Medium-Voltage Drives

Challenges
and the
existing technology

hand and chess pieces image ©istockphoto.com/VasjaKoman

circuit image licensed by ingram publishing

by Haitham Abu-Rub, Sertac Bayhan, Shaikh Moinoddin,

Mariusz Malinowski, and Jaroslaw Guzinski

T
his article presents an overview of state-of-art The focus is on solutions that present high efficiency; low
solutions, advances, and design and research price, size, and weight; minimum harmonic distortion;
trends in medium-voltage (MV) drive technolo- reduction in dv/dt; mitigation of common-mode (CM) volt-
gies—and also discusses the challenges and age; avoiding torsional vibration; transformerless solu-
requirements associated with the use of such tions; fault detection capability; and condition monitoring.
drives. The choice and deployment of MV drives in industries The ever-growing demand for electrical energy and the
are associated with numerous requirements related to the continuous rise in energy prices compel us to conclude
front-end converter (grid side) and inverter (machine side). that energy must be used more efficiently. Modern power
electronics technology with high efficiency and appro-
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPEL.2016.2551802
priate control approaches is needed in energy-intensive
Date of publication: 23 June 2016 industries to decrease the immense waste of energy and

2329-9207/16©2016IEEE June 2016 z IEEE Power Electronics Magazine 29

 30 16
25 14 2012 Growth 2013 Growth 2014 Growth

Growth Rates (%)

12
20
Growth Rates (%)

10
15
8
10 6
5 4
0 2
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
–5 0
Years The Americas EMEA China Japan Rest of
–10
Asia Pacific
–15
(a) (b)

FIG 1 (a) The global market growth for MV drives. (b) The global market growth for MV drives by region. (EMEA: Europe, the Middle
East, and Africa.)

mining, water/waste, pulp/paper, cement, chemical, power

Power Consumption Curve generation, metal production and processes, traction, and
Power Consumption/Shaft Power

110 marine drives sectors. To improve power quality and sys-

100 Power Consumption
with Damper tem response and to reduce operation cost and energy loss,
90
80 Control the installed MV drives should be adjustable-speed drives
Savings
Energy

70 (ASDs). Figure 1(a) shows the global market growth of MV

60
50 drives from 2008 to 2015 [2]. Due to the recession during
40 Power Consumption 2009 and 2010, there was little or negative growth in the
30 with Drive Control global market. Due to fracking of unconventional shale gas
20 Shaft Power with
10 Speed Control
and oil in the Americas, the sale of MV drives increased dur-
0 ing 2012 and 2013, whereas, in Europe, growth was recov-
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Air Flow Speed (%)
ering. Figure 1(b) shows the market growth for MV drives
during 2012–2014 by region [3].
FIG 2 A comparison of power consumption for fan applications. The use of adjustable-speed MV drives guarantees
significant savings in energy, as shown in Figure 2, and
decreases payback time up to 2.5 years. Table 1 also
Table 1. The benefits of ASDs shows the benefits of ASDs for pumping applications.
for pumping applications. Control techniques with transformerless solutions lead to
a further decrease in the payback time [4]. Nevertheless,
Speed Level Benefits the deployment of such drives is associated with several
Soft start of motor No network voltage dips requirements and challenges. Significant challenges are
Reduced mechanical stress with the power line side (e.g., power quality, resonance,
High speed Maximum capacity and power factor), motor side (e.g., dv/dt, CM voltage,
Best productivity and motor derating caused by generated harmonics,
Low speed Best energy efficiency resonance, torsional vibration, and traveling wave reflec-
Reduced operating costs tions), and semiconductor devices (e.g., switching losses
Precise and Best efficiency point of pumps and reliability) [1], [4]. Unfortunately, various challenges
optimal speed Increased lifetime of equipment related to converters—line side as well as motor side—
Soft stop of motor No water hammering are faced when installing MV drives. Hence, the motiva-
Reduced mechanical stress tion behind this article is pointing out the challenges and
problems faced when using MV drives and indicating the
direction for proper use and understanding of such drives.
improve power quality. Since electric motor drive systems The article presents the existing MV drive technologies
are the major consumers of energy, they have the great- and emphasizes the need for further development and
est potential for improvement in terms of efficient energy enhancement of MV drives.
consumption. High-power motors, mostly operating in
MV, are of most interest, due to their enormous energy MV Drive Topologies
consumption [1]. MV drives are classified to cover a power range of 0.2 MW to
MV drives have found extensive applications in sev- almost 40 MW at the MV level of 2.3–13.8 kV [4]–[6]. However,
eral industries, such as in the oil and gas, petrochemical, most of the installed MV drives in industrial settings are in the

30 IEEE Power Electronics Magazine z June 2016

 Line Filter Transformer Rectifier dc Filter Inverter Motor Filter
va
∼
∼
∼
vb
∼ Motor

vc
∼ ∼
∼

Grid Side Motor Side

FIG 3 A typical MV ASD.

