy-current losses in the magnets, and inverter performance are analyzed and discussed in detail.

Fault tolerant three-phase AC motor drive topologies; a comparison of features, cost, and limitations

This paper compares the many fault tolerant three-phase AC motor drive topologies that have been proposed to provide output capacity for the inverter faults of switch short or open-circuits, phase-leg short-circuits, and single-phase open-circuits. Also included is a review of the respective control methods for fault tolerant inverters including two-phase and unipolar control methods. The output voltage and current space in terms of dq components is identified for each topology and fault. These quantities are then used to normalize the power capacity of each system during a fault to a standard inverter during normal operation. A silicon overrating cost factor is adopted as a metric to compare the relative switching device costs of the topologies compared to a standard three-phase inverter.

Four-quadrant sensorless brushless ECM drive

A four-quadrant brushless electronically commutated motor (ECM) drive is presented which provides high-quality torque control without discrete current sensors or a rotor position sensor. Rotor position feedback is developed by extracting sufficient information from the motor back-EMF voltage waveforms, and current feedback is provided by current sensors integrated into MOS-gated power switches (MOSFETs or IGBTs). Controller parts count is minimized using a custom VLSI chip which performs the rotor position sensing, pulse-width-modulated (PWM) current regulation, and various protection functions. The interface between the low-power logic and inverter power switches is accomplished using a high-voltage integrated circuit (HVIC) gate-driver for each of the three phase legs. Experimental results using a compact prototype ECM drive card are presented which demonstrate the desired four-quadrant performance without discrete sensors.<<ETX>>