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Performance Improvement of a
Photovoltaic Pumping System Using a
Synchronous Reluctance Motor
a b b
M. Nabil , S. M. Allam & E. M. Rashad
a
Department of Electrical Engineering, Kafrelshiekh University,
Kafrelshiekh, Egypt
b
Department of Electrical Power and Machines Engineering, Tanta
University, Tanta, Egypt
To cite this article: M. Nabil , S. M. Allam & E. M. Rashad (2013): Performance Improvement of a
Photovoltaic Pumping System Using a Synchronous Reluctance Motor, Electric Power Components and
Systems, 41:4, 447-464
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Electric Power Components and Systems, 41:447–464, 2013
Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN: 1532-5008 print/1532-5016 online
DOI: 10.1080/15325008.2012.749554
Abstract This article presents a simple control strategy to improve the performance
of a synchronous reluctance motor drive system fed by a photovoltaic source. The
photovoltaic generator parameters are selected based on maintaining the system
operating point at the maximum output power of the photovoltaic generator at an
average insolation level of 0.5 kW/m2 . The proposed control strategy has three main
functions; ensuring successful motor starting, maintaining the motor voltage within
a permissible range, and forcing the photovoltaic array to operate at the maximum
power point possible. Two modes of operation are studied for the proposed system
depending upon the level of insolation compared with a critical value, which is the
level below which the synchronous reluctance motor cannot work synchronously under
the given pumping load. A sample of simulation results is introduced to confirm the
effectiveness of the suggested strategy. It has been found that, using the proposed
control strategy, the pump flow rate has been increased compared with an uncontrolled
system.
1. Introduction
Solar energy is free, inexhaustible, and clean; it has a great potential to be a very attractive
supply option for industrial and domestic applications, especially in remote areas, such
as water pumping, heating, and cooling. Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems use the PV
modules in order to convert the sunlight into electrical energy. PV generation is gaining
increased importance as a renewable source due to its advantages, which include few
maintenance requirements, the absence of fuel cost, and lack of noise due to the absence
of moving parts [1].
PV pumping systems are receiving more attention in recent years especially in remote
areas where connection to the grid is technically not possible or costly. In addition, PV
pumps have recently received considerable attention due to major developments in the
447
448 M. Nabil et al.
Nomenclature
Ap proportionality factor of the pump (Nm/rad/sec)
B viscous friction coefficient (Nm/rad/sec)
H total pumping head (m)
Ids , Iqs direct and quadrature axis stator currents, respectively (A)
Ig current drawn from the array (A)
J inertia of the system (Kg.m2 )
Lds , Lqs direct and quadrature axis stator inductances of synchronous
reluctance motor, respectively (H)
Lmd , Lmq direct and quadrature axis magnetization inductances, respectively (H)
p differential operator (d=dt)
P number of pole pairs
Pg output power of the array (W)
Pi n input power of the motor (W)
Po output power of the motor (W)
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field of solar cell material and technology. They are widely used in domestic and livestock
water supplies and small-scale irrigation systems [2, 3].
DC motor driven PV pumps are used overall the world because they can be directly
connected to the PV generator and an adjustable DC drive is easy to achieve. However,
this system suffers from increased motor cost and maintenance problems due to the
presence of a commutator and brushes [3–5]. Hence, a pumping system based on brushless
motors represents an attractive alternative due to its merits over DC motors. Brushless
permanent magnet DC motors have been proposed [4]; however, this solution is limited
to only low-power PV systems.
Several studies have investigated AC systems using either current source or voltage
source inverters [1]. The PV pumping system based on an induction motor (IM) offers an
alternative motor for more reliable and maintenance-free systems. The main advantages
of IMs are reduced unit cost, ruggedness, brushless rotor construction, and ease of
maintenance [1, 3, 6]. The permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM), also called
the brushless DC motor, coupled to a centrifugal pump is found to be suitable for PV
water pumping systems [7, 8].
