Power Electronics and Drives

MTC 305
Module 5 (Part 1).
Dr. M.S. Bhatia
M5: DC and AC Motor Drives
5.1: DC Drive
5.2: Operation: Motoring, Plugging, Dynamic and
Regenerative Braking.
5.3: Control of DC drive By Chopper Regulators: Single
Quadrant, Two-quadrant and Four quadrant chopper fed
DC separately excited DC motors.
5.4: AC Drives V
• Current source inverter fed Induction Motor Drive.
• Closed loop induction /motor Drive with Constant
volts/Hz control.
• PWM inverter fed induction motor drive.
M5: DC Drive
• 5.1: Q1) What is a DC Drive?
• Ans: DC drive is basically a DC motor speed control
system that supplies the voltage to the motor to
operate at desired speed to provide useful industrial
applications.
• DC drive technology is efficient, reliable, cost
effective, operator friendly and relatively easy to
implement. DC drive provides many advantages over
AC drives, especially for regenerative and high- power
applications. DC drives have been widely used in
industrial drive applications in order to offer very
precise control.
Components of a DC Drive…
• DC DRIVE
Components of a DC Drive…
• DC Drive Input: Some thyristor based DC drives operate on
a single phase supply and use four thyristors for full wave
rectification. For larger motors, three phase power supply is
needed because the waveforms are much smoother. In such
cases, six thyristors are needed for full wave rectification.
• Rectifier Bridge: The power component of a controlled DC
drive is a full wave bridge rectifier which can be driven by
three phase or single phase supply. As mentioned above the
number of thyristor may vary depends on the supply voltage.
• A six-thyristor bridge (in case of three phase converter)
rectifies the incoming AC supply to DC supply to the motor
armature. The firing angle control of these thyristors varies
the voltage to the motor.
Components of a DC Drive…
• Field Supply Unit: The power to be applied to the field winding is
much lower than the armature power, so, most often single phase
supply is provided. A separate thyristor bridge or diode rectifier is
used for supplying the power to the field winding of the motor.
• In many cases a two-phase supply is drawn from the three phase
input (that supplies power to the armature) and hence the field
exciter is included in the armature supply unit.
• The function of the field supply unit is to provide a constant
voltage to the field winding to create a constant field or flux in the
motor. In some cases, this unit is supplied with thyristors to
reduce the voltage applied to the field so as to
control the speed of the motor above the base speed.
• In case of permanent magnet DC motors, the field supply unit is
not included in the drive.
Components of a DC Drive…
• Speed Regulation unit: It compares the operator instruction (desired
speed) with feedback signals and sends appropriate signals to the firing
circuit. In analog drives, this regulator unit consists of both voltage and
current regulators. The voltage regulator accepts the speed error as
input and produces the voltage output which is then applied to the
current regulator.
• The current regulator then produces required firing current to the
firing circuit. If more speed is required, additional current is called
from the voltage regulator and hence thyristors conducts for more
periods. Generally, this regulation (both voltage and current) is
accomplished with proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controllers.
• The field current regulator is also provided where speed greater than
the base speed is required.
• In modern digital microprocessor based drives, the speed control is
achieved with a lookup table to determine the current for the firing
circuit with additional digital circuitry.
Components of a DC Drive…
• Firing Circuit: It supplies the gate pulses to thyristors so
that they turned ON for particular periods to produce
variable armature voltage. Isolation is also provided in
this gate drive circuit.
Working Principle of a DC
Drive.
• In DC motors, the speed is
proportional to the armature
voltage and inversely
proportional to the field current.
And also, the armature current is
proportional to the motor torque.
Therefore, by increasing or
reducing the applied voltage, the
speed of the motor is varied.
However, it is possible up to the
rated voltage. If the speed greater
than the base speed is required,
the field current of the motor has
to be reduced.
Working Principle of a DC Drive.
• By reducing the field current, the flux in the motor reduces. The
reduction of field current reduces the armature counter emf. The
more armature current flows if there is less counter armature emf.
Further, this armature current increases the motor torque and
hence the speed. These are the two basic principles employed in
DC drives to control the speed of the motor.
• In armature controlled DC drives, drive unit provides a rated
current and torque at any speed between zero and the base of the
motor. By varying the armature voltage, variable speed is obtained
as shown in figure.
• Generally, a fixed field supply is provided in these DC drives. As
the torque is constant (which describes a load type) over the speed
range, the motor output horsepower is proportional to the speed
(HP = T × N / 525). The motor characteristics of this drive are
shown below.
Working
Principle
of a DC
Drive.
Working Principle of a DC Drive.
• In case of armature and field controlled drives,
the armature voltage to the motor is controlled
for constant torque-variable HP operation up to
the base speed of the motor. And for the above
