Student Number : 9811492X - MSc dissertation - School of Electrical and Information Engineering - Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment / This dissertation discusses the development of an ATP model of a network to aid measurement techniques in a harmonic evaluation. A theoretical back- ground discussion of various pieces of equipment and their signi#12;cance to har- monics is included. National Electricity Regulator (NRS 048) standards are discussed with refer- ence to performing a basic investigation and short comings. A test study was performed on the Brandspruit Mine in Secunda. ATP models are developed for equipment relevant to the test case, these in- clude AC{AC converters, AC{DC converters, three phase transformers and cables. Finally the measured test case is compared to simulation results and conclusions drawn.

The awareness of electric power quality has increased over the past decade as electronic equipment has become more susceptible to power disturbances. The most disruptive power disturbances are voltage sags and momentary interruptions and their effect on adjustable speed drives (ASDs) is studied in this thesis. Several solutions have been suggested to provide only voltage sag ride-through to ASDs, but most solutions focus on ASDs with passive rectifiers since they hold the largest share of the market. This thesis focuses on ASDs with active rectifiers, which is an emerging and growing market due to the advantages of four quadrant operation and reduced harmonics offered. A solution is presented which provides an ASD with an active rectifier with the capability to ride through the most common sags in order to reduce the frequency at which the ASD trips and thereby increase its reliability. In order to provide ASDs with the capability to ride through momentary interruptions, it is necessary to interface an energy storage system to the ASD. Flywheels, ultra-capacitors and batteries are evaluated for use in an energy storage system to provide voltage sag and momentary interruption ride-through and a detailed comparison of six systems based on these technologies is presented. The interface circuit between the energy storage system and ASD has a significant influence on the performance of the energy storage system and therefore interface circuits to ASDs with passive and active rectifiers are studied. The addition of an ultra-capacitor energy storage system to an ASD with an active rectifier in order to provide ride-through of deeper sags and momentary interruptions is studied and a fuzzy logic controller is designed to enhance system performance. Initially, no communication between the ASD and the ultra-capacitor system is assumed and the ultra-capacitor system can therefore be added as a retro-fit to an existing ASD. It is, however, foreseen that the market for ASDs with ride-through capability of voltage sags and momentary interruptions will grow and the concepts for an integrated design of an ASD and an energy storage system are presented. / Graduation date: 1999

The continuing desire of industry to further improve process efficiency, through tighter control and energy conservation, has prompted users to pay closer attention to Adjustable Speed Drives (ASDs). The conventional ASDs consist of induction or synchronous motors controlled by power electronic controllers through the adjustment of supply frequency and line voltage. The drawback of these conventional ASDs lies in the high cost of the power electronic controllers which have the same rating as that of the machine itself. The Brush less Doubly-Fed Machine (BDFM) ASD has proven, both analytically and experimentally, to provide a cost effective and a wide range of precise speed control. The experimental BDFM prototypes built to date were designed and constructed individually based on designers' experience with self-cascaded machines. The success with these prototypes has promoted the idea of standardizing the design procedure for all future BDFMs. This thesis offers a general design procedure for the BDFM, which can serve as a first step in standardizing the manufacturing process of this machine. The procedure is presented in the form of a demonstration, by applying it to the design of a 60-hp, 600 to 900 r/min, 460-volts BDFM pump drive to replace the currently utilized conventional 60-hp wound rotor induction motor ASD. An ideal design, which determines machine details such as physical dimensions, slot specifics and conductor details based on conservative magnetic and electric loading assumptions, is one form of the design procedure. The other form, the practical design, involves utilizing a specified physical dimensions and slot details to determine the associated conductors' details and to insure the compliance of machine loadings with up-to-date industrial standards. In both procedures, the design will be made to satisfy, if not to exceed, the existing conventional drive performance. / Graduation date: 1994

published_or_final_version / Mechanical Engineering / Master / Master of Philosophy

No description available.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 1998. / Title from document title page. "July 29, 1998." Document formatted into pages; contains xii, 100 p. : ill. (some col.) Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 84-87).

