ECE 8830 - Electric Drives

Topic 13: Vector Control of AC Induction

Motors

Spring 2004
 Introduction
Scalar control of ac drives produces good
steady state performance but poor dynamic
response. This manifests itself in the deviation
of air gap flux linkages from their set values.
This variation occurs in both magnitude and
phase.

Vector control (or field oriented control) offers

more precise control of ac motors compared
to scalar control. They are therefore used in
high performance drives where oscillations in
air gap flux linkages are intolerable, e.g.
robotic actuators, centrifuges, servos, etc.
 Introduction (cont’d)
Why does vector control provide superior
dynamic performance of ac motors
compared to scalar control ?
In scalar control there is an inherent
coupling effect because both torque and
flux are functions of voltage or current
and frequency. This results in sluggish
response and is prone to instability
because of 5th order harmonics. Vector
control decouples these effects.
 Torque Control of DC Motors

There is a close parallel between torque

control of a dc motor and vector control
of an ac motor. It is therefore useful to
review torque control of a dc motor
before studying vector control of an ac
motor.
Torque Control of DC Motors (cont’d)
A dc motor has a stationary field structure
(windings or permanent magnets) and a
rotating armature winding supplied by a
commutator and brushes. The basic
structure and field flux and armature MMF
are shown below:
Torque Control of DC Motors (cont’d)
The field flux f (f) produced by field
current If is orthogonal to the armature
flux a (a) produced by the armature
current Ia. The developed torque Te can be
written as:
Te  K t' I a I f

Because the vectors are orthogonal, they

are decoupled, i.e. the field current only
controls the field flux and the armature
current only controls the armature flux.
Torque Control of DC Motors (cont’d)

DC motor-like performance can be

achieved with an induction motor if the
motor control is considered in the
synchronously rotating reference frame
(de-qe) where the sinusoidal variables
appear as dc quantities in steady state.

Two control inputs ids and iqs can be used

for a vector controlled inverter as shown
on the next slide.
Torque Control of DC Motors (cont’d)

With vector control:

ids (induction motor)  If (dc motor)
iqs (induction motor)  Ia (dc motor)
Thus torque is given by:
Te  K t
r iqs  K t'ids iqs


where  r   r is peak value of sinusoidal
space vector.
Torque Control of DC Motors (cont’d)

This dc motor-like performance is only

possible if iqs* only controls iqs and does
not affect the flux 
r , i.e. iqs and ids are
orthogonal under all operating conditions
of the vector-controlled drive.
Thus, vector control should ensure the
correct orientation and equality of the
command and actual currents.
Equivalent Circuit of Induction Motor

The complex de-qe equivalent circuit of an

induction motor is shown in the below figure
(neglecting rotor leakage inductance).
Equivalent Circuit of Induction
Motor (cont’d)
Since the rotor leakage inductance has




been neglected, the rotor flux r = m ,
the air gap flux.
The stator current vector Is is the sum of
the ids and iqs vectors. Thus, the stator
current magnitude, I s is related to ids and
iqs by:

I s  ids2  iqs2
Phasor Diagrams for Induction Motor
The steady state phasor (or vector)
diagrams for an induction motor in the
de-qe (synchronously rotating) reference
frame are shown below:
Phasor Diagrams for Induction Motor
(cont’d)

The rotor flux vector 
r ( 
m ) is aligned

with the de axis and the air gap voltage V
m
is aligned with the qe axis. The terminal
voltage Vs slightly leads the air gap voltage
because of the voltage drop across the
stator impedance. iqs contributes real
power across the air gap but ids only
contributes reactive power across the air
gap.
 Phasor Diagrams for Induction
Motor (cont’d)
The first figure shows an increase in the
torque component of current iqs and the
second figure shows an increase in the flux
component of current, ids. Because of the
orthogonal orientation of these components,
the torque and flux can be controlled
independently. However, it is necessary to
maintain these vector orientations under all
operating conditions.
How can we control the iqs and ids components
of the stator current Is independently with the
desired orientation ?
 Principles of Vector Control
The basic conceptual implementation of
vector control is illustrated in the below
block diagram:

Note: The inverter is omitted from this diagram.

