BEE Notes – Electrical Drives | VIVEK DHADAM

ELECTRICAL DRIVES
Motion control is required in large number of industrial and domestic applications such as rolling mills,
textile industry, paper machines, fans, pumps, washing machines etc. Systems employed for motion control
which is combination of prime movers, transmission equipments and mechanical working load is called drive.
Prime movers may be IC engines, steam engines, turbines or electric motors. In industrial drives electrical
motors are predominantly used due to their inherent advantages, availability of various sizes etc. Drives
employing electric motors are known as electrical drives the electric motors used may require some types of
control equipments to achieve speed control. The motor work on specific speed-torque curve and may be
operated using open loop or closed loop control.
An electrical drive can be defined as an electromechanical device for converting electrical energy into
mechanical energy to impart motion to different machines and mechanisms for various kinds of process
control.

Electric Source:
Very low power drives are generally fed from single-phase sources. Rest of the drives are powered from a
three-phase source.
Power Processors:
Controlled rectifiers (AC to DC converters), Inverters (DC to AC converters), AC voltage controllers (AC to
AC converters) DC choppers (DC to DC converters), Cycloconverters (frequency conversion)
These are different types of processing devices used to process supplied power as our requirement of speed-
torque of motor.
Controllers:
Control unit for a power modulator is provided in the control unit. It matches the motor and power converter
to meet the load requirements.
Sensors:
Speed, torque, current, temperature etc. can be sensed by using a various types of measuring instruments.
This sensed data then fed to the controller unit for further processing.

ADVANTAGES & APPLICATIONS:

1. They are available in wide range of torque, speed, and power. They have flexible control
characteristics
2. They can be started instantly and can immediately be fully loaded.
 BEE Notes – Electrical Drives | VIVEK DHADAM
3. They can operate in all the four quadrants of the speed-torque plane.
4. They are adaptable to almost any operating conditions such as explosive and radioactive
environments.
5. Cost is too low as compared to another system i.e. mechanical drives.
6. The system is more simple and clean.
7. The control is very easy and smooth.
8. Facility for remote control.
9. Transmission of power from one place to other can be done with the help of cables instead of long
shafts, etc.
10. Its maintenance cost is quite low.
11. Electric drives are used in boats, Traction systems (Electric Trains), Lifts, cranes, electric car, etc.

TYPES OF MECHANICAL DRIVES:

BELT DRIVE:
This type of drive is used when the power is to be transmitted from one shaft to other which is at a
distance. Pulleys are mounted on the driver and driven/follower shafts and an endless belt are fitted tightly
over these pulleys. The frictional resistance between these pulleys and belt is the reason for the power
transmission, which depends on the velocity of belt, tension of the belt and arc of contact of the belt in the
smaller pulley. There are flat belt and V- belt used for the power transmission.
 Open belt drive: - for parallel shafts and to be rotated in the same direction as that of the driver shaft.
The driver pulley pulls the belt from one side and delivers it to the other side. The tension in the
former side will be larger and hence called tight side and the other side where the tension is less is
called slack side.
 Crossed belt drive: - when the driven shaft is to be rotated in the opposite direction as that of the
driver shaft, the belt is to be arranged in a crossed manner as shown in the figure.

ROPE DRIVE:
Cotton ropes of circular in cross section are used for power transmission. They are arranged in
groves of the pulley. The grove angle varies from 400 to 600. More than one drive can be taken is the main
advantage. For transmitting large power wire ropes are used.

CHAIN DRIVES:
An endless chain running over toothed wheels mounted on the driver and driven shafts. The smaller
wheel is called pinion and the other is called wheel. The chain consists of plates; pins and bushes made of
high-grade steel. There are hoisting chains and pulling chains apart from the power transmitting chains.
Roller chains and silent/inverted chains are the different types of power transmitting chains.

Advantages of chain drives: Disadvantages of chain drives:

1. Zero slip, High efficiency 1. High cost
2. Occupies less space 2. Velocity fluctuation due to change in length
3. Can be operated at adverse temperature 3. Need accurate mounting and maintenance
4. Can transmit power to several shafts 4. More weight
 BEE Notes – Electrical Drives | VIVEK DHADAM
GEAR DRIVES:
Toothed wheel is the gear for transmitting power between two
shafts, which are very closer. The teeth of the gear mounted on the
shaft meshes each other during rotation. Gears are manufactured
either by milling, by casting or by hobbing. Spur gear, helical gear,
bevel gear, worm gear are different types.

Types of Electrical Drives:

Group drive: In group electric drives single motor of sufficient capacity is used to drive an entire group of
machines. The motor is connected to line shaft using belt and pulleys and all machines are driven so it is
also called as shaft drives. This type of drives are unsafe, difficult to control and has many other
objectionable features, nowadays this type of drives are not used.

Individual Drive: In individual electric drives there is one motor for each working machine or mechanism

Multi-motor Drive: in this type of drive there is more than one motor for each working machine or
mechanism
E.g. rolling mills, metal cutting machines, paper making machines etc.

Factors to be considered before selection of electrical Drives:

1. Nature of Electrical supply:
As per AC or DC Electric supply used we have to select power modulators sensors in drives.
2. Nature of Drive required:
In industry different types of electrical drives such as group drives, individual drives, multi-motor drives
are used.
3. Nature of load:
In industry there are different types of load profiles of motors like constant loads, variable loads etc. so
drive should sustain all possible changes occurring due to this conditions.
4. Electrical Characteristics of motors
a) Load-torque-speed characteristics
b) Type and Specifications of motors
c) Starting of motor
d) Braking motor
5. Mechanical Specifications:
Due to various industrial processes vibrations are produced which may disturb motor operation so
drives system should be robust to withstand this mechanical changes.
6. Size and rating of motor
7. Braking of electric motor
8. Cost of Drive

VARIABLE FREQUENCY DRIVES

Nowadays Frequency control method is widely used for controlling speed of induction motors.
It gives smooth wide range of speed control.
We know that,
Synchronous speed of induction motor is given by,
120𝑓
𝑁𝑆 =
𝑃
Where, f = Frequency and P = No. of poles.
So there is direct relation between speed and supply frequency.
𝑁𝑆 𝛼 𝑓
This control can be done by using electronic drive system called as Variable Frequency Drive (VFD).
 BEE Notes – Electrical Drives | VIVEK DHADAM
Block Diagram of VFD:

There are various blocks shown above

When 3ph ac supply is fed to rectifier circuit it coverts AC into DC which is having ripples. Filter circuit
converts it into pure DC supply. When this pure DC supply is fed to Inverter circuit it converts DC supply
into AC with required frequency.
When speed reference is once set it voltage and frequency controller controls the output frequency of
inverter as per required speed

Circuit diagram of VFD:

Rectifier circuit consist of diodes or SCR which converts AC supply into DC.
Rectifier output then fed to filter circuit which converts it into pure DC by filtering ripples of rectifier
output.
This pure DC is then fed to inverter circuit which converts DC to AC. To control Frequency of output of
inverter there is controller, which controls voltage and frequency as per required speed.