DC MOTOR DRIVES

P Balakrishnan
Assistant Professor – EEE
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham
Coimbatore
 DC Motor & its Characteristics – an Overview
• DC Motors –
– simple control & reliable;
– Easy adjustable speed
– Good speed regulation
Applications : Paper mills, mine winders, traction duties,
excavators, textile mills, ....
Fractional HP dc motors – as servo drive for position
controlling and tracking applications;

• Classification – separately and self excited – shunt,

series and compound motors
 DC Separately Excited / Shunt Motor

• The loop voltage equation is

Field Excitation (If α φ) is constant

• The speed (ωm) is expressed
as,

• Where K = Keφ = constant

• Drop in speed is 5%
– armature reaction ;
– armature resistance;
 DC Series Motor

• In series motor (unsaturated magnetization char.) ,

• Flux(φ) α armature current(Ia); i.e.,
• Torque of the motor can be expressed as,
• The speed of series motor :

• Application – high starting and running torque ;

Thermal Overloading is restricted
DC Cumulative Compound Motor
• Shunt & series characteristics - inherent;
• No load speed – strength of shunt field
• Full load speed – strength of series field
• Applications – intermittent loads with fly wheel assist
– load equalization;
 DC Motor – Operating Modes
• Different Modes :
– Starting
– Motoring
– Braking
• Forward Motoring :
• Armature excitation polarity : +Ve ;
• Field Excitation polarity : +Ve;
• Reverse Motoring:
• Armature & Field Excitation polarity : +Ve and –Ve ;
• Armature & Field Excitation polarity : - Ve ; and +Ve ;
 DC Motor Starting
• Maximum starting current – twice the rated – 3.5
times in specially designed motors;
• Starting Current Control Mechanism :
– Variable resistance controller
– Ward Leonard Schemes
– Armature voltage controller (converter / Chopper)
 Regenerative Braking
• Braking – Negative torque opposes motion;
• Regenerative braking :
– E > V = Negative Ia (-Ia ) ;
– Possible only ωm > ωrated ;
– Power flow – load to source;
– Not possible in DC Series Motor ;

– Excess power – capacitor bank or resistance bank ;

– Resistance bank power dissipation – Composite Braking (
Regenerative + Dynamic )
 Dynamic Braking
• Dynamic Braking – Generated energy dissipates in RB ;
• Making Supply voltage V = 0 ;
Dynamic Braking Speed – Torque Curves
Dynamic Braking Speed – Torque Curves
 Plugging
• Plugging / Reverse Current Braking – Armature voltage
excitation is reversed ;
• V and E acts in same direction – torque remains positive -
counter torque braking (Fig.5.11)
 1φ Full Converter Fed DC Drive

• AC input voltage : Vs = Vm sinωt

• RLE Load = DC Motor Equivalent (Separately Excited) ;
• Assume Field Excitation is constant ;
 1φ Full Converter Response
• Continuous Conduction Mode
• Discontinuous Conduction Mode

Images are taken from

Fundamentals of Electric Drives - G K Dubey for Educational Purpose
 Armature Voltage (Va)
• Continuous Conduction Mode :

• Discontinuous Conduction Mode:

 Armature Current (Ia)
• Discontinuous Conduction Mode :
(i) α ≤ ωt ≤ β - motor connected to source, i.e., va = vs ;
(ii) β ≤ ωt ≤ π + α - va = E and ia = 0 ;

During Duty interval : α ≤ ωt ≤ β :

• Determine K1 - from ia(ωt = α) = 0,

• Therefore ia(ωt) will be.,

Armature current – dc component + harmonics ;

harmonics – alternating torque – average torque = 0;
 Speed – Torque Characteristics
• we know,

• In Continuous Conduction Mode,

• In Discontinuous Conduction Mode,

• Critical speed at boundary (β = π + α) will be,

 Speed – Torque Characteristics

Maximum No load speed with rectifier control is Vm/π

Ideal No load speed with Ripple free DC voltage source is 2Vm/πK ;
• Armature current Ia = 0, during,
– No load Operation (ideal case)
– Thyristor pairs fails to fire - E >V ;

