Evaluation of 3-Phase to 9-Phase Transformer, 18-Pulse

Converter, and Adjustable Speed Drive, Including Novel

Third Harmonic Calculations
Kevin Leet James E. Armes* Derek A. Paice**
KevinlLee'2eaton.com
t Eaton Innovation Center *Eaton Electrical **Paice & Associates, Inc.
4201 North 27th St. 4201 North 27th St. 114 Rosewood Court
Milwaukee, WI 53216 Milwaukee, WI 53216 Palm Harbor, Florida 34685
Abstract - In the past 14 years, several patented 18-pulse transformer windings more efficiently so as to reduce the
converter methods have been accepted in the marketplace and product cost. However, reduced product cost must not
successfully applied in various practical applications. In this compromise performance.
paper, a widely used 18-pulse clean power converter, with 415
"windmill" transformer topology is presented and analyzed. It
provides a more economical solution to achieve harmonic 3.5 -

mitigation in electric power systems as compared to some of the

earlier methods. A complete adjustable speed drive (ASD)
system model including "windmill" transformer, 9-phase diode
bridge, DC link capacitors, inverter with SVPWM (space vector
pulse width modulation), and induction machine, has been
modeled and built for analysis. Features addressed are, input
current harmonic mitigation, DC bus capacitor ripple current 0'25
.5

and lifespan, and motor ripple torque. In addition, the DC link

dynamics under a motor step load change, as well as input
voltage unbalance effects on the 18-pulse converter have been .5 -X
evaluated. Quantification of many of these issues is not found in
present literature. Experimental tests with a 75 hp "windmill" 01
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
18-pulse clean power ASD system, verify the accuracy and Year
effectiveness of the analysis. Figure 1. Copper cost increase vs. time [23].

I. INTRODUCTION
With the advent of IEEE 519-1992 [1], the increasing
demand by utilities for power factor improvement, and the 3.5
proliferation of non-linear loads in industrial power 3
distribution systems, specification of harmonic mitigation has
become common [2-3]. In the past 14 years, several patented 2.5
18-pulse converter methods have been accepted in the 0
U
marketplace and are successfully applied in a variety of >g 2-

practical applications such as water management, oil field 1.5

installations, etc. where adjustable speed drive (ASD) and
harmonic mitigation are required. A 3-phase to 9-phase unity- 10

gain autotransformer topology with +20° phase shift between 0.5

output voltages is first proposed in [4]. The step-up and step-
0
down 18-pulse autotransformer topologies with 40° phase 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
shift between the output voltages are discussed in [5-11]. Year
The winding current looping and sharing problems in early Figure 2. Aluminum cost increase vs. time [23].
days have already been solved [12]; the challenging design Most modem adjustable-speed drives (ASDs) use
problem becomes one of economics [13]. electrolytic capacitors to provide ride-through energy storage
As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the cost of copper has capacity on the DC bus. They provide a low impedance path
greatly increased in recent years as compared to the cost of for ripple currents generated by the rectifier and PWM
aluminum. It is critical to evaluate new designs and methods inverter stages [14]. It is important to limit DC link voltage
for reducing the overall product cost and maintain high ripple to prevent generation of pulsating torque in the
performance. The focus has been to utilize the copper induction machine, which could produce undesirable

