ELECTRICAL DRIVES : An introduction

 Motion control is required in large numbers of industrial and

domestic applications like transportation systems, rolling
mills, paper machines, textiles mills, fans, pumps, robots and
washing machine etc.
 System employed for motion control are called drives
 It may employ any of the prime movers such as: petrol or
diesel engines, gas or steam turbines, steam engines, electric
motors for supplying mechanical energy for motion control.
 Drives employing electrical motors are known as electrical
drives
 Block diagram of Electrical Drive

Fig.1 Block diagram of an electrical drive

Load is usually a machinery designed to accomplish a given

task. e.g. fans, pumps, robots, washing machines etc.
Load requirements can be specified in terms of speed and torque
demands.
 Power Modulator

Power Modulator performing four functions:

 The power modulator regulates the output power of the
source.
 During transient operations, it restricts source and motor
currents with in permissible value; excessive current
drawn from source may overload it.
 Convert DC into variable frequency if it is required
 Select the mode of operation of the motor, i.e. motoring
or braking
 CONTROL UNIT

 The control unit controls the power modulator which

operates at small voltage and power levels. The control unit
also operates the power modulator as desired.
 It also generates the commands for the protection of power
modulator and motor. An input command signal which
adjusts the operating point of the drive, from an input to the
control unit.
 SENSING UNIT

 It senses the certain drive parameter like motor

current and speed.
 It mainly required either for protection or for closed loop
operation.
 Advantage of Electric Drive

 The electrical drives are available in a wide range of torque,

speed and power.
 The electrical drive does not pollute the environment.
 The electric drive can easily started and don’t required
refueling.
 Their working is independent on environmental condition.
 The electric drives operate on all the quadrants of torque
speed plane.
 Disadvantages of electric drive

 The power failure completely disabled the whole of the

system.

 The application of the drive is limited because it cannot

use in a place where the power supply is not available.

 It can cause noise pollution.

 The initial cost of the system is high.

 Choice of Electrical Drives

Choice of an electrical drives depends on a number of factors: Some of

the important factors are:
i) Steady state operation requirements: Nature of speed torque
characteristics, speed regulations, speed range, efficiency, duty cycle
etc.
ii) Transient operation requirements: value of acceleration and
deceleration, starting, braking and reverse performance.
iii) Requirements related to the source: Type of source, magnitude of
voltage, voltage fluctuations, power factors.
iv) Capital and running cost, maintaince needs, life.
v) Space and weight restrictions if any
vi) Environment and location.
vii) Reliability
 Classification of Electric Drive

Generally classified into 3 categories:

 Group drive
 Individual Drive
 Multimotor Drive
TORQUE-SPEED SIGN CONVENTON
FOUR QUADRANT OPERATION
 FOUR QUADRANT OPERATION
• Motor is driving a hoist consisting of a cage with or without
load, a rope wound on to a drum to hoist the cage and a
balance weight of magnitude greater than that of the empty
cage but less than that of the loaded cage.

• The arrow in the figure indicates the actual directions of the

motor torque, load torque and motion in four quadrants.

• The load torque of the hoisting mechanism is of active type

and assumed to be constant due to negligible friction and
windage for low speed
hoist.
 FOUR QUADRANT
• OPERATION(Cont’d)
Speed torque curve of the hoist is represented by vertical line
passing through two quadrants. Loaded hoist characteristics in
first and fourth and unloaded in second and third quadrants

• In the first quadrant the load torque acts in the opposite

direction to that of rotation. Hence to drive the loaded hoist
up, the motor developed torque must be in the direction of
the rotation or must be positive.

• The power will also be positive so, this quadrant is

known
as ‘forward motoring quadrant’.
F OUR QUADRANT OPERATION(Cont’d)
• The hoisting up of the unloaded cage is represented in the
second quadrant. As the counterweight is heavier than the
empty cage, the speed at which hoist moves upwards may
reach a very high value.

• To avoid this, the motor torque must act in the opposite

direction of rotation or motor torque must be negative.

• The power will be negative though the speed is positive, so

this quadrant is known as ‘forward braking quadrant’.
F OUR QUADRANT OPERATION(Cont’d)
• The third quadrant represents the downward motion of the
empty cage. Downward journey will be opposed by torque
due to counterweight and friction at the transmitting parts,
move cage downwards the motor torque should must be in
the direction of the rotation.

• Electric machine acts as a motor but in the reverse direction

compared to first quadrant.

• The torque is negative as speed is increased in the negative

direction, but the power is positive, this quadrant is known as
‘Reverse motoring quadrant’.
F OUR QUADRANT OPERATION (Cont’d)
• Fourth quadrant has the downward motion of the loaded
cage.

• As loaded cage has more weight than the balanced weight to

limit the speed of the motion, motor torque must have
opposite polarity with respect to rotation and acts as a brake.

• The motor torque sign is positive, but as speed has negative

direction; the power will be negative, this quadrant is
designated as ‘Reverse braking quadrant.
CONSTANT TORQUE AND CONSTANT
POWER OPERATION
CLASSIFICATION OF LOAD
TORQUE
Various load torques can be
classified into broad categories.
• Active load torques
• Passive load torques

• Load torques which has the potential to

drive the motor under equilibrium
conditions are called active load torques.
 CLASSIFICATION OF LOAD
TORQUE(Cont’d)
• Eg: Torque due to force of gravity
• Torque due tension.
• Load torques which always oppose the
motion and change their sign on the
reversal of motion are called passive load
torques.
• Eg: Torque due to friction, cutting etc.
 COMPONENTS OF LOAD TORQUE
• The load torque TL can be further divided
in to following components:
• (i) Friction Torque (TF)
• Friction will be present at the motor
shaft and also in various parts of the
load. TF is the equivalent value of various
friction torques referred to the motor
shaft.
 COMPONENTS OF LOAD
TORQUE(Cont’d)
• Windage Torque (TW):
• When motor runs, wind generates a torque
opposing the motion. This is known as
windage torque.
• Torque required to do useful mechanical
work.
• Nature of this torque depends upon particular
application.
 COMPONENTS OF LOAD
TORQUE(Cont’d)
• It may be some function of speed, it may
be time invariant or time variant, its
nature may also change with the
load’s mode ofoperation.

• Friction torque can also be resolved into

three component:
 COMPONENTS OF LOAD
TORQUE(Cont’d)
• Component Tv varies linearly with speed
is called VISCOUS friction and is given
by
v m T = Bω
Where B is viscous friction co-efficient.

• Another component TC, which

is independent of speed, is known
as COULOMB friction.
 COMPONENTS OF LOAD
TORQUE(Cont’d)
• Third component Ts accounts for
additional torque present at stand still.
Since Ts is present only at stand still it is
not taken into account in the dynamic
analysis.
Windage torque:
• TW which is proportional to speed
squared is given by
 NATURE OF LOAD
TORQUE
• The nature of load torque depends upon
particular application.
• A low speed hoist is an example of load when
the torque is constant and independent of
speed.
• At low speeds ,windage torque is negligible
therefore net torque is mainly due to gravity
which is constant and independent of
speed.
 NATURE OF LOAD
TORQUE
• There are drives where coulomb friction
dominates over other torque components.
conesquently torque is independent of speed.

• Example : Paper mill drive.

• Fans , Compressors,Aeroplanes ,Centrifugal
pumps ,ship propellors,High speed
hoists,traction are the example of the case
where load torque is a function of speed.