range of 1–4 MW, with voltage ratings of 3.3–6.6 kV [6]. A typi- Challenges and Requirements of MV Drives
cal block diagram of a MV drive is shown in Figure 3. Small
size, lower cost, high efficiency and reliability, fault protec- Power Quality and LC Resonance Suppression
tion, ease of installation and maintenance, high dynamic per- Harmonics in the voltage and current waveforms of the util-
formance, and regenerative capability in some applications ity grid is a crucial problem that needs to be effectively
are the essential requirements for MV resolved. Diode-based rectifiers draw
drives. A list of some of the industrial distorted current from the grid and
drives is presented in Table 2. This Small size, lower cost, cause notches in the voltage wave-
table presents the power rating, forms. This results in numerous prob-
devices and topology used, and control high efficiency and lems in the power grid, such as equip-
methods. Furthermore, the popular reliability, fault ment failure, computer data loss, and
converter topologies in MV drives are malfunction of communications equip-
summarized in Figure 4 [7], [8].
protection, ease of ment. Various standards such as IEEE
The main disadvantage of multi- installation and 519-1999, IEC 1000-3-2, and IEC 61000-
level inverters (MIs) is the complex- 3-2 define the limit of harmonics
ity of the power circuit and controls.
maintenance, high injected into the power grid [6]–[8]. To
However, the use of MIs in MV drives dynamic performance, reduce current harmonics or to com-
offers improved power quality, lower pensate for the input power factor, an
and regenerative
switching losses, high voltage capa- LC line-side filter is a common solu-
bility, and lower dv/dt [9]. There are capability in some tion. However, the low damping LC
different types of power switches applications are the resonances may cause undesired
that could be adopted for MV oscillations or overvoltages in the grid
drives. These include the injection essential requirements side because of the low impedance of
enhanced gate transistor (IEGT), the for MV drives. the MV grid. This may destroy the
integrated gate-commutated thyris- switching devices or other compo-
tor (IGCT), and the insulated-gate nents of the rectifier circuits. Solu-
bipolar transistor (IGBT). The gate tions to this problem should assure
drive circuits of IEGTs are more reliable than IGCT drive low harmonics and low dv/dt using just a reactor instead of
circuits. The failures in time (FIT) ratio of IEGTs versus an LC filter, or using a small filter.
IGCTs is four to one. Furthermore, the IGBT gate drive
circuit is simpler and has fewer components than IEGT Inverter Switching Frequency
gate drive circuits. Hence, IGBT gate drive circuits are High dv/dt is generated with the use of high-switching-­
more reliable than IEGTs [10]. frequency semiconductor devices in power electronic
Modern power semiconductor switches have a peak volt- converters, which can produce CM voltage and currents,
age blocking capability of nearly 6.5 kV, which restricts the ­electromagnetic interference (EMI), shaft voltages, bear-
maximum voltage ratings of the inverter and the motor in MV ing c­ urrents, and high voltage stress that negatively
high-power drives. The apparent power that can be obtained affect the insulation life of motors and transformers [12].
is limited by the available MV IGBT switches, which have a The harmonic distortion of the output waveforms
peak current conducting capability of 750 A. Series or paral- increases with the decrease of inverter switching fre-
lel combinations of semiconductor switches are used to over- quency. MIs provide voltage/current waveforms with
come the limits of switch ratings, but with these arrange- improved harmonic spectrum and lower dv/dt, which lim-
ments, a balance of the current and voltage between devices its the insulation stress on the motor windings. However,
is achieved using extra measurements [11]. the higher number of switching devices in MIs tends to

June 2016 z IEEE Power Electronics Magazine 31

 Table 2. A market overview of industrial MV drives.

