Αντικείμενο της εργασίας είναι η μελέτη και κατασκευή διάταξης μετατροπής συνεχούς τάσης σε τριφασική εναλλασσόμενη, προκειμένου να χρησιμοποιηθεί για τον έλεγχο σύγχρονης μηχανής με μόνιμο μαγνήτη. Συγκεκριμένα, χρησιμοποιήθηκε μια μηχανή «brushless» με μόνιμο μαγνήτη ως κινητήρας και ως φορτίο αυτής μια δεύτερη μηχανή, συνεχούς ρεύματος με μόνιμο μαγνήτη, που λειτούργησε ως γεννήτρια. Ο έλεγχος της πρώτης μηχανής πραγματοποιήθηκε με έναν ηλεκτρονικό μετατροπέα ισχύος συνεχούς τάσης σε τριφασική εναλλασσόμενη. Αναλυτικά, στο κεφάλαιο 1 γίνεται αναφορά στους μόνιμους μαγνήτες που χρησιμοποιούνται στην κατασκευή μηχανών «brushless». Αναλύονται θεμελιώδεις μαγνητικές έννοιες και μαγνητικές ιδιότητες των υλικών. Στο κεφάλαιο 2 γίνεται εκτενής περιγραφή της λειτουργίας μιας μηχανής «brushless» με μόνιμο μαγνήτη. Αναλύονται τα κατασκευαστικά χαρακτηριστικά της, οι διαφορές της από άλλες κλασσικές μηχανές, καθώς και η αρχή λειτουργίας της. Στο κεφάλαιο 3 αναλύεται το μαθηματικό μοντέλο που διέπει τη λειτουργία της μηχανής: τα μαγνητικά πεδία της, οι σκεδάσεις, οι τάσεις εξ’επαγωγής και οι ηλεκτρομαγνητικές ροπές. Στο κεφάλαιο 4 περιγράφεται το σύστημα τροφοδοσίας και ελέγχου της μηχανής. Στο κεφάλαιο 5 προσομοιώνεται το υπό μελέτη σύστημα μέσω του προγράμματος simulink. Αρχικά προσομοιώνεται η απόκριση της μηχανής «brushless» υπό διαφορετικές ροπές φορτίου και εν τέλει γίνεται προσομοίωση του συστήματος που περιλαμβάνει αντιστροφέα με διαμόρφωση παλμών PWM και τη μηχανή. Στο κεφάλαιο 6 αναλύεται η πειραματική διάταξη που χρησιμοποιήθηκε για την πραγματοποίηση των μετρήσεων και παρουσιάζονται τα αποτελέσματα από τις μετρήσεις. Κυρίως παρουσιάζονται τα παλμογραφήματα τα οποία προέκυψαν κατά τη λειτουργία του συστήματος. Τέλος, καταγράφεται η βιβλιογραφία που χρησιμοποιήθηκε και στα παραρτήματα ενσωματώνονται τα φυλλάδια των κατασκευαστών των μηχανών που χρησιμοποιήθηκαν για τη συγκρότηση του υπό μελέτη πειραματικού συστήματος. / -

