PID183377.

DOC 1 of 5 pages
New Technology for Speed Control of Wound Rotor Motors
Barry Dick
Senior Application Engineer
TM GE Automation Systems
PWM drive technology can be applied to wound rotor motors for adjustable speed operation as slip power
recovery (SPR) drives. The PWM converter implementation of the SPR control approach overcomes the
disadvantages of older current source SPR drives and adds new capability. While the application to
wound rotor motors is new, the PWM drive technology is well-proven in powering low voltage (690 Vac
and lower) squirrel cage induction motors in many applications. This paper describes the PWM SPR drive
and how it is applied to the wound rotor motor.

Wound Rotor Induction Motor Basics
Generally, a wound rotor induction motor
(WRIM) is characterized by a stator with a
three-phase winding just like a squirrel cage
induction motor. The difference between the
two motors is in the rotor. In the WRIM, the
rotor also has a three-phase winding, usually
connected in a wye (star) configuration, and
brought out to slip rings on the shaft (see Figure
1). With appropriate brushes and brush rigging,
external circuits can be connected to the rotor
circuit to have desired effects on the motor
performance.
3-phase
stator
connections
3-phase
rotor
connections
Stator
Rotor

Figure 1. Wound Rotor Motor Circuit
Having access to the rotor circuit allows direct
measurement of the rotor voltage as a function
of shaft speed. A critical design parameter of
the WRIM is the open circuit rotor voltage (V
oc
)
with full voltage applied to the stator and the
rotor locked. In this condition, the WRIM is
simply a transformer, as there is an effective
turns ratio (by design) between the applied
stator voltage and the induced rotor voltage.
Also, because the rotor is not turning, the
frequency of the rotor voltage is the same as
the stator voltage. If the rotor is rotated (by a
separate device) in the same direction that the
motor torque would move it, the rotor voltage
and frequency will linearly decrease to 0 at the
synchronous speed of the motor (see Figure 2).
This voltage characteristic is important to the
application of an adjustable speed drive to the
rotor of the WRIM.
Speed
Voltage
Voc
100% 50%
0
Typical SPR
Operating
Speed Range
Starting Circuit
Operation
SPR
Maximum
Voltage

Figure 2. WRIM Rotor Voltage-Speed
Characteristic
The most common use of an external circuit
connected to the rotor is adding resistance to
the rotor circuit. The resistance can be in the
form of a liquid rheostat or discrete resistors
with contactors. Adding the external resistance
has the effect of reducing the inrush current for
softer starting and changing the speed at which
the motor develops maximum torque. With the
proper resistance, the very high torque can be
developed at low speeds. If the resistance can
be changed, the motor speed can be varied,
though the current flowing in the resistor causes
wasted energy.
Slip Power Recovery Drive History
In order to avoid wasting the energy dissipated
in the passive rotor circuit elements, slip power
recovery drives were developed about 30 years
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ago. The power conversion equipment of time
was commonly low voltage (<1000 V) and used
diodes and thyristors. The capability of this
equipment, both in power and in control
capabilities, fit well with a slip power recovery
system. Powering a medium voltage induction
motor (either squirrel cage rotor or wound rotor)
simply was not feasible for drives of this period.
The resulting SPR drives of the time were
effective as saving energy compared to simple
resistors in the rotor circuit. A diagram of the
most common example SPR drive of the time is
shown in Figure 3.
Starting Circuit
3-phase Diode
Rectifier
3-phase
Thyristor Inverter
DC Link Circuit
with Reactor
Power Feedback
Transformer
Wound Rotor
Induction Motor
Power Supply
Bus

Figure 3. CS-SPR Circuit Diagram
To operate the motor, it must first be started
from standstill and accelerated to a speed at
which the SPR drive could take over operation.
Most loads required operation over a limited
speed range, e.g., 50 100%. The starting
circuit, either resistors and contactors or a liquid
rheostat, would be sized for the required
starting torque. Controls would sequence the
contactors to accelerate the motor in a
controlled manner up to the operating speed of
the SPR drive. The starting circuit would then
be taken out of operation and the SPR enabled.
Once the motor was operating on the SPR drive,
the rotor current was all passing through it to
the feedback transformer to pass power back to
the system. One method for visualizing the
operation of the SPR drive is to understand
there is power taken into the stator of the motor
and passed to the rotor. The SPR drive makes it
possible to control the power that is returned to
the power system and thereby reduce the
torque the motor can deliver to the driven
equipment. When the output torque is reduced
on a variable torque load, the motor speed
decreases. Figure 4 is a representation of this
balance between mechanical output power and
regenerated power. Actually, the external
resistor in the rotor circuit will do the same
function, but the energy is wasted.
The early SPR drives accomplished this control
of power by passing the rotor current through a
diode rectifier to form a dc link with a smoothing
reactor. A thyristor inverter is at the other end
of the dc link. The inverter makes constant
frequency output current at the utility frequency.
It is important to recognize that all the rotor
current is being passed through the SPR drive in
this case. Therefore, it will be called a current
source (CS-) SPR drive. A transformer is
connected to the inverter to match the inverter
output voltage to the utility system voltage.
Stator
Power
Stator
Loss
Rotor
Power
Rotor
Loss
Regenerated
Power
Mechanical
Power
Utility
Power