base speed operation, drive switches to the field
control for constant HP- reduced torque
operation up to maximum speed as shown in
figure in next slide. In this case, reducing the
field current increases the speed of the motor up
to its maximum speed as shown in figure.
5.2: Operation: Motoring, Plugging,
Dynamic and Regenerative Braking.
• Motoring: In this the control is of speed and
torque of DC motor.
• Plugging: In this the motor is brought to halt by
braking (stopped rotation). The armature
current is reversed in this case.
• Dynamic and Regenerative Braking: Here the
braking is done in such a way that energy of
stopping motor is recovered and stored (energy
saving). The saved energy is stored in a battery
or a flywheel.
Motoring and Plugging.
Plugging of a DC Motor.
• In Plugging or Reverse Current Braking the armature
terminals or the supply polarity of a separately excited or
shunt motor when running are reversed. Therefore, in
plugging the supply voltage V and the induced voltage
Eb which is also called back EMF will act in the same
direction.
• Thus, during plugging the effective voltage across the
armature will be (V + Eb) which is almost twice the
supply voltage. The armature current is reversed, and
high braking torque is produced. An external current
limiting resistor is connected in series with the armature
to limit the armature current to a safe value.
Plugging of a Series DC Motor.
Plugging of a Series DC Motor.
• For braking, a series motor either the armature terminals or
field terminals are reversed. But both armature and field
terminals are not reversed together. Reversing of both the
terminals will give only normal working operation.
• At the zero speed, the braking torque is not zero. The motor
must be disconnected from the supply at or near zero speed
when the motor is used for stopping a load. If the motor is not
disconnected from the supply mains, the motor will speed up in
the reverse direction. For disconnecting the supply, centrifugal
switches are used.
• The method of braking, known as Plugging or Reverse Current
Braking is a highly insufficient method because, in addition to
the power supplied by the load, power supplied by the source is
also wasted in resistance.
Why Plugging of a DC motor is
done?
Applications of Plugging
• The Plugging is commonly used for the following
purposes listed below:
• In controlling elevators
• Rolling Mills
• Printing Presses
• Machine tools, etc.
• This is all about plugging or reverse current
braking.
Dynamic Braking of a DC Motor.
• In Dynamic Braking, a braking resistor Rb is connected
across the armature as soon as the DC motor is
disconnected from the supply mains. The motor now works
as a generator, producing the braking torque.
• For the braking operation in Dynamic Braking, the motor
is connected in two ways.
• Firstly, the separately excited or shunt motor can be
connected either as a separately excited generator, where
the flux is kept constant. The second way is that it can be
connected to a self-excited shunt generator, with the field
winding in parallel with the armature. The connection
diagram of Dynamic Braking of separately excited DC
motor is shown in next slide:
Dynamic braking in Separately
Excited DC Motor while Motoring.
Dynamic Braking in Separately
Excited DC Motor.
Dynamic Braking in Self Excited
DC Motor.
Dynamic Braking in DC Motor.
• This method is also known as Rheostatic
Braking because an external braking resistance
Rb is connected across the armature terminals
for electric braking. During electric braking, the
kinetic energy stored in the rotating parts of the
machine and the connected load is converted into
electric energy, when the motor is working as a
generator. The energy is dissipated as heat in the
braking resistance Rb and armature circuit
resistance Ra.
Dynamic Braking of a Shunt DC
Motor.
• Motoring mode.
Dynamic Braking of Shunt Motor
with Self and Separately Excitation.
Dynamic Braking of a Series DC
Motor.
• After disconnecting motor from supply a
resistance Rb is added.
Braking with Self Excitation.
• The field connections are reversed so that the current
through the field winding flows in the same direction as
before i.e. from S1 to S2 so that the back EMF produces the
residual flux. The machine now starts working as a self-
excited series generator.
• In self-excitation, the braking operation is slow. Hence,
when quick braking is required, the machine is connected
in self-excitation mode. A suitable resistance is connected
in series with the field to limit the current to a safe value.
• The Dynamic or Rheostatic Braking is an insufficient
method of braking because all the energy which is
generated is dissipated in the form of heat in the
resistance.
Regenerative Braking…
• In Regenerative Braking, the power or energy of the
driven machinery which is in kinetic form is returned
back to the power supply mains. This type of braking is
possible when the driven load or machinery forces the
motor to run at a speed higher than the no-load speed
with a constant excitation.
• Under this condition, the back emf Eb of the motor is
greater than the supply voltage V, which reverses the
direction of motor armature current. The machine now
begins to operate as a generator and the energy
generated is supplied to the source.
Regenerative Braking…
• Regenerative braking can also be performed at very low
speeds if the motor is connected as a separately excited
generator. The excitation of the motor is increased as the
speed is reduced so that the two equations shown below
are satisfied.