A synchronous reluctance (SyncRel) motor fed by a PV generator represents a
brushless scheme that should be studied in detail. However, the PV pumping system
Improvement of a PV Pumping System Using SyncRel Motor 449
based on a SyncRel motor has not garnered any significant attention from researchers
until to date.
The objective of this article is to suggest suitable control strategies to improve
the performance of a SyncRel motor fed by a PV generator. The proposed control
strategy is concerned mainly with ensuring successful starting of the SyncRel motor,
maintaining the motor voltage within a permissible range, and forcing the PV array
to operate as close to the maximum power point (MPP) as possible. The performance
characteristics of the proposed system are studied under different insolation levels with
two modes of operation depending upon the level of insolation compared to the critical
value. The critical insolation level for the system represents the insolation level below
which the SyncRel motor cannot work synchronously under the given pumping load. A
sample of simulation results is introduced to confirm the effectiveness of the suggested
control strategies.
2. System Modeling
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Figure 1 shows a block diagram of the proposed system that consists of the following
parts:
PV generator (denoted by PVG),
boost converter (DC/DC),
three-phase pulse-width modulated inverter (DC/AC) (denoted by PWM),
three-phase SyncRel motor,
centrifugal pump (denoted by CP) load, and
control system.
where
The photocurrent which mainly depends upon the solar insolation and cell tempera-
ture is described as [10]
where Isc is the cell short-circuit current at 25ı C and the standard value of a solar
insolation (1 kW/m2 ), ki is the temperature coefficient of the cell short-circuit current
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(A/ı C), Tref is the cell reference temperature and G is a solar insolation (kW/m2 ).
The saturation current varies with the cell temperature as [10]:
3
Tc qEG 1 1
Is D Ir s exp ; (3)
Tref kA Tref Tc
where Ir s is the cell reverse saturation current at the reference temperature and the solar
radiation, and EG is the band-gap energy of the semiconductor used in the cell.
1
Vbo D Vg ; (4)
1 d
where d is the duty ratio of the boost converter. The value . 1 1 d ) represents the converter
gain.
For a lossless converter, the relation between the boost converter input current
(Ibi ) and boost converter output current (i.e., the inverter input current, Ibo ) is given
by [12]
1
Ibi D Ibo : (5)
1 d
switching technique is used to drive the inverter. The three-phase inverter voltages can
be expressed as [13]:
1
9
van D .2S1 S2 S3 /Vbo > >
3 >
>
>
>
>
1
=
vbn D . S1 C 2S2 S3 /Vbo ; (6)
3 >
>
>
>
1
>
>
vcn D . S1 S2 C 2S3 /Vb o;
>
3
where van , vbn , and vcn are the output voltages of the inverter.
Furthermore, the PV current is given by [13]
.S1 ia C S2 ib C S3 ic /
Ig D Ic C ; (7)
1 d
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where ia , ib , and ic are the SyncRel motor stator currents of the inverter, and Ic is the
capacitor current which is given by the following relation [13]:
dVg
Ic D C ; (8)
dt
where C is the capacitance of the condenser, which is inserted between the PV generator
and the power converters to smooth the output DC voltage and to reduce the equivalent
impedance seen by the PV generator.
When a switch signal (S1 , S2 , or S3 ) equals 1, it means that the corresponding upper
switch is ON while the lower one is OFF and vice versa.
The effective value of the fundamental motor phase voltage is given by [12]
M Vbo
V D p ; (9)
2 2
where the modulation index M is the ratio between the reference sine wave and the
triangular carrier wave. The value ( M
p ) represents the inverter gain.
2 2
3
Te D P .ds iqs qs ids /: (11)
2
The qd -axis supply voltage can be expressed as a function of the machine power angle as:
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Pp D 2:725QH: (16)
The relation between the hydraulic output power (Pp ) of the pump and the mechan-
ical input power (Pm ) can be defined as the pump efficiency and is given by [16]
Pp
p D : (17)
Pm
On the other hand, the load torque of the centrifugal pump is given by [9]
TL D To C Ap !r1:8 ; (18)
3. System Control
The purpose of the control strategy is to improve the performance of the SyncRel motor
drive system. The proposed control strategy performs the following functions:
V M Vbo
D p D constant: (19)
f 2 2f
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Appropriate parameters of the centrifugal pump parameters are selected. All system
parameters, including the PV cell, SyncRel motor, and centrifugal pump, are given in the
Appendix (Tables A1, A2, and A3, respectively).
