Differential and common

mode passive motor filters

Dennis Kampen, EWG

dennis.kampen@block-trafo.de
Tel. +49 (0)4231 678 178
 Agenda
• Differential mode and Common Mode
• Differential mode filters
– Topologies
– effects
• Common mode filter
– Topologies
– Effects
• Materials
• Summary
 Differential and Common Mode
definition
Differential mode voltage
inverter
uab  t   ua0  t   ub0  t 
     

load

grid

Common mode voltage

ua0  t   ub0  t   uc0  t 
uM0  t        
  3

The inverter generates no pure symmetrical voltage system.

A common mode voltage remains.
 Distribution of disturbances
Differential mode and common mode

HF-disturbances are not damped by line

reactors or harmonic filters.
Differential mode path
Grid impedance Line inductor

Differential mode path

parasitic
motor/
cable
Common mode path capacitance

The motor side inverter generates differential mode disturbances between the phases on
motor and line side. Common mode currents are driven over the motor and cable
capacitances to Earth and back over the line side to the input rectifier and the DC link.
 Distribution of disturbances
conducted emissions>150kHz

Differential mode

Common mode

The grid can be safely protected against disturbances of all frequencies with a line inductor
or a hamonic filter and in addition an EMI-Filter.
Motor filter Inverter output voltage
Motor terminal voltage

wave forms without filter Motor current

Motor starpoint – Earth voltage

cable motor
grid

Motor leakage current

Line leakage current Motor phase voltage

Differential mode motor filters
motor choke, Inverter output current
Motor current
dv/dt-filter Motor
Leiter terminal
Leiter Spannungvoltage
am Motor
800

400

Spannung / V
200
0
-200
-400

-800
40.00m 50.00m 60.00m
Zeit /s

Motor starpoint – Earth voltage

grid
Cable
motor

Motor leakage current

Reduction of differential mode dv/dt <500V/µs

 prevention of motor terminal overvoltages
 reduction inverter output current peaks
 Differential mode motor filters
motor choke or dv/dt filter

WR filter cable motor

Phase-phase motor voltage

Phase-Phase-output voltage

Undamped du/dt-filter

Strongly damped
du/dt Filter

no filter

No filter  high overvoltage peaks because of long cable reflections

Undamped du/dt filter  defined overvoltage peaks , low dv/dt
Ohmic damped dv/dt filter  low voltage overshoots, but high losses
 Differential mode motor filters
why dv/dt filter?  motor insulation
Motor insulation stress depends on amplitude and rise time of the motor voltage.

Phase-phase motor voltage

Literature: PHD Thesis Norbert Hanigovski, 2005

 Differential mode motor filters
SFB – sine filter Motor terminal voltage Motor current

Motor starpoint – Earth voltage

grid
Cable
motor

Motor leakage current

Generates nearly pure sinusoidal differential mode motor voltages and motor
currents, because fundamental frequency<filter resonance frequency<switching
frequency  long motor cables are possible, no HF losses in motor
 Desing of dv/dt filter and sine
filter
insertion loss through AC simulation

inverter

Uin(f) Uout(f) Uout (f )

Gain 
Uin (f )

Design of dv/dt filter design of sine filter

• switching frequency<filter resonance frequency • fundamental frequency<filter resonance frequency
• ohmic damping often required <switching frequency
 Effect of motor filters on DM
motor terminal voltage
No filter
Motor choke, dv/dt-filter

Differential mode
motor terminal
voltage SFB sine filter

dv/dt Peak voltage

No filter
No filter

Motor choke, dv/dt-filter

Motor choke, dv/dt-filter

SFB sine filter

SFB sine filter

Ground
Cable length /m Cable length /m
 Effect of motor filters on inverter
output current
Inverter output current (ideally)

No filter

No filter: high output current peaks

With motor choke or any
With any inductive filter: elinination of output current peaks. other inductive filter
 Reduction of inverter stress

27.09.2012 Passive Filter 13

 Common mode motor filters
Motor terminal voltage Motor current

SFB
Motor starpoint – Earth voltage

grid
Cable
motor

Motor leakage current

Differential mode motor inductors, dv/dt-filters or sine filters have nearly no

impact on the common mode disturbances.
So, how to damp common mode disturbances?
 Common mode motor filters
common mode choke

grid
Cable
motor

SFB

Simple damping of common mode currents.

Damping depends on cable capacitance.
Literature:
Resonances possible. Switching frequency is not
filtered. With a further connection to DC link,
a LC-filter is formed with high common mode
filter performance.
Common mode motor filters
allpole sine filter - SFA Motor current
Motor terminal voltage

Motor starpoint – Earth voltage

grid
Cable motor

Motor leakage current

Line leakage current

The DC-link connection short cicuits the
common mode disturbances optimal to the
DC-link.
 Effect of motor filters on motor
star point voltage
No filter
Motor star point
to ground voltage SFA allpole sine filter

dv/dt Peak voltage

No filter No filter
Ground

SFA allpole sine filter SFA allpole sine filter

Cable length /m Cable length /m

 Effect of motor filters on motor
bearing currents

No motor filter: maximum bearing currents

SFA allpole sine filter: no bearing currents

Only differential mode motor filter:

small reduction of bearing currents by 5%-10%
 Effect of motor filters on
conducted EMI on line side

No filter No filter

Motor choke or differential mode sine SFA allpole sine filter

filter

Small effects of differential mode filters, high impact of common mode filter
 Core materials in passive
filters High efficiency steel 1

Electrical steel High efficiency steel 2

Medium efficiency steel 1

Medium efficiency steel 2

Standard efficiency

Foto: metal-traders.de

Product examples for electrical steel:

Three phase filters
50Hz transformers High power up to 3000A
Motor chokes, sine filter<400Hz
Core materials in passive
filters
Powder compounds, amorphous materials
Sendust /KoolMu /X-Flux /Iron Powder /HighFlux /Megaflux METGLAS,
amorphous C-cores

Ring core

UI-core

EI-cores
 Core materials in passive
filters
Ferrite

Ferrit-transformers
<1W until > 100kVA

Ferrit inductors
<1A until 1000A

Winding: Copper/Alu: round, rectangle, litz wire, HF-litz wire, foil

 Complete filters
product examples

Sine filters > 400Hz Sine filters higher power Potted filters

EMI-Filters
AC-Side DC-side
 Summary
Differential mode filters reduce…
• dv/dt and motor peak voltages (less motor insulation stress)
• inverter output current peaks (less inverter stress)
• Low cost: Motor choke, High quality: sine filter SFB
Common Mode filters reduce…
• dv/dt and peak shaft voltages (less motor insulation stress,
elimination of bearing currents)
• conducted and radiated EMI, maybe shielded cabels are not
necessary
• High quality: allpole sine filter SFA
Summary
Thank you very much!
Question?