International Journal of Electronics Engineering, 3 (2), 2011, pp.

231– 236  Serials Publications, ISSN : 0973-7383

Spe e d Cont rol of 3  I nduc t ion M ot or

U sing Volt s H e rt z Cont rol M e t hod
M. S. Aspalli1, Sunil Kalshetti1 & P. V. Hunagund2
1
Dept. of Electrical & Electronics Engg., Poojya Doddappa Appa College Engg., Gulbarga, Karnataka, India.
2
Dept. of Applied Electronics, Gulbarga University, Gulbarga, Karnataka, India.
E-mail: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Abstract: This paper deals with design and analysis of a three phase induction motor drive using IGBT’s at the inverter
power stage. The hardware implementation of volts hertz control method is done using dsPIC30F2010 digital signal controller.
The dsPIC30F2010 contain extensive DSP functionality within high performance 16-bit microcontroller architecture. Using
proposed method speed of induction motor can be varied from 13Hz to 50Hz. The Closed-loop speed control method for
induction motor that provides high output torque and nearly 2% steady-state speed error at any frequency is presented.
Keywords: Constant V/f, digital signal controller, voltage boost, induction motor.

1. INTRODUCTION method is called “Volts Hertz Control” [2] [4][8]. In practice,

The motor control industry is a strong aggressive sector. a custom Volts-Hertz profile is developed that ensures that
Each industry to remain competitive must reduce costs but motor operates correctly at any speed setting.
also has to answer to power consumption reduction and EMI This application describes the design of a 3-phase
radiation reduction issues imposed by governments and induction motor drive with volts hertz control in closed loop
power plant lobbies. To preserve the environment and to (V/Hz) using 16 bit high-performance digital signal
reduce green house effect gas emission, governments around controllers. The system is designed as motor control system
world wide are introducing regulation requiring white good for driving medium power, 3-phase AC induction motors
manufactures and industrial factories to produce more [7][8]. The dsPIC30F2010 devices contain extensive
energy efficient appliances. This is the reason why appliance Digital Signal Processor (DSP) functionality within
designer’s and semiconductor suppliers are now interested high-performance 16-bit microcontroller (MCU)
by the design of low cost and energy efficient variable speed architecture. The use of this 16 bit digital signal controllers
drives. The results of these constraining factors are the need yields enhanced operations, fewer system components,
of enhanced algorithms [8]. lower system cost and increased efficiency [5].
When power is supplied to an induction motor at the The various graphs/waveforms are analyzed and studied
recommended specifications, it runs at its rated speed. With on storage oscilloscope. The closed loop hardware control
tremendous advances in power electronics devices over last of the motor is developed and the results are studied and
couple of years, the speed and torque control are now analyzed [3] [9].
commonly accomplished by supplying variable voltage and
variable frequency via an adjustable frequency control to 2. ANALYSIS OF THE EQUIVALENT CIRCUIT
an IM [1]. These electronics not only control the motor’s MODEL
speed, but can improve the motor’s dynamic and steady state The fundamental steady-state equivalent circuit of the
characteristics [4][10]. In addition electronics can reduce induction motor is shown in Figure 1. The rotating air gap
the system’s average power consumption and noise flux induces an emf Es in the stator winding. This emf has
generation of the motor. Induction motors are designed to the value of applied voltage Vs minus the voltage drop due
operate at a constant input voltage and frequency. We can to the stator leakage impedance, Is (Rs + jXsl) [2,4]. If the
effectively control an Induction motor in a closed loop speed rotating flux wave has a sinusoidal space distribution and
application if the frequency of the motor input voltage is the flux linking each stator turn has a sinusoidal time
varied [3]. As you decrease the frequency of the drive variation, the instantaneous flux linking a full span stator
voltage, you also need to decrease the amplitude by a turn is
proportional amount. Otherwise, the motor will consume
excessive current at low input frequencies. This control Ψ = Ψm Sinωt. (1)
232 International Journal of Electronics Engineering