1-4244-0714-1/07/$20.00 C 2007 IEEE. 781

mechanical vibration and acoustic noise [15]. These aspects
will be analyzed to maintain high product performance
integrity. Both rectifier and inverter ripple currents contribute
to the capacitor temperature rise and lifespan.
The new contributions of this paper are three-fold:
1. Present the improved cost-effective "windmill [16]"
18-pulse clean power ASD system.
2. Introduce a novel third harmonic calculation method
to evaluate 3-phase to 9-phase 18-pulse converter
transformers.
3. Evaluate the overall system steady state and dynamic
performances, which are not found in published
literatures.
An efficient autotransformer for 18-pulse converters must
ensure that all windings contribute to the output power and
circulating third harmonic circulating currents are minimized.
In the cost effective "windmill" design the autotransformer
kVA rating is shown to be about 5500 of the DC load power.
The complete system model including the 3-phase to 9-phase
transformer, 18-pulse converter with 9-phase rectifier that can
be conveniently constructed using three diode bridges, DC
link capacitors, inverter with SVPWM (space vector pulse
width modulation) implementation, and the induction
machine with load is simulated. We not only analyze the
Lsa La
Lsb Rb
Lb 18-pulse
_ryY vv--L Autotransformer
Lsc Lc
Figure 3. Overall circuit diagram of the "windmill" 18-pulse clean power adjustable speed drive system.
III. TRANSFORMER DESIGN ISSUES
A. Design of 3-Phase to 9-phase Autotransformers.
Many autotransformer topologies can transform 3-phase to
9-phase, but when used to power 9-phase 18-pulse converters
that require significant third harmonic currents, some
topologies are more favorable than others. The design goal is
to obtain the required fundamental output voltage amplitude
and phase shift by means of appropriate windings on each
phase. At the same time it is desirable to use a topology that
restricts third harmonic currents. These harmonics affect
conductor rating and can cause fluxes external to the
transformer core. Such fluxes can cause extraneous heating in
adjacent metal structures. Designs that result in substantial
third harmonic flux exiting the core are usually not tolerated
[25].
A new approach is presented in which third harmonic
currents are addressed separately from fundamental currents,
input current harmonic mitigation, but evaluate the DC link
capacitor lifespan [17-18], and the motor ripple torque as
compared to a traditional 6-pulse ASD. In addition, the DC
link dynamics under the motor step load change, and the
input voltage unbalance effects [19-20] have been evaluated.
Quantification of many of these parameters is not found in
present literature. Simulations and experimental tests are used
to verify the accuracy and effectiveness of the analysis using
a 75hp "windmill" 18-pulse clean power ASD system.
II. OVERALL PRACTICAL SYSTEM MODEL
In this 18-pulse converter system, a 3-phase input to 9-
phase output autotransformer with 6 coils per phase is used to
power a 9-phase AC to DC converter as shown in Fig. 3. The
3-phase input voltages feed through input line impedances
(La and Ra) and source inductance (Lsa). It is assumed that
the 3-phase input impedances are balanced, i.e., La=Lb=Lc,
Ra=Rb=Rc and Lsa=Lsb=Lsc The 9-phase AC output
voltages are fed to a 9-phase rectifier bridge comprising
diodes (D,-D14). The DC link voltage is smoothed by DC link
capacitor (C). The inverter IGBTs (SW11-SW16) deliver 3-
phase PWM voltage waveforms with variable frequency and
amplitude to the motor load.
1 2 4 5 6 7 8 9
1
2
4
5
6
8
9
in order to highlight their effect. Specifically, the sum of the
third harmonic ampere-turns due to third harmonic currents
are considered to be zero when a direct delta connection is
available. If such a path does not exist third harmonic flux is
more likely to exit from the three-limb core. In so doing it
creates the effect of a tertiary winding [26]. Here, we refer to
this as a hidden delta. Further discussion of zero-sequence
effects are given in [13] where an equivalent hidden delta
circuit is presented for the simple case of one winding per
phase. The third harmonic is the major harmonic current of
interest.
Since the hidden delta reduces third harmonic current in
the autotransformer windings, the novel analysis presented
here is conservative as well as simple.
The "windmill" topology shown in Fig. 4 has three
physical delta paths, and the assumption of zero net ampere-
turns on each phase gives good results in the design and
simulation of this topology.
782

