Double-ended Synchronous Reluctance Motor Drive with Extended Constant Power Speed Ratio and Increased Power Factor

Abstract

This article proposes a double-ended synchronous reluctance machine drive to increase the constant power speed ratio and the power factor of a synchronous reluctance machine. The proposed double-ended synchronous reluctance machine drive is formed by two inverters, one connected to an energy source and the other one connected to a floating capacitor bank for reactive power compensation. Two control strategies are presented: the unity power factor control can keep the power factor unity seen from the energy source side inverter under all operating conditions; the optimum inverter utilization control can increase torque output ability and the constant power speed ratio while increasing the power factor. Detailed modeling and simulation of the proposed double-ended synchronous reluctance machine drive are presented. Compared to the traditional single-inverter synchronous reluctance machine drive, the proposed drive is able to reduce the conversion ratio of the front-end DC/DC converter and the rating of each switching device. In addition, three-level voltage output of the proposed drive is also capable to reduce total harmonic distortion. In conclusion, the proposed drive is very attractive for applications for which a high power factor or reactive power regulation is required or when a high constant power speed ratio is desired.

Keywords:

• constant power speed ratio
• double-ended inverter system
• power factor
• reactive power compensation
• synchronous reluctance motor

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Silong Li

Silong Li received his B.S. in electrical engineering and automation from Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China, in 2011 and his M.S. from University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA, in 2014. He is currently working toward his Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His research interests include novel PM machines design and high-performance electric machine drives.

Bulent Sarlioglu

Bulent Sarlioglu received his B.S. from Istanbul Technical University, in 1990; his M.S. from University of Missouri–Columbia, USA, in 1992; and his Ph.D. from University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA, in 1999, all in electrical engineering. Since 2011, he has been an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the associate director of the WEMPEC. From 2000 to 2011, he worked at Honeywell International Inc.'s aerospace division, most recently as a staff systems engineer, in Torrance, CA. He received Honeywell's Outstanding Engineer Award in 2011. He is the inventor or co-inventor of 16 U.S. patents as well as many international patents. His expertise and areas of interest include electric machines, drives, and power electronics.