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IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS, VOL. 33, NO. 1, SANUARYffEBRUARY 1997

Peter W. Hammond, Member, IEEE

Abstract-

A new approach to medium-voltage variable-

11. TRENDS IN LOW-VOLTAGE DRIVES

power factor of this new type of drive exceeds 94% at full load and is above 90% at 10% load. Motor voltage and current waveforms are improved so that torque pulsations are reduced. Peak voltage stress on motor insulation does not exceed peak input line voltage, and no zero sequence voltage is imposed. Drive efficiency exceeds 96 % . This paper describes the new approach and some of the results achieved. Index Terms- Harmonic cancellation, medium-voltage drive, motor-friendly drive, multilevel PWM, power-quality drive, series converters.

I. EXISTING MEDIUM-VOLTAGE DRIVES

HYRISTOR (SCR and GTO) current-source circuits have become the standard technology for medium-voltage variable-frequency drives for induction motors [ l]-[2]. They have found widespread application with centrifugal (pump or fan) loads, where they offer the advantage of higher efficiency than can be obtained from damper controls or throttling valves. The drives are simple, relatively economical, and highly reliable. In spite of their many virtues, there are still some drawbacks to these current-source drives. They inject significant harmonic currents into the supply line and operate at a reduced power factor as speed is decreased. Low-order harmonics at the drive output may excite torsional resonances. And, unless a dedicated isolation transformer is provided, the large commonmode (zero-sequence) output voltage may require extra motor insulation. Another drawback of current-source medium-voltage drives is their cost. Fig. 1 shows comparative cost per hp trends for 480, 2400, and 4160 VAC drives. It is clear that the cost per hp is much greater for medium-voltage than for low-voltage drives. One reason is that the components for medium-voltage drives are manufactured in lower volume than those for low-voltage drives. Nevertheless, Fig. 1 implies that several low-voltage drives are less expensive than one medium-voltage drive of equal total rating.

recent trend in low-voltage variable-frequency drives toward pulse width modulation (PWM) voltage-source designs. PWM voltage-source has inherent advantages regarding harmonics, power factor, torque pulsations, and common-mode voltage. This trend has seldom been extended to medium-voltage drives, partly because the new switching devices do not have the required voltage ratings to build a single-bridge converter at medium-voltage. Fig. 1 shows that if a way could be found to produce medium voltage by combining several low-voltage PWM converters, it should be cost effective. Such an approach would take advantage of the high manufacturing volume of low-voltage devices and would yield several other benefits to be described. 111. NEW APPROACH Fig. 2 shows such a new power circuit topology for a 2400 V drive. Each motor phase is driven by three power cells connected in series. The groups of power cells are WYE connected, with a floating neutral. Each cell is powered by an isolated secondary winding of an integral isolation transformer. The nine secondaries are each rated for 480 VAC at one-ninth of the total power. Each cell is a static PWM power converter capable of receiving input power at 480 VAC, three-phase, 50160 Hz, and delivering that power to a single-phase load at any voltage up to 480 VAC and any frequency upto 120 Hz. The cells are constructed to 600 V standards using 600 V class components. The power cells and their secondaries are insulated from each other and from ground for 5 kV class service. The power cells all receive commands from one central controller. These commands are passed to the cells over fiber-optic cables in order to maintain the 5 kV class isolation. For a 3300 V drive, Fig. 2 would be extended to have four
power cells in series in each phase, with 12 secondaries on

Paper PID 96-26, approved by the Petroleum and Chemical Industry Committee of the IEEE Industry Applications Society for presentation at the 1995 IEEE Petroleum and Chemical Industry Technical Conference, Denver, CO, September 11-13. Manuscript released for publication August 1, 1996. The author is with Robicon Corp., Pittsburgh, PA 15068 USA. Publisher Item Identifier S 0093-9994(97)00188-6.

the integral isolation transformer. For a 4160 V drive, there would be five power cells in series per phase, with 15 secondaries on the integral transformer. With three power cells in series per phase, the new drive can produce as much as 1440 VAC line-to-neutral, or 2494 VAC line-to-line. With four power cells per phase, the drive can produce as much as 1920 VAC line-to-neutral, or 3325 VAC line-to-line. With five power cells per phase, the drive can produce as much as 2400 VAC line-to-neutral, or 4160 VAC line-to-line.

