Wound Field Synchronous Generators provide more than 95% of the electricity need worldwide. Their primacy in electricity production is due to ease of voltage regulation, performed by simply adjusting the direct current intensity in their rotor winding. Nevertheless, the rapid progress of power electronics devices enables new possibilities for alternating current add-ins in a more than a century long DC dominated technology. Damping the rotor oscillations with less energy loss than before, reducing the wear of the bearings by actively compensating for the mechanic unbalance of the rotating parts, speeding up the generator with no need for additional means, these are just few of the new applications which imply partial or total alternated current supplying of the rotor winding. This thesis explores what happens in a winding traditionally designed for the direct current supply when an alternated current is injected into it by an inverter. The research focuses on wound field salient pole synchronous machines and investigates the changes in the field winding parameters under AC conditions. Particular attention is dedicated to the potentially harmful voltage surges and voltage gradients triggered by voltage-edges with large slew rate. For this study a wide frequency band simplified electromagnetic model of the field winding has been carried out, experimentally determined and validated. Within the specific application of the fast field current control, the research provides some references for the design of the rotor magnetic circuit and of the field winding. Finally the coordination between the power electronics and the field winding properties is addressed, when the current control is done by means of a long cable or busbars, in order to prevent or reduce the ringing.

The Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM, also known as the servo motor) is a crucial component within robotic servo systems. To optimally respond to the torque demands sent from the high-level motion controller, the PMSM current controller must track the reference with speed and precision. Nevertheless, the operation of servo motors could be compromised due to the nonlinearity of flux linkage and inaccuracies in parameters induced by unpredictable fluctuations in temperature. This Master’s thesis proposes a novel Robust Nonlinear Deadbeat Predictive Current Control (RN-DPCC) scheme to counter these challenges effectively. The nonlinear mappings between flux linkage and current on the dq-axis are established using polynomial fitting based on experimental data. Furthermore, the Nonlinear Deadbeat Predictive Current Control (N-DPCC) is derived using nonlinear feedforward. Meanwhile, Delayed Integral Action (DIA) is introduced as a robustness-enhancing measure for N-DPCC, thus evolving it into the Robust N-DPCC (RN-DPCC). Compared to conventional Integral Action (IA), DIA effectively curtails overshoot triggered by integral error and accelerates the current transient without incorporating additional tunable parameters. Numerical simulations that leverage the mathematical modeling of the converter and nonlinear PMSM are implemented using fundamental blocks in Simulink, which replicates the actual experimental setup employed within the Motor Control Lab at ABB Corporate Research. The effectiveness of employing nonlinear feedforward compensation is confirmed through a comparative analysis of the simulation results from N-DPCC and conventional Deadbeat Predictive Current Control (DPCC). The enhancements in transient response brought about by DIA are demonstrated through a comparison of RNDPCC and N-DPCC with IA. The robustness of RN-DPCC is demonstrated by comparing it with N-DPCC under conditions where parameter inaccuracies are present. / Den permanenta magnet-synkronmotorn (PMSM, även känd som servomotorn) är en avgörande komponent inom robotiserade servosystem. För att optimalt kunna reagera på momentkraven som skickas från högnivårörelsekontrollern måste PMSM-strömregulatorn följa referensen med hastighet och precision. Trots detta kan driften av servomotorer påverkas av ickelinjäriteter i flödeslänkningen och felaktigheter i parametrar som orsakas av oförutsägbara temperaturfluktuationer. Denna magisteravhandling föreslår en ny robust icke-linjär deadbeat-prediktiv strömreglering (RN-DPCC) för att effektivt hantera dessa utmaningar. De icke-linjära avbildningarna mellan flödeslänkning och ström på dq-axeln etableras med hjälp av polynomisk anpassning baserat på experimentella data. Dessutom härleds den ickelinjära deadbeat-prediktiva strömregleringen (N-DPCC) med hjälp av Ickelinjär feedforward. Samtidigt introduceras fördröjd integralåtgärd (DIA) som en robusthetsförbättrande åtgärd för N-DPCC, vilket förvandlar den till Robust N-DPCC (RN-DPCC). Jämfört med konventionell integralåtgärd (IA) minskar DIA effektivt överhäng som utlöses av integralfel och accelererar strömövergången utan att införa ytterligare justerbara parametrar. Numeriska simuleringar som utnyttjar den matematiska modelleringen av omvandlaren och den icke-linjära PMSM implementeras med hjälp av grundläggande block i Simulink, vilket återskapar den faktiska experimentella uppställningen som används i Motor Control Lab vid ABB Corporate Research. Effektiviteten i att använda icke-linjär framåtmatningskompensation bekräftas genom en jämförande analys av simulationsresultaten från N-DPCC och konventionell deadbeat-prediktiv strömreglering (DPCC). Förbättringarna i transientrespons som DIA medför demonstreras genom en jämförelse av RN-DPCC och NDPCC med IA. Robustheten hos RN-DPCC demonstreras genom att jämföra den med N-DPCC under förhållanden där parameterfel förekommer.