The induced emf per turn is, The current Ir is figured out by:

d Ψm Vs
Es = N * Ir =
dt 2
 Rr  (7)
 Rs + s  + ωe ( LIs + Llr )
2 2

Es =Eag * Cosωt.  
Substituting Equation (7) in (6) yields

 p R Vs2
Te = 3   r (8)
 2  sωe 
2
Rr 
 Rs + s  + ωe ( Lls + Llr )
2 2

 
A further simplification of the equivalent circuit can
be made by neglecting the stator parameters Rs and Lls. Then,
the equation (8) can be simplified as
Figure 1: Equivalent Circuit of Induction Motor
 
2
 pV  ω R
Where Eag = N * ω * Ψm (2) Te = 3    s   2 sl 2r 2  (9)
 2   ωe   Rr + ωsl Llr 
Eag ∝ ƒ * Ψm
In a low-slip region, (9) can be approximated as
The air gap flux rotating at ωs cuts the stationary rotor
 p 1
( Ψ m ) ωsl
2
again and an emf Er is induced in the rotor. Since Te = 3   (10)
rotor is short circuited, this induced emf sets up a current  2  Rr
Ir given by
Where R r2 >> ω2sl L2lr Equation (10) is critical for analysis
Er because it indicated that at constant flux, the torque is
Ir = proportional to slip frequency, or at constant slip frequency,
Zr
torque is proportional to flux [7].
Em
Ψm ∝ (3) 3. START-UP CONSIDERATION FOR INDUCTION
ω
MOTOR DRIVES
When ratio is constant, the constant air gap flux is There are some important considerations during starting of
obtained [4]. A simple per phase equivalent circuit model Induction motor drives. The two of most important ones are
of an induction motor is a very important tool for analysis A. Soft –Start B. Voltage boost
and performance prediction under steady-state conditions.
Figure 1 Shows the development of a per phase transformer- 3.1. Soft–Start
like equivalent circuit [7]. The various power expressions
can be written form the equivalent circuit of Figure 1 as For static Inverter based Induction motor drives it is
important to keep starting current drawn by motor within
follows:
its rated value. This can achieved by
 1− s 
Output power: Po = Pg - Plr = 3I r2 Rr   (4) Ir ∝ Ψm fsl and Te ∝ fsl
 s 
From above two equations it is clear that if slip
Since the output power is the product of developed
frequency at start or throughout all acceleration period is
torque Te and speed ωm, Te can be expressed as
kept below or equal to rated slip frequency, the motor current
can be kept under control.
Po
Te = (5) At start s = 1 Therefore Ir ∝ f
ωm
This suggest that starting current Irstart can be limited
3 2  1 − s   p  2 Rr by selecting appropriate
Te = I r Rr   =   I r sω (6)
ωm  s  2 I r2 + I m Since Im is constant (Ψm = constant)
2
e f = fstart Is =
If the core loss resistor Rm has been dropped and the
magnetizing inductance Lm has been shifted to the input. 3.2. Voltage Boost Required at Start
This approximation is easily justified for an integral In order to operate the motor with desired speed/torque
horsepower machine, where (Rs + jωeLls) << ωeLm. curve, we must apply proper voltage to motor at each
Speed Control of 3 Φ Induction Motor Using Volts Hertz Control Method 233