O trabalho tem como objetivo abordar e investigar a viabilidade técnica e econômica da proposta de substituição de um motor de corrente continua, por um motor síncrono com imãs permanentes. O passo inicial foi a análise de dados referentes à manutenção preventiva do motor em operação comparado ao motor de indução e o resultado foi que se teria grande vantagens. Foi observado que o mercado oferecia uma solução inovadora, que mudou a trajetória dos estudos. Esta solução é o motor síncrono de imã permanentes, que é um motor brushless de corrente alternada, com dimensões reduzidas para a mesma potência de um motor indução trifásico. As perdas por efeito Joule no rotor que praticamente são as maiores, neste caso são desprezíveis, pois o rotor é equipado internamente com imãs de Terras Raras, o Neodímio Ferro Boro de alta energia, que desta forma minimizam também a temperatura no motor aumentando sua vida útil. Além disso, para aplicações onde se tem a necessidade de controle de torque com velocidades baixas é a melhor solução. Estas e outras qualidades fizeram a diferença na escolha deste motor para a aplicação, onde é necessário o controle de torque com a velocidade baixa. Neste trabalho se descreve todas as etapas do retrofiting, incluindo as comparações do sistema atual com duas propostas, através de simulações no software MATLAB, que demonstraram que as expectativas iniciais foram alcançadas, identificando o motor síncrono de imãs permanentes mais indicado nos dias de hoje para a substituição. / The work had as objective approach and investigate the technical and economic viability of the proposed replacement of a DC motor, by a permanent magnets synchronous motor. The initial step was the analysis of data on preventive maintenance of the motor in operation compared to the induction motor and the result was that it would have great advantages. It was observed that the market offered an innovative solution, which changed the course of the studies. This solution is permanent magnet synchronous motor, which is a brushless AC motor with reduced dimensions at the same power of a three phase induction motor. The Joule losses in the rotor which practically are the biggest. this case are not important, because the rotor is fitted internally with Rare Earths Magnets Neodymium Iron Boron the high energy, which thus also minimize the temperature in the motor increasing its lifetime. Also, for application where there is the need to control torque at low speeds is the best solution. These and other qualities made the difference in the choice of this motor to the application, where it is necessary to control torque with low speed. We describe all stages of Retrofitting, including comparisons of the current system with two proposals, through simulations in MATLAB, which have shown that initial expectations were met, identifying the permanent magnet synchronous motor best suited these days for the replacement.

Master of Science / Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering / James E. DeVault / Working with the subject of sensorless motor control requires an understanding of several topical areas; this report presents an understanding that was gained during this research work. The fundamentals of electric motors (particularly brushless motors) are developed from first principles and the basic models are discussed. The theory of sinusoidal synchronous motors is reviewed (phasor analysis of the single phase equivalent circuit). The concept of a complex space vector is introduced and developed using a working knowledge of the sinusoidal synchronous motor. This leads to the presentation of the space vector model of the permanent magnet synchronous motor, in both the stationary and rotor reference frames. An overview of the operation of three-phase voltage source inverters is given, followed by an explanation of space vector modulation and its relationship to regular sinusoidal pulse width modulation. Torque control of the permanent magnet synchronous machine is reviewed in several reference frames and then rotor-flux-field-oriented-control is explained. Finally, some schemes for sensorless operation are discussed.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Engineering Degree, Department of Electronic Engineering, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2016. / The aim of this research project is to design a three phase four quadrant variable speed drive (VSD) for a permanent magnet brushless direct current motor (PMBLDC) that can be applied to an electric bicycle (e-bike). The design is confined to PMBLDC motors with a maximum power rating of 1.5kW. The speed controller operates in current mode at a maximum voltage and current rating of 50V and 30A, respectively. The VSD has the ability to smoothly control the current delivered to the DC motor and therefore controls its torque. The motor’s current is limited in all four quadrants of operation, and its speed is limited in the forward and reverse directions. The performance of the proposed DC motor VSD system is tested on an electric- bicycle. The PMBLDC motor has three hall sensors embedded into the stator to determine rotor position. A phase switcher module interprets the position signals and produces a switching pattern. This effectively transforms the BLDC motor into a direct current (DC) brushed motor. The unipolar switching scheme used ensures that current flows out of the battery only for motoring operation and into the battery during regenerative braking. The current and torque are directly proportional in a BLDC motor. Torque control is achieved in the BLDC motor using a single channel current controller. The phase switcher current is monitored and used to control the duty cycle of the synchronous converter switches. The proposed e-bike speed control system provides efficient control in all four quadrants of operation and it is a suitable alternative for a low cost transportation mode. / M

published_or_final_version / Electrical and Electronic Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Electrical and Electronic Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

An AC/AC converter has been designed and implemented for the purpose of providing a modular drive system with a Brushless Doubly-Fed Machine (BDFM.) This converter is to be used in laboratory testing and also as part of a demonstration system in the field. All hardware needed to start and run the BDFM is now consolidated into a single NEMA standard frame electrical equipment box. This allows easy transportation and setup of the drive system, and will enable the BDFM drive system to be directly compared with existing induction machine based drive systems. Converter subsystem overviews in the body of the text and comprehensive schematics in the appendices of this thesis describe all circuitry included in the drive system. Sufficient construction detail is given to allow for duplication of this converter by qualified technical personnel. While not tailored for mass production, this converter may provide a starting point for a commercially viable design. / Graduation date: 1998