Manufacturer Power Voltage (kV) Topology Semiconductor Control Method

ABB [55] 0.315–5.0 MW 2.3–4.16 3L-NPC-VSC IGBT DTC
0.25–72 MW 4.0–6.90 5L-NPC-VSC IGCT
2.0–36 MW 6.0–13.8 5L-HNPC-VSC
3.0–36 MW up to 3.3
2.0–72 MW 2.1–10
SIEMENS [56] 0.15–14.2 MW 2.3–4.16 MMC-VSC IGCT V/f
0.82–18 MW 3.3–7.2 3L-NPC-VSC IGBT FOC
2.8–31.5 MW 2.3–12 5L- NPC-VSC LV/MV-IGBT
0.8–85 MW 4–7.2
TMEIC [57] 4.0–120 MVA 1.25–7.2 3L-HNPC IGBT, V/f
5L-HNPC IGCT, IEGT
5L-PWM
AMTECH [58] 0.25–12.5 MW 3.3–11 7L-CHB-VSC (3.3 kV) IGBT V/f
9L-CHB-VSC (4.16 kV) FOC
13L-CHB-VSC (6.6 kV)
19L-CHB-VSC (11 kV)
ALSTOM [59] 1.4–7.2 MVA up to 4.16 2L-VSC HV-IGBT FOC
2.2–8.0 MVA up to 4.16 4L-FLC-VSC GTO
7.0–9.5 MVA up to 3.3 3L-NPC-VSC
8.3–13.5 MVA up to 10 PWM-CSI
Schneider Electric [60] 0.5–10 MVA 2.3–6.6 3L-NPC-VSI HV-IGBT V/f
FOC
Fuji Electric [61] 5.2–10.5 MVA 0.28–8.3 9L-NPC-VSC HV-IGBT V/f
17L-NPC-VSC FOC
DELTA GROUP [62] 0.28–9.52 MVA 3.3–11 7L-CHB-VSC (3.3 kV) HV-IGBT V/f
9L-CHB-VSC (4.16 kV) FOC
13L-CHB-VSC (6.6 kV)
19L-CHB-VSC (10 kV)
21L-CHB-VSC (11 kV)
EATON Corporation [63] 0.22–4.29 MVA 2.4–13.8 3L-NPC-VSC IGBT V/f
Toshiba International 0.22–3.73 MVA 2.4–4.16 9L-NPC-VSC IGBT V/f
Corporation [64] FOC
WEG Equipamentos up to 3.36 MVA 2.3–4.16 3L-NPC-VSC HV-IGBT V/f
Elétricos [65] 5L-NPC-VSC
Hitachi [66] 0.31–10 MVA 2.4–11 2~9L-CHB-VSC HV-IGBT FOC
INGETEAM [67] 0.8–36 MVA 2.3–6.9 3L-NPC-VSC HV-IGBT, IGCT V/f, FOC
Rockwell 1.5–25.4 MVA 2.4–6.6 3L-NPC-VSC HV-IGBT FOC
Automation [68] 5L-NPC-VSC SGCT, SCR
Yaskawa [69] 0.15–3.73 MVA 2.4–4.16 9L-CHB-VSI IGBT V/f
17L-CHB-VSI FOC

MW: megawatt; MVA: megavoltampere; NPC-VSC: neutral-point-clamped-voltage source converter; HNPC: H-bridge neutral-point-clamped; MMC: modular
multilevel converter; CHB: cascaded H-bridge; LV: low-voltage; HV: high-voltage; GTO: gate turn-off thyristor; SGCT: symmetric gate-commutated thyristor;
DTC: direct torque control; V/f: voltage/frequency; FOC: field-oriented control.

reduce their overall reliability and efficiency. On the other issue that should be considered in MV drives. The maxi-
hand, an inverter with a lower number of output voltage mum and minimum modulation depth and a power factor
levels requires a large LC output filter to decrease the range between 1 and −1 are the critical operating points
motor winding insulation stress. The challenge is to reduce of MIs. When applying continuous modulation methods,
waveform distortions and total harmonic distortion when some switching devices reach their maximum allow-
the lower switching frequency is used, to ensure high able junction temperature, while other switches remain
power quality, and to allow fast transient operations. The much cooler. Unbalanced distributions of junction tem-
switching loss due to the fast transition is an important peratures depend on the type of modulation method used.

32 IEEE Power Electronics Magazine z June 2016

 Topology Description

1) Three-Phase 5L-HNPC [7], [55], [57] The 5L-HNPC bridge inverter is developed from the three-
level NPC inverter topology. This inverter has some unique
36-Pulse Rectifier Three-Phase, Five-Level H-NPC
–20° features that have promoted its application in the MV drive
0° 0° industry. The inverter phase voltage contains five voltage
Six- Vdc/2

Grid
+20° Pulse levels instead of three levels for the NPC inverter. This
Rectifier

~ –20°
N
a
b IM
leads to lower dv/dt and total harmonic distortion (THD).
The inverter does not have any switching devices in series,
30° 0° c
Six- Vdc/2 which eliminates the device dynamic and static voltage sharing
+20° Pulse
Rectifier problems. However, this topology requires three isolated dc
supplies, which increases the complexity and cost of the dc
n
supply system [1].

2) Three-Phase 4L-FLC [8], [59] This topology has evolved from the two-level inverter by
adding dc capacitors to the cascaded switches. There are
Three-Phase, Four-Level FLC
18-Pulse Rectifier three complementary switch pairs in each of the inverters.
Phase-a

Therefore, only three independent gate signals are required

Phase-b
Phase-c

+20° for each phase. The flying-capacitor inverter can produce

Six-Pulse an inverter phase voltage with four voltage levels. In this
Rectifier
topology, some voltage levels can be obtained by more
than one switching state. The switching state redundancy is
a
Grid a common phenomenon in multilevel converters, which
~
0° b
C1 C2 IM
c
Six-Pulse provides great flexibility for the switching pattern design.
Rectifier
However, the practical use of the flying-capacitor inverter
seems limited due to the use of a large number of capacitors
–20°
and complex control scheme [1].
Six-Pulse
Rectifier