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 188-196).

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 1999. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains viii, 69 p. : ill. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 68-69).

This thesis is concerned with the modelling of electrical machines for use in variable-speed drives. Even when the structure of the model of the machine is known values have to be assigned to the parameters. In addition, it is usual for only some of the state variables to be measured, any others needed being estimated using the model. The present work is a study of methods of making on-line estimates of the model parameters, using a reduced number of measured states. To offer high level dynamic torque control the non-measured state variables must be indirectly estimated to a high degree of accuracy throughout the complete range of operating conditions. The state estimator is generally classified with respect to the degree of structural complexity. At one end of the spectrum the model is constructed with a very high level of complexity in order to describe fully the system during any operating conditions. Because of this structural accuracy, the model parameters can be fixed prior to running the machine under normal conditions. However, this scheme suffers from a high computational burden in the state estimation process, and requires sophisticated commissioning strategies in order to permit the complete identification of the relatively large parameter set. The alternative is to use a simpler model structure and update the parameters with sufficient speed on-line in order to compensate for the inherently larger structural error. In this thesis the latter method is considered and preferred, as it has a greater robustness to unforeseen system behaviour and is more compatible with existing control strategies. As a consequence of the simple estimator the identification scheme has to compensate for the considerable structural errors. To this end the strategy of full parameter set identification is described. Work has also been done, and is presented, concerning on-line parameter identification using genetic optimisation techniques, which are shown to be well suited to this type of problem. The first studies of modelling and parameter extraction were concerned with dc machines, for these were thought to be simpler to model and to understand. DC machines are also different, in that the simple model includes mechanical parameters, and so represents a more complete system than the models of the ac machine studied later. A number of standard, enhanced and novel parameter identification methods are analysed and implemented on a practical machine and drive test bench. Also included were state estimators, intended to permit speed-sensorless control; however, the limitations on the experimental rig, based as it was around a commercially available drive, meant that some of the testing had to be done by running the estimator off-line, using data recorded from actual runs as the input. The thesis is primarily concerned with the induction machine and specifically the parameters required to permit field and speed sensorless rotor field orientated vector control. Sufficient work was done to allow a preliminary experimental comparison of a number of algorithms. At this stage it appears that several of these could be developed into successful drives, the precise choice depending on the specific application.

The adjustable-pitch setting on an axial-flow fan is the most common method of controlling airflow for primary coal mine ventilation. With this method, the fan operates at a constant speed dictated by its motor design. The angles of the blades are adjusted to change the amount of airflow and pressure to meet ventilation requirements. Typically, the fan does not operate at its optimum efficiency, which only occurs in a narrow band of air pressures and quantities. The use of variable frequency drives (VFDs), which control fan speed, provides a solution to this problem. VFDs are already used in various similar applications such as pumping and building ventilation. New technology now enables efficient VFD operation in medium voltage (2,300 – 6,900 V) fan applications. The primary benefit of a variable frequency drive is that it allows motors to operate at reduced speeds, and thus at a lower power, without a loss of torque. VFDs also allow for efficient operation over the entire life of the fan. The technical considerations of using a VFD are presented in this work, along with a method for choosing and modeling a variable speed fan to achieve maximum energy savings. As a part of this research, a spreadsheet program was developed that will calculate the optimum fan operating speed based on given fan data and specified operating conditions. A representative room and pillar coal mine is modeled to illustrate the selection and modeling process and as an example of the economic implications of using a VFD. The use of VFDs is shown to potentially yield large energy savings by increasing the fan efficiency over the life of the mine. Although there are definite power savings while using variable speed fans, the magnitude of these savings is specific to an individual mine and the operating conditions encountered. The determination of whether the use of VFDs is economically feasible requires analysis for the specific mine and its operating conditions. This work provides the background and a method for such an evaluation. / Master of Science