The Brush less Doubly-Fed Machine (BDFM) has the potential to be a more cost effective replacement for conventional induction or synchronous machine drives. The BDFM has two stator windings: a power winding and a control winding. An electronic power converter of variable voltage and frequency is connected to the control winding and allows the speed of the machine to be adjusted synchronously. The power winding, by design, carries the majority of the current needed for operation, the control winding only a fraction of the current, thus enabling the converter rating to be as low as 25% of the rating of the machine depending on the speed range of operation. To date, only one specific stator pole-pair combination has been investigated, namely the 3/1 combination, where 3 and 1 refer to the power winding pole-pairs and the control winding pole-pair, respectively. Since the speed of the machine is dependent on the sum of the pole-pairs of the stator windings, a general pole numbered model is needed to evaluate the performance of such general machines with other pole-pair number machines. The BDFM describing system equations are transformed to the two axis (dq) rotor reference frame using a power invariant transformation. The analysis shows an additional term involving the common bar impedance which was not present in earlier analyses. The dynamic model is simplified to yield a steady state synchronous model. The synchronous frequency of analysis is investigated which results in two equivalent steady state models. The models developed can easily handle excitation of any frequency or sequence on the control winding without the use of an auxiliary model as used in previous analyses. The voltage forced model predictions match data taken for a 5 hp BDFM laboratory prototype, establishing the validity of the analysis. The model is used in illustrating the torque producing capabilities and unity power factor operation of the machine under a variety of inputs. Using the model, predictions are made on a different pole-pair combination machine (4/2 BDFM) for use as a 60 hp pump drive as an alternative to a 3/1 BDFM for the same application. / Graduation date: 1995

The exceptional feature of the brushless doubly-fed machine is the lack of need for frequent replacement of brushes. The inherent instability of this machine has to be overcome for its application in adjustable speed drives and variable speed generation systems. Specific objectives were: to study the characteristics of the machine pertinent to its application in adjustable speed drives and variable speed generation systems, to develop a stabilizer depending on the nature of the instability. The brushless doubly-fed machine was found to be unstable over much of the useful operating range. A digital feedback control was implemented using a combination of hardware and software elements/to stabilize the machine. The feedback system was a band pass filter. The software was developed with a processing time fast enough to match the speed of response required by the stabilizer to overcome the unstable oscillations. The performance of the machine was compared with and without the stabilizer to test its effectiveness. Stable operation was achieved over the entire operating region. / Graduation date: 1991

The Brushless Doubly-Fed Machine (BDFM) has recently become an important research topic in the field of variable-speed AC drives. In recent studies, the BDFM has shown significant potential for improving the reliability and performance of AC drive systems, as well as reducing total system cost. While the BDFM offers several advantages over existing AC drives in steady-state operation, it suffers from dynamic instabilities and slow response times, and a feedback control system is necessary. The mathematics of the BDFM are much more complicated than those of a singly-fed machine, and thus traditional control methods can't be applied. In this thesis, a control method known as "Direct Torque Control" has been adapted from that of a singly-fed induction machine and successfully applied to the BDFM. The thesis begins by discussing the background of the BDFM, its open-loop operating characteristics, and some of the control considerations. The reduced-order system differential equations are introduced, and it is noted that they are coupled and nonlinear. Furthermore, all state variables are time-varying (but periodic), even in steady-state operation. In the controller development, it is found that a linear relationship exists between the desired torque/flux-level change and the d-q voltages to be applied to the control winding of the machine via the power-electronic converter. This linear relationship, together with a one-step-ahead predictor to compensate for computational delay, is successfully used to control the speed and efficiency of the machine, for a wide range of speeds and load torques. Numerous open- vs. closed-loop simulations are compared and summarized, and it is found that the performance of the BDFM is greatly improved in the closed-loop, with faster response and reduced oscillation. Further simulations investigating the robustness of the controller are summarized, and it is found that the controller is reasonably insensitive to errors in most of the the static machine parameters. Hardware implementation is briefly discussed but is not complete; laboratory results are not yet available but should be soon. Future controller considerations are then discussed; included among the recommendations are an on-line parameter estimator for use in adaptive control, and a controller for generator applications of the BDFM. / Graduation date: 1993