-0`46 5 6
Figure 4: Basic configuration of the "windmill" connection. (Fractional
turns are given relative to 1.0 turns that support the AC source line to
neutral voltage, e.g., VA-N.)
Other topologies, including some polygon connections, are
more likely to require fluxes to emanate from the core. An
example is given in Section E. Winding currents in this type
of circuit may be greatly affected by the hidden delta, but
detailed calculations for multiple winding arrangements are
not within the scope of this paper. If the external third
harmonic flux is substantial, any stray losses need to be
determined by experiment.
The proposed simplified analysis is here applied to three
different 3-phase to 9-phase autotransformers, starting with
the "windmill" topology. The same method has been applied
to analyze numerous 3-phase to 9-phase autotransformer
connections. It helps identify topologies that may create
undesirable external third harmonic flux.
B. Basic Performance Features of 18-Pulse Converters
The small amount of AC line input harmonic currents
drawn by 9-phase, 18-pulse converters is well known and
described in various books and papers [13]. In a pioneering
application, a 3-phase to 9-phase autotransformer described
in [6] was used to supply power for a 500 HP AC to DC
converter feeding a variable frequency drive. Since that time,
numerous alternative means of transformer design have been
proposed and implemented. The practical "windmill" method
discussed here has found widespread application. Typical
system results are given.
Nine-phase 18-pulse converters not only have low
harmonic distortion in the AC input current, but they also
provide a smoother, higher average value of DC output.
Without some small reduction in the amplitude of the 9-phase
output voltage, the DC voltage associated with 480V systems
would be too high.
Practical transformer designs address this by slightly
reducing the 9-phase output voltage. The "windmill" design
shown in Fig. 4 is a particularly efficient configuration and
will be used to establish basic parameters.
783
Unlike a 3-phase system in which line-to-line voltage is a
times the line-to-neutral voltage, the 9-phase output voltage
has several possibilities. The line-to-line voltage of most
interest is the largest one. For example, this is the voltage
between terminals such as 1 and 5. It's value is: V1 NZO - V1 N
/-160'. The resulting amplitude is 1.969 V1N. When the 9-
phase output voltage is rectified, the DC output voltage is
further increased because there is less DC ripple voltage.
To prevent excessive DC output voltage, the 9-phase
output voltage in the "windmill" connection is reduced to
0.879 times the source line-to-neutral voltage.
The resulting DC output voltage parameters are
summarized below in terms of the source line-to-neutral
voltage VLN. For comparison the same parameters are given
for a standard 3-phase bridge rectifier.
VDC 30 VL N 2.34 VLN (1)
I
VDC "windmill" A sin 92T sin6O0
sin80 VL N .4 VLN
2.44 (2)
VDCpeak = 2.45 VLN (3)
The average DC output voltage of a 9-phase bridge
rectifier fed by the "windmill" transformer is observed to be
about 4.2% higher than that of a 3-phase bridge. This
somewhat greater average DC voltage is especially useful for
PWM inverter systems where it facilitates obtaining an AC
output voltage equal to the AC input voltage. The peak DC
output voltage is the same, as defined in Eq. (3).
C. Source of 3rd Harmonic Currents in 9-Phase Converter
The ideal current wave drawn from each of the nine
transformer outputs is shown in Fig. 5.
-Idc
Figure 5: Basic current waveform drawn by 9-phase converter.
Using Fourier analysis it can be shown that the output
current wave is described by the following expression:
4
i(wt) = DC x E sin(n 2 ) cos(nct) (4)
where n is any odd positive integer such as 1, 3, 5, 7 ...
and ' = conduction period= 2i/9.
The total rms value of current in each transformer output
lead is 0.471 IDC. Recognition of this relationship is especially
important if the transformer output leads are fused to protect
the rectifiers.
Applying n = 3, we find that the rms value of the third
harmonic in the 9-phase load current is 0.26 IDC.
