ELECTRIC DRIVES

MODULE I
 ELECTRIC DRIVE
In most of the industrial & domestic applications like rolling mills,
paper mills, machine tools, pumps etc., the main requirement is motion
control.
Systems employed for motion control are called DRIVES. These
systems may employ any of the prime movers like diesel or petrol engines,
gas or steam turbines, steam engines, hydraulic or electric motors for
supplying mechanical energy for motion control.
Drive:-
- is a combination of various systems combined together for the
purpose of motion control or movement control.
- the drive which employ electric motors for motion control are called
Electric Drives.
 ELECTRIC DRIVE
Requirement of a Electric drive:-
An electric drive should satisfy the following requirements:
- stable operation should be assured
- drives should have good transient response.
•The speed-torque characteristics of motor should be such that stable
operation of the drive is assured in all the 4 quadrants over a wide
range of speed.
•The motor must have stable operation in the 4th quadrant.
•In case of a disturbance, the drive should return to its original
operating condition very quickly.
•If there is a step change in speed the drive must attain its new
operating point quickly without any large overshoots.
4-QUADRANT OPERATION OF A DRIVE
• Figure below shows the 4 quadrants of speed-torque plane
 ELECTRIC DRIVE
A drive:-
- should have precise speed control.
- should assure stable operation in the complete range of speeds.
- good transient behaviour.
- continuous, smooth & stepless control of speed is achieved very
efficiently and economically.

Drives are used for

– starting control, speed control, braking & speed reversal,
maintaining the system conditions required by the process being performed
by the drive.
 ELECTRIC DRIVE
Electric drive:-
- is an electromechanical device for converting electrical energy to
mechanical energy to impart motion to different machines & mechanisms
for various kinds of process control.
• is characterized –
- by the nature of speed-torque characteristics such as constant
speed drive or constant horse power drive.
- by the type of motor used in the drive eg.- DC & AC drives
 ELECTRIC DRIVE
• Selection of an electric drive for a particular application is the choice of
a system which provides
- the required range of speed control most efficiently & economically.
- desired accuracy.
- good stability of operation.
- good transient response.
- reliable requiring less maintenance.
 ELECTRIC DRIVE
• Applications of Electric drive:-
- driving fans, ventilators, compressors, pumps etc.,
- lifting goods by hoists & cranes
- imparting motion to conveyors in factories, mines & warehouses.
- for running excavators & escalators, electric locomotives etc.
• Classification of Electric drive:-
- in industrial applications – 3 types - as group electric drive, individual
electric drive and multi-motor electric drive.
- depending on the control schemes – 3 types - manual, semiautomatic and
automatic.
- depending on the speed control – as five groups- first, second, third,
fourth and fifth.
 ELECTRIC DRIVE- Classification
• Group electric drive:-
- consists of a single motor , which drives one or more line shafts supported on
bearings.
- line shafts may be fitted with either pulleys and belts or gears, by means of which a
group of machines or mechanisms may be operated.
- also called shaft drive.
- seldom used due to low efficiency.
- economically more attractive.
Advantages:-
- a single large motor can be used instead of a number of small motors.
- the rating of single large motor may be reduced appropriately taking into account the
diversity factor of loads.
Disadvantages:-
- no flexibility. If the single motor becomes faulty, the whole process will stop.
- addition of an extra motor to the shaft is difficult.
 Classification(Contd….)
• Individual electric drive:-
- each individual drive is driven by a separate motor. This motor also imparts
motion to various other parts of the machine.
eg.:- single spindle drilling machines & lathes
• Multi-motor drive:-
- consists of several drives
- each drive serves to actuate one of the working parts of the driven mechanism.
eg.:- metal cutting machine tools, rolling mills etc.
The drives of a crane can be considered as a multi-motor drive. This type of drive
incorporates 3 drives: first one for vertical movement, second one for side movement
and third one for forward movement. Each of these drives function separately and the
operator of the crane coordinates their functions.
Traction drive of an electric locomotive requires automatic coordinated
functioning of several drives. This drive consists of 4 to 8 motors and these motors
should be coordinated such that none loads the other.
 Classification(Contd….)
Classification based on control schemes:-
• Manual control:-
- a simple example- a room fan incorporating one switch and a
resistance for setting the required speed.
- a complicated example- a push button starter for a simple machine
tool or a hoist drive.
• Semiautomatic control:-
- these drives consists of a manual device for giving a command & an
automatic device which in response to a command operates the drive in
accordance with a preset sequence.
 Classification(Contd….)
Classification based on control schemes:- (Contd…)
• Automatic control:-
- these drives have a control gear without manual devices.
Advantages:-
- permits increased productivity & improves the quality of
production.
- reduced running costs. Hence economical production.
- reduces expenditure on electrical energy.
- improves reliability of the system.
- provides better working conditions
- simplifies operation of the equipment.
- makes remote control possible particularly when the drive is
inaccessible & local control is difficult.
 Classification(Contd….)
Classification based on speed control:-
Divided into 5 major groups.
• First group:-
- provide uncontrolled constant speed of rotation during normal
operating conditions.
- speed may be unidirectional or otherwise, depending on the
requirement of a particular mechanism.
- speed is permitted to fluctuate in response to variation in the
magnitude & direction of the load torque.
eg:- drives for pumps, ventilators, compressors etc.
eg. for bidirectional rotation- drives of a crane.
 Classification(Contd….)
• Second group:-
- provide step changes in speed during normal operating conditions,
maintaining constant speed within the step.
- rotation may be unidirectional or otherwise with or without speed
control during transient period.
- used in various machine tools.
eg:- in a drilling machine the drive has to provide different speeds for
different materials of the workpiece and diameter of the drill.
- step control of speed is used in heavy duty cranes & lifts.
 Classification(Contd….)
• Third group:-
- these drives provide smooth or narrow step speed control within
certain ranges during normal operating conditions.
eg:- electric locomotive drive – here a smooth speed control of traction
motor is required.
- main drive of a rolling mill – but here the requirement of speed
control is different.
 Classification(Contd….)
• Fourth group:-
- has to provide control for the fixed positions of the load.
eg:- drives for lifts, mine winders.
- used for – automatic production lines, for lifting & loading
installations in sugar and chemical industries.
• Fifth group:-
- used for position control in response to a command.
- also called servomechanisms.
- used in – recording and controlling instruments, copying devices for
machine tools, driving systems for radio and radar antennas.