Return to search

Development of a Power Hardware-in-the-Loop Test Bench for Electric Machine and Drive Emulation

This work demonstrates the capability of a power electronic based power hardware-inthe- loop (PHIL) platform to emulate electric machines for the purpose of a motor drive testbench with a particular focus on induction machine emulation. PHIL presents advantages over full-hardware testing of motor drives as the PHIL platform can save space and cost that comes from the physical construction of multiple electric machine test configurations. This thesis presents real-time models that were developed for the purpose of PHIL emulation. Additionally, real-time modeling considerations are presented as well as the modeling considerations that stem from implementing the model in a PHIL testbench. Next, the design and implementation of the PHIL testbench is detailed. This thesis describes the design of the interface inductor between the motor drive and the emulation platform. Additionally, practical implementation challenges such as common mode and ground loop noise are discussed and solutions are presented. Finally, experimental validation of the modeling and emulation of the induction machine is presented and the performance of the machine emulation testbench is discussed. / Master of Science / According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), electric power usage is increasing across all sectors, and particularly in the transportation sector [1]. This increase is apparent in one's daily life through the increase of electric vehicles on the road. Power electronics convert electricity in one form to electricity in another form. This conversion of power is playing an increasingly important role in society because examples of this conversion include converting the dc voltage of a battery to ac voltage in an electric car or the conversion of the ac power grid to dc to power a laptop. Additionally, even within an electric car, power converters transform the battery's electric power from a higher dc voltage into lower voltage dc power to supply the entertainment system and into ac power to drive the car's motor.

The electrification of the transportation sector is leading to an increase in the amount of electric energy that is being consumed and processed through power electronics. As was illustrated in the previous examples of electric cars, the application of power electronics is very wide and thus requires different testbenches for the many different applications. While some industries are used to power electronics and testing converters, transportation electrification is increasing the number of companies and industries that are using power electronics and electric machines.

As industry is shifting towards these new technologies, it is a prime opportunity to change the way that high power testing is done for electric machines and power converters. Traditional testing methods are potentially dangerous and lack the flexibility that is required to test a wide variety of machines and drives. Power hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) testing presents a safe and adaptable solution to high power testing of electric machines. Traditionally, electric machines were primarily used in heavy industry such as milling, processing, and pumping applications. These applications, and other applications such as an electric motor in a car or plane are called motor drive systems. Regardless of the particular application of the motor drive system, there are generally three parts: a dc source, an inverter, and the electric machine. In most applications, other than cars which have a dc battery, the dc source is a power electronic converter called a rectifier which converts ac electricity from the grid to dc for the motor drive. Next, the motor drive converts the dc electricity from the first stage to a controlled ac output to drive the electric machine. Finally, the electric machine itself is the final piece of the electrical system and converts the electrical energy to mechanical energy which can drive a fan, belt, or axle. The fact that this motor drive system can be generalized and applied to a wide range of applications makes its study particularly interesting.

PHIL simplifies testing of these motor drive systems by allowing the inverter to connect directly to a machine emulator which is able to replicate a variety of loads. Furthermore, this work demonstrates the capability of PHIL to emulate both the induction machine load as well as the dc source by considering several rectifier topologies without any significant adjustments from the machine emulation platform.

This thesis demonstrates the capabilities of the EGSTON Power Electronics GmbH COMPISO System Unit to emulate motor drive systems to allow for safer, more flexible motor drive system testing. The main goal of this thesis is to demonstrate an accurate PHIL emulation of a induction machine and to provide validation of the emulation results through comparison with an induction machine.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/101498
Date15 December 2020
CreatorsNoon, John Patrick
ContributorsElectrical Engineering, Burgos, Rolando, Boroyevich, Dushan, Wen, Bo
PublisherVirginia Tech
Source SetsVirginia Tech Theses and Dissertation
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis
FormatETD, application/pdf
RightsIn Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Page generated in 0.0014 seconds