ECE 8830 - Electric Drives

Topic 1: Introduction to Electric Drives

Spring 2004

Introduction

Nearly 65% of the total electric

energy produced in the USA is
consumed by electric motors.
- R. Krishnan, Electric Motor Drives

Some Applications of Electric Drives

Electric Propulsion
Pumps, fans, compressors
Plant automation
Flexible manufacturing systems
Spindles and servos
Appliances and power tools
Cement kilns
Paper and pulp mills; textile mills
Automotive applications
Conveyors, elevators, escalators, lifts

Energy/Cost Savings

System efficiency can be increased

from 15% to 27% by introducing
variable-speed drive operation in
place of constant-speed operation.
US energy bill would be reduced by
an estimated $90 billion!
For a large pump variable-speed
drive, payback period ~ 3-5 years
whereas operating life is ~ 20 years.

Power Devices

Power Diode
Power BJT
SCR/Thyristor
Gate Turn-Off Thyristor (GTO)
Power MOSFET
Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT)
MOS Controlled Thyristor (MCT)

Categories of Switches
There are three categories of switches:
Diodes (rectifiers) - on/off determined
by the power circuit.
Thyristors (SCRs, Triacs) - latched on by
a control signal but turned off by the
power circuit.
Controllable Switches (BJTs, MOSFETs,
GTOs, IGBTs, MCTs) - turned on and off
by control signals.

Power Diodes
Circuit Symbol:

iD

A
+
vD
K

Current-Voltage Characteristics:
iD
vrated

iD

reverse
blocking

Real

vF

vD

reverse
blocking

Ideal

vD

Diode Switching Characteristics

Reverse

Forward

iD
IF
0

Forward

Reverse

iD
IF
trr
0

-IF

t
Qrr

Thyristors
iA

Circuit Symbol:

A
+
vAK
K

Current-Voltage Characteristics:
reverse
breakdown
voltage

iA

ON

OFF ON if gate
voltage applied

iA

ON-state
OFF ON if gate
voltage applied

OFF

reverse
blocking

Real

vAK
forward
breakdown
voltage

reverse forward
blocking blocking

Ideal

vAK

Thyristor Switching
Characteristics
vs

+
-

vs
iG

iA
+
vAK
-

t
iG

trr = reverse recovery time

iA
tq = circuit-commutated
recovery time
(the time that the thyristor must
have reverse voltage applied
fires
before entering the forward
vAK
blocking state)
Note: trr tq

t
trr

tq

Controllable Switches
These devices do not depend on power
reversal to go off - they may be triggered off.
In many applications, the switch current
flows through a series inductance.
Idealized Circuit

I0
vd

+
-

iT

+
vT
-

control
switch

The current source

approximates the
current that would
actually flow due to
inductive current storage.

Controllable
switch

Controllable Switches (contd)

Switching Waveforms

Switch
control
signal

off

vT, iT

on

VS

tri

VS

IS

tD(on)

Von

off

tD (off)

tfv

trv tfi

tC(on)

tC(off)

tc = cross over ON and OFF times

Power Device Losses

Conduction energy loss,

Esc=ISVON[ton+tD(off)-tC(on)-tD(on)]

Sum of turn-on and turn-off energy

loss, Est 0.5VSIS[tc(on)+tc(off)]

Total power loss,

Est Esc
Psw
f s ( Est Esc )
ton toff
where fs is switching frequency

Transistor Switches
BJTs, Monolithic Darlingtons (MDs)
and MOSFETs
MOSFETs are easier to parallel than BJTs
because of their positive temperature
coefficient of on-state resistance
(although paralleling MOSFETs is an art
more than a science).

Gate Turn-Off Thyristors (GTOs)

Circuit Symbol:

GTOs can be turned off

by applying a negative
gate current.

iA
G

Current-Voltage Characteristics:
iA
ON
reverse
breakdown
OFF ON if positive
voltage
gate voltage applied

reverse
blocking

Real

ON OFF if negative
gate voltage applied

iA

ON-state
OFF-state

OFF

vAK
forward
breakdown
voltage

A
+
vAK
K

reverse forward
blocking blocking

Ideal

vAK

Switching Waveforms for GTOs

vS

t
iG

large in magnitude ~ 1/3 iA

iA

GTOs (contd)
GTOs are sensitive to dv/dt.
Therefore, snubber circuits are used
to minimize dv/dt and di/dt.
GTOs are available to handle 1000s
of V,A up to 10kHz.

Insulated Gate Bipolar

Transistors (IGBTs)
Circuit Symbol:
G

Characteristics:

iD

vGS

+
vDS
S

High impedance gate (similar to MOSFETs)

Von ~ 2V in a 1000V device !
Voltage ratings up to 2 kV, 100s of A, ~
1sec. switching time.

MOS Controlled Thyristors (MCTs)

Circuit Symbols:

P-MCT

N-MCT

Characteristics:

Current-voltage characteristics similar to GTOs

Two main advantages over GTOs:
1) Smaller turn-off current
2) Faster switching speeds (~ sec)
Voltage ratings up to 1500V;
current ratings ~ few hundred Amps

Motor Drive Components

A modern variable-speed drive has four
components:
(i) Electric machines - ac or dc
(ii) Power converter - rectifiers,choppers,
inverters, and cycloconverters

(iii) Controllers -matching the motor and

power converter to meet the load
requirements

(iv) Load

Motor Drive Schematic

Ref: R. Krishnan, Electric Drives: Modeling, Analysis and Control

Subdisciplines of Electrical Engg.

Semiconductor Devices
Magnetic Materials
Power Electronics
Control Systems
Electromagnetics
Sensors
Analog and Digital Electronics
Signal Processing

Electric Machines
An engineer designing a highperformance drive system must
have intimate knowledge about
machine performance.
- Bimal K. Bose, Modern Power
Electronics and AC Drives

Electric Machines (contd)

DC Machines - shunt, series, compound,

separately excited dc motors and
switched reluctance machines
AC Machines - Induction, wound rotor
synchronous, permanent magnet
synchronous, synchronous reluctance,
and switched reluctance machines.
Special Machines - switched reluctance
machines

Electric Machines (contd)

All of the above machines are
commercially available in fractional
kW to MW ranges except
permanent-magnet, synchronous,
synchronous reluctance, and
switched reluctance which are
available up to 150 kW level.

Selection Criteria for Electric Machines

Cost
Thermal Capacity
Efficiency
Torque-speed profile
Acceleration
Power density, volume of motor
Ripple, cogging torques
Peak torque capability

Power Converters

Controlled Rectifiers; fed from single-phase or

three-phase ac mains supply and provide dc
output for motor drive.

Inverters; convert dc output of battery or

rectified ac source to provide variable ac voltages

and currents at desired frequency and phase.

Cycloconverters; Directly convert fixed

frequency ac voltage/current to variable

voltage/current of variable frequency for driving
ac machines.

Controllers
Controllers embody the control laws
governing the load and motor
characteristics and their interaction.
Torque/speed/
position commands
Torque/speed/
position feedback
Thermal and
other feedback

Controller

Vc, fc, start,

shut-out,
signals, etc.

Load
The motor drives a load that has a
characteristic torque vs. speed requirement.
In general, load torque is a function of
speed and can be written as:
Tl mx
x=1 for frictional systems (e.g. feed drives)
x=2 for fans and pumps