The PV generator operating point has been obtained for the following assumptions:
the motor runs at its rated output power of 470 W,
the motor efficiency is 0.83 so that input motor power is 565 W,
the PV generator output power equals the motor input power (assuming lossless
converters),
the boost converter gain ( 1 1 d ) equals 1,
the inverter gain ( M
p ) approximately equals 0.3, and
2 2
the motor is loaded by a suitable centrifugal pump that can be used in an irrigation
system or other human needs (the used pump parameters are given in Table A3
in the Appendix).
According to the previous assumptions, it was found that the PV generator operating
point is Vg D 665:5 V and Ig D 0:85 A. The given operating point can be obtained
using 3 parallel strings (Np ) of 1730 series cells (Ns ) for each. Figure 3 shows the
characteristics of the PV generator at different solar insolation levels.
Improvement of a PV Pumping System Using SyncRel Motor 455
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In the absence of a control system, the following values of insolation levels can be
defined, assuming standard level (1 kW/m2 ) as a base value:
design insolation level (Gd ) is 50%, at which the MPP of the PV generator
corresponds to motor rated power;
critical insolation level (Gc r ) is the minimum value to be satisfied in order to start
the motor and operate synchronously; and
minimum insolation level (Gmin ) is the level below which the motor cannot run.
For the proposed system, the critical insolation level (Gc r ) and the minimum inso-
lation level (Gmin ) are found to be equal 55% (0.55 kW/m2 ) and 25% (0.25 kW/m2 ),
respectively. Accordingly the operation has been studied for two modes; the first mode
for G Gc r and the second mode for G < Gc r .
For the present system, the results of these modes are given in the following sub-
sections.
represents the main problem in this mode. The modulation index (M ) of the inverter is
implemented to control the motor input voltage and maintain its level at the rated value.
The modulation index (M ) is controlled using a proportional-integral (PI) controller. A
trial-and-error approach has been used to obtain the controller parameters kp and ki ,
which are given in the Appendix (Table A4). However, in this mode of operation, MPPT
is not required since the PV output power of the array will be greater than the motor
rated power.
In the simulation process, for this mode of operation, the insolation level is first
assumed to equal 55% for to 1.5 sec; then it is increased to 75%. The presented simulation
results are obtained with and without using the proposed control strategy.
Figure 4 shows the run-up response of the SyncRel motor with and without control.
It is obvious that the motor starts and reaches synchronous speed for insolation levels
equal to or higher than the critical value (55%).
Figure 5 shows the response of the PV output voltage and the motor RMS voltage for
two different insolation levels (55% and 75%). It can be noted that without control, the
motor voltage is higher than the rated value for all insolation levels equal to or higher than
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the critical value (55%). Furthermore, it can be observed that, aiding with the proposed
control system, the problem is solved and the motor voltage can be maintained at its
rated value.
Figure 4. Run-up response of a SyncRel motor with and without control for different insolation
levels. (color figure available online)
Improvement of a PV Pumping System Using SyncRel Motor 457
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Figure 5. Response of the PV output voltage and the motor RMS voltage with and without control
for different insolation levels. (color figure available online)
At the same conditions, the response of the PV output power is shown in Figure 6.
It is noted that the steady-state PV output power is kept at the rated value so that MPPT
is not required in this mode of operation.
Moreover, the response of the pump flow rate at a total pumping head of 10 m is
shown in Figure 7. It can be noted that the steady-state pump flow rate is constant with
or without control, as there is no control on the PV output power and the motor operates
at the rated conditions.
Figure 6. Response of the PV output power with and without control for different insolation levels.
