Drives Module 3
Drives Module 3
By varying the supplying voltage, the speed can be controlled. The voltage is varied un l the
torque required by the load is developed, at the desired speed. The torque developed is
propor onal to the square of the supply voltage and the current is propor onal to the
voltage.
Hence, to reduce the speed for the same value of the same current, the value of the voltage
is reduced and as a result, the torque developed by the motor is reduced. This stator voltage
control method is suitable for applica ons where the load torque decreases with the speed.
For example- In the fan load.
This method gives a speed control only below the normal rated speed as the opera on of the
voltages if higher than the rated voltage is not admissible. This method is suitable where the
intermi ent opera on of the drive is required and also for the fan and pump drives. As in fan
and pump the load torque varies as the square of the speed. These types of drives required
low torque at lower speeds. This condi on can be obtained by applying a lower voltage
without exceeding the motor current.
2) What are the drawbacks of step wave inverter fed induc on motor
drive?
Step wave inverter fed induc on motor drives have a few drawbacks, including:
Slow dynamic response
The coupling effect between torque and flux in the machine slows the drive's dynamic
response.
Unstable at changing motor speed
Compared to closed-loop speed-controlled drives, this drive is more unstable when the
motor speed changes
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Harmonics: Step wave inverters produce a stepped waveform which contains harmonics.
These harmonics can cause issues such as increased losses, electromagne c interference,
and motor hea ng. They can also affect the performance of other equipment connected to
the same power supply.
Poor Motor Performance: The stepped waveform produced by step wave inverters may
result in less smooth motor opera on compared to sinusoidal waveforms. This can lead to
increased motor noise, vibra ons, and torque ripple, which may reduce the overall efficiency
and lifespan of the motor.
Reduced Efficiency: Due to the presence of harmonics and the non-sinusoidal waveform,
step wave inverters typically have lower efficiency compared to more advanced inverters like
pulse-width modula on (PWM) inverters. This can lead to higher energy losses and
increased opera ng costs over me.
3) What is the speed control method used in induc on motor drive below
base speed?
The variable frequency drive (VFD) method is commonly used to control the speed of an
induc on motor below base speed by propor onally reducing the voltage and frequency
supplied to the motor. This method is called V/f control because it maintains a constant
voltage-to-frequency (V/f) ra o, which prevents core satura on and effec vely controls the
motor's speed
The voltage source inverter use self-commutated device like MOSFET, IGBT, GTO, etc. It is
operated as a stepped-wave inverter or a pulse width modula on. When the voltage source
inverter is operated as a stepped-wave inverter, then the transistor is switched in the
sequence of their number with a me difference of T/6.
The each of the transistors is kept on for the dura on of T/2, where T is the period for one
cycle. The waveform of the line voltage is shown in the figure below. The frequency of the
inverter is varied by varying T, and the output voltage of the inverter is varied by varying DC
input voltage.
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When the supply is DC, then the variable DC input is obtained by connec ng a chopper
between DC supply and inverter.
When the supply is AC, then the DC input voltage is obtained by connec ng the controlled rec fier
between the AC supply and inverter shown in the figure below.The capacitor C filter out the
harmonics in DC link voltage.
The main drawback of the VSI induc on motor drive is the large harmonics of the low
frequency in the output voltage. The harmonics increases the loss in the motor and cause
the jerky mo on of the rotor at low speed
5) What is meant by Slip power recovery? Explain the types of slip power
recovery scheme.
Slip Energy Recovery is one of the methods of controlling the speed of
an Induc on motor. This method is also known as Sta c Scherbius Drive. In the rotor
resistance control method, the slip power in the rotor circuit is wasted as I2R losses during
the low-speed opera on. The efficiency is also reduced. The slip power from the rotor circuit
can be recovered and fed back to the AC source so as to u lize it outside the motor. Thus the
overall efficiency can be increased.
The figure below shows the connec on and method for recovering the slip energy and
power recovery of an Induc on Motor.
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The basic principle of the slip power recovery is to connect an external source of the EMF of
the slip frequency of the rotor circuit. The slip energy recovery method provides the speed
control of a slip ring induc on motor below its synchronous speed. A por on of rotor AC
power (slip power) is converted into DC by a diode bridge. The smoothing reactor is provided
to smoothen the rec fied current. The output of the rec fier is then connected to the DC
terminals of the inverter. The inverter inverts the DC power to the AC power and feeds it
back to the AC source. The inverter is a controlled rec fier operated in the inversion mode.
This method of speed control is used in large power applica ons where the varia on of
speed over a wide range involves a large amount of slip power
There are two types of Slip power recovery scheme:
1.Sta c Karmer Drive
2. Sta c Scherbius Drive
The sta c Kramer-drive converts the slip power of an induc on motor into AC power and
supply back to the line. The slip power is the air gap power between the stator and the rotor
of an induc on motor which is not converted into mechanical power. Thus, the power is
ge ng wasted. The sta c Kramer drives fed back the wasted power into the main supply.
This method is only applicable when the speed of the drive is less than the synchronous
speed. The speed control is possible only when speed is less or half of the synchronous
speed. When the large range speed is required, the diode bridge is replaced by the thyristor
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bridge. The rela onship between the Vd1 and the speed can be altered by controlling the
firing angle of thyristor amplifier. Speed can now be controlled up to stand s ll.
Rotor resistance R2 is constant and if slip s is small then (sX2)2 is so small that it can be
neglected. Therefore, T ∝ sE22 where E2 is rotor induced emf and E2 ∝ V
Thus, T ∝ sV2, which means, if supplied voltage is decreased, the developed torque
decreases. Hence, for providing the same load torque, the slip increases with decrease in
voltage, and consequently, the speed decreases. This method is the easiest and cheapest,
s ll rarely used, because
1. large change in supply voltage is required for rela vely small change in speed.
2. large change in supply voltage will result in a large change in flux density, hence, this will
disturb the magne c condi ons of the motor.
2. Cascade Opera on
In this method of speed control, two motors are used. Both are mounted on a same sha so
that both run at same speed. One motor is fed from a 3phase supply and the other motor is
fed from the induced emf in first motor via slip-rings. The arrangement is as shown in
following figure.
Motor A is called the main motor and motor B is called the auxiliary motor.
Let, Ns1 = frequency of motor A
Ns2 = frequency of motor B
P1 = number of poles stator of motor A
P2 = number of stator poles of motor B
N = speed of the set and same for both motors
f = frequency of the supply
phase with the rotor induced emf, rotor resistance will be increased. If we inject emf which is in
phase with the rotor induced emf, rotor resistance will decrease. Thus, by changing the phase of
injected emf, speed can be controlled. The main advantage of this method is a wide rage of speed
control (above normal as well as below normal) can be achieved. The emf can be injected by
various methods such as Kramer system, Scherbius system etc.
The torque is controlled by varying DC link current Id by changing the value of Vd. When the
supply is AC, a controlled rec fier is connected between the supply and inverter. When the
supply is, DC a chopper is interposed between the supply and inverter.
The major advantage of current source inverter is its reliability. In the case of current source
inverter a commuta on failure in the same leg does not occur due to the presence of a large
inductance Ld.
In an induc on motor, the rise and fall of current are very fast. This rise and fall of current
provide large motor spikes. Therefore a motor of low leakage inductance is used. The
commuta on capacitance C1-C6 reduce the voltage spikes by reducing the rate of rising and
fall of the current. A large value of capacitance is required to sufficiently reduced the voltage
spikes.