Figure 4. WRIM Power Flow Diagram
The requirement to pass all the rotor current
through the current source SPR drive converters
resulted in some significant shortcomings. One
was very low power factor operation as
relatively high motor loads. This is due to the
necessity of circulating high currents in the rotor
circuit to make high motor torque and the
relatively small amount of power feedback to
the power system. The result is low power
factor operation. The feedback transformer
connecting the inverter to the power system had
to be sized to handle the rotor current while
operating at near zero voltage, but also had to
operate with maximum SPR voltage at minimum
speed. Therefore, it was significantly oversized
for the power to be passed back to the power
system.
There were also considerations for harmonic
torques developed on the motor shaft due to the
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6-pulse characteristics of the diode rectifier
connected to the rotor. These pulsations
required special damped couplings between the
motor and load, especially for high inertia loads.
The voltage drops in the rectifier and inverter
imposed limits on the maximum speed the SPR
drive could operate the motor.
In summary, the CS-SPR works and provides
speed control of the WRIM, but with some
disadvantages in equipment sizing and reactive
power demand.
PWM SPR Drive
Pulse Width Modulated (PWM) drives are
presently widely available for both low voltage
and medium voltage squirrel cage induction
motors. These drives power the motor through
the stator. However, low voltage PWM drives
are suitable for use as an SPR drive. The
inherent characteristics of the PWM converters
can overcome the disadvantages of the older
current source SPR drive.
A simplified diagram of a PWM SPR drive is
shown in Figure 5. Both the power converters
use IGBT switching devices. One converter has
its ac input terminals connected to the motor
rotor, while the other converter has its ac
terminals connected to the feedback transformer.
In most applications, a starting circuit will be
necessary to accelerate the motor to the SPR
minimum operating speed.
Starting Circuit
PWM Rotor
Converter
PWM Source
Converter
Power Feedback
Transformer
Wound Rotor
Induction Motor
Power Supply
Bus
Source
Reactor

