Including core losses in induction motors dynamic model

Abstract

Energy efficiency improvement is the main target of many recent studies in various domains, especially for electrical drives which constitute the core of industrial applications. The simulation of induction motors is based on static and dynamic models that allow the study of their mechanical performances, as well as their power consumption and losses. However, the commonly used dynamic model doesn't take into consideration the core losses in the motor, which have a significant impact on its energy efficiency. The purpose of this paper is to present two methods for including core losses in the dynamic model of squirrel-cage induction motors (IM) in addition to the copper and mechanical losses that are already taken into consideration in the commonly used model. Core losses are introduced as an equivalent torque reduction in the mechanical equation, or as an equivalent resistor in the model's equations. The proposed model is essential for future studies aiming to improve the energy efficiency of the motor. Both methods are analyzed and simulated using Matlab/Simulink and the obtained results are experimentally validated. The performances of these proposed methods are compared in order to find the best suitable method for future applications and induction motor studies.