frequency. According to equation (3) air gap flux is directly IR drop at rated frequency and full load is 4% of phase
proportional to Vs /f. When ratio is constant, constant air gap voltage and effect on air gap flux relatively insignificant.
flux is obtained. Around rated frequency it is valid that stator However at one tenth of rated frequency with constant Volts/
voltage drop, Is (Rs +jXsl) is negligible. But the stator voltage Hertz’s supply, the IR drop at rated current is 40% of applied
drop developed by the rated current stays constant even voltage causing significant reduction in the air gap emf and
though output frequency is reduced because as frequency flux [10].
reduces, stator parasitic impendence starts looking more
resistive. As a result percentage of input voltage dropped 4. CONFIGURATION OF THE PROPOSED SYSTEM
across it increases. This drop occupies large portion of The constant volts hertz control methods is the most popular
terminal voltage. The air gap emf and flux decreases method of scalar control, it controls the magnitude of the
significantly, causing torque reduction. This problem can variables like frequency, voltage or current [10]. The
be resolved by boosting the voltage above Volts/Hertz ratio command and feedback signals are DC quantities and are
under low frequency [2] [4]. From the per phase equivalent proportional to the respective variables. The purpose of the
circuit of the three phase Induction motor as shown in volts per hertz control scheme is to maintain the air-gap
Figure 1. flux of AC Induction motor constant in order to achieve
Vs = Eag + Is (Rs + Xsl ) higher run-time efficiency [2] [4]. The magnitude of stator
flux is proportional to the ratio of stator voltage & frequency.
Drop across Is Xsl can be neglected and also Is = Ir If ratio is kept constant the stator flux remains constant &
Vs = Eag + Ir Rs motor torque will only depend upon slip frequency. The
control system is illustrated in Figure 3. When stator
According to equation 2 frequency fails under a given frequency threshold (boost
Vs = 2π f N Ψm + Ir Rs frequency), the voltage magnitude must be kept at given
level called boost voltage to keep rotor flux magnitude
Vs = k f + I r Rs constant. Vboost means small voltage is added to dc voltage
reference to compensate stator resistance drop at low
To keep flux Ψm constant Vs /f ratio is kept constant.
frequency. At opposite when frequency becomes higher than
Therefore Vs increases proportionally with frequency f.
rated value, the voltage magnitude is kept at rated value.
Vs - I r Rs = k f The stator flux is no more constant & torque decreases. The
characteristic is defined by the base point of the motor.
But Vs′ = Vs - Ir Rs
Below the base point the motor operates at optimum
Vs′ excitation because of the constant V/f ratio. Above this point
Therefore =k
f the motor operates under-excited because of the DC-bus
voltage limit. If speed is changed by maintaining V/f ratio
Vs′ Vs − I r Rs constant, then maximum torque remains same [1] [3].
This suggest that to ratio constant ( ) must
f f
be kept constant. The drop Ir Rs increases with increase in Ir
or motor torque. This means that if we are required to
produce full torque at low speed, we must have a significant
volts hertz “boost” at low speeds. Since required boost
voltage depends upon individual motor and load
characteristics, if motor load is constant fixed boost voltage
is used. In case of varying load fixed boosting can produce
undesirable results; therefore for varying load auto boosting
using IR compensation is used [2] [4].
Figure 3: Voltage verses Frequency

Open-loop speed control of an induction motor provides

a satisfactory variable speed drive when the transient
performance characteristics are undemanding and when the
motor operates at steady speeds for long periods. The
demerit of this system is that it cannot be used in the presence
of supply voltage fluctuations and loads disturbances. Also,
when the drive requirements include rapid acceleration and
Figure 2: Voltage Boost Required to keep Constant  m to deceleration, an open-loop system is unsatisfactory because
Compensate (Ir Rs) Drop the supply frequency cannot be varied quickly without
234 International Journal of Electronics Engineering

