UNIT No.

- I
Electrical Drives:

Motion control is required in large number of industrial and domestic applications like
transportation systems, rolling mills, paper machines, textile mills, machine tools, fans, pumps,
robots, washing machines etc.
Systems employed for motion control are called DRIVES, and may employ any of prime
movers such as diesel or petrol engines, gas or steam turbines, steam engines, hydraulic motors
and electric motors, for supplying mechanical energy for motion control. Drives employing
electric motors are known as ELECTRICAL DRIVES.
An ELECTRIC DRIVE can be defined as an electromechanical device for converting
electrical energy into mechanical energy to impart motion to different machines and
mechanisms for various kinds of process control.

Classification of Electric Drives

According to Mode of Operation
Continuous duty drives
Short time duty drives
Intermittent duty drives
According to Means of Control
Manual
Semi automatic
Automatic
According to Number of machines
Individual drive
Group drive
Multi-motor drive
According to Dynamics and Transients
Uncontrolled transient period
Controlled transient period

S. D. Bonde, BEDC (Mech. Engineering)

 According to Methods of Speed Control
Reversible and non-reversible uncontrolled constant speed.
Reversible and non-reversible step speed control.
Variable position control.
Reversible and non-reversible smooth speed control.

Advantages of Electrical Drive

1. They have flexible control characteristics. The steady state and dynamic characteristics of
electric drives can be shaped to satisfy the load requirements.
2. Drives can be provided with automatic fault detection systems. Programmable logic
controller and computers can be employed to automatically control the drive operations
in a desired sequence.
3. They are available in wide range of torque, speed and power.
4. They are adaptable to almost any operating conditions such as explosive and radioactive
environments
5. It can operate in all the four quadrants of speed-torque plane
6. They can be started instantly and can immediately be fully loaded
7. Control gear requirement for speed control, starting and braking is usually simple and
easy to operate.

Choice (or) Selection of Electrical Drives

Choice of an electric drive depends on a number of factors. Some of the important factors are.
1. Steady State Operating conditions requirements
Nature of speed torque characteristics, speed regulation, speed range, efficiency,
duty cycle, quadrants of operation, speed fluctuations if any, ratings etc
2. Transient operation requirements
Values of acceleration and deceleration, starting, braking and reversing
performance.
3. Requirements related to the source
Types of sources and its capacity, magnitude of voltage, voltage fluctuations,
power factor, harmonics and their effect on other loads, ability to accept
regenerative power

S. D. Bonde, BEDC (Mech. Engineering)

 4. Capital and running cost, maintenance needs life.
5. Space and weight restriction if any.
6. Environment and location.
7. Reliability.

Group Electric Drive

This drive consists of a single motor, which drives one or more-line shafts supported on
bearings. The line shaft may be fitted with either pulleys and belts or gears, by means of which
a group of machines or mechanisms may be operated. It is also sometimes called as SHAFT
DRIVES.

Advantages
A single large motor can be used instead of number of small motors

Disadvantages
There is no flexibility. If the single motor used develops fault, the whole process will be
stopped.

Individual Electric Drive

In this drive each individual machine is driven by a separate motor. This motor also
imparts motion to various parts of the machine.

Multi Motor Electric Drive

In this drive system, there are several drives, each of which serves to actuate one of the
working parts of the drive mechanisms.
E.g.: Complicated metal cutting machine, tools Paper making industries,
Rolling machines etc.

S. D. Bonde, BEDC (Mech. Engineering)

General Electric Drive System

Block diagram of an electric drive system is shown in the figure below.

Source Power Motor Load

Modulator

Control Sensing
Unit Unit

(Input Command)

A modern variable speed electrical drive system has the following components
Electrical machines and loads, Power Modulator, Sources, Control unit, Sensing unit

Electrical Machines
Most commonly used electrical machines for speed control applications are the
following
DC Machines
Shunt, series, compound, separately excited DC motors and switched reluctance
machines.
AC Machines
Induction, wound rotor, synchronous, PM synchronous and synchronous reluctance
machines.
Special Machines
Brush less DC motors, stepper motors, switched reluctance motors are used.

Power Modulators
Functions:
Modulates flow of power from the source to the motor in such a manner
that motor is imparted speed-torque characteristics required by the load
S. D. Bonde, BEDC (Mech. Engineering)
 During transient operation, such as starting, braking and speed reversal, it
restricts source and motor currents with in permissible limits.
It converts electrical energy of the source in the form of suitable to the
motor Selects the mode of operation of the motor (i.e.) Motoring and
Braking.

Types of Power Modulators

In the electric drive system, the power modulators can be any one of the
following
Controlled rectifiers (ac to dc converters)
Inverters (dc to ac converters)
AC voltage controllers (AC to AC converters)
DC choppers (DC to DC converters)
Cyclo converters (Frequency conversion)

Electrical Sources
Very low power drives are generally fed from single phase sources. Rest of the drives is
powered from a 3 phase source. Low and medium power motors are fed from a 400v supply.
For higher ratings, motors may be rated at 3.3KV, 6.6KV and 11 KV. Some drives are
powered from battery.

Sensing Unit
Speed Sensing (From Motor)
Torque Sensing
Position Sensing
Current sensing and Voltage Sensing from Lines or from motor terminals
From Load
Torque sensing
Temperature Sensing

S. D. Bonde, BEDC (Mech. Engineering)

Control Unit
Control unit for a power modulator are provided in the control unit. It matches the
motor and power converter to meet the load requirements.

Classification of Electrical Drives

Another main classification of electric drive is
DC drive
AC drive

Comparison between DC and AC drives

DC DRIVES AC DRIVES

The power circuit and control

circuit is simple and inexpensive The power circuit and control circuit are
complex

It requires frequent maintenance Less Maintenance

These problems are not there in these

The commutator makes the motor motors
and are inexpensive, particularly squirrel
bulky, costly and heavy cage
induction motors

Fast response and wide speed In solid state control the speed range is
range wide

of control, can be achieved

smoothly and conventional method is stepped and
by conventional and solid state limited
Control

Speed and design ratings are

limited Speed and design ratings have upper limits
due to commutations

S. D. Bonde, BEDC (Mech. Engineering)

Applications
Paper mills
Cement Mills
Textile mills
Sugar Mills
Steel Mills
Electric Traction
Petrochemical Industries
Electrical Vehicle.

S. D. Bonde, BEDC (Mech. Engineering)

S. D. Bonde, BEDC (Mech. Engineering)
S. D. Bonde, BEDC (Mech. Engineering)
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S. D. Bonde, BEDC (Mech. Engineering)
S. D. Bonde, BEDC (Mech. Engineering)
S. D. Bonde, BEDC (Mech. Engineering)
S. D. Bonde, BEDC (Mech. Engineering)
S. D. Bonde, BEDC (Mech. Engineering)
S. D. Bonde, BEDC (Mech. Engineering)
S. D. Bonde, BEDC (Mech. Engineering)
S. D. Bonde, BEDC (Mech. Engineering)
S. D. Bonde, BEDC (Mech. Engineering)
S. D. Bonde, BEDC (Mech. Engineering)
S. D. Bonde, BEDC (Mech. Engineering)
S. D. Bonde, BEDC (Mech. Engineering)
S. D. Bonde, BEDC (Mech. Engineering)
S. D. Bonde, BEDC (Mech. Engineering)
S. D. Bonde, BEDC (Mech. Engineering)
S. D. Bonde, BEDC (Mech. Engineering)
S. D. Bonde, BEDC (Mech. Engineering)
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S. D. Bonde, BEDC (Mech. Engineering)
S. D. Bonde, BEDC (Mech. Engineering)