3) Three-Phase NL-CHB [58], [62], [66], [69] The cascaded H-bridge (CHB) multilevel inverter (MI) is one of
the most popular converter topologies used in MV drives. It is
Three-Phase, 12-Pulse Rectifier Three-Phase, n-Level CHB
composed of multiple units of single-phase H-bridge power
Phase-a
Phase-b cells. The H-bridge cells are normally connected in cascade
Phase-c a
on their ac side to achieve MV operation and
0° b
IM
c low harmonic distortion. In practice, the number of power
Cell n
+30° cells in a CHB inverter is mainly determined by its
operating voltage and manufacturing cost. The use of
0°
Grid identical power cells leads to a modular structure, which is
Cell 2
+30° an effective means for cost reduction. However, the main
disadvantage and limitation of this topology are that the
0° need for a large number of isolated voltage sources
+30°
Cell 1 increases the converter cost.

4) Three-Phase 5L-NPC [56], [65], [68] The diode-clamped MI employs clamping diodes and cascaded
36-Pulse Rectifier Three-Phase, Five-Level NPC
dc capacitors to produce ac voltage waveforms with multiple
–20° levels. The main features of the NPC inverter include reduced
0° 0° dv/dt and THD in its ac output voltages. More important, the
Three-Phase
Power Supply
+20° Six-Pulse
Rectifier inverter can be used in the MV drive to reach a certain voltage
~ –20°
a
b IM
level without switching devices in series. In this topology,
30° 0° c capacitors have been used to generate an intermediate voltage
+20° Six-Pulse level. However, the voltages on these capacitors are unequal,
Rectifier
which results in unbalancing the dc-link voltage.
n

FIG 4 An overview of popular converter topologies in MV drives.

June 2016 z IEEE Power Electronics Magazine 33

 60 120 150
Semiconductor Losses (kW)

Semiconductor Losses (kW)

Semiconductor Losses (kW)

50 100
40 80 100
Converter

Converter

Converter
30 60
20 40 50
10 20
0 0 0
500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500
Frequency (Hz) Frequency (Hz) Frequency (Hz)

3L-NPC 3L-FLC 3L-NPC 3L-FLC 3L-NPC 3L-FLC

4L-FLC 5L-SC2LHB 4L-FLC 7L-SC2LHB 4L-FLC 9L-SC2LHB
(a) (b) (c)

FIG 5 NPC, FLC, and series-connected converter semiconductor losses versus switching frequency at (a) 2.3 kV, (b) 3.3 kV, and
(c) 4.16 KV.

These problems can be resolved at the expense of addi- may result in failure of the motor winding insulation due
tional effort and cost. The operating cost can be reduced to partial discharges. Furthermore, such rapid voltage
with the minimization of switching losses. This also transition induces rotor shaft voltages that cause current
enables reducing the cooling requirements. Hence, the flow in the shaft bearing, which finally leads to motor
cost and size of the drive are reduced. The switching bearing failure [16]. The switching pattern of the power
losses of MV semiconductor devices contribute the major switches affects the wave reflection value, which is pro-
portion of the total device losses. duced by the mismatch between the
Hence, a reduction in switching fre- cable and the inverter and the motor
quency allows increasing the maxi- wave impedances. The motor cable
mum output power. On the other The high switching works as a transmission line where
hand, harmonic distortion at the line frequency of power the voltage pulses will travel very
and motor side increases with the fast, up to 150–200 m/µs [15]. When
decrease of switching frequency [13]. devices results in high the pulses take more than half the
A comparison of losses in a dv/dt at the rising and rise time to move from the inverter
three-level neutral point clamped to the motor, a full wave reflection
(3L-NPC) converter, a three-level
falling edges of the occurs. For that worst case, the wave
flying capacitor (3L-FLC), a four- inverter output reflections will double the voltage on
level flying capacitor (4L-FLC), and the motor terminals at each switch-
a nine-level series-connected H-­
waveform. ing ­transient. The critical cable
bridge (9L-SCHB) is reported in [14], length for 500 V/µs is in the 100-m
[15]. Figure 5 shows switching losses range and for 10,000 V/µs in the 5-m
as a function of frequency at different classes of output range [1]. The wave reflection coefficient C is dependent
voltage (2.3 kV, 3.3 kV, and 4.16 kV) of various types of on the ratio between motor and cable wave inductances
MIs [15]. It can be observed that in all types of convert- C = (Z motor - Z cable) / (Z motor - Z cable). Nevertheless, cable
ers, the losses increase with an increase in the switch- diameter (Z cable) is around 80–180 X , which is much
ing frequency and with the voltage. The smallest losses smaller than motor wave impedance, which is around
are found in the 9L-SC2HB MI. At 2.3 kV, losses in the 2–0.4 kX [17].
3L-NPC and SC2LHB MIs are almost the same, but at The high dv/dt also causes EMI on the cables
4.16 kV, losses in the 3L-NPC MI are almost double those between the inverter and the motor. The expensive
of the SC2LHB [15]. shielded cables are used to avoid these effects; never-
theless, the electromagnetic emission may affect the
Motor Side Challenges operation of nearby installed electronic equipment. In
the inverter, the dv/dt still depends on the switching
High dv/dt and Wave Reflection characteristics of the power devices, and it could still
The high switching frequency of power devices results in be problematic if no output filter is used. To get guar-
high dv/dt at the rising and falling edges of the inverter anteed low THD in both motor and line ends, passive
output waveform. Such a high rate of change of voltage filters are commonly employed. The high value of the