exceeding the rotor breakdown frequency. However, when PWMA = 2 Vs Sinθ*e

fast dynamic response and greater speed accuracy are needed,
 2π 
2 Vs Sin  θ e − 3 
*
closed-loop control methods are essential, but a precise PWMB =
feedback system must be used to sense the rotor speed and
 * 2π 
PWMC = 2 Vs Sin  θe −
adjust the inverter frequency accordingly [8] [9][10].
 3 
Then PWM controllers which are embedded in digital
signal controller can generate control signals to drive the
inverter [8].
If the air gap flux of the machine is kept constant in the
constant torque region, it can be shown that the torque
sensitivity per ampere of stator current is high, permitting
fast transient response of the drive with stator current
control. In variable-frequency, variable-voltage operation
of a drive system, the machine usually has low slip
characteristics, giving high efficiency. With low-frequency
Figure 4: Torque-speed Curves with Low-speed
voltage boosting, the machine can always be started at
Voltage Boost, Constant V/f Ratio
maximum torque, as shown in Figure 4. The absence of high
Figure 5 shows the block diagram of the Volts Hertz starting current in a direct-start drive reduces stress and
therefore improves the effective life of the machine [3] [9].
speed control method. The power circuit consists of a diode
rectifier with single phase AC supply, capacitor filter, and 5. EXPERIMENTAL SETUP AND RESULTS
PWM voltage-fed inverter [6] [7]. The frequency command
ω*e is the control signal, neglecting the small slip frequency The performances of the proposed method have been
ωsl of the machine. Based on volts hertz control theory the experimentally tested for different value of speed from 400
phase voltage command V*e can be generated from frequency rpm to 1500rpm for different value of load. The experimental
results show the effectiveness of the proposed method. Even
command gain factor K, as shown, So that the flux Ψs
at low frequency operation, the speed control is realized under
remains constant.
heavy load condition. Experimental results show that good
speed control accuracy can be achieved by the proposed
method. As it can be seen from Figure 6 and 7, for set rpm of
1360 and 900, the rpm of motor remains in the range of set
rpm with an error of +/- 10rpm. Hence, the accuracy of
approximately 98%. Figure 8 and 9 shows steady state stator
current response for the load as 1Kg and 2Kg. It shows that
stator current remains constant for different value of speed at
rated torque [2] [4] [9]. Figure 10 shows that ratio of voltage
and frequency remains constant and current also remains
constant for different value of load [3] [7]. Experimental
results for variable load and set speed as 1360rpm.

Figure 5: Block Diagram of Proposed Method

If the stator resistance and leakage inductance of the

machine are neglected, the flux will also correspond to
the air gap flux Ψm or rotor flux Ψr . At low speed areas,
the stator resistance become significant and absorbs the
major amount of the stator voltage, thus weakening the
flux. Therefore, the boost voltage V boost is added to
compensate flux to keep it equal to rated flux and Figure 6: Characteristics of Actual rpm vs.
corresponding full torque become available at low Load for the Set Speed as 1360rpm
frequency. The ωe signal is integrated to generate the angle
signal θ∗e and the corresponding sinusoidal phase voltages Experimental results for variable load and set speed as
are generated. 900rpm
Speed Control of 3 Φ Induction Motor Using Volts Hertz Control Method 235

Figure 7: Charactristics of Actual RPM vs.

Figure 11: Gate Pulses for 1360rpm
Load for the Set Speed as 900rpm

Steady state stator current response for the load as 1 Kg.

Figure 12: Current Waveforms for 1360rpm

Figure 8: Characteristics of Stator Current vs. Speed for
the Load as 1 Kg Figure 11, 12 and 13 shows the gate pulse, current
waveforms and inverter output voltage waveforms for set
speed of 1360 rpm.
Steady state stator current response for the load as 2 Kg.

Figure 9: Characteristics of Stator Current vs. Speed for the Figure 13: Waveforms of Inverter Output Voltage for
Load as 2 Kg 1360rpm

Figure 10: Stator Voltage Magnitude verses Frequency

for the Load as 2 Kg Figure 14: Photograph of Complete Hard Ware Set up
236 International Journal of Electronics Engineering

6. CONCLUSION Capable of High-performance Regulation at Low Speeds”,

IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, Vol. 34, No. 4,
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Functional Simulation Model for Three-phase Voltage-source
control such as pumps , machine tools , mills etc. An analysis
Inverter Using Switching Function Concept”, IEEE
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establish the equations that justify use of the scalar control 2001.
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