 Third harmonic currents in the transformer output leads are from which,
of particular concern in the transformer design. This current
flows within the transformer windings, and the transformer id= 0.3951 i3zo (7)
design must allow for it. In the "windmill" design three delta This current flows in N6A (0.653 turns) and N2A (0.532
circuits provide paths for these currents. turns). Distribution of the third harmonic currents is shown in
Table 1; also the total rms current is given relative to IDC, The
D. The "Windmill" Connection current id is about 10% of the DC load current and extraneous
Fig. 6 shows the "windmill" topology. As in all 3-phase third harmonic flux is not an issue with these designs.
transformers with delta connections, there must be an equal
TABLE I: CALCULATED CURRENTS IN "WINDMILL" CONNECTION.
number of turns on each phase of the delta to prevent
circulating fundamental current. Turns are shown for the A Turns Idealized third Typical total rms
phase, phases B and C have identical turns. harmonic current current IIDC
For ensuing analyses, several assumptions are made, NI (0.121) d i3ZW 0.52
namely, i.e.,
1. Magnetizing current is neglected. 0.6049 i 3Z180°
2. Coil leakage and resistance are neglected.
3. The sum of ampere-turns on each limb is assumed to N2 (0.532) 0.3951 i3z0o 0.21
equate to zero at all instants. As noted previously this is not N3 (0.347) zero 0.19
true for all topologies, but is a reasonable, conservative N4 (0.653) i3Z1200 0.44
assumption for connections like those in the "windmill" N5 (0.653) i3/1200 + id 0.32
that include direct delta paths. i.e.,
4. The 3-wire power source is balanced in voltage. 0.8724 i3Z-96.90
5. The fundamental currents in each output phase are N6 (0.653) 0.3951 i3z0o 0.21
shifted by 400. Third harmonic currents are shifted by three
times this amount, namely, 1200. For the purposes of comparing third harmonic effects
amongst various designs, a factor VA3 is defined to represent
ti3Z- 12,andfr the total third harmonic VA in each phase of the transformer.
VA3 is the summation of fundamental voltage times third
harmonic current in each winding. For the "windmill" design:
VA3 =(0.121 x 0.6049) + (0.532 x 0.3951) +
MJ47
Q e (0.653 x 1) + (0.653 x 0.8724) + (0.653 x 0.3951) (8)
= 1.764
The factor VA3 does not represent the total transformer
kVA but it gives insight into the magnitude of the third
harmonic effect. It helps identify topologies that, due to
unfavorable connections, may require large amounts of
circulating third harmonic current. Topologies with obvious
delta paths, as in the "windmill" arrangement, are generally
8,SA-'
ofth:tasfrmr
6 advantageous. They obtain efficient utilization of the copper
Figure 6: Third harmonic current distribution in the "windmill" topology. and steel in the transformer.
(Typical fractional turns are based on total 1.0 turn from apex to neutral.) Total transformer kVA is obtained from closed form or
Using the above assumptions and referring to Fig. 6, let the computer solutions. In the "windmill" design the transformer
third harmonic current drawn from terminal I bei±3/0 then kVA rating is about 5500 of the DC load kW.
that from terminal 2 is i3Z-1200, and from terminal 9 is i3 In topologies like the "windmill", full input line current
/1200. This sequence is repeated in terminals 4, 5, 3, and 7, does not flow through any winding. In this case, closed form
8, 6 of the transformer. solutions for idealized operation are greatly simplified by
The analysis is described here. Applying the ampere-turn using current equations that do not include the input line
balance law to Fig. 6, we get: current. The input currents can be readily defined when
transformer-winding currents have been calculated.
0.532 id + 0.121 (id - 3100) + 0.653 i3 /1200 + 5
From closed form solutions, current waveforms can be
0.653 id + 0.653 (i3Z-1200 + id) = 0 graphed and the total kVA rating calculated, but the practical
Thus, effects of transformer leakage and source voltage unbalance
id(0.532 + 0.121 + 0.653 + 0.653) = are best obtained from computer simulations. To facilitate
0.121 i3ZOO - 0.653 i3/1200 - 0.653 i3Z-1200 (6) simulation, coupling factors for all windings are measured on