34 IEEE Power Electronics Magazine z June 2016

 va

vb C Induction
Motor
vc C

Isolation Transformer Inverter LC Filter

FIG 6 The use of the isolation transformer.

inductor in the LC filter must be used in most high- Furthermore, a dual inverter-fed open-end winding (neutral
power drive systems, but that causes a higher voltage if the winding is removed) induction motor drive with
drop across the inductor. two isolated dc power supplies for CM voltage elimina-
The increase in the capacitor value of the filter tion and to maintain dc-link capacitor voltage balancing
reduces LC resonant frequency, which is affected by the is reported in [12]. The neutral point of the dc link and
parallel connection of the filter capacitor and motor mag- motor and/or star point of the output filter capacitors
netizing inductance. This leads to instability in the drive have been grounded through a grounding network using
system. To overcome this issue, active damping could be isolation transformers to reduce CM voltage. The use of
proposed while at the same time suppressing LC reso- the isolation transformer is shown in Figure 6.
nance to achieve high efficiency [18]. Furthermore, the At a low modulation index, the three-phase system looks
use of an LC filter introduces a phase shift between the continuous, which leads to very low dwell time, resulting in
voltages at the output of the feeding converter and the an increase in CM voltage. There will also be high spikes in
voltage at the motor terminal [19]. This phase shift may the dc side that affect the reliability and performance of the
pose a control problem if not taken into account. Hence, motor drive. To overcome this, the dwell time is modified to
the control algorithm should be ­modified accordingly. decrease CM voltage. The adjusted dwell time is compensated
for in the subsequent cycles of the switching periods [23].
CM Voltage
The CM voltage on the motor side is produced because of Use of Inverter Output Filters
the switching actions of the power converters. This phe- Passive and active filter-based solutions are employed to mit-
nomenon has to be taken into consideration while igate the problems that arise due to PWM actions [19], [24],
designing the motor drive [20]. CM voltage is mostly [25]. Presently, passive filtering is commonly used for such
responsible for the ground leakage current through stray problems. Passive filters are hardware circuits that are
capacitances that ultimately may damage the motor bear- installed at the output terminals of the converter structure
ing. Replacement of the bearing is an expensive and time- [26]. The most common approach is using filters based on
consuming process; hence, unplanned maintenance must low-pass LC filters, CM chokes, and CM transformers [26].
be avoided. Normally, the bearings should be replaced or For reducing the overvoltages at the motor terminals (espe-
maintained during the scheduled or planned mainte- cially in the case of long cable connections), differential-mode
nance. Great effort has been invested to minimize the CM LC filters are used [16]. On the other hand, differential-mode
voltage in MV drives to save the drive system from cata- LC filters make it extremely difficult to apply precise control
strophic failure. The most widely used approach is to
modify the pulse-width modulation (PWM) strategy
toward minimizing the CM voltages. Another approach is
Dec

Cruise
to employ passive filters at the output of the PWM Psource
ele
ion

Pstorage
inverter. However, the weight and cost of the drive sys-
rati
t
era

Pmotor Cruise
Power

Speed
on

tem will increase [20]. Speed

cel
Ac

For the MIs, the CM voltage is similar to the traditional Cruise

two-level inverter, but with a lower level. Therefore, this
t
ar
St

topic is still a subject of research, and several contributions Time

0
have been reported in recent years [21]. An effective solu-
tion to the issues mentioned above might be found mainly Energy Due Energy Energy
Supplied Recovered
by offering a lower-switching-frequency drive system with to Charging During During
very low harmonic content. Other possible solutions for from Source Acceleration Deceleration
such a problem could be grounding the brushes on the motor
shaft [16] and using dv/dt-resistant winding insulation [22]. FIG 7 The power (source, storage, and motor) and speed trajectories.

