Power Electronics and Control of High-Speed Electrical Drives

Dear Colleagues,

Interest in high-speed machines electrical drives has increased in recent years, together with the need to increase the speed of electrical machines characterized by a high number of pole pair thanks to the use of different flux-weakening techniques. We find applications of these drives in the distribution grid of the more electric aircraft, in high-speed actuators, in electric turbochargers for internal combustion engines, in direct-drive large generators for wind energy conversion systems, in high-performance electric drives for the industrial and robotics fields, and so on.

In all cases, there is the need to supply the electrical machine with a high fundamental frequency current, raising critical issues for power electronics and the inner current loops of the electrical drives. To obtain a good phase current control with low harmonics distortion, the switching frequency should be increased, or the architecture of the current loops should be modified to expand the bandwidth with limited switching frequency.

The goal is to minimize torque ripple and electrical machines’ power losses with the aid of suitable flux-weakening techniques, if needed and applicable to that kind of electrical machine.

In addition to specific controls, the aforementioned issues can be addressed with wide band-gap devices and/or multilevel topologies that allow decreasing the harmonic phase current distortion with suitable switching strategies for the command of power transistors.

Finally, studies can also focus on power converters solutions characterized by soft-switching commutations and/or a reduction of output common-mode voltage variations.

Prof. Dr. Giampaolo Buticchi
Prof. Dr. Emilio Lorenzani
Guest Editors

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