0093-9994/97$10.00 @ 1997 IEEE

HAMMOND: A NEW APPROACH TO ENHANCE POWER QUALITY FOR MEDIUM VOLTAGE AC DRIVES

203

Cost per HP (Arbitrary Units)

12400 VAC,

c
0
100 200 300 400 500

600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300

INF4JT WWEC
3 PMSE AC
ANY VOLTAGi

Horsepower (Constant Torque)

Fig. I. Cost per hp trends for low-voltage versus medium-voltage drives.

IV. INPUTPOWER QUALITY The transformer secondaries that supply the power cells in each output phase are wound to obtain a small difference in phase angle between them. The phase angle differs by multiples of 20" for 2400 VAC drives, by multiples of 15" for 3300 VAC drives, and by multiples of 12" for 4160 VAC drives. This cancels most of the harmonic currents drawn by the individual power cells so that the primary currents are nearly sinusoidal. The schematic of a typical power cell is shown in Fig. 3. A three-phase diode rectifier, fed by one of the 480 VAC secondaries, charges a dc capacitor to about 600 VDC. The dc voltage feeds a single-phase bridge of four insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBT's), which generate the PWM output of the cell. As shown in Fig. 3, the input of one of the power cells is a simple six-pulse diode rectifier. The dc side of the rectifier is connected directly to the capacitor bank, while the ac side is fed by a dedicated secondary winding with approximately 8% source reactance. This combination results in a secondary current spectrum much better than nominal six-step, as shown in Fig. 4. Although the power cell creates a fifth harmonic current slightly greater than the nominal 20%, all higher order harmonics are below the nominal levels. The K-factor of the secondary currents is approximately six. The concept is that if the low-order harmonics can be canceled, the remaining high-order harmonics will have very low amplitudes. The degree of cancellation will be excellent because the cells are identical and equally loaded. With three cells per phase for 2400 V, the phase-shifted secondaries cause harmonic cancellation between the reflected secondary currents to produce an 18-pulse primary current. The lowest harmonic that is not canceled is the seventeenth, which is less than one-third of its nominal level at 1.4%. Table 10.3 of IEEE Standard 519-1992 [3] (reproduced as Table I) allows 1.5%of seventeenth or nineteenth harmonic for the most severe case. The next set of harmonics not canceled will be the thirty-fifth and thirty-seventh, where 0.3% remains and is allowed. The input current total harmonic distortion

I - CELL

Fig. 2. New drive topology for 2400 VAC service.

(THD) for the 18-pulse drive is below 3%, well within the 5% allowed. Thus, an 18-pulse or better configuration assures compliance with IEEE Standard 5 19-1992. Fig. 5 shows the phase A line-to-neutral input voltage and phase A current waveforms for the 2400 VAC drive in Fig. 2, under full load conditions. The waveforms shown in Fig. 5 represent the worst case for the new drive, when there are only three cells per phase. When the number of cells increases, as for 3300 or 4160 V drives, the waveforms improve. Fig. 6 shows the input voltage and current for a 4160 V drive at full power. With five cells per phase, the harmonic cancellation results in a 30-pulse input current. The lowest harmonic that is not canceled is the 29th, which is slightly under 0.5% while 0.6% is allowed. The input current THD for the 30-pulse drive is below 1%.

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IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS, VOL. 33, NO. 1, JANUARYFEBRUARY 1997

-LQCr
L

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L0C;L

CONTPOL

C I RCU 1 TS

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FIBER

OPTIC

5 I GbliiLS T C 3 +ND
FROM I,I-STER
CONTPOL

PERCENT OF FUNDAMENTAL AMPERES

25

2.5

0 35

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11

1 3

17

19

23

25

29

31

35

37

HARMONIC NUMBER

Fig.6. Input waveforms for the new 4160 VAC drive at full load (2000 V,
@%POWER CELL AC INPUT
CLASSICAL SIX-STEP

50 Mdivision).

Fig.4. Power cell input current spectrum versus six-step.

Fig. 5. Input waveforms for the new 2400 VAC drive at full load (500 V, 100 Ndivision).

Fig.7. Input waveforms for the new 2400 VAC drive at 10% load (500 V
10 Mdivision).

