Power Quality Improvement in a Four-Phase Switched Reluctance Motor Drive using Twelve-Pulse AC/DC Converter

Abstract

This article deals with a 12-pulse AC/DC converter for improving power quality in a midpoint converter based switched reluctance motor drive at AC mains. The conventional six-pulse AC/DC converter fed midpoint converter based switched reluctance motor drive injects high content of current harmonics into AC mains. The proposed 12-pulse AC/DC converter with a small rating passive filter is capable of eliminating harmonic currents from light load to full load with a high power factor. The proposed switched reluctance motor drive system is designed, modeled and simulated in Matlab/Simulink environment and its performance is compared with a conventional six-pulse AC/DC converter fed switched reluctance motor to demonstrate the power quality at AC mains. The simulated performance of the proposed 12-pulse AC/DC converter fed switched reluctance motor drive is experimentally validated for power quality improvement.

Keywords:

• delta/star-delta transformer
• digital signal processor
• high pass filter
• hall effect current sensor
• midpoint converter
• multi-pulse AC/DC converters
• power factor correction
• power quality
• switched reluctance motor
• 12-pulse AC/DC converter

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mutharath Rajesh

Mutharath Rajesh received the B.Tech in electrical and electronics engineering from University of Calicut, in 1995 and his M.Tech in power electronics and drives from NIT Warangal, in 2005. In June 2000, he joined as Lecturer in Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department, Govt: College of Engineering Kannur. Presently he is Ph.D. scholar in Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department, IIT Delhi. His areas of interest include power electronics, electrical machines, and drives.

Bhim Singh

Bhim Singh received the B.E. in electrical engineering from University of Roorkee, India, in 1977 and the M.Tech. and Ph.D. degrees from IIT Delhi, India, in 1979 and 1983. In 1983, he joined Electrical Engineering Department, University of Roorkee, as a Lecturer, and became a Reader in 1988. In December 1990, he joined Electrical Engineering Department, IIT Delhi, as an Assistant Professor. He became an Associate Professor in 1994 and a Professor in 1997. Prof. Singh is a Fellow of Indian National Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Sciences, India, Indian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Engineering and Technology, Institution of Engineers (India), and Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers and a Life Member of Indian Society for Technical Education and System Society of India. His areas of interest include power electronics, electrical machines and drives, renewable energy systems, active filters, FACTS, HVDC, and power quality.