June 2016 z IEEE Power Electronics Magazine 35

in these motors. Control system design under low-speed con- converter that provides the regeneration at reduced har-
ditions is complicated because of phase shift between volt- monics and operation at a high power f­ actor and active/
ages at the input and output of the LC filter installed at the reactive power combination [29]. Therefore, it is important
output of an inverter. Also, there is a voltage drop across the in some applications to use an AFE multi­level converter pro-
LC [26]. Usually, it is assumed in the drive control that the out- viding harmonic mitigation in the power grid and an almost
put voltage and current of an inverter unity power factor for all operating
are equal to the motor input voltage and points. It is highly advantageous for
current. The region of proper motor MV applications that require regen-
operation remains limited if there are
Complex multiwinding eration capability. Figure 7 shows
any discrepancies. Hence, it is neces- transformers can a cycle of power and speed trajecto-
sary that the measurement circuits or ries [29]. The use of multilevel AFE
mitigate harmonics
the control algorithms of the electric solutions makes it possible to improve
drive be modified [27]. through phase the input power factor, power qual-
Using MIs in drive systems results shifting in modular ity, total cost, and volume by possi-
in a reduction of motor winding insu- bly eliminating line side transformer.
lation stress. However, the reliability converters. Back-to-back converters (converters
and efficiency of the inverter may with AFE) are almost double the
decrease. The practice is to make it cost of a single converter. Still, they
possible to use very small LC filters or even exclude them are a worthy investment to achieve the solution with
by ensuring low harmonic voltage waveforms while main- nearly perfect sinusoidal input currents at nearly unity
taining a low switching frequency. Furthermore, the ­control power factor and with regenerative capability.
strategy that is chosen must actively damp filter oscillations
and allow fast dynamic operation with very low switching Torsional Vibration
frequencies [28]. In the MV drive, torsional vibration can occur because of
the large inertia of the motor and its mechanical load. This
Regeneration Capability and Power Factor Correction occurs when the natural frequency of the mechanical sys-
In general, for all electric devices, a high power factor is tem matches the frequency of torque pulsations caused by
desired. Therefore, rectifiers with low current harmonics the motor current harmonics [30]. Excessive torsional vibra-
and those capable of operating at almost unity power factor tions at resonance can result in high twisting torque and,
are required as utility interfaces for many ASDs. The hence, breakage of shafts and couplings. The undamped
requirement of a high power factor is especially important response is shown in Figure 8(a) [31]. The torsional vibra-
for MV drives due to their high power rating. The rectifier tions can also damage other mechanical components in the
design is a decisive factor for the optimum size, cost, and system. PWM control with harmonic elimination can be
efficiency of the MV drive. helpful to overcome such problems. The operating points
The most popular solution for high-power regenera- that excite the shaft in PWM inverter-fed motors can be pre-
tive loads is the use of a multilevel active front-end (AFE) dicted without torque sensors as shown in F ­ igure 8(b) [31].

Speed Range 18X 12X

Induced Shaft Torque
Excitation Torque

400
3
Natural Frequency (Hz)

6X
300

2
200
Dynamic Magnifier =

1 Critical or
100 Resonance
Points
0 0
0 1 2 3 4 0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000
Frequency Ratio (ω /ω n ) Speed (r/min)
(a) (b)

FIG 8 (a) An undamped response. (b) A Campbell diagram.

36 IEEE Power Electronics Magazine z June 2016

Transformerless Solution
Complex multiwinding transformers can mitigate har-
With Transformer
monics through phase shifting in modular converters. Without Transformer
However, an isolation transformer can represent 30–50% 100
of electric drive system size and 50–70% of the system’s

Percentage
weight. The comparison of the average drive system 75
space and weight with and without a transformer is
shown in Figure 9. In addition to soaring raw material 50
costs for the transformer itself, an isolation transformer
adds to total drive costs with extra cabling, air condition- 25
ing to cool the transformer, engineering time, concrete
pad construction for outdoor transformers, and overall 0
Space Weight
installation [32].
Issues such as cost, space, weight, and platform bal-
FIG 9 A comparison of average drive system space and weight
ance can be improved significantly with fewer transform-
with and without a transformer.
ers for an offshore platform. To control pump motors on
downhole wells, each drive requires a mul­titon trans-
former. Offshore platforms typically require 20-MV drives solutions, MV variable speed drives require very good
(sometimes up to 40 or more) [32]. A significantly large insulation on the motor side to sustain high CM voltage
cooling system is required in a tropical environment, stress. Hence, the integrated CM dc choke is used to block
because a 1,000-kVA transformer generates up to 2 kW the CM voltage and reduce motor neutral-to-ground volt-
of heat energy. The transformerless solution provides age. The structure of the integrated choke and its connec-
substantial energy savings [33]. This feature is also tion diagram in transformerless motor drives is shown in
important in applications such as utility distribution Figure 10 [35].
systems and high-voltage vehicle drives [34]. Solutions Transformerless MV motor drives usually require a
are desired that reduce CM voltage, produce sinusoidal high level of motor insulation to overcome CM voltage
output waveform, and limit dv/dt in a transformerless stress or require the use of an additional inductor with
MV drive. approximately the same impedance as the transformer
Even though transformers protect the motor from CM to be replaced [36]. The use of shunt active hybrid filters
voltage, the high-level CM voltage stress on the motor solves this problem [24]. In Figure 11, a calculation of FIT
is imposed on the transformer and cable insulation. To rates of the considered transformerless converter topolo-
withstand the CM voltage stress, specific transformer gies is given and compared to a conventional traction drive
and cable insulation is required. But in transformerless system using a low-frequency transformer [37].

