Feedforward controller for synchronous reluctance machines

• US 7,078,876 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2004
• Issued: 07/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beaver Aerospace And Defense, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Pentadyne Power Corporation (Phillips Service Industries, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hofmann, Heath F., Khalizadeh, Claude
• Primary Examiner(s): Leykin, Rita
• Application Number:
  US10/887,344
• Publication Number:
  US 20050007061A1
• Time in Patent Office: 741 Days
• Field of Search: 318/254, 318/138, 318/700, 318/439, 318/701, 318/798, 318/800, 318/801, 318/803, 318/804, 318/805
• US Class Current: 318/400.01
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 21/06 Rotor flux based control involving the use of rotor position or rotor speed sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 25/08 Reluctance motors
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 9/30 using semiconductor devices

Abstract

The present invention provides an electromechanical energy exchange system with a variable speed synchronous reluctance motor-generator having an all-metal rotor. A bi-directional AC-to-DC electric power converter interconnects the motor-generator with a DC bus. First and second hybrid controllers provide current regulation for the motor-generator and voltage regulation for the DC bus. Use of both feedback and feedforward control elements provides a controller particularly suited for operating high speed devices.

Claims

1. An energy conversion system comprising:

a bi-directional AC-to-DC electric power converter interconnecting and exchanging electric power between a synchronous reluctance motor-generator having an all-metal rotor rotatably coupled to a flywheel and a DC bus, the power exchange being controlled by a plurality of current controllers operably coupled to the converter wherein a first controller is a feedforward controller, a second controller is a feedback controller and a control voltage output of each controller is a function of a peak current.

2. The energy conversion system of claim 1 wherein said peak current is controlled by a first feedback controller that limits the difference between the DC bus voltage and a DC setpoint voltage.

3. The energy conversion system of claim 2 wherein said peak current is controlled by a second feedback controller that limits the difference between the DC bus current and a second current setpoint.

4. The energy conversion system of claim 3 wherein said first feedback controller operates when the motor-generator converts flywheel mechanical energy to electric power.

5. The energy conversion system of claim 4 wherein said second feedback controller operates when the motor-generator converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.