CAREER: Power Electronics and Motor Drives Technology Enhancement Through Education and Research

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ECS-9702370 Husain The objective of the proposed career plan is to develop a strong power electronics and motor drives program linking undergraduate education with graduate research at The University of Akron. The outline of the proposed project is as follows. A research project and an undergraduate special program will proceed concurrently. Fundamental problems in switched reluctance motor (SRM) drives will be addressed in the research portion of the plan. A converter topology for SRM will be developed through undergraduate research guided by the principal investigator and a Ph.D. graduate student. The proposed research project will generate one Ph.D., two MS, and a group of specialized BS graduates. The education portion of the plan proposes to form an NSF Power Electronics Group through selection from junior level EE students. The applicant (principal investigatmr) and the Ph.D. student will supervise the group. The group will be guided through a comprehensive power electronics and motor drives program. The career plan will initiate a continuing program in the area of power electronics and motor drives. In the future, a group of undergraduate students and a Ph.D. student will be selected every year along with a suitable research topic. The plan is expected to be continued through industrial sponsorship after the completion of the NSF project. In addition, the PI will assemble a group of faculties from electrical, mechanical and chemical engineering to supervise undergraduate projects on electric/hybrid vehicles. The unique contribution of the proposed research is torque ripple minimization simultaneous with indirect position sensing control in SRM drives, and a novel, efficient, regenerative SRM converter topology for low-voltage applications. The indirect position sensing scheme to be developed will be suitable for all types of applications and will cover a wide speed range including zero speed. The scheme is based on sliding mode observer theory where the rotor po sition will be estimated as a state variable from terminal measurements of voltage and current only. The sliding mode observer has the advantage of insensitivity to parameter variation. The torque ripple minimization scheme proposed is based on optimal current profiling of the motor phase currents. The developed SRM model will consider the effects of magnetic saturation. The working schedule of the proposed research has been divided into four phases; (1) converter topology development,(II) indirect position sensor development, (III) torque ripple minimization, and (IV) integration of the drive. The proposed career plan will generate a group of specialized students from bachelors through doctoral level in power electronics and motor drives. The training period for these students in industries will be reduced significantly. Significant exposure of undergraduates to the research environment will attract more US students towards the graduate program. Fundamental research, not linked to any industrial development project, is possible through this proposed plan. The research will benedit the automotive, aerospace and consumer product industries.