[pt] O incremento de geração fotovoltaica de grande porte traz consideráveis mudanças nas características operativas e dinâmicas do sistema quando este é submetido a grandes distúrbios. Um dos problemas técnicos mais relevantes é a estabilidade transitória, já que a geração intermitente ligada ao sistema por conversores eletrônicos não contribui para o aumento da inércia total do sistema. Entretanto, os conversores eletrônicos podem, potencialmente, trazer novas oportunidades de controle rápido para dar suporte aos geradores síncronos em resposta a um distúrbio severo. No presente trabalho propõe uma estratégia de controle para inversores fotovoltaicos baseado na injeção da corrente com um grande impacto na resposta transitória do ângulo do rotor da máquina síncrona, identificada através da análise de sensibilidade dos autovalores e dos fatores de participação. Ao fazer isso, é possível aumentar a potência ativa da máquina síncrona próximo do seu valor pré-falta, reduzindo o desequilíbrio entre o torque elétrico e mecânico. A estratégia de controle proposta foi testada experimentalmente, utilizando um inversor e uma montagem máquina síncrona-motor e, através da simulação de um sistema híbrido com um sistema fotovoltaico de grande porte. Os resultados mostram que a estratégia de controle proposta não está apenas em conformidade com os requisitos dos código da rede para melhorar a estabilidade da tensão durante uma perturbação grave, mas também é capaz de manter a estabilidade transitória da rede provando, assim, ser uma melhor alternativa em relação à capacidade FRT requerida pelos códigos de rede. / [en] The increase in photovoltaic generation has caused changes in the power system s operative and dynamic characteristics when subjected to severe disturbances. One of the most relevant problems associated with this renewable energy source is the transient stability, as renewable generation connected to the system by electronic converters does not contrinute to the increase of the total inertia of the system. However, electronic converters can potentially bring new opportunities for rapid control to support synchronous generators in response to severe disturbance. The present work proposes a control strategy for photovoltaic inverters based on the injection of the current with a major impact on the transient response of the synchronous machine rotor angle, identified through the eigenvalue sensitivity analysis and the participation factors. By doing so, it is possible to increase the synchronous machine active power output close to its pre-fault value, reducing the disequilibrium between mechanical and electrical torque. The proposed control strategy was experimentally tested using an inverter and a synchronous-motor machine assembly and, by simulating a hybrid system with a large photovoltaic system. The results show that the proposed control strategy not only conforms to the grid codes requirements to improve voltage stability during a severe disturbance, but is also able to maintain transient stability thus proving to be a better alternative to the FRT capability required by the grid codes.

