Torque Control of CSI Fed Induction Motor Drives

An electric drive is an industrial system which performs the conversion of electrical energy to mechanical energy (in motoring) or vice versa (in generator braking) for running various processes such as: production plants, transportation of people or goods, home appliances, pumps, air compressors, computer disc drives, robots, music or image players etc. About 50% of electrical energy produced is used in electric drives today. Electric drives may run at constant speed or at variable speed. Nowadays, most important are variable speed drives, especially in Europe where according to the Ecodesign for Energy-Using Products Directive (2005/32/EC) (the "EuP Directive") and its regulation regarding electric motors (Regulation 640/2009/EC) on 1 January 2015 motors with a rated output of 7.5-375kW must meet higher energy efficiency standards, or meet the 2011 levels and be equipped with a variable speed drive. The first motor used in variable speed applications was DC motor drive, since it is easily controllable due to the fact that commutator and stator windings are mechanically decoupled. The cage rotor induction motor became of particular interest as it is robust, reliable and maintenance free. It has lower cost, weight and inertia compared to commutator DC motor of the same power rating. Furthermore, induction motors can work in dirty and explosive environments. However, the relative simplicity of the induction motor mechanical design is contrasted by a complex dynamic structure (multivariable, nonlinear, important quantities not observable). In the last two decades of the 20th century, the technological improvements in power semiconductor and microprocessor technology have made possible rapid application of advanced control techniques for induction motor drive systems. Nowadays, torque control of induction motor is possible and has many advantages over DC motor control, including the same system response and even faster response in case of the latest control algorithms. Two most spread industrial control schemes employs vector or field-oriented control (FOC) and direct torque control (DTC). Current source inverters (CSI) are still viable converter topology in high voltage high power electrical drives. Further advances in power electronics and usage of new components like SGCT (Symmetric Gate Commutated Thyristor), gives the new possibilities for this type of converter in medium voltage applications. Power regeneration during braking, what is a one of main built-in feature of CSI drives, is also merit for high power drives. Despite the