Module V

VSI & CSI fed Induction motor Drives

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 Variable frequency Induction motor drives
- The speed of an Induction motor can be controlled by varying the
supply frequency
- Variable frequency control allows good running & transient
performance
- Variable frequency Induction motor drives are utilized in fan, pump,
blower, conveyor and machine tools applications
- Variable frequency AC supply can be obtained by using
1. Voltage source inverter
2. Current source inverter
3. Cycloconverter
Voltage source inverter (VSI) fed induction motor drives
- VSI allows a variable voltage variable frequency AC supply obtained
from a DC supply
- Normally self commutating devices like MOSFET, IGBT, power
transistors are used in VSI 2
- VSI can operate as a stepped wave inverter or a PWM inverter
- In a stepped wave inverter, output frequency can be controlled by
controlling the turn ON time of switches and output voltage can be
controlled by controlling the input DC voltage
- In a PWM inverter, the output voltage & frequency can be controlled
within the inverter by PWM technique
- Figure below shows the configuration of a VSI fed Induction motor

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Stepped wave inverter
- When supply is DC, variable DC input is obtained by connecting a
chopper between DC supply & inverter

- When supply is AC, variable DC input is obtained by connecting a

controlled rectifier between AC supply & inverter

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* Stepped wave VSI fed induction motor drive has following drawbacks
- The output voltage of inverter has large low frequency harmonic
content
- Low frequency harmonics increases motor losses & causes de-rating of
motor
- Motor develops pulsating torque due to harmonics (5,7,11,13)
- Harmonic content in current increases at low speeds. Machine
saturates at low speeds due to high V/f ratio. These two effects
overheats the machine at low speeds
Features
- This is advantageous for multi motor drive
- Dynamic behavior is fairly good at high speeds
- Dynamic braking is possible
- Regeneration requires an additional converter connected antiparallel
to line side one
- Speed reversal is achieved by changing the phase sequence 5
PWM inverter
- The drawbacks of stepped wave inverter can overcome by using a
PWM inverter
- Here output voltage can be controlled by PWM, no arrangement is
required for varying DC input voltage
- So inverter can be directly connected when supply is DC and through a
diode rectifier when supply is AC

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- PWM inverter has constant DC link voltage & uses PWM technique
for both voltage control & harmonic elimination
- Output voltage waveform is improved (more sinusoidal), with low
harmonic content
- The amplitude of torque pulsation is minimal even at low speeds
- Power factor of the system is good as a diode rectifier is used on line
side
- Four quadrant operation is possible
- Dynamic braking can be employed
- Single & multi motor drive is possible
- VSI fed induction motor drive are normally powered from AC supply
& regeneration is possible if the rectifier used is a full converter or
dual converter
- Output voltage wave form of a stepped wave & PWM inverter are
shown in next slide
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 Closed loop speed control of VSI induction motor drives
- A closed loop speed control of VSI fed IM drive is shown in figure
- It employs an inner slip speed loop & outer speed loop
- For a given current, slip speed has a fixed value. So slip speed loop also
functions as an inner current loop
- Drive uses a PWM inverter fed from a DC source which has the
capability for regenerative braking & 4 quadrant operation

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- The actual speed(ωm) is compared with reference speed(ωm*) to get
speed error
- The reference signal (V*) for voltage control is generated from
frequency(f) using a function generator
- The speed error is processed through a speed controller (PI) & a slip
regulator to produce a slip speed command (ωsl*)
- The synchronous speed obtained by adding actual speed & slip speed
determines inverter frequency
- V* is compared with actual stator voltage to get voltage error
- The voltage error is processed by a voltage controller to produce the
necessary modulation index variation

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 Current Source Inverter (CSI) fed Induction motor drive
(stator current control)
- Here the developed torque & hence the speed of motor is controlled
by stator current control
- The behavior of motor with stator current control is different from that
obtained with stator voltage control
- When an induction motor is fed from a current source, the analysis
shows that the maximum torque produced by motor α (stator
current)2 & is independent of
frequency & rotor resistance
- The speed- torque characteristics
for different stator currents are
shown in figure

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- When operating at constant flux, the operating points are located
mostly on unstable region of torque – speed characteristics
- Hence closed loop control is mandatory for stable operation
- A constant current for 3 phase induction motor can be obtained from a
3 phase current source inverter (CSI)
- Figure below shows the configuration of a CSI fed Induction motor

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- The two commonly used configurations for CSI fed induction motor
drives based on the source available are shown below
1. When source available is DC source
- Here a chopper is used in between DC source & Inverter to vary the
DC link voltage

2. When source available is AC source

- Here, 3 phase controlled rectifier produces a controlled DC voltage
- Inductor converts this voltage to a constant current
- CSI regulates output frequency & therefore the torque & speed of
motor
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- Here one more configuration is possible, i.e if we are using a diode rectifier,
the circuit configuration become as shown below

- 3 phase diode rectifier produces an uncontrolled DC voltage.