Haptic feedback is a growing phenomenon that incorporates the sense of touch through tactile sensations such as vibrations, electrical signals, air pressure, and sound waves or through force feedback, which employs torques and/or forces to replicate the pressure and weight of a simulated object. Utilizing haptic technology establishes a communication bridge between the user and the technical component, enhancing the user's understanding of the technical component's surroundings. This thesis focuses on designing a force feedback haptic device with an impedance control strategy, enabling the imposition of dynamic behavior during simulated robot interactions. Impedance control is a commonly employed approach in haptic devices, utilizing a mass-spring-damper model to vary stiffness, damping, and inertia levels, thereby simulating realistic forces and torques in master-slave interactions.  Initially, a haptic device resembling the shape of a Delta robot was designed using Solidworks, with size and weight distribution serving as the primary design considerations. Subsequently, the device was further represented using a generic robot description format, incorporating the design's joints and links. This representation was then paired with kinematic connections delineating the robot's motion and dynamic matrices to simulate the robot's movement. Alongside the integration of an impedance control strategy, simulations were conducted to emulate robot interactions. These simulations tested the system under various conditions, including scenarios with and without introduced torque disturbances. Including torque disturbances was intended to enhance the simulation's realism and assess the impact of impedance control parameter choices on the system's behavior. In summary, the research concludes how a closed-chain robot, the Delta robot, can be modeled as a haptic device with an impedance control strategy, offering valuable guidance for future research. / Haptisk återkoppling är ett växande fenomen som integreras i allt fler användningsområden. Genom att återskapa känslan av att röra vid eller interagera med föremål, antingen genom att simulera taktila sensationer som vibrationer, elektriska signaler, lufttryck och ljudvågor eller genom att återge kraftåterkoppling till användaren, kan användarens förståelse för tekniska komponenter och deras omgivning öka. Kraftåterkoppling möjliggör imitation av tryck och vikt hos simulaterade objekt, vilket förbättrar realismen i användarupplevelsen. Detta examensarbete har inriktat sig på att designa en haptisk pryl med kraftåterkoppling och en styrmekanism baserad på impedanskontroll. Genom att implementera impedanskontroll kan dynamiska beteenden inkorporeras i systemet genom varierande styrka, dämpning och tröghet. Dessa impedansparametrar möjliggör realistiska simuleringar av kraft och vridmoment i samband med virtuella robotinteraktioner. Först utformades en haptisk pryl som efterliknar formen av en Delta-robot med hjälp av CAD-programmet Solidworks. Här var storlek och viktfördelning primära överväganden i designprocessen. Därefter representerades enheten genom en generisk robotbeskrivning som inkluderade dess leder och länkar. Denna representation kopplades sedan ihop med kinematiska samband som reglerade enhetens rörelse. Tillsammans med integreringen av impedanskontrollstrategin genomfördes simuleringar som efterliknade robotinteraktioner. Dessa simuleringar omfattade olika scenarier, inklusive de med vridmomentsstörningar och de utan. Syftet med att inkludera vridmomentsstörningar var att öka realismen i simuleringen och utvärdera påverkan av valda parametrar för impedanskontrollen på systemets beteende. Sammanfattningsvis har detta arbete resulterat i utformningen av en haptisk pryl med kraftåterkoppling, som efterliknar en Delta-robot. Prylen har modellerats som en trädstruktur, med kinematiska samband som sammanfogar dess ändnoder. Det här arbetet har bidragit till kunskapen om hur realistiska haptiska interaktioner kan skapas och öppnat möjligheter för framtida forskning och utveckling inom detta område.

In the last 10-15 years there has been a renewed interest in amorphous Se (a-Se) and its alloys due to their application as photoconductor materials in the new fully digital direct conversion flat panel x-ray medical image detectors. For a number of reasons, the a-Se photoconductor layer in such x-ray detectors has to be operated at very high electric fields (up to 10 Volts per micron) and one of the most difficult problems related to such applications of a Se is the problem of the dark current (the current in the absence of any radiation) minimization in the photoconductor layer. <p>This PhD work has been devoted to researching the possibilities for dark current minimization in a-Se x-ray photoconductors devices through a systematic study of the charge transport (carrier mobility and carrier lifetimes) and dark currents in single and multilayered a-Se devices as a function of alloying, doping, deposition condition and other fabrication factors. The results of the studies are extensively discussed in the thesis. We have proposed a new technological method for dark current reduction in single and multilayered a-Se based photoconductor for x-ray detector applications. The new technology is based on original experimental findings which demonstrate that both hole transport and the dark currents in a-Se films are a very strong function of the substrate temperature (Tsubstrate) during the film deposition process. We have shown that the new technique reduces the dark currents to approximately the same levels as achievable with the previously existing methods for dark current reduction. However, the new method is simpler to implement, and offers some potential advantages, especially in cases when a very high image resolution (20 cycles/mm) and/or fast pixel readout (more than 30 times per second) are needed. <p>Using the new technology we have fabricated simple single and double (ni-like) photoconductor layers on prototype x-ray image detectors with CCD (Charge Coupled Device) readout circuits. Dark currents in the a-Se photoconductor layer were not a problem for detector operation at all tested electric fields. Compared to the currently available commercial systems for mammography, the prototype detectors have demonstrated an excellent imaging performance, in particular superior spatial resolution (20 cycles/mm). Thus, the newly proposed technology for dark current reduction has shown a potential for commercialization.

