Comparative Study of Starting Methods for a Single-Phase Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor

Abstract

This paper compares three starting methods for a single-phase interior permanent magnet synchronous motor. One is a line-start capacitor motor with a starting cage. The second is the same cage motor with an open-loop variable-voltage fixed-frequency inverter. The third uses the same motor without its starting cage, fed from a closed-loop current-regulated inverter with shaft position feedback. The computed starting performance is compared with test data for all three cases.

Key Words:

• permanent magnet motors
• single phase systems
• AC machines

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mircea Popescu

Mircea Popescu Born in Bucharest, Romania. He received the M.Eng. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the University “Politehnica” Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania. From 1986 to 1997, he worked in industrial and research development at the Research Institute for Electrical Machines (ICPE-ME), Bucharest, as a Project Manager. From 1991 to 1997 he cooperated as a Visiting Assistant Professor with University “Politehnica” Bucharest, Electrical Drives and Machines Department. From 1997 to 2000 he was a Research Scientist with Helsinki University of Technology, Electromechanics Laboratory, Espoo, Finland. He is currently with SPEED Laboratory, Glasgow University, Glasgow, U.K. as Research Associate.

T J E Miller

TJE Miller A native of Wigan, UK, he was educated at Atlantic College and the Universities of Glasgow and Leeds. From 1979 to 1986 he was an electrical engineer and program manager at GE Research and Development in Schenectady, NY, and his industrial experience includes periods with GEC (UK), British Gas, International Research and Development, and a student-apprenticeship with Tube Investments Ltd. TJE Miller is Professor of Electrical Power Engineering, and founder and Director of the SPEED Consortium at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. Prof. Miller is the author of over 100 publications in the fields of motors, drives, power systems and power electronics, including seven books. He is a Fellow of the IEE.

Calum Cossar

Malcolm Mc Gilp Born in Helensburgh, Scotland 1965. Graduated 1987 from the University of Glasgow with a B.Eng. Hons, in Electronic Systems and Microcomputer Engineering. Since graduating he has worked in the SPEED Laboratory, first as a Research Assistant from 1987 to 1996 and as a Research Associate since then. He is responsible for the software architecture of the SPEED motor design software and has developed the interface and user facilities which allow it to be easy to learn and integrate with other PC based software.

Malcolm McGilp

Calum Cossar bom in Hamilton, U.K., in 1962. He received the B.Sc. (Hons.) degree in electronics and electrical engineering from the University of Glasgow, Glasgow, U.K., in 1983. From 1983 to 1988, he was with Ferranti pic, Edinburgh, U.K., where he worked on the design of high-speed digital signal processing for airborne radar applications. In 1988, he joined the SPEED Laboratory, Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, University of Glasgow, as a Research Assistant. He became a Research Technologist and has been involved in research and development into the implementation of switched reluctance control.

Giovanni Strappazzon

Giovanni Strappazzon He graduated in 1998 from the Padua University (Italy), Faculty of Electrical Engineering, on the basis of a dissertation about analysis of small induction motors; in 1999 he won an award as researcher in the Department of Electrical Engineering for the optimisation in design of electrical motors. He worked shortly for a factory that makes small synchronous motors mainly for aquarium pumps; since the beginning of the 2001 he has worked as researcher on innovative motors for ACC Compressors.

Nicola Trivillin

Nicola Trivillin Born in Pordenone, Italy, in 1970. He received the “laurea” in Electrical Engineering in 1995 from Padua University with a thesis on Finite element Analysis of Single Phase induction motor with auxiliary phase. He joined ACC Compressor R&D Department as Electric Motor Specialist. He is currently Manager of Electrical Competence Center within ACC Compressor.

Roberto Santarossa

Roberto Santarossa was born in 1969 in Pordenone. He received degree in Electrical Engineering in 1996 from University of Padua with a thesis about voltage stability of large electric power system. He has been working for ACC Compressor, within ACC Group, since 1997 and he is currently Electric Motor Designer, dealing with design and development of fractional horsepower motor.