(color figure available online)
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without control at insolation levels of 35% and 25% because they are less than the critical
value. In this case, the motor operates in asynchronous mode. Furthermore, it can be noted
that at an insolation level of 22%, the motor cannot run without control. However, with
the proposed control strategy, the problem of starting is solved at all insolation levels, as
shown in the figure. In order to ensure the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy
to operate the motor at the synchronous speed, the frequency pattern is also shown in
Figure 8.
The response of both the PV output voltage and the motor RMS voltage are shown
in Figure 9 for the given insolation level variation. It can be noted from Figures 8 and 9
that the voltage per hertz (V/f) is kept constant for controlled system.
Figure 7. Response of the pump flow rate with and without control for different insolation levels
at H D 10 m. (color figure available online)
Improvement of a PV Pumping System Using SyncRel Motor 459
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Figure 8. Run-up response of a SyncRel motor with and without control for different insolation
levels. (color figure available online)
Figure 9. Response of the PV output voltage and the motor RMS voltage with and without control
for different insolation levels. (color figure available online)
460 M. Nabil et al.
Figure 10. Response of the PV output power with and without control for different insolation
levels. (color figure available online)
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Figure 11. Response of the pump flow rate with and without control for different insolation levels
at H D 10 m. (color figure available online)
Figure 10 shows the response of the PV output power for insolation levels of 35%,
25%, and 22%. At these insolation levels, without control, the PV output power is less
than the maximum available power. However, it is clear from Figure 10 that, using
the MPPT control strategy, the steady-state PV output power is increased to be equal
to the corresponding maximum value shown in Figure 3. As a result of extracting the
maximum power from the PV array, the PV voltage as well as the motor voltage are
increased, as shown in Figure 9.
Figure 11 shows the pump flow rate at a total pumping head of 10 m corresponding
to the adopted insolation changes given. It can be noted that, due to using the MPPT
control strategy, the pump flow rate is increased compared with uncontrolled system.
5. Conclusions
This article has presented a simple control strategy to improve the performance of a
SyncRel motor drive system fed by a PV generator suitable for pumping loads. The
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Table 1
Final obtained results of the proposed control strategy
Insolation level
461
Motor voltage Without control Equal or less than Higher than the rated value
the rated value
With control Not required Maintained at its rated value using the
strategy inverter modulation index (M )
controlled by a PI controller
proposed control strategy aims at ensuring a successful motor starting, the motor voltage
to be within a permissible range, and the PV array to operate at the MPP as possible. Two
modes of operation have been studied in detail depending upon the level of insolation
compared to the critical value. It has been found for the proposed system that the
critical and minimum insolation levels equal 55% (0.55 kW/m2 ) and 25% (0.25 kW/m2 ),
respectively. The critical insolation level is the insolation below which the SyncRel
motor cannot work synchronously under the given pumping load. On the other hand,
the minimum insolation level represents the insolation below which the motor cannot
run. In the first mode of operation, in which the insolation level is higher than the
critical value, it has been found that the motor voltage is higher than the corresponding
rated value. The modulation index (M ) of the inverter has been used to control the
motor input voltage and maintain its level at the rated value. However in the second
mode of operation, in which the insolation level is less than the critical value, it has
been found that the motor cannot reach synchronous speed when loaded by the given
pump. Employing a voltage per hertz (V/f) control method has been suggested to remedy
this situation. Moreover, MPPT has been applied only at all insolation levels less than
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50%. The P and O algorithm has been used for MPPT due to its simplicity and low-cost
implementations. The obtained simulation results prove the effectiveness of the control
strategy on system performance. As a result, it has been observed that, using the MPPT
control strategy, the pump flow rate has been increased compared with an uncontrolled
system. The final obtained results of the proposed control strategy can be concluded as
shown in Table 1.
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Appendix A
Table A1
Parameters of PV cell
Table A2
Parameters of syncrel motor
Pole pairs, P 2
Moment of inertia, J 0.0015 Kg-m2
Table A3 Table A4
Parameters of centrifugal pump Parameters of PI controller
To 0.3 Nm kp 0.45
Ap 0.0003 Ki 7.5
p 80%