A Low Cost Electrolytic Capacitor-less Induction Motor Drive Based on a Novel Open Loop Model Predictive Control Strategy

Abstract

Model predictive control (MPC) is gaining popularity for power electronics systems due to its various advantages. Hence, it is expected that MPC would be very effective for the control of home appliance motors. However, for the control of a low-cost home appliance motor drive, an open loop control would suffice. In this work, the option of using the MPC for the open-loop home appliance applications, is explored. In an open loop system, a feedback is not used but MPC requires a feedback to operate as it is closed loop in nature. Therefore, a virtual feedback generation (VFG) strategy is used, where the fed-back voltage is not sensed but calculated using the switching pulses and inverter dc-link voltage. Later this open loop MPC is further modified to use in an electrolytic capacitorless induction motor drive. In this drive the dc-link electrolytic capacitor is reduced to such a value that it can be replaced with a film capacitor of comparable cost. However, this causes significant ripple in the dc-link. But, due to the application of the proposed control strategy, the performance of the drive is not affected. Simulation studies are carried out in MATLAB/SIMULINK platform and presented in this paper to validate the various claims.