Electrolytic capacitors are widely used in various power electronic systems, such as adjustable speed drives (ASD) or uninterruptible power supplies (UPS). Their high energy density (J/cm 3) features make them an attractive candidate for smoothing voltage ripple and pulse discharge circuitry. However, electrolytic capacitors have the shortest life span of components in power electronic circuits, usually due to their wear-out failure. The main wear-out mechanisms in electrolytic capacitors are the loss of the electrolyte by vapor diffusion trough the seals and the deterioration of the electrolyte. Both mechanisms can result in a fluctuation of the capacitor's internal equivalent series resistance (ESR). In this paper, a real time diagnostic method of the ESR of the electrolytic capacitors in ASDs and UPSs is presented. This method is employed satisfactorily to estimate their deterioration condition. An on board implementation of this method is proposed, which can be very helpful for preventing down time and alerting plant operators to needed maintenance and/or replacement. The approach does not involve removing the capacitor bank from its device and relies on the fact that in steady state, the power in the capacitor is only due to the power losses in the ESR. An analog-DSP based diagnostic system has been implemented and experimental results from a 3-phase 6 kVA/230 V ASD are presented

A Real Time Method to Estimate Electrolytic Capacitor Condition in PWM Adjustable Speed Drives and Uninterruptible Power Supplies

https://www.mdpi.com/2218-6581/6/4/39/pdf

A Review on Energy-Saving Optimization Methods for Robotic and Automatic Systems

A vector control scheme is presented for a three-phase AC/DC converter with bi-directional power flow capability. A design procedure for selection of control parameters is discussed. A simple algorithm for unit-vector generation is presented. Starting current transients are studied with particular emphasis on high-power applications, where the line-side inductance is low. A starting procedure is presented to limit the transients. Simulation and experimental results are also presented.

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Vector control of three-phase ac-dc front-end converter

This work analyzes the effects of the input voltage unbalance and sags on the DC bus electrolytic capacitors in adjustable-speed drives (ASDs) in order to predict their impact on expected capacitor lifetime. The key phenomenon that causes these problems is the transition of the rectifier stage from three-phase to single-phase operation. Since the ESR (equivalent series resistance) increases at low frequencies, the low-order harmonic current components (120 Hz, 240 Hz, etc.) contribute disproportionately to the capacitor power losses and temperature rise, resulting in reduced lifetime. Closed-form expressions are developed for predicting these effects including the impact of finite line impedance, finite bus capacitance, and varying load. The impact of inverter SVPWM (space vector pulse width modulation) switching on the capacitor loss is also included. Simulations and experimental tests are used to verify the accuracy and effectiveness of the closed-form analysis using a 5 hp ASD system.

DC bus electrolytic capacitor stress in adjustable- speed drives under input voltage unbalance and sag conditions

This paper investigates the impact of input voltage unbalance and sags on stresses in the dc-bus choke inductor and dc-bus electrolytic capacitors of adjustable-speed drives (ASDs). These stresses are primarily attributable to the rectifier's transition into single-phase operation, giving rise to low-order harmonic voltages (120 Hz, 240 Hz, etc.) that are applied to the dc-link filter components. These harmonics elevate the ac-flux densities in the dc choke core material significantly above values experienced during normal balanced-excitation conditions, causing additional core losses and potential magnetic saturation of the core. It is shown that the effects of voltage unbalances and sags on the dc-link capacitor lifetime will be the same when either line inductors or a dc-link choke inductor are used if the dc choke-inductance value is twice the value of the line inductance. Simulations and experimental tests are used to verify the accuracy of predictions provided by closed-form analysis and simulation for a 5-hp or 3730-W ASD system.

Impact of input voltage sag and unbalance on dc link inductor and capacitor stress in adjustable speed drives

The overall performance and efficiency of a voltage source inverter (VSI) can be improved by selecting a combination of DC link capacitance and DC link inductance based upon a weighted optimization criterion. Developments of semiconductor technology have enabled present semiconductor devices to operate with improved power losses, to a great extent. However, there is still a considerable amount of power loss in the DC link capacitor bank and DC link inductor. These loss components are normally ignored to a certain level in terms of design/efficiency optimization, in the design phase of the drive. Therefore, there are additional opportunities to optimize the design by selecting the capacitor/inductance combination for minimum power losses or for any other optimum such as size and weight or cost. This paper describes the modeling of the PWM AC drive, AC motor and special modeling of the DC bus capacitor and DC link inductor, using the SABER simulator. The paper compares the SABER simulation results with the experimental data to verify the accuracy of the model, for given values of DC link inductance and bus capacitance as the first step towards modeling the overall system for accurate prediction of the drive performance.

Modeling and analysis of DC link bus capacitor and inductor heating effect on AC drives. I

The shared/common bus operation of AC motor drives is becoming popular in many industrial applications due to its advantages such as cost reduction, reduced space requirements and improved reliability. Depending on the application requirements, there are presently two methods to interconnect DC buses of AC drives: shared-bus; and common-bus. Very little or no work has been done in analyzing the use of such system configurations in industrial applications. This paper analyzes the different shared/common bus configurations in precharging, motoring and regenerating and addresses how to select the components, and connect the system together to ensure trouble-free operation, using PSpice simulations.

A.H. Wijenayake

Papers

Modeling and analysis of DC link bus capacitor and inductor heating effect on AC drives. I

Modeling and analysis of shared/common DC bus operation of AC drives. I