C1 C
A C2 B
A1 B1
A2 D B2
D1
D2

ac/dc id +ic /2 dc/ac

va a ia

A1 A2 C2 C1
vb b Induction
Motor
vc id –ic /2 c

B1 B2 D2 D1

Integrated Choke

FIG 10 The structure of the integrated choke and its connection diagram in single-word motor drives.

June 2016 z IEEE Power Electronics Magazine 37

Fault Detection and Condition emitter turn-off thyristor, improving
Monitoring the speed and dynamic performance of
Under severe operating conditions,
Issues such as cost, the device [42]. In [43], a full bridge
there should be accurate techniques space, weight, and converter was realized using SiC
for fault diagnosis and condition mon- metal–oxide–semiconductor field-
platform balance can
itoring of MV drives to avoid financial effect transistors. In semiconductor
losses due to unscheduled and forced be improved research, SiC power switches promise
shutdown. Therefore, condition moni- significantly with to increase efficiency by 10% due to
toring and fault diagnosis of electrical reduced switching losses. However, up
motors is another important challenge fewer transformers to now no MV drive manufacturer has
to be met for MV drive systems. In for an offshore declared adoption of SiC devices. This
this area, a significant amount of may be due to the high cost of the
work has been done in recent years, platform. devices and anticipation of the high-
and a comprehensive review is pre- current switching devices yet to come
sented in [38]. The interesting possi- on the market.
bility of sensorless fault detection involves using observer- An Intelligent Power Module has been developed to
based diagnostic methods for mechanical fault detection ­protect IGBTs from short circuit and to provide a negative
[39]. More advanced solutions are also possible to detect voltage to avoid false switching signals, which reduces
failures when LC inverter output filters are installed on the switching losses [44]. Furthermore, to obtain closed-loop
drive [40]. Any partial discharge in the stator of high-volt- gate control, a new technique has been proposed in [45].
age rating machines can be monitored by using high-fre- The voltage across parasitic inductance of IGBTs is moni-
quency current transformer sensors located at hazardous tored to measure switching speed and di/dt, so that the gate
locations such as oil and gas facilities [41]. drive voltages are adjusted to control the switching speed,
allowing the full capability of power devices to be utilized.
Research and Industrial Trends
Topologies
Components For more than 6 kV, the modular multilevel converter is the
The present research and industrial trends in the area of MV best solution to dispense with transformers and isolated
drives are multidimensional, encompassing the front-end power sources. But they have the problem of voltage fluctu-
converter, inverters, motor, and control. A new trend is using ation and voltage balance of capacitors. The research trends
advanced materials for power semiconductor switches, such in modular multilevel cascaded inverters have been dis-
as silicon carbide (SiC)-based switches. Simulation of SiC cussed in [46], which proposes methods to mitigate the fluc-
thyristors has given excellent conduction and switching per- tuation in ac voltage to stabilize operation at low speed and
formance. So SiC thyristors hold promise as devices for high- low frequency, and those methods are compared with two
power applications. They have the drawback that they need other methods.
a di/dt snubber and also a dv/dt snubber for turn-off. This
drawback has been overcome by development of the SiC Control and Modulation Techniques
To control MIs at low switching frequency, the synchronous
optimal PWM technique was proposed in [47]. This modu-
× 104
lation technique ­p rovides considerable benefits. For
5.0 example, the THD level of the machine current doesn’t
4.5
affect low switching frequency. The technique also main-
System with
4.0 Transformer tains an optimal CM voltage and neutral point potential
3.5 balance. To improve the dynamics of the control system,
3.0 the hybrid direct torque control was proposed in [48]. In
this control system, the torque is shown to be proportional
FIT

2.5
2.0 to the quadrature axis component of the current. This can
1.5 improve the calculations of error (between quadrature ref-
1.0 erence current and actual quadrature current). Initially
0.5 selected harmonic elimination was proposed in [49] and
0.0 then in [50]. After that, new techniques to eliminate the
2-Level 3-Level 3-Level 4-Level
NPC FC FC selective harmonic elimination PWM schemes were sug-
gested, such as Programmed PWM [51], and Multilevel SHE-
6.5-kV IGBT 4.5-kV IGBT 3.5-kV IGBT
PWM for series-connected inverters [52], [53]. The major
challenge with SHE is solving online the algebraic equations
FIG 11 A comparison of the reliability of converters. obtained for specific harmonic cancellation [54].