784
every prototype unit. Production testing includes low voltage
short circuit tests to validate impedance values.
E. Other Topologies
Fig. 7 shows another 3-phase to 9-phase autotransformer
connection. It is given here as another example to use the
simple analysis method for defining third harmonic currents.
This and modified versions of the topology are further
described in US patent 5,124,904 [6]. As in the "windmill"
design, the hidden delta path is not shown because there is an
obvious delta path to carry third harmonic current.
Figure 7: Basic 18-pulse configuration using a delta with stub windings.
(Typical fractional turns are based onl .0 turn to support voltage from
apex to virtual neutral.)
As in the "windmill" analysis, assume the amplitude of the
third harmonic component of current in each output lead is i3.
Relative phase positions are shown in the figure. Assuming a
vertical reference vector position of 00, the fundamental
output voltage V2 at terminal 2 is given by:
V2= (1 - 0.27Z30° + 0.5077 Z-90°) = 1Z-40° (9)
The total 3rd harmonic turns acting on any phase coil are
assumed to be zero, thus:
0.27 (ia + i3Z-120 ) + 1.192ia+ 0.27 (ia- i3/120 ) ±+ 0 Figure 8: Original delta connection with long side moved to connect with
0.5077 i3/1200 - 0.5077 i3Z-1200 0 (0)
From which we get, third harmonic ia 0.238 i3l-900. In
the upper 0.27 turns, the third harmonic of current is (ia + i3
Z-1200), namely 1.212 i3/-114.360. In the lower 0.27 turns,
the third harmonic of current is (ia- i3Z120°), namely 1.212 13
/-65.640. Each stub winding with 0.5077 turns carries third
harmonic current of magnitude i3. Thus, for the transformer in
Fig. 7, we obtain:
VA3 =(1.192 x 0.238) + (2 x 0.27 x 1.212) + (2 x
0.5077 x 1) = 1.953
It is noted that the output voltage in the Fig. 7 schematic is
somewhat greater than that in Fig. 6. If a correction is made
to compare identical power loading, the VA 's of the schemes
shown in Figs. 6 and 7 are very similar. Both topologies are
785
effective and efficient.
For 480 V systems, the topology of Fig. 7 usually requires an
extender winding to reduce the DC output voltage by about
11.4%. In contrast, the reduced voltage is an inherent feature of
the "windmill" topology.
Finally, we consider a scheme without an obvious delta
winding. If the turns on the long winding shown in Fig. 7 are
reduced and the resulting winding is connected to the end of
the stub windings, a polygon connection is obtained. This is
shown in Fig. 8. As before, since the fundamental currents in
each of the three transformer phases are at 1200, the third
harmonic currents, ib9 in each phase of the transformer are in
time phase. This rearrangement provides a satisfactory 9-
phase output and the transformer fundamental kVA is little
different from that in Fig. 7. However, if we neglect the
hidden delta effect, the VA3 factor is about three times that
for Fig. 7. In practice, the hidden delta must be considered.
Calculation of third harmonic currents requires estimates of
coil resistance, winding coupling factors, and parameters of
the hidden delta circuit. At the design stage the characteristics
of the latter are not easily predicted, also factors such as
external fluxes, heat generation, and acoustic noise are best
left for experimentation.
A
a~~~~l +
0h.
684
stub windings so as to form a polygon connection. (Typical fractional turns
are based on 1.0 tur to support voltage from apex to virtual neutral.)
The apparently harmless rearranging of one winding makes
little difference to the 9-phase output, but greatly imrpacts the
paths for third harmonic current flow. But if the same topology
is used for the secondary of a double-wound transformer with
primary connected in delta, as in [12], the primary winding
provides a low impedance path for third harmonic currents.
F. General Design Considerations
In all practical transformer designs the actual currents are
modified by the various winding-to-winding coupling factors
and coil winding resistance. As noted previously, computer
simrulations of the "windmill" topology incorporate these
factors. Calculated results in conjunction with 18-pulse
converters agree very satisfactorily with complete systems tests.
 All phase-shifting autotransformers should include thermal power level. The current ripple components of the 18-pulse
overload trips in each phase. These provide protection in the system are greatly reduced, particularly in the low frequency
event of a partial loss of load, for example if any of the 18 range.
converter devices become inoperative. From the time-series representation of the dc capacitor
Phase-shifting autotransformers can provide substantial size ripple currents, the rms value of a particular ripple current
and weight savings compared with double-wound designs. harmonic component can be calculated using Fourier
Typically, a 3-phase to 9-phase transformer for converter transform functions of any numerical mathematical analysis
operation requires only about 4500 as much kVA as a double- tool such as Matlab:
wound transformer. Also, it is more efficient.
fft(,caph) (12)
G. Summary of9-phase Autotransformer Design Issues caph 2
Idealized performance factors of a 9-phase, 18-pulse
converter fed by a "windmill" transformer configuration are where N is the number of time series points in the ripple
defined. current time series. The total capacitor power loss is
calculated using the capacitor ripple current harmonic
A simplified analytical method is described that gives insight spectrum as:
into third harmonic circulating currents. If not adequately Nh
controlled these currents can create additional extraneous losses. (13)
The method enables topologies to be selected that offer high gloss =' 1caph, n nESR(/)
n=i
efficiency and good utilization of iron and copper. The where ESR6J,) is the value of the equivalent series resistance
procedure has been found of considerable value in evaluating at a particular frequencyfn.
efficient phase-shifting autotransformer designs, such as the
"windmill" connection. The value of the total rms ripple current can be determined
from the harmonic spectrum as:
IV. SIMULATION AND EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATION
N
A. Input Current Harmonics (14)
caph, rms \| caph.n
Simulations of the system in Fig. 3 using Simplorer, PSIM n=i
and Matlab have been conducted to evaluate the overall
system performance. A comparison on input current The capacitor hot spot temperature Th [°C] and lifetime Lop
harmonics has been made between the 6-pulse ASD system [hours] are calculated as follows [24]:
and the "windmill" 18-pulse topology [21]. The operating Th= T +PI 85- ThRth
T T
a
P
ss
(15)
point parameters consist of La = 525uH, C = 2800uF, 75hp
inverter driven induction machine load. The simulated input L =A.2 c (16)
current waveforms are depicted in Fig. 14 for both steady where T is the capacitor ambient temperature and Rth is the
state and step load operating conditions. A typical 75hp, 6- capacitor thermal resistance. The coefficients for the lifespan
pulse ASD with 450uH line inductor has input current total are A and C.
harmonic distortion (THD) of 330, while the "windmill"
18-pulse has 500 input current THD. The 18-pulse solution 150
Conditions: 6-pulse 75 hp ASD with Lin = 525 uH
is clearly more suitable for applications where meeting IEEE- ;l. 100i C = 2800 uF, Full Load
519 is required. U 50