Principles of Vector Control (cont’d)

The motor phase currents, ia, ib and ic are

converted to idss and iqss in the stationary
reference frame. These are then
converted to the synchronously rotating
reference frame d-q currents, ids and iqs.
In the controller two inverse transforms
are performed:
1) From the synchronous d-q to the
stationary d-q reference frame;
2) From d*-q* to a*, b*, c*.
 Principles of Vector Control (cont’d)

There are two approaches to vector control:

1) Direct field oriented current control
- here the rotation angle of the iqse vector
with respect to the stator flux qr’s is being
directly determined (e.g. by measuring air
gap flux)
2) Indirect field oriented current control
- here the rotor angle is being measured
indirectly, such as by measuring slip speed.
 Direct Vector Control

In direct vector control the field angle is

calculated by using terminal voltages and
current or Hall sensors or flux sense
windings.

A block diagram of a direct vector control

method using a PWM voltage-fed inverter
is shown on the next slide.
Direct Vector Control (cont’d)
 Direct Vector Control (cont’d)

The principal vector control parameters, ids*

and iqs*, which are dc values in the
synchronously rotating reference frame,
are converted to the stationary reference
frame (using the vector rotation (VR)
block) by using the unit vector cose and
sine. These stationary reference frame
control parameters idss* and iqss* are then
changed to the phase current command
signals, ia*, ib*, and ic* which are fed to the
PWM inverter.
 Direct Vector Control (cont’d)

A flux control loop is used to precisely

control the flux. Torque control is achieved
through the current iqs* which is generated
from the speed control loop (which includes
a bipolar limiter that is not shown). The
torque can be negative which will result in a
negative phase orientation for iqs in the
phasor diagram.
How do we maintain idsand iqs orthogonality?
This is explained in the next slide.
Direct Vector Control (cont’d)
 Direct Vector Control (cont’d)

Here the de-qe frame is rotating at

synchronous speed e with respect to
the stationary reference frame ds-qs, and
at any point in time, the angular position
of the de axis with respect to the ds axis
is e (=et).
From this phasor diagram we can write:




   r cos  e and qr  r sin  e
s s
dr
 Direct Vector Control (cont’d)

Thus,
 s  qrs
cos e  dr


r
, sin  e 
, and 
r 

    
s 2
dr
s 2
qr
r

The cose and sine signals in correct

phase position are shown below:
 Direct Vector Control (cont’d)

These unit vector signals, when used in

the vector rotation block, cause ids to
maintain orientation along the de-axis and
the iqs orientation along the qe-axis.
 Summary of Salient Features of
Vector Control
A few of the salient features of vector
control are:
 The frequency e of the drive is not
controlled (as in scalar control). The
motor is “self-controlled” by using the
unit vector to help control the frequency
and phase.
 There is no concern about instability
because limiting I s within the safe limit
automatically limits operation to the
stable region.
Summary of Salient Features of
Vector Control (cont’d)

 Transient response will be fast

because torque control by iqs does not
affect flux.
 Vector control allows for speed control
in all four quadrants (without
additional control elements) since
negative torque is directly taken care
of in vector control.
 Flux Vector Estimation
The air gap flux can be directly measured in
a machine using specially fitted search coils
or Hall effect sensors. However, the drift in
the integrator with a search coil is
problematic at very low frequencies. Hall
effect sensors tend to be temperature-
sensitive and fragile.

An alternative approach is to measure the

terminal voltage and phase currents of the
machine and use these to estimate the flux.
These techniques are discussed on pp. 363-
368 of the Bose text.
 Indirect Vector Control

Indirect vector control is similar to direct

vector control except the unit vector
signals (cose and sine) are generated in
a feedforward manner.

The phasor diagram on the next slide can

be used to explain the basic concept of
indirect vector control.
Indirect Vector Control (cont’d)
 Indirect Vector Control (cont’d)
The ds-qs axes are fixed on the stator and
the dr-qr axes are fixed on the rotor. The
de-qe axes are rotating at synchronous
speed and so there is a slip difference
between the rotor speed and the
synchronous speed given by:
 e   r   sl
Since,  e    e dt , we can write:

 e   r   sl
 Indirect Vector Control (cont’d)