Figure 5. PWM SPR Drive Circuit Diagram
In practice, the converter connected to the rotor
is like an inverter that is connected to the motor
stator in a standard motor drive. The converter
connected to the feedback transformer is a PWM
source converter that is used in any
regenerative application.
The power conversion hardware used for the
SPR is the same as for a drive that supplies
power to a squirrel cage motor. The direction of
power flow is different, however. In the SPR,
when the motor speed is reduced below rated
speed, power is taken off the rotor and passed
back to the power system. Therefore, the
inverter connected to the rotor is actually
taking ac power off the rotor and passing it to
the dc link. At the other side of the dc link, the
regenerative source converter takes the power
off the dc link and makes it into constant
frequency ac power at the utility frequency. So,
the SPR drive operates in regeneration mode
anytime the motor is operating below rated
speed.
This regeneration mode is a standard operation
mode for a conventional drive that feeds the
stator of an induction motor. When a squirrel
cage motor must be braked quickly due to an
overhauling load, power must be taken from the
motor and passed back to the power system or
dissipated in resistors. When an application
repeatedly requires such braking, a regenerative
converter is used that can pass the power back
to the power system.
The SPR drive hardware, then, has been in use
for more than five years as a family of low
voltage (<690 Vac) induction motor drives. The
power circuits were unchanged, but the control
in the rotor converter needed some
modifications.
Advantages of the PWM SPR Drive
The PWM SPR drive controls the motor speed in
a similar manner as the current source SPR drive.
That is, the PWM SPR drive returns a portion of
the rotor power to the power system, thus
controlling the power available for making
torque to drive the load. However, the
characteristics of the PWM converters give this
implementation significant advantages over the
CS-SPR drive.
The PWM SPR drive operates as a voltage
source converter with capacitors in the dc link
between the rotor converter and the source
converter. The presence of the capacitor bank
means the rotor current can circulate in the
rotor converter and capacitors, and does not
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have to pass through to the source converter.
Therefore, the source converter can be sized for
the actual power to be regenerated to the
power system, not for the rotor current. Also,
the source converter can supply the power at
unity power factor instead of at low power
factor. The proper rating of the source
converter also means the feedback transformer
can be rated for the power it must pass, not for
the rotor current. This change is a significant
shift in reducing the cost of the system and
making the SPR drive a better load on the plant
power system.
The harmonic impact of the rotor converter and
source converters are reduced compared to the
CS-PWM drive. On the rotor, the elimination of
6-pulse harmonics means damped couplings are
not needed between the motor and load. Rotor
winding heating is also reduced compared to
operation with 6-pulse currents with 30% total
harmonic current distortion. The expected rotor
harmonic currents are 4% or less with the PWM
SPR. On the power system side, the source
converter has a higher frequency harmonic
spectrum than a thyristor inverter. The
harmonic currents are controlled with
impedance and can be filtered more with
relatively simple filters compared to the 6- or
12-pulse thyristor inverters.
A practical advantage of the PWM SPR drive is
its reliance on state-of-the-art power conversion
hardware that is in present production. Most
CS-SPR drives are becoming quite old and hard
to repair. The PWM SPR drive offers a
replacement that will be current technology for
some time to come.
Of course, the PWM SPR drive has the same
energy saving benefits as the current source
SPR drive when compared to a liquid rheostat
speed control.
PWM SPR Application Considerations
Applying a PWM SPR drive to a particular motor
requires some knowledge of the application.
The data includes the motor rating, rotor open
circuit voltage, rotor maximum current rating,
expected speed range for speed control, and the
load type.
The rotor data and controlled speed range
determine the rating of the rotor converter. For
example, consider a motor with a 1000 Vac
open circuit voltage, 900 Aac maximum rotor
current, and a 60% speed range. The rotor
voltage and speed requirements mean a rotor
converter with a 600 Vac minimum voltage
rating, as the rotor voltage will be 600 Vac at
40% motor speed. The rotor converter must
carry the full rotor current at full motor load, so
this determines the capacity of the rotor
converter.
The source converter must be selected with
regard to the maximum power to be
regenerated to the power system. This power
can be determined from the controlled speed
range, the motor nameplate power, and the
type of load being driven.
Determining the power to be regenerated starts
with recognizing the stator power passes to the
rotor, and in per unit quantities, is given by:
s rotor stator
T P P = =
for any operating condition, neglecting motor
losses. T = motor output torque and
s
is the
stator electrical frequency. But in per unit, the
stator electrical frequency is constant and
always equal to 1. Therefore, we recognize the
power going into the motor is always
proportional to the output torque. Next,
neglecting loss in the rotor, the rotor power can
be divided between the power regenerated to
the power system and the mechanical power
transmitted to the load:
mech rotor regen
P P P = .
Next, substituting for P
rotor
and recognizing the
output mechanical power is proportional to rotor
speed,
r
, and output torque, T, the following
results:
) 1 (
r r regen
T T T P = = .
Then s
r
=1 , where s is the slip between
the stator and rotor frequencies in per unit.
So an alternate form for the regenerated power
is
T s P
regen
= , in per unit of the motor rated
power. The result means the regenerated
power is equal to the slip at minimum speed (in
per unit) times the load torque at that speed
(also in per unit). A simple case to consider is a
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constant torque load. The stator and rotor
power is constant at rated power over the whole
speed range. At 50% speed (s = 0.5), the
required mechanical power is 0.5 per unit, so
the regenerated power must be the difference,
which is also 0.5 per unit of the motor power
rating.
For constant torque loads, the regenerated
power can be seen to be proportional to the
lowest speed at which the motor is to be
operated.
A variable torque load has a torque
characteristic in which the torque varies with the
square of speed in per unit. Using this fact in
the equation relating regenerated power to rotor
speed gives
) 1 (
2
r r regen
P = .
Finding the maximum for the P
regen
function
shows the maximum power is regenerated at
0.66 pu speed. The magnitude is 0.15 pu of
motor rated power. Figure 6 is a graphic
representation of these relationships for a
variable torque load.
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
Motor Speed (pu)
P
o
w
e
r

(
p
u

o
f

m
o
t
o
r

r
a
t
i
n
g
)
Rotor Power Load Power Regen Power

Figure 6. Power Diagram for SPR with VT Load
Conclusion
Standard PWM drive power converters can be
applied to slip power recovery applications with
appropriate control modifications. The low
voltage (<690 Vac) converters are well-proven
hardware and can be used with high confidence
because they are also used for standard
induction motor drive applications. Using the
modern PWM drive technology for SPR
applications eliminates the disadvantages of the
older current source-type SPR drives. These
disadvantages include low power factor
operation at high load and torque pulsations in
the motor shaft. The PWM SPR system can
operate the motor closer to synchronous speed
than the older system and is actually capable of
super synchronous operation, if the motor is
rated for such operation. The PWM SPR drive
offers the possibility for a lower cost retrofit
option for wound rotor motors (with older SPR
drives or with resistor speed control) compared
to fully rated drives connected to the motor
stator. It can also be cost effective for new
wound rotor motors when speed control is
necessary.
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