Optimized Commissioning Method for Enhanced Vector Control of High-Power Induction Motor Drives

This paper presents a method for improving the control design for a high-power induction motor (IM) drive employing rotor-flux-based orientation. An offline genetic-algorithm routine is used to estimate the electrical and mechanical parameters of the machine using only speed transient measurements. This routine is applied to a range of operating conditions to obtain an accurate knowledge of the IM parameters as a function of the d-axis motor current id. The information acquired is then employed, together with an enhanced control design obtained by optimizing speed and current transient responses, to increase the performance of the vector control algorithm. The effectiveness of this design method is demonstrated through a wide range of simulations using Matlab-Simulink and experimental results at power levels up to 230 kW.

I. Introduction

To obtain good performance from a vector-controlled induction motor (IM) drive it is very important to have an accurate knowledge of the electrical and mechanical parameters of the machine under all operating conditions [1]. However, in reality, the motor parameters are only approximately known either from manufacturer's data or from standard tests, and they are known to vary under different operating conditions, particularly in the field-weakening regime [2], [3]. Furthermore, in medium–high-power drives' applications [4]–[11], adequately rated power supplies (voltage, current, and frequency) need to be available to perform the standard tests for machine parameters' identification. Therefore, the use of alternative methods is a desirable solution in these cases.