In the last 10-15 years there has been a renewed interest in amorphous Se (a-Se) and its alloys due to their application as photoconductor materials in the new fully digital direct conversion flat panel x-ray medical image detectors. For a number of reasons, the a-Se photoconductor layer in such x-ray detectors has to be operated at very high electric fields (up to 10 Volts per micron) and one of the most difficult problems related to such applications of a Se is the problem of the dark current (the current in the absence of any radiation) minimization in the photoconductor layer. <p>This PhD work has been devoted to researching the possibilities for dark current minimization in a-Se x-ray photoconductors devices through a systematic study of the charge transport (carrier mobility and carrier lifetimes) and dark currents in single and multilayered a-Se devices as a function of alloying, doping, deposition condition and other fabrication factors. The results of the studies are extensively discussed in the thesis. We have proposed a new technological method for dark current reduction in single and multilayered a-Se based photoconductor for x-ray detector applications. The new technology is based on original experimental findings which demonstrate that both hole transport and the dark currents in a-Se films are a very strong function of the substrate temperature (Tsubstrate) during the film deposition process. We have shown that the new technique reduces the dark currents to approximately the same levels as achievable with the previously existing methods for dark current reduction. However, the new method is simpler to implement, and offers some potential advantages, especially in cases when a very high image resolution (20 cycles/mm) and/or fast pixel readout (more than 30 times per second) are needed. <p>Using the new technology we have fabricated simple single and double (ni-like) photoconductor layers on prototype x-ray image detectors with CCD (Charge Coupled Device) readout circuits. Dark currents in the a-Se photoconductor layer were not a problem for detector operation at all tested electric fields. Compared to the currently available commercial systems for mammography, the prototype detectors have demonstrated an excellent imaging performance, in particular superior spatial resolution (20 cycles/mm). Thus, the newly proposed technology for dark current reduction has shown a potential for commercialization.

Je jasné, že nejúspěšnější konstrukce zahrnuje postup vícefázového řízení, ve kterém každá fáze může být považována za samostatný modul. Provoz kterékoliv z jednotek musí mít minimální vliv na ostatní, a to tak, že v případě selhání jedné jednotky ostatní mohou být v provozu neovlivněny. Modulární řešení vyžaduje minimální elektrické, magnetické a tepelné ovlivnění mezi fázemi řízení (měniče). Synchronní stroje s pulzním tokem a permanentními magnety se jeví jako atraktivní typ stroje, jejíž přednostmi jsou vysoký kroutící moment, jednoduchá a robustní konstrukce rotoru a skutečnost, že permanentní magnety i cívky jsou umístěny společně na statoru. FS-PMSM jsou poměrně nové typy střídavého stroje stator-permanentní magnet, které představují významné přednosti na rozdíl od konvenčních rotorů - velký kroutící moment, vysoký točivý moment, v podstatě sinusové zpětné EMF křivky, zároveň kompaktní a robustní konstrukce díky umístění magnetů a vinutí kotvy na statoru. Srovnání výsledků mezi FS-PMSM a klasickými motory na povrchu upevněnými PM (SPM) se stejnými parametry ukazuje, že FS-PMSM vykazuje větší vzduchové mezery hustoty toku, vyšší točivý moment na ztráty v mědi, ale také vyšší pulzaci díky reluktančnímu momentu. Pro stroje buzené permanentními magnety se jedná o tradiční rozpor mezi požadavkem na vysoký kroutící moment pod základní rychlostí (oblast konstantního momentu) a provozem nad základní rychlostí (oblast konstantního výkonu), zejména pro aplikace v hybridních vozidlech. Je předložena nová topologie synchronního stroje s permanentními magnety a spínaným tokem odolného proti poruchám, která je schopná provozu během vinutí naprázdno a zkratovaného vinutí i poruchách měniče. Schéma je založeno na dvojitě vinutém motoru napájeném ze dvou oddělených vektorově řízených napěťových zdrojů. Vinutí jsou uspořádána takovým způsobem, aby tvořila dvě nezávislé a oddělené sady. Simulace a experimentální výzkum zpřesní výkon během obou scénářů jak za normálního provozu, tak za poruch včetně zkratových závad a ukáží robustnost pohonu za těchto podmínek. Tato práce byla publikována v deseti konferenčních příspěvcích, dvou časopisech a knižní kapitole, kde byly představeny jak topologie pohonu a aplikovaná řídící schémata, tak analýzy jeho schopnosti odolávat poruchám.