- It is regulated by using a chopper, which is then converted to current source
by inductor
- CSI regulates output frequency & therefore the torque & speed of motor14
Advantages & disadvantages of CSI fed IM drive
- More reliable than VSI. In VSI, commutation failure will cause
short circuit across source & current rises to dangerous values. So
expensive semiconductor fuses are required for safety. In CSI due
to the presence of large inductance, current will not increase to
dangerous values & less expensive HRC fuses are sufficient.
- Current input is unaffected by motor parameter variations
- It produce harmonics in the system
- Open loop operation is not possible
- Only single motor operation is possible
- Converter grade thyristors are sufficient
- There is stability problem at light load. A minimum current
should be there for commutation
- So it finds application in medium & high power drives
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 Comparison of VSI & CSI fed drives
- CSI is more reliable than VSI
- Because of large inductance in DC link & large inverter capacitors (for
commutation) CSI drive has higher cost, weight & volume, lower
speed range, slower dynamic response
- The CSI drive is not suitable for multi motor drives. But a single VSI
drive can feed a number of motors
Braking of VSI fed Induction motor drives
- During motoring operation, power flows from inverter to motor
- The motor will run at a speed which is less than synchronous speed
- During braking operation, the motor works as a generator & produces
electrical energy
- The induction motor will work as generator, when the actual speed of
motor become greater than synchronous speed
- For braking operation, the inverter output frequency is reduced, so
that synchronous speed become less than actual speed 16
- Now motor will work as generator, produces electrical energy
- This energy is converted to DC by the inverter, which will work as a
controlled rectifier during braking operation
- As a result, the direction of DC link current reverses
- The Electrical power reaching the DC link can be utilized effectively by
Regenerative braking or it can be wasted in a resistor by Dynamic
braking
Dynamic Braking
- In dynamic braking, the electrical power generated during braking
operation is wasted in a resistor to get the desired braking effect
- The circuit configuration for dynamic braking of PWM inverter fed
induction motor drive is shown below

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- For dynamic braking, the switch SW & a self commutated switch S in
series with braking resistance R connected across the DC link
- When operation of motor shifts from motoring to braking, switch SW
is opened
- Generated power flowing into DC link charge the capacitor & its
voltage increases
- When voltage crosses a set value, switch S is closed, connecting the
resistance across the DC link
- The generated power & a part of power stored in capacitor flow into
the resistance & DC link voltage reduces
- When it falls below nominal value, switch S is opened
- Thus the generated power is dissipated in the resistance giving
dynamic braking
- Dynamic braking is applicable to all Induction motor drives fed from
an inverter

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Regenerative Braking
- In regenerative braking, the electrical power generated during
braking operation is effectively fed back to the supply
- Regenerative braking is not possible in all VSI fed induction motor
drives
- When supplied from a DC source, regeneration is easy

- Here, during braking motor works as generator producing electrical

power.
- This power reaches the DC link through PWM inverter & direction of
DC link current reverses
- Now, power flow from DC link to source 19
- When supplied from an AC source, for regeneration the source side
converter (rectifier) should be a full converter or dual converter

- During regeneration, electrical power generated reaches DC link

- The direction of DC link current reverses
- Now the controlled rectifier/dual converter will fed back this DC link
power to AC source to get regenerative braking
Regenerative Braking of CSI fed Induction motor drives
- When inverter frequency is reduced to make synchronous speed less
than motor speed, machine works as a generator
- Power flows from machine to DC link & DC link current flow reverses
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- If a fully controlled converter is made to work as an inverter, the
power supplied to DC link will be transferred to AC supply &
regenerative braking will take place
- Thus no additional equipment is required for regenerative braking
Basic principle of Vector Control (Field oriented control)
- In a separately excited DC motor, both field flux & electromagnetic
torque can be controlled independently by varying field current &
armature current respectively in the machine
- In an AC motor (eg. Induction motor) there is only one current, ie the
stator current which produce both flux & torque in the machine
- So in an AC motor, by using normal control techniques, independent
control of torque & flux is not possible 21
- Independent control of torque and flux possible in AC motor drives by
using Vector Control or Field Oriented Control (FOC)
- In vector control, an induction motor is controlled under all operating
conditions to get performance similar to a separately excited DC
motor
- The stator current (Is) of an induction motor can be resolved into 2
components - Flux producing component Im & torque producing
component Iw
- If we are able to control Im & Iw independently, then
flux & torque can be controlled independently
- In vector control we are controlling Im & Iw
independently
- There are 3 stator currents in a 3 phase induction
motor & they together produce the required flux &
torque inside the machine

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- To control torque & flux independently, we transform the 3 phase
stator currents (Ia, Ib & Ic) into 2 phase current by using ABC to dq
transformation (Clarke & Park transformations)
- Now the 2 phase currents are
1. Flux producing component, id – which produces the net flux in the
motor
2. Torque producing component, iq – which produces the torque in the
motor
- There are 2 type of vector control
1. Direct vector control
- here the actual speed of the motor is sensed by using a tachometer
2. Indirect vector control
- here the actual speed is calculated from machine terminal voltages
& no tachometers are used