In order to ensure decoupling between the

stator flux and the torque, the torque
component of the current, iqs, should be
aligned with the qe axis and the stator flux
component of current, ids, should be aligned
with the de axis.
We can use the de-axis and qe-axis
equivalent circuits of the motor (shown on
the next slide) to derive control
expressions.
Indirect Vector Control (cont’d)
 Indirect Vector Control (cont’d)

The rotor circuit equations may be written as:

d dr
 Rr idr  ( e   r ) qr  0
dt
d qr
 Rr iqr  ( e   r ) dr  0
dt
 Indirect Vector Control (cont’d)
The rotor flux linkage equations may be
written as:
 dr  Lr idr  Lmids
 qr  Lr iqr  Lmiqs
These equations may be rewritten as:
1 Lm
idr   dr  ids
Lr Lr
1 L
iqr   qr  m iqs
Lr Lr
 Indirect Vector Control (cont’d)
Combining these with the earlier equations
allows us to eliminate the rotor currents
which cannot be directly obtained. The
resulting equations are:

d dr Rr Lm
  dr  Rr ids   sl qr  0
dt Lr Lr

d qrRr Lm
  qr  Rr iqs   sl dr  0
dt Lr Lr

where  sl   e   r .
 Indirect Vector Control (cont’d)


For decoupling control the total rotor flux  r
needs to be aligned with the de-axis and so
we want: qr=0 => dqr/dt =0
If we now substitute into the previous
equations, we get:
Lr d
r

  r  Lmids
Rr dt
Lm Rr
and  sl  iqs

L
r r

has been substituted for  .

where  r dr
 Indirect Vector Control (cont’d)
For implementing the indirect vector control
strategy, we need to take these equations
into consideration as well as the equation:
 e   r   sl
Note:
A constant rotor flux results in the equation:


r  Lmids
so that the rotor flux is directly proportional
to ids in steady state.
 Indirect Vector Control (cont’d)
An implementation of indirect vector control
for 4-quadrant operation is shown below:
 Indirect Vector Control (cont’d)
Features of this implementation:
 Diode rectifier front-end with a PWM
inverter with a dynamic brake in the dc
link.
 Hysteresis-band current control.

 Speed control loop generates the torque

component of current, iqs*.
 Constant rotor flux is maintained by using
the desired ids*.
 The slip frequency sl* is generated from
the desired iqs*.
 Indirect Vector Control (cont’d)
 Slip gain Ks is given by:
 sl* Lm Rr
Ks  * 
iqs Lr
r
 e and e are given by:
 e   sl*   r and     e dt

 The incremental encoder is necessary

for indirect vector control because the
slip signal locates the rotor pole
position with respect to the dr axis in a
feedforward manner.
 Indirect Vector Control (cont’d)
 If iqs*<0 for negative torque, phasor iqs is
reversed and sl (and sl) will be
negative.
 The speed control range can be extended
into the field weakening region by
incorporating the dotted line part of the
implementation (see figure below). Note:
Closed loop flux control is now required.
 Indirect Vector Control (cont’d)

Harmonic content of hysteresis-band

current control is not optimum. Also,
at higher speeds the current controller
will saturate in part of the cycle
because of the high back emf.
Synchronous current control can be
used to overcome these problems. See
Bose text, pp. 372-374 for details.
 Indirect Vector Control (cont’d)
A dc motor-like electromechanical model
can be derived for an ideal vector-
controlled drive using the following
equations:
Lr d
r

  r  Lmids
Rr dt
3  P  Lm

Te     r iqs
2  2  Lr

 2  d r
Te  TL    J
 P  dt
 Indirect Vector Control (cont’d)
A transfer function block diagram is
shown below:

Note: The torque Te responds instantly

but the flux has first order delay (with
time constant =Lr/Rr).
 Indirect Vector Control (cont’d)
The physical principle of vector control can
be explained more clearly with the help of
the below de-qe equivalent circuits:
 Indirect Vector Control (cont’d)

Since ids and iqs are being controlled, we can

ideally ignore the stator-side parameters.
With qr=0 under all conditions, the emf
source on the rotor side de-circuit slqr=0.
This means that in steady state ids flows only
through the magnetizing inductance, Lm, but
in the transient case, is shared by the rotor
circuit whose time constant = Llr/Rr.
 Indirect Vector Control (cont’d)