38 IEEE Power Electronics Magazine z June 2016

Conclusions trial Electronics Society conference. He has also been the
This article discusses the problems associated with recipient of many awards, such as research excellence
controlled MV ac drives and the trend toward lowering travel awards in 2014 and 2015 from Texas A&M University
switching frequency and improving the efficiency of MV at Qatar and paper support awards in 2009, 2014, 2015, and
drive systems. In analyzing MV drives, the quality of 2016 from the Scientific and Technological Research Coun-
current and voltage wave shapes at both the input and cil of Turkey.
output terminals is an important factor. The applica- Shaikh Moinoddin ([email protected])
tion, the topology used, the size of filter components, received the B.E. and M.Tech. degrees in electrical engi-
the switching frequency, and the control strategy han- neering and the Ph.D. degree in multiphase inverter mod-
dle the current waveforms. There will be minimal eling and control, all from Aligarh Muslim University
effects on the motor side if a better power factor and (AMU), India, in 1996, 1999, and 2009, respectively. He
power quality with higher efficiency are obtained. In served in the Indian Air Force from 1971 to 1987. He
this article, most of the existing has been with the University Poly-
shortcomings—such as overvoltage technic, AMU, since 1987, where he
due to dv/dt or wave reflection, is currently an assistant prof­essor.
bearing currents due to CM voltage,
An Intelligent Power He is also a postdoctoral research
regeneration capabilities, torsional Module has been associate at Texas A&M University,
vibration, isolating transformer or Doha, Qatar. His principal research
transformerless solutions, fault
developed to protect interests include power electronics
detection, and condition monitor- IGBTs from short and electric drives. He received
ing—were discussed, and solutions the University Gold Medals for
circuit and to provide
were noted whenever possible. graduating as valedictorian in the
a negative voltage electrical branch and in all branch-
About the Authors to avoid false es of engineering during the B.E.
Haitham Abu-Rub (haitham.abu-rub@ 1996 exams.
qatar.tamu.edu) received his M.Sc. switching signals, Mariusz Malinowski (malin@
degree from Gdynia Maritime Acad- which reduces ee.pw.edu.pl) received his Ph.D. and
emy, Poland, in 1990 and a Ph.D. D.Sc. degrees in electrical engineer-
degree from the Technical Universi- switching losses. ing from the Institute of Control and
ty of Gdańsk, Poland, in 1995, both Industrial Electronics, Warsaw Uni-
in electrical engineering. He also versity of Technology, Poland, in
received a Ph.D. degree in humanities from the Universi- 2001 and 2012, respectively. He has authored more than
ty of Gdańsk, Poland, in 2004. Since 2006, he has been 130 technical papers and received the IEEE Industrial
associated with Texas A&M University, Doha, Qatar, Electronics Society David Irwin Early Career Award in
where he was promoted to professor. Currently, he is 2011 for “outstanding research and development of mod-
the chair of the Electrical and Computer Engineering ulation and control for industrial electronics convert-
Program at that university as well as the managing ers.” He participated in several scientific and industrial
director of the Smart Grid Center extension in Qatar. projects related to the application of power electronics
His main research interests are energy conversion sys- converters for renewable energy resources. He is a Fel-
tems, including electric drives, power electronic con- low of the IEEE.
verters, renewable energy, and smart grids. He is the Jaroslaw Guzinski ([email protected]) received
recipient of many prestigious international awards, such the M.Sc., Ph.D., and D.Sc. degrees in electrical engineering
as the American Fulbright Scholarship, the German from the Faculty of Electrical and Control Engineering,
Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship, the German Aca- Gdansk University of Technology, Poland, in 1994, 2000,
demic Exchange Service Scholarship, and the British and 2012, respectively. He was an assistant professor until
Royal Society Scholarship. 2000 with Gdansk University of Technology, where he is
Sertac Bayhan ([email protected]) received the currently an adjunct professor. From 2006 to 2009, he was
B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. degrees from Gazi University, Anka- involved with Alstom Transport in a predictive mainte-
ra, Turkey, in 2006, 2008, and 2012, respectively, all in elec- nance project dedicated to high-speed trains. He supervised
trical engineering. He is with the Department of Electron- two grants supported by the Polish government related to
ics and Automation, Gazi University, where he has been a estimation and control of drives with a motor filter. He is
faculty member since 2009. He is currently an assistant the author and coauthor of more than 100 papers in inter-
research scientist at Texas A&M University, Doha, Qatar. national journals and conferences. His main interests
His research interests lie in the areas of power electronics, include sensorless control of electrical motors, digital sig-
motor drives, and renewable energy conversion systems. nal processors, electric vehicles, renewable energy, and
He was awarded best presentation at the 2015 IEEE Indus- smart grids.

June 2016 z IEEE Power Electronics Magazine 39

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