A new scheme for sensorless induction motor control drives operating in low speed