B. DC Link Capacitor Lifetime *e 50 11 f'

u -100
The "windmill" topology determines the input current m 0.584 0.586 0.588 0.59 0.592 0.594 0.596 0.598 0.6
profile, which contributes to the low frequency DC link Time (Sec)
capacitor ripple. The space vector pulse width modulation 40
Conditions: 6-pulse 75 hp ASD with Lin = 525 uH
(SVPWM) implemented in the inverter control has been ¢ 30 C= 2800 uF, Full Load
modeled in order to quantify the inverter's contribution to the 20
DC link capacitor ripple currents. 10

Evox Rifa electrolytic capacitor: PEH200V433CMB2 is

0- -2000
used in the capacitor loss and lifetime evaluations. The ESR 3000 4000 5000

Frequency (Hz)
6000 70 900 000

(effective series resistance) of the capacitors rises
significantly at low frequencies. Thus, capacitor losses are
particularly sensitive to the low-order rectifier ripple current
frequency components (e.g., 360Hz, 720Hz). Figs. 9 and 10
illustrates the DC link capacitor ripple current profiles of a 6-
pulse ASD and the "windmill" 18-pulse ASD at the same
Figure 9: Simulated DC link capacitor ripple current profile of the 75hp
system including inverter SVPWM effect.
The estimated DC link capacitor lifespan of the 18-pulse
solution is about 150,000 hours as compared to 63,000 for the
6-pulse system.

786
 Lm: magnetizing inductance
150
150 Conditions: 'Windmill" 18-pulse 75 hp ASD with The electromagnetic torque impressed on the shaft of the
9;100 Lin 525 uH,
C 2800 uF, Full Load
U 50- induction machine can be expressed as [22]:
v:
C1
-50
Te =2xLm I x m [iqdsx iqdrl (17)
Where P is the number of poles and the last term represents
; 0.584 0.586 0.588 0.59 0.592 0.594 0.596 0.598 0.6
Time (Sec)
the imaginary part of the product of the complex stator
40
current and the complex conjugate of the rotor current.
Conditions: 'Windmill" 18-pulse 75 hp ASD with
30 Lin= 525 uH, C = 2800 uF, Full Load 260 Conditions: 6-pulse, 75 hp ASD with Lin = 525 uH
C =2800 uF, Full Load
* 20 Z 240
a)