In the qe-circuit when torque is controlled by

iqs the emf sldr changes instantaneously
(because  sl dr  Lm Rr iqs / Lr ). Since qr=0, this
emf causes a current (Lm/Lr)iqs to flow
through the rotor resistor Rr. If Llr is
neglected and flux 
is constant, i is seen
r ds
to only flow through Lm and iqs only flows
through the rotor side, as desired.
 Indirect Vector Control (cont’d)
A serious issue with respect to indirect
vector control is that of slip gain
detuning. This is due primarily to
variation in rotor resistance. This effect is
illustrated below where Rr=actual rotor
resistance

r
R and
= estimated rotor resistance.
 Indirect Vector Control (cont’d)

Continuous on-line tuning of Ks is very

complex and computationally intensive.
However, two methods, one based on
extended Kalman filtering (EKF) for
parameter estimation and a second one
based on a model referencing adaptive
controller (MRAC) approach are good
options. The EKF method will be
considered later when studying
sensorless vector control but the MRAC
method is described next.
 Indirect Vector Control (cont’d)

In the MRAC approach a reference model

output signal X* that satisfies the tuned
vector control condition is usually a
function of ids* and iqs*, motor
inductances, and operating frequency.
The adaptive model X is estimated based
on motor feedback voltages and currents
as shown in the next slide. X is compared
to X* an the resulting error used to

the
estimate K s slip gain through a P-I
compensator. Slip gain tuning is
achieved when X=X*.
Indirect Vector Control (cont’d)
 Indirect Vector Control (cont’d)
Suppose we decide to use torque as the
model parameter X. Thus,
3  P  Lm
*
X  T     r iqs
*
e
*

2  2  Lr

gives:
Substituting Lmids* for  r

3  P  L2m * *
X  T    ids iqs
*
e
*

2  2  Lr
The actual torque can be estimated from the
stator frame variables using the equation:
3 P s s
X  Te     ds iqs   qss idss 
2 2 
Indirect Vector Control (cont’d)

Note: Lm and Lr parameter variations

affect the estimation accuracy of X*
and at low speeds, the stator
resistance Rs affects the estimation
accuracy of X.
Stator Flux-Oriented Vector Control

Until now we have only considered

rotor flux-oriented vector control.
Airgap flux or stator flux-oriented
vector control is also possible but at a
cost of a coupling effect that requires
decoupling compensation. See Bose
text pp. 381-384 for details.
 Vector Control of Current-Fed
Inverter Drive
Vector control can also be extended to
current-fed drives as illustrated below:
 Vector Control of Current-Fed
Inverter Drive (cont’d)
Drive operates with regulated rotor flux
and the speed control loop is the outer
loop. The speed loop generates the torque
command Te* which is then divided by K

r
to generate iqs*. The flux loop generates
iIds
s
*.

is used to control the firing angle of the

phase controlled rectifier through a
feedback loop. The inverter frequency is
controlled by a phase-locked I s loop (PLL) so
that the stator current, , is maintained at
the desired torque angle with respect to the
rotor flux.
 Vector Control of Cycloconverter
Drive
Vector control can also be used with a
Scherbius drive with cycloconverter as shown:
Vector Control of Cycloconverter
Drive (cont’d)

Recall in the Scherbius drive, +sPg is sent

to the line in subsynchronous motoring and
-sPg is sent to the line in supersynchronous
motoring, where sPg is the slip energy.
Currents Ip and IQ are the in-phase and
quadrature current components, with
respect to the slip voltage, Vr. The error
from the speed control loop generates the
desired current, Ip*’ and IQ* may be set to
zero (as shown).
 Vector Control of Cycloconverter
Drive (cont’d)
The unit vector signals are obtained from
the following equations:

cos  sl  cos  e   r   cos  e cos  r  sin  e sin  r

sin  sl  sin  e   r   sin  e cos  r  cos  e sin  r
s
v s
v
where cos  e  ds and sin  e  qs ,
V
s V
s
and V
s is the amplitude of the line voltage.
 Vector Control of Cycloconverter
Drive (cont’d)
To illustrate how the drive works, consider
a drive that is accelerating from a
subsynchronous speed with a command
supersynchronous speed.
At subsynchronous speed:
IP >0, sl >0, and sPg>0.
At synchronous speed, sl=0 and IP is dc.
At supersynchronous speed:
IP <0, => sl <0, and sPg<0.