HAMMOND: A NEW APPROACH TO ENHANCE POWER QUALITY FOR MEDIUM VOLTAGE AC DRIVES

205

TABLE I CURRENT DISTORTION LIMITS FOR GENERAL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS (120 V-69 000 V)

Maximum Harmonic Current Distortion in Percent of 1, Individual Harmonic Order (Odd Harmonics)
ISJL

c11
4.0

llShcl7
2.0

17Sh;h<23 231;h<35
1.5

35Sh
0.3 0.5 0.7 1.0 1.4

TDD
5.0 8.0 12.0 15.0 20.0

<20*

20<50 50<100
100c1000

>loo0

7.0 10.0 12.0 15.0

3.5 4.5 5.5 7.0

2.5 4.0 5.0 6.0

0.6 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5

Even harmonics are limited to 25%of the odd harmonic limits above. Current distortions that result in a dc offset, e.g., half-wave converters, are not allowed.
*All power generation equipment is limited to these values of current distortion, regardless of actual ZJI,..

where
I , = maximum short-circuit current at PCC. I , = maximum demand load current (fundamental frequency component) at

PCC.

Ranoe

0 dam
VBW

15-Au~--1994

20 32
62

Res Bw 18 HZ B. SWEPT SPECTRUM

0
dam

Off

swp T i m e

26

sec

LOgMag

10 dB

/a1v

Fig. 8. Output waveforms for the new 2400 VAC drive at full load (500 V, 60 A per division).

-100
Start:
0 HZ

stop:

10 000

nz

Fig 10

Output voltage spectrum of 4160 VAC dnve at full speed

VBW

Range 0 dBm R e s BW 9 1 HZ

Off

16-AUg-1994 Swp T i m e

6 2 26

10 0 1 Sec

Fig. 9. Output waveforms for the new 4160 VAC drive at full load (2000 V, 50 A per division).

start:

0 HZ

Stop:

1 0 000 HZ

Fig. 11. Output voltage spectrum of 4160 VAC drive at 67% speed.

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IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS, VOL. 33, NO. 1, JANUARYIFEBRUARY 1997

Surge Withstand Capability of the new Drive at 4160 volts for a Rectangular Pulse at Full-Load, Nominal Voltage. Peak Kilovolts Line-to-Line

30
25

20

15
10

0 200

2000
Pulse Duration in Microseconds

20000

c ? Continuous (110% V )
Fig. 12. Surge withstand capability of new drive

Maximum no Trip

Maximum no Damage

The input power quality of the new drive type is maintained even at light load. Fig. 7 shows the same drive as Fig. 5, but at 10% of rated power. The power factor (watts over voltamperes) is still better than 90%.

V. OUTPUT POWERQUALITY Refer again to Fig. 3. At any instant of time, each cell has only three possible output voltages. If Q1 and 4 4 are ON, the output will be $600 V. If 4 2 and 4 3 are ON, the output will be -600 V. Finally, if either Q1 and Q3, or Q2 and Q4, are ON, the output will be 0 V. With three power cells per phase, the circuit of Fig. 2 can produce seven distinct line-to-neutral voltage levels (rt 1800, k.1200, k600,or 0 V). With five cells per phase, 11 distinct voltage levels are available. The ability to generate many different voltage levels allows the new type of drive to produce a very accurate approximation to a sinusoidal output waveform. Fig. 8 shows motor voltage and current waveforms for a 2400 VAC drive. The voltage shown is between phase A and the motor neutral (not the same as the drive neutral). The motor current is shown in phase A during full speed and full load operation. Once again, the 2400 VAC drive represents the worst case. Fig. 9 shows the motor voltage and current for a 4160 V drive at full speed and full load. The output waveforms have very little content of low-order harmonics, so that they are unlikely to excite any torsional resonance in the mechanical load. Fig. 10 shows the spectrum of the output voltage of a 4160 VAC drive at full speed (4160 VAC, 60 Hz output). Fig. 11 shows the same spectrum at 67% speed (2770 VAC, 40 Hz output). In both cases, there are no

Fig. 13. Removing a power cell from the new drive.

components present less than 45 dB below the fundamental frequency, between the fundamental and 4500 Hz. Note that the modulation sidebands in Figs. 10 and 11 are centered on 6000 Hz. The actual switching frequency of the IGBTs in the power cells is only 600 Hz. The