• The motor does not enter into saturation on increasing

excitation.
• Regenerative braking is possible with the shunt and
separately excited motors. In compound motors, braking
is possible only with weak series compounding.
Regenerative Braking in DC
Shunt Motors
• Under regenerative operating conditions the armature
current is given by the equation shown below:

• When the load is lowered by a crane, hoist or lift causes

the motor speed to be greater than the no-load speed, the
back EMF becomes greater than the supply voltage.
Consequently, armature current Ia becomes negative.
The machines now begins to operate as a generator.
Regenerative Braking in DC
Series Motors
• In the case of DC Series Motor an increase in speed is
followed by a decrease in the armature current and
field flux. The back EMF Eb cannot be greater than
the supply voltage. Regeneration is possible in DC
Series Motor since the field current cannot be made
greater than the armature current.
• Regeneration is required where DC Series Motor is
used extensively such as in traction, elevator hoists etc.
For example – In an electro-locomotive moving down
the gradient, a constant speed may be necessary. In
hoist drives, the speed is to be limited whenever it
becomes dangerously high.
Regenerative Braking in DC
Series Motors
• One commonly used method of regenerative braking of
DC Series Motor is to connect it as a shunt motor. Since
the resistance of the field winding is low, a series
resistance is connected in the field circuit to limit the
current within the safe value.
Applications of Regenerative
Braking
• Regenerative braking is used especially where frequent braking
and slowing of drives is required.
• It is most useful in holding a descending load of high potential
energy at a constant speed.
• Regenerative braking is used to control the speed of motors
driving loads such as in electric locomotives, elevators, cranes and
hoists.
• Regenerative braking cannot be used for stopping the motor. It is
used for controlling the speed above the no-load speed of the
motor driving.
• The necessary condition for regeneration is that the back EMF
Eb should be greater than the supply voltage so that the armature
current is reversed and the mode of operation changes from
motoring to generating.
5.3: Control of DC drive by
Chopper Regulators:
• We know that chopper regulators can vary the
voltage output of a fixed voltage DC source.
• This can be used in a DC drive to control the
speed of a DC Motor. In Motoring action as
shown in next slide.
• The voltage output is a simple function of duty
cycle, that is period.
• Any high-power switch (SCR etc can be used for
switching).
5.3: Control of DC drive By
Chopper Regulators:
First quadrant operation.
• In the last slide the first quadrant operation was
shown.
• That means both voltage and current from the
DC source are positive – energy flows from DC
source to the motor where it is used for running
a load.
• Generally, the step-down action results due to
switching action to lower the speed of the motor.
Second quadrant operation?