10
C3
0 220 4
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000 10000 200
0.57 0.575 0.58 0.585 0.59 0.595 0.6
Frequency (Hz)
Time (Sec)
Figure 10: Simulated DC link capacitor ripple current profile of the 75hp E 10
18-pulse system including inverter SVPWM effect. y _ Conditions: 6-pulse, 75 hp ASD with Lin = 525 uH
C =2800 uF, Full Load
C. Induction Machine Torque Ripple u
50
The induction machine model employed is a d-q motor a)
00
representation [22]. Additionally, the rotational inertia of the
rotor and all rigidly connected rotating masses must be E- o 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000
included in the analysis. The motor pulsating torque is Frequency (Hz)
principally produced by interactions between the fundamental Figure 12: Simulated induction machine torque profile of the 75hp
electromagnetic flux and the 5th and 7th motor harmonic system including inverter SVPWM effect.
currents. The resulting pulsating torque can have undesirable
effects including vibration and audible noise. 260 Conditions: 'Windmill" 18-pulse, 75 hp ASD with
Figs. 9 and 10 show the torque comparison results between Lin= 525 uH, C = 2800 uF, Full Load
240
the 6-pulse and 18-pulse configuration. The "windmill" 18-
pulse system has a torque ripple reduction of 300o at 6th 0 220
harmonics (360Hz in the U.S.).
200
In order to calculate the phase currents for unbalanced 0.57 0.575 0.58 0.585 0.59 0.595 0.6
excitation, the three phase voltages can be transformed into a Time (Sec)
complex dq voltage space vector in a rotating reference frame ZE 20
Conditions: 'Windmill" 18-pulse, 75 hp ASD with
and then applied to the appropriate complex dq equivalent E 15 Lin =525 uH,C =2800 uF, Full Load
circuit for the induction machine shown in Fig. 11 [22]. Q 10
A
A A
rS IS ~~Jo LfAI j(ct)- q))A r
v:
u 5-
,°O
H 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000
+
Frequency (Hz)
v Figure 13: Simulated induction machine torque profile of the 75hp 18-
pulse system including inverter SVPWM effect.

D. Dynamic Load Step Change Response

Figure. 11: Complex dq equivalent circuit of a three-phase induction As seen in Fig. 3, the DC link voltage is supplied by the
machine in a rotating reference frame (c). uncontrolled rectifier bridge(s) (D,-D,8). It is important to
The definitions of the complex variables include [22]: maintain the DC link voltage as steady as possible to prevent
Vqds: complex stator voltage 'qds :complex stator current any disturbance to the ASD inverter and load operation. Fig.
Vqdr complex rotor voltage Iqdr : complex rotor current 14 shows the effect of a step increase in load from 40A
rs: stator resistance rr: rotor resistance output to 80A. The DC link voltage drops from 665V to
639V and reaches a new steady state value of 655V within
qds: stator flux linkage qdr rotor flux linkage one cycle of 60Hz. This rapid response decreases capacitor
Ls: total stator inductance Lls: stator leakage inductance ripple current on the "windmill" 18-pulse system as compared
Lr: total rotor inductance Llr rotor leakage inductance with a 6-pulse system. It leads to an increased capacitor life.

787
E. Input Voltage Unbalance Effects
In power distribution systems, the utility input voltage
unbalance is a common occurrence [17]. An operating point
for the 75hp ASD has been investigated consisting of the
following parameters: La = 525uH, C = 2800uF, 100% load,
and 0.500 input voltage unbalance. Fig. 15 demonstrates the
results. The simulated DC link voltage is at -670V and the
input currents are at 82A, 76A, and 82A respectively. The
input phase A current THD from simulation is 5.4°/0.
The "windmill" 18-pulse system is put into test for its
performance under the practical input voltage unbalanced
conditions. The experimental setup is shown in Fig. 16. The
input line-line voltages are measured to be 490V, 495V and
492V at the testing facility, a 0.6% unbalance with a DC link
voltage of 667V and a motor speed at 1748 RPM. The
measured three-phase input currents are 79A, 78A, and 81A.
The waveforms and the phase A current THD of 5.900 are
illustrated in Fig. 17. The simulation and the initial
experimental results agree quite well.
800

m 600
> 400 Figure 16: Experimental "windmill" 18-pulse system setup.
200- Conditions: 'Windmill" 18-pulse ASDwithLin= 525 uH DRRNETZ S9OM ORH4ETZ MUDEI 20e 17: ee E2 Dec-5-a85
--7
* C. .. SC

o
o 04 0o045 0o05 0o055 0o06 0o065 0o07 0o075 0o08 0o085 0o09
Time (Sec) Ui R
0 m
L
Conditions: 'Windmill' 18-pulse ASD with Lin =525 uH T -1I
S ..; .1
-o
-n S
; I
W_=rw rw~- u

100

C.- 100

0.04 0.045 0.05 0.055 0.06 0.065 0.07 0.075 0.08 0.085 0.09 1. BOIa-v-d2
V,o e! I Ms -di
di I1A h>diu
Time (Sec)
&RANETZ 880se lRRNETZ MOEL 8B Uc-05-05 17 2 i2 2
Figure 14: Simulated 75hp 18-pulse system load step response. HERIUNICS-CH R REF Sa. I P. EB0. Hz
Pt4uO Ithd 5 949 Z

800
+6
E. +

t0) 600

> 400
200 Conditions: 'Windmill" 18-pulse ASD with Lin = 525 uH
Vo 0.12 0.125 0.13 0.135 0.14 0.145 0.15
Time (Sec) s 15s 20 25 30 35 40 45 5B

Conditions: 'Windmill" 18-pulse ASD with Lin = 525 uH Figure 17: Experimental input phase A current profile.
v, 100
0
U 0o0 Note: Third harmonics in the AC line input current are due
V to unbalance in the AC supply voltage [21] .

Cl -100

0.12 0.125 0.13 0.135 0.14 0.145 0.15 V. CONCLUSIONS

Time (Sec) In this paper, an improved 3-phase to 9-phase "windmill"
Figure 15: Simulated 75hp 18-pulse system input voltage unbalance 18-pulse clean power ASD system is presented. A novel third
performance. harmonic circulating current calculation method is introduced

788
and used to investigate different topologies. A system [16] D. A. Paice, "Simplified Wye connected 3-phase to 9-phase auto-
evaluation demonstrates the steady state and dynamic transformer," U.S. Patent #6,525,951B1, Feb. 2003.
[17] K. Lee, T. M. Jahns, G. Venkataramanan, and W. E. Berkopec, "DC
performance of a complete rectifier and PWM motor drive. It bus electrolytic capacitor stress in adjustable-speed drives under input
is shown through modeling, analysis, simulation, and voltage unbalance and sag conditions," 39th IEEE Industry Applications
experimentation that the "windmill" topology improves the Society Annual Meeting (IAS), vol. 4, pp. 2560-2567, Oct. 2004.
input current THD, increases the DC link capacitor lifespan, [18] S. G. Parler, Jr., "Deriving life multipliers for electrolytic capacitors,"
reduces the induction machine torque ripple, and provides IEEE Power Electronics Society Newsletter 11, I St Quarter. 2004.
good step load response. Further, the arrangement performs [19] M.H.J. Bollen, "Understanding Power Quality Problems - Voltages
and Interruptions, "IEEE Press, 1999.
well under moderate input voltage unbalance conditions
[20] L. Wei, N. Guskov, R. A. Lukaszewski and G. L. Skibinski,
encountered in practical power distribution systems. The "Mitigation of current harmonics for multi-pulse diode front end
state-of-the-art simulation is built on the complete system rectifier systems," IEEE 40th IAS Conference, vol. 1, pp. 129-137, Oct.
consisting of the utility source, "windmill" 9-phase 2005.
autotransformer, 9-phase rectifier bridge, DC link capacitor, [21] D. A. Paice, "Power Electronic Converter Harmonics: Multipulse
inverter with space vector pulse width modulation (SVPWM) Methodsfor Clean Power, " IEEE Press, 1996.
and induction machine with load. A complete 75hp ASD [22] D. W. Novotny, T. A. Lipo, "Vector Control and Dynamics of AC
Drives, " Oxford University Press Inc., New York, 1998.
system has been manufactured and used to verify the [23] Web site:
accuracy and effectiveness of the analysis. Predictions from [24] "Electrolytic capacitor catalog 2003, North America," Evox Rifa, 2003.
the analysis compare favorably with experimental results. [25] J. Shaefer, "Rectifier Circuits: Theory and Design, " New York: Wiley,
The thorough evaluation presented in this paper will be useful 1 965-Interscience.
to guide the 18-pulse ASD selection in applications where [26] Westinghouse Electrical Transmission and Distribution Reference
excellent input power quality, long life, and reliable ASD Book, 4th edition, 1964.
load performance are essential.
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