HAMMOND: A NEW APPROACH TO ENHANCE POWER QUALITY FOR MEDIUM VOLTAGE AC DRIVES

207

Fig. 14. Complete lineup for a 4160 V drive.

control is arranged to interdigitate the switching events of individual cells, so that the apparent switching frequency is much higher. This also minimizes the amplitude of the unwanted components, which in Fig. 10 are at least 25 dB below the fundamental. The spectra of Figs. 10 and 11 imply low-acoustic noise emissions from the motor. Some motors, in fact, sound no different operating from the new drive than from the utility. VI. OTHERADVANTAGES One important advantage of PWM voltage-source designs is their surge-withstand capability. Any lightning-induced surge arriving at the input of the new drive will have its prospective current limited by the transformer impedance. Surge current that does reach the power cells can easily be absorbed by the diode rectifiers and large capacitor banks. This contrasts favorably to current-source designs, which are inherently high impedance. Fig. 12 shows the surge-withstand capability of the new drive type at 4160 V. One area of concern with PWM voltage-source drives is extra stress on the first-turn insulation of the motor, due to fast-switching steps on the output voltage. This problem is exacerbated by long cable runs, where wave reflections can nearly double the step voltage. However, the new drive allows only one cell at a time to switch in each phase, imposing about a 600 V step. Even if reflective doubling should occur, the added stress on 5 kV insulation is minimal. The modular nature of the new drive allows two optional degrees of redundancy. An electronic bypass circuit can short the output of a defective power cell, so that current from

the remaining cells can reach the motor. A 4160 VAC drive can still generate 80% voltage and 100% current under these conditions, enough for 92% speed with a centrifugal load. If, in addition, a set of redundant cells is provided, the drive can still attain full speed. If problems do occur, microprocessor diagnostics allow quick identification of the location. The drive is packaged so that any power cell or any printed circuit board can be replaced in less than ten minutes. The photograph in Fig. 13 shows a power cell being replaced in a 1000 hp 4160 V drive. Fig. 14 shows a complete lineup for a 4160 V drive. The four compartments from left to right contain the load-break fused disconnect, the transformer, the power cells, and the control plus blower. VII. CONCLUSIONS

A new design approach for medium-voltage variablefrequency drives has been described. Examples have been given of the improvement in power quality offered by the new approach. More than 100 drives of this new design have been delivered as of this writing, with favorable field experience.
REFERENCES
H. N. Hickok and M. R. Wickiser, The gate-turn-off thyristor: A breakthrough for the retrofit of existing induction motors from fixed to variable speed, IEEE Trans. Ind. Applicut., vol. 25, May/June 1989. B. Wu, G. R. Slemon, and S. B. Dewan, PWM CSI inverter for induction motor drives, IEEE Trans. Ind. Applicat., vol. 28, Jan./Feb.
1992.

IEEE Recommended Practices and Requirements For Harmonic Control in Electrical Power Systems, IEEE Standard 519-1992, 1993.

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IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS, VOL. 33, NO. 1, JANUARYPEBRUARY 1997

[4] B Wu, G R Slemon, and S B Dewan, Eigenvalue sensihvity analysis of GTO-CSI induction machine drives, IEEE Trans Ind Applzcat., vol 30, May/June 1994. [SI F. A. DeWinter and L. M. Benke, Systems engineenng for large induction motor adjustable frequency drives, presented at the IEEE Petroleum and Chemical Industry Technical Conf., 1991. [6] F A. DeWinter and L. G. Grainger, A practical approach to solving large drive harmonic problems at the design stage, IEEE Trans Ind Applicat., vol. 26, Sept./Oct. 1990.

Peter W. Hammond (M71) received the B S E E degree from the California Insbtute of Technology, Pasadena, in 1962 and the M.S.E.E. degree from Case Institute of Technology, Cleveland, OH, in 1966. He joined Robicon Corporation near Pittsburgh, PA, in 1977 and has held the positions of Senior Engineer and Supervising Engineer in the AC Dnves Group He is currently Manager of Advanced Product Development He has been involved in power quality issues throughout his career at Robicon In 1993, he conceived of using multiple low-voltage cells in series to achieve medium-voltage output, with very high power quality. A patent is now pending for this idea. Since then, he has been responsible for developing Robicons Perfect Harmony line of ac drives, based on this concept.