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1. Direct vector control

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- Here the actual 3 phase motor terminal voltages & currents are sensed
& they are converted to 2 phase frame to get the actual values of
torque producing & flux producing components of stator current
- The actual motor speed is sensed by a tachometer & is compared with
reference speed to get speed error
- The error is processed by using a PI controller & its output is the
reference torque producing component of stator current (Iqref)
- The Iqref is compared with Iqact & the error is processed by using a PI
controller
- The output of PI controller is given to DQ to ABC transforming block
- The reference flux current (Idref) is compared with actual (Idact) to get
error & is processed by using PI controller
- The output of controller is given to DQ to ABC transforming block
- The DQ to ABC transforming block will generate the three phase
currents which will produce the desired flux & torque inside the
machine. The firing pulse generator will produce the firing pulses for
inverter switches 25
- When inverter switches operates based on the generated firing pulses,
the inverter output will be such that to get desired torque & flux in the
machine
2. Indirect vector control

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 Transformations in reference frame theory
Need of transformations
- The analysis of 3 phase electrical circuits are complicated since it
involve 3 time varying quantities ( 3 phase ABC reference frame)
- In 2 phase, there is only 2 time varying quantities, so the analysis is
less complicated (2 phase αβ reference frame)
- If the quantities are not time varying, then analysis become simpler
(2 phase dq reference frame)
- So we go for transformations in complex poly phase circuit analysis
- The process of replacing one set of variables to another related set of
variables is called transformations
- The general form of transformation equations is
[New variables] = [Transformation matrix][Old variables]
[Old variables] = [Inverse transformation matrix][New variables]
- Transformation matrix is a matrix containing the coefficients that
relates new & old variables 27
 ABC to αβ transformation (Clarke transformation)
(3 phase rotational reference frame to 2 phase rotational reference frame)
- Let ia,ib & ic be the 3 phase currents & iα and iβ represents 2 phase currents

- Now the transformation equations are given by

 1 −1 −1 
iα   2 2  ia 
i  = 2  0 3 − 3  i 
  β
3 2 2  b
 i0  1 1 1  ic 
 2 2 2 
- This transformation is applicable for voltages also
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 αβ to ABC transformation (Inverse Clarke transformation)
(2 phase stationary reference frame to 3 phase rotational reference frame)
- Let iα and iβ represents 2 phase currents & ia,ib & ic be the 3 phase
currents
- Now the transformation equations are given by

 1 0 1 
ia   2 iα 
i  = 2 − 1 3 1 
 i 
 b  2 2  β
3 2
ic  i0 
− 1 − 3 1 
 2 2 2 

- This transformation is applicable for voltages also

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 αβ to dq transformation
(2 phase rotational reference frame to 2 phase stationary reference frame)

- The transformation equations are given by

id   cosθ sinθ 0 iα 

i  = − sinθ cosθ 0 i 
 q    β
i0   0 0 1 i0 

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 dq to αβ transformation
(2 phase stationary reference frame to 2 phase rotational reference frame)
- The transformation equations are given by

iα  cosθ − sinθ 0 id 

i  =  sinθ cosθ 0 i 
 β    q
i0   0 0 1 i0 

Concept of space vector

- Space vector is a transformation for analyzing three-phase electric
systems.
- The term “space” originally stands for the two-dimensional complex
plane, in which the three-phase quantities are transformed
- The transformation from 3 phase to 2 phase is called space vector
transformation 31
- The 3 phase voltages, currents and fluxes of AC motors can be
analyzed in terms of complex space vectors
- With regard to current, space vector can be defined as follows
- Let ia, ib, ic be the instantaneous currents in the stator phases, then
the stator current vector is is given by
- is = ia+ αib+ α2ic
Where α=1<120 (ej(2π/3)), α2=1<240 (ej(4π/3))
Space vector modulation
- It is an algorithm for the control of pulse width modulation (PWM)
- It is used for the creation of alternating current (AC) waveforms, most
commonly to drive 3 phase AC powered motors at varying speeds
from a DC source
- Consider a 3 phase inverter as shown in figure
- The output may be given to a 3 phase induction motor
- The switches must be controlled so that at at no time are both
switches in the same leg turned & cause a short circuit of the DC
supply
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- This requirement may be met by the complementary operation of the
switches within a leg. i.e. if A+ is on then A− is off and vice versa.

- This leads to eight possible switching vectors for the inverter,

V0 through V7 with six active switching vectors and two zero vectors

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- To implement space vector modulation, a reference signal (Vref) may
be generated
- The reference vector is then synthesized using a combination of the
two adjacent active switching vectors and one or both of the zero
vectors

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Advantages of Space vector PWM
- Harmonics in output voltage decreases
- Output voltage increases
- Switching losses decreases
- Smooth control of output voltage and frequency

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