PARAMETER IDENTIFICATION AND

COMPARISION OF AN INDUCTION MOTOR MODELS

T Lehtla, J Joller, M Lehtla, J Laugis
Tallinn Technical University, Estonia

INTRODUCTION

During the last years, the significance of the squirrel cage induction motors in speed and position controlled
drives have grown drastically. The reason is the large-scale exploitation of the AC induction motors in the
technologies, which traditionally used DC motors. Furthermore, to achieve high efficiency of the
technology, many non-controlled AC drives are reconstructed by adding frequency converters and they are
used now as speed controlled drives. To attach perfect static and dynamic qualities of these drives, control
engineers need more information about the control object. Therefore, the importance of the models,
characteristics and parameter determination of the squirrel cage induction motor has markedly grown. The
most important means of the drive design and control is a perfect model of a motor. Moreover the model-
based control methods of the induction motor drives are most effective and usable.

MODELS

Many different models available for squirrel cage induction motors are successfully used for drive design
and control. Generally, these models can be classified as static or dynamic, single or multi-phase, linear or
non-linear, partial or integral (Fig. 1). In addition, models with lumped or distributed parameters exist. A
single-phase equivalent circuit with lumped parameters is the most traditional model of an AC induction
motor. However, for a squirrel cage induction motor, this model does not satisfy the conditions of exact
calculations.

There are many kinds of equivalent circuits, used to calculate the static speed-torque characteristics (Fig.
2). The equivalent circuits a and b could be successfully used for wound rotor induction machine. Several
modifications of the Kloss formula are derived from this circuit for the calculation of speed-torque
characteristics.

where - maximum torque, sp - pull out slip and s - current slip of the induction motor. The detailed
analysis of Kloss formula, and variations of this, are given by Risthein (1). Due to skin effect, in the case
of a squirrel cage motor, the calculated by Kloss formula speed-torque characteristic differs markedly from
the real characteristic. The method, offered by Risthein (1), allows us to calculate the torque in a large range
of slip variation s = 0...2. The torque can be calculated as a sum of two or three components. Each of these
components is similar to the Kloss formula. The basic advantage of the given method is the possibility to
calculate the speed-torque characteristic in a large range of rotor slip variation and the fact, that the
calculations take into consideration the real physical effects. Due to the skin effect and variation of the rotor
resistance during the starting process there are two torque maximums. The drawback is that it does not
enable the calculation of the speed-torque characteristic as a function of equivalent circuit parameters.
 Figure 1: The classification of models.

The scheme c (Fig. 2) could be used for induction motors with large airgap, such as the
magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) pumps and some types of linear motors. Because of the large airgap of
these machines, the mutual inductance between primary and secondary windings is small and secondary
effects can be considered in the serial circuit of the resistance and inductance. The Rr' and Lr' are complex
functions of the slip, conductivity and boundary effects of the secondary system. In special cases, also the
scheme d or e could be used. The scheme e is useful for the analysis of vector controlled AC induction
motor drive, where the electromotive force is observed and the AC motor like a DC motor can be accepted.
Figure 2: The equivalent circuits of AC induction motor
 Figure 3: The equivalent circuits for considering the skin effect of the AC induction motor

The skin effect in rotor winding can be considered if we use a special class of equivalent circuits. The
Figure 3 shows the three versions of equivalent circuits, which allow the calculation of the speed-torque
characteristics for a large-range of slip variation. The rotor winding equivalent circuit consists of a chain
of RL links with lumped parameters. The most suitable equivalent circuits are shown in Fig. 3a and 3b. The
number of rotor circuit resistance and inductance components may be varied. Furthermore, the rotor
inductance can be segregated into frequency dependent and saturation dependent components. The three
link equivalent circuit (ladder network) is shown in Fig. 3c and is described by Healey, Williamson and
Smith (2).

The usual approach is to divide the deep bars of rotor winding into selections and form two or more separate
notional "cages". The parameters of partial cages are then calculated from the proposed dimensions of these
selections. The multi-link (ladder network) equivalent circuit parameters can be computed by using single
slot finite element method and by approximate choosing of parameter values, which give best agreement
between the impedance of the bar and the input impedance of the ladder network, over the desired frequency
range (2). The idea of approximate choosing of parameter's values, using fuzzy logic controller, was
described by Grunin, Kulmar and Lehtla (3) and Lehtla (4).

Actually, the two and three phase vector models of the 3-phase induction motor are used. The dynamic or
vector models of the AC induction motor can be based also on single-phase equivalent circuits (observed
before), but for the describing of real rotating field machine, the two- or three-phase vector models are
needed (Figs 4, 5). The two-phase vector model has relatively simple configuration. Principally, this model
is used in the software of the vector controlled frequency converters. In this case the considering of the skin
effect is not needed, because the rotor current slip is near the rated value. The application of two-phase
model for the modelling or control of three-phase AC induction motor is possible by using of simple
additional co-ordinate transform.

The three-phase vector model has more complex configuration. This model is needed for the combined
modelling of power electronic and motor circuits. During last years the vector models have been implanted
into electronic design software packages, for example PSpice and Simplorer. For the modelling of the
starting process of the AC induction motor the skin effect in the rotor winding must be considered, because
the rotor slip may be varied in the large range. Therefore, in this case the vector model with modified
equivalent circuit on Figure 5 could be used.

Figure 4: Two-phase vector model of the AC induction motor

Figure 5: Three phase vector model of the AC induction motor with the modified rotor circuit
FUZZY PARAMETER DETERMINATION OF AN EQUIVALENT CIRCUIT

Parameter determination of an equivalent circuit for a squirrel cage induction motor is a complex problem,
because no reliable theory exists and no methods of direct measurements in a rotor circuit are available.
The skin effect in the rotor winding and the iron core saturation effect lead to complications in the modelling
process of a squirrel cage motor. Therefore indirect measurement methods and calculations must be used
for the parameter determination from the data given by reference or by experimentally measured speed-
torque characteristics.

It is relatively simple to calculate speed-torque characteristics from the data of an equivalent circuit, but it
is much more complicated to solve the inverse problem - to calculate parameters from a referred
characteristic, because an equivalent circuit can be varied and many different parameters can be chosen.

An alternative rotor impedance approximation by choosing of component values can be realised, if we use
the method, based on the step-by-step approach of the calculated from equivalent circuit and real measured
speed-torque characteristics. The displacement of two characteristics as a complex input variable for the
fuzzy logic controller is used.

The block diagram of the equivalent circuit parameter determination is shown in Fig. 6. The first operations
of this algorithm, as the speed-torque characteristic determination was described in the preceding section
of this paper. The following operation is the step-by-step approximation of the speed-torque curve, to
estimate the equivalent circuit parameters.

The input values for a fuzzy logic controller are obtained by comparing the speed-torque characteristics
calculated from an equivalent circuit and the reference. The displacements between two characteristics are
evaluated in four points. These points are the rated slip point, the maximum torque point, the minimum
torque point and the starting torque point (Fig. 7). These data may be used as referent inputs for calculations.
These data, compared with the results of the calculations, yielded 24 = 16 error functions. After the
linguistic evaluation of the error functions, the decision-making logic of the fuzzy controller is used to
approach the characteristics.

To evaluate of the linguistic values, terms less and more were used. The minimal rule base with 16 rules is
shown in Table 1.

TABLE 1 - Fuzzy rule base for 16 error functions

Min. and starting Nom. and max. torque

torque
LL LM ML MM

LL R1 R2 R3 R4

LM R5 R6 R7 R8

ML R9 R10 R11 R12

MM R13 R14 R15 R16

A more exact solution can be achieved, if there are three linguistic terms (less, normal and more) for every
variable used (Table 2). The dimension of the rule base grows markedly with the number of used terms,
because 34 = 81. The approximation process will be finished, when the value of the error functions becomes
smaller, than the allowed reference value, and the determined parameters of an equivalent circuit will be
printed out.

TABLE 2 - Fuzzy rule base for 81 error functions

Min. Nom. and max. torque

and
starting LL LN LM NL NN NM ML MN MM
torque

LL R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 R9

LN

LM

NL

NN

NM Ri

ML

MN

MM R81
 Figure 6: The algorithm of computer controlled determination equivalent circuit parameters

Figure 7: Four-point error functions of the characteristic

The rule base consists of IF x AND y THEN z kind of sentences. For example, in the case of the state
MLML (Table 1) and an equivalent circuit in Fig. 3a, the rule R11 can be realized as:

IF Tmin > T'min AND Tst < T'st AND Tn < T'n AND Tmax < T'max THEN values (Rs, Ls, Lr1, Lr2, Rr1,
Rr2, Rr) = new values (kiRs, kiLs, kiLr1, kiLr2, kiRr1, kiRr2, kiRr),
where the coefficient ki is a variable, which considers the value of error (displacement between two
characteristics) and the effect of different parameters to the speed-torque curve. The initial reference values
of ki are relatively large, but during the calculation process, if the approximate curve becomes closer to the
referred curve, the values of ki will also diminish.

The result of the computer controlled step-by-step approach of the speed-torque characteristics and the
parameters of an equivalent circuit for a VOLTA motor in comparision with BALDOR motors are shown
in Table 3 and Fig. 7.

TABLE 3 - Parameters of the equivalent circuit of different AC induction motors

Type0735M Type 0940M Type 4A132

Parameter
BALDOR BALDOR VOLTA

Power, kW 5,5 11,0 11,0

Nom. speed 1 800 1 800 1 500

Rs,  0.793 0.350 0.332

Rr,  0.155 0.086 0.089

Rr1,  2.24 0.931 1.249

Rr2,  0.533 0.261 0.178

Lm 0.164 0.117 0.121

Ls 0.00639 0.00393 0.0033

Lr1 0.00393 0.00190 0.0009

Lr2 0.00655 0.00455 0.0041

Figure 8: The computer controlled process of the step-by-step approach of the parameter determination
FURTHER APPLICATIONS

The further applications in the field of electrical drives are characterized with: 1) more complex control
systems; 2) indefinite conditions of function environment; 3) multi-dimensionality (MIMO - multi-input,
multi-output systems) and 4) knowledge-based approach to the control and identification problems.
Therefore more exact, but more complex, modelling and calculation methods must be used.

One of the most actual problems is the combined modelling of the power electronic circuits with
electromechanical systems. In the field of electrical drives, electrical apparatus and mechatronics, there are
many practical examples, where the power electronic circuits are loaded with electromechanical devices.
The electronic design package PSpice has large libraries of the electronic component’s models, but only
few models of electromechanical devices are available there. Therefore, we suppose to generate models of
electrical motors, relays, actuators, sensors and other types of electromechanical devices for the PSpice
environment, is important. As an example, the PSpice model with modified rotor circuit of AC induction
motor is shown in Fig. 9. The electromotive forces of this equivalent circuit are calculated as the functions
of stator and rotor fluxes. This and some other variations of the three-phase vector model of an AC induction
motor are developed and simulated by the authors of this paper.

Figure 9: PSpice equivalent circuit of an AC induction motor

, ,

, ,
 Figure 10: An example of PSpice simulation

Consequently, it may be concluded that the new models of an AC induction motor help us to solve special
calculation problems and that the computer-aided fuzzy logic controller is a most suitable means for several
tasks of parameter determination.

References:

1. Risthein, E. K matematitšeskoi interpretatsij mehanitšeskoi harakteristiki asinhronnogo

dvigatelja. Trudö TPI 627, Tallinn, 1986. (In Russian).
2. Healey, R. C., Williamson, S., and Smith, A. C. Improved Cage Rotor Models for Vector
Controlled Induction Motors. IEEE Trans. Ind. Applicat., Vol. 31, no. 4, July/Aug. 1995. pp.
812-822.
3. Grunin, O., Kulmar, L., and Lehtla, T. Computer controlled determination of induction motor
characteristics and parameters. PEMC '94, Warsaw, 1994. pp. 60-65.
4. Lehtla, T. Parameter identification of an induction motor using fuzzy logic controller. PEMC
'96, Budapest, 1996. Part 3, pp. 292-296.
5. Luo, X., Liao,Y., Toliyat, H. A., and Lipo, A. Multiple Coupled Circuit Modeling of Induction
Machines. IEEE Trans. on Industry Applications, Vol. 31, No. 2, 1995. pp. 311-318.
6. Borgard, D. E., Olsson, G., and Lorenz, R. D. Accuracy Issues for Parameter Estimation of
Field Oriented Induction Machine Drives. IEEE Trans. on Industry Applications, Vol. 31, No.
4, 1995. pp. 795-801.