• No load speed (Ia = 0):

• For α < π/2 : E should be ≥ Vm ;

• For α > π/2 : E should be ≥ Vm sinωt ;

 Speed – Torque Characteristics

• Maximum average terminal voltage should be Rated

Motor voltage;
• DC Excitation No load speed = 2Vm/πK – Ideal Case;
• Rectifier Excitation No load speed = Vm/K;
• CCM – slope depends on Ra drop ; Va = constant
• TL < Trated or Tcritical – DCM – poor speed regulation;
• DCM – Va constant – TL↑ , Ia↑, β↑, Va ↓ - ωm ↓ -
speed drops larger – Va drops;
 Drive Operation

• α ≤ 90° :
• Forward motoring (Quad. – I) – Va and ωm is positive –
converter in Rectification mode;
• α > 90° :
• Reverse regenerative braking (Quad. – IV) – Va and ωm is
Negative – converter in inversion mode
• Application – overhauling loads prefer 1st & 4th quadrant
operation
 1φ Half Controlled Bridge Converter
fed DC Motor Drive

• AC input voltage : Vs = Vm sinωt

• RLE Load = DC Motor Equivalent (Separately Excited) ;
• Assume Field Excitation is constant ;
 Conduction Mode

• Continuous Conduction Mode – CCM

• Discontinuous Conduction Mode – DCM
 Armature Voltage
• Continuous Conduction Mode :

• Discontinuous Conduction Mode :

 Armature Current (Ia)– DCM
• DCM Duty intervals :
(i) α ≤ ωt ≤ π - motor connected to source, (va = vs )
(ii) π ≤ ωt ≤ β – Freewheeling interval – D1D2 conducts ;
(iii) β ≤ ωt ≤ π + α – Zero current interval - (va = E ) ;

• Duty Interval (α ≤ ωt ≤ π) :
• Freewheeling Interval (π ≤ ωt ≤ β) :

• solving equation (5) for ia,

• Zero current interval (β ≤ ωt ≤ π + α) :

• ia(β) = 0 ; Determine β from eqn. 6,
Speed – Torque Characteristics
 Speed – Torque Relation
• We know,

• In CCM :

• In DCM :

• Critical speed at boundary (β = π + α): from eqn7,

 Half Controlled Bridge Converter
• First Quadrant operation only –
• High input power factor
• Cheaper and easy control
• Why not fourth quadrant operation ?
• No reverse of converter output voltage – generator
operation – produce braking torque – larger current
through motor and rectifier;
• Braking ??...
3φ Full Controlled Rectifier Fed DC Motor Drive

• Rectifier Input : balanced 3 phase AC supply ;

• RLE Load – DC Motor Equivalent (Separately Excited)
• Assume Field Excitation is constant ;
 3φ Full Controlled Rectifier

• Converter operation : I and IV Quadrant ;

• Thyristors Firing Sequence – T1T2, T2T3, T3T4, T4T5,
T5T6 and T6T1 ;
• Each thyristor conducts 120° – each pair conducts 60° ;

• Average converter output voltage (Va) :

 Armature Voltage

Images are taken from

Fundamentals of Electric Drives - G K Dubey for Educational Purpose
 Armature Voltage

Images are taken from

Fundamentals of Electric Drives - G K Dubey for Educational Purpose
 Speed – Torque Characteristics

• Speed – torque characteristics neglecting DCM ;

Images are taken from

Fundamentals of Electric Drives - G K Dubey for Educational Purpose
 3φ Half Controlled Rectifier fed DC Motor

• Armature voltage :

• Speed-torque relation :
 Converter fed DC Motor Performance
• Converter fed dc motor performance –
– discontinuous conduction mode (DCM)
– Armature current ripple

• DCM – small increase in torque – large fall in speed ;

• Armature current Ripple (Δia) :
 Armature Current Ripple
• Armature Ripple current :

• In smooth dc current :
• In converter fed dc motor, ( Irms & Ipeak ) > Iave ;
• Ia contributes torque production;
• Irms – heating loss – burden for commutation ;
• i.e., ac current – skin effect - Ra↑ (armature resistance
at ripple frequency is higher than its dc value) -
heating loss ↑
• In addition, heating in inter-pole windings – increase
motor temperature rise ;
• Commutation –
– peak current > I ;
ave

– Pulsating inter-pole flux - increase in eddy current loss &

difficult in commutation – ( Increase in yoke lamination
reduce the commutation difficulty level)

• Current ripple ↓ with ripple frequency ↑ - i.e.,

increase in ripple frequency – increase armature
circuit reactance – current ripple reduces;
• Current Ripple Reduction – filter inductance – affects
transient response time ;
• Converter Input Power factor :

• I1 /Irms = Distortion factor ;

• cosφ = displacement factor ;
• For full converter : φ = α ;
• Half controlled converter : φ = α/2 ;
Load current affects source current – reduce
distortion factor and input power factor ;
 Example -1
• A 200V, 875rpm, 150A separately excited dc motor has
armature resistance of 0.06Ω and circuit inductance of
2.85mH, fed from a 1φ controlled rectifier with an
input source of 220V, 50Hz AC .
• Calculate :
– (i) firing angle for rated motor torque and 750rpm ;
– (ii) Motor speed for α = 160° and rated torque
Assume CCM for above condition.
• Calculate :
– (iii) Speed for α = 120° and T = 1200Nm ;
(i) α = ?
Solution : Assume CCM -
Va = E + IaRa ;
E0 = 200 – 150x0.06 = 191V for For 875rpm(91.63r/s);
For N = 750rpm (78.54r/s) E1 = 163.714V;
Therefore,
Va = 163.714 + (150x0.06) = 172.714V
cos α = (Va x π) / ( 2 Vm)
= (172.714 x π) / (2 x 220 x sqrt 2) = 0.872
α =29.273°
(ii) N = ? For α = 160° and rated torque ;
Solution : Assume CCM - Va = ......... ; E = ........ ;
N = ..............rpm ;

Va = (2 x 220 x sqrt 2 x cos 160 ) / π = -186.12V ;

E2 = Va – IaRa = -169.204 – (150x0.06)
= -195.12V
for 875rpm (91.63rad/s) – Eo = 191V
for E2 = -178.204V – N = -893.32 rpm (-93.5 rad/s)
• (iii) N = ? for α = 120° and T = 1200Nm ;
• Solution : CCM / DCM - ?
• If TL = 1200Nm > T at critical speed – CCM ;
• Critical speed =

• K = E /ωm = 191 /91.63 = 2.0844

• Z = 0.8974Ω ;
• φ = 86.166° ;
• ωmc = - 52.94 rad/sec = - 505.5 rpm ;
• Torque at critical speed - ?
• At critical speed converter will be in CCM (just conti.);
• Therefore Va = -99V ; Ecritical = ?
• We know N = 875rpm E = 191V
• Ncritical = -460rpm Ecritical = -110.35V
• Critical Torque Tcritical = KIa = ?
• Ia = (Va – Ecritical) / Ra = (-99 + 110.35) / 0.06
• Ia = 189.17A ; therefore Tciritcal = 394.31Nm ;
• TL = 1200Nm > Tciritcal = CCM
 • TL = 1200Nm > Tciritcal = CCM
• For given load T = 1200Nm; Ia = T/K = 575.705A
• Induced emf at 1200Nm torque :
• E = Va – IaRa = -99 –(575.705 x0.06) = -133.542V ;
• Therefore speed,
• N = -611.78rpm (-64.065 rad/s)
• (iv) TL = 300Nm ; assume β = 233.492° ; N = ?
• Solution : TL<Tcritical – Drive is in DCM ;
•

• E = 1.2V ; N = 5.5rpm ;
 Example 2
• A 230V, 960rpm,12.8A separately excited dc motor
has armature resistance and reactance of 2Ω and
150mH. When it is fed from a 1φ half controlled
rectifier with an ac source of 230V, 50Hz. Calculate :
• Motor torque when α = 60° and N = 600rpm;
• Motor speed when α = 60° and T = 20Nm;
Example - 1