Lecture 11

DC
Drives
EEE413_L11
Objectives









To learn & understand
the basic characteristics of dc motors
and their control parameters
the types and operating modes of dc
drives
the control requirements of four-
quadrant drives
Dr. Abdur Razzak
Power Electronics
DC drives
Dr. Abdur Razzak
Direct current (dc) motors play significant role in modern
industrial drives.
They have variable characteristics and are used extensively variable-speed
drives.
They can provide a high starting torque and it is also possible to obtain
speed control over a wide range.
The methods of speed control are normally simpler and less expensive than
those of ac drives.
Both series and separately excited dc motors are normally used in variable-
speed drives, but series motors are traditionally employed for traction
applications.
Due to commutators, dc motors are not suitable for very high speed
applications and require more maintenance than do ac motors.
With the recent advancements in power conversions, control techniques,
and micro-computers, the ac motor drives are becoming increasingly
competitive with dc motor drives.
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DC drives (contd..)
Dr. Abdur Razzak
Due to their ability to supply a continuously variable dc voltage,
controlled rectifies and dc-dc converters made a revolution in
modern industrial control equipment and variable-speed drives.

Controlled rectifiers are generally used for the speed control of
dc motor as shown in figure in the next page.

The alternative form would be a diode rectifier followed by dc-
dc converter.

In general, dc drives can be classified into three type:
1. Single-phase drives
2. Three-phase drives
3. DC-DC converter drives
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DC drives (contd..)
Dr. Abdur Razzak
EEE413_L11
Basic characteristics of DC shunt motors
Dr. Abdur Razzak
Equivalent circuit of separately excited dc motor
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Basic characteristics of DC shunt motors (contd..)
Dr. Abdur Razzak
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Basic characteristics of DC shunt motors (contd..)
Dr. Abdur Razzak
Under steady-state condition








The developed torque

The speed of a separately excited motor can be found from
Magnetization characteristics
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Characteristics of separately excited motors
Dr. Abdur Razzak
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Basic characteristics of DC series motors
Dr. Abdur Razzak
Steady-state average
quantities are







The speed of motors
can be determined from
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Operating modes
Dr. Abdur Razzak
In variable-speed applications, a dc motor may be operating in
one or more modes: motoring, regenerative braking, dynamic
braking, plugging, and four quadrants.

Motoring: In this mode, the back emf E
b
is less than supply
voltage V
a
. Both armature and field currents are positive. The
motor develops torque to meet the load demand.
EEE413_L11
Operating modes (contd..)
Dr. Abdur Razzak
Regenerative braking: In this mode, the motor acts as a
generator and develops an induced voltage, E
g
. E
g

must be
greater than supply voltage V
a
. The armature current is negative,
but the field current is positive. The kinetic energy of the motor
is returned to the supply. A series motor is usually connected as a
self-excited generator. This is normally accomplished by
reversing the armature terminals or the field terminals.
EEE413_L11
Operating modes (contd..)
Dr. Abdur Razzak
Dynamic braking: The arrangements are similar to those of
regenerative braking, except the supply voltage V
a
is replaced by
a braking resistance R
b
. The kinetic energy of the motor is
dissipated in R
b
.
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Operating modes (contd..)
Dr. Abdur Razzak
Plugging: Plugging is a type of braking. The armature terminals
are reversed while running. The supply voltage V
a
and the
induced voltage E
g
act in the same direction. The armature
current is reversed, thereby producing a braking torque. The field
current is positive. For a series motor, either the armature
terminals or field terminals should be reversed, but not both.
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Single-phase drives
Dr. Abdur Razzak
If the armature circuit of a dc motor is connected to the output of
a single-phase controlled rectifier, the armature voltage can be
varied by varying the delay angle of the converter,
a
.

At a delay angle, the armature current may be discontinuous, and
this would increase losses in the motor. A smoothing inductor, L
m
,
is normally connected in series with armature circuit to reduce
the ripple current to an acceptable magnitude.
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Single-phase drives (contd..)
Dr. Abdur Razzak
A converter is also applied in the field circuit to control the field
current by varying the delay angle,
f
.


The delay (or firing) angle is normally adjusted to give a zero
current; and additionally, a dead time of typically 2 to 10 ms is
provided to ensure that the armature current becomes zero.

For operating the motor in a particular mode, it is often
necessary to use contact for reversing the armature circuit, as
shown in the next page.

Depending on the type of single-phase converters, single-phase
drives may be subdivided into:
1. Single-phase half-wave-converter drives.
2. Single-phase semiconverter drives.
3. Single-phase full-converter drives.
4. Single-phase dual-converter drives.
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Single-phase drives (contd..)
Dr. Abdur Razzak
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Single-phase half-wave converter drives
Dr. Abdur Razzak
The armature current is normally discontinuous unless a very
large inductor is connected in the armature circuit.
t


t



t

a
m
a
V
V

cos 1
2

f
m
f
V
V

cos 1
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Single-phase semiconverter drives
Dr. Abdur Razzak
A single-phase semiconverter is limited to applications up to 15
kW. The converter in the field circuit can be a semiconverter.

a
m
a
V
V

cos 1
f
m
f
V
V

cos 1
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Single-phase full converter drives
Dr. Abdur Razzak
t


t

a
m
a
V
V

cos 1
2


f
m
f
V
V

cos 1
2

It is a two-quadrant drive, as shown in Figure and is limited to
applications up to 15 kW.
EEE413_L11
References

1. M. H. Rashid, Power Electronics Circuits, Devices &
Applications, 3
rd
Ed, Pearson, pp. 640691.
Dr. Abdur Razzak
EEE413_L11
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Good luck
To
Final Exam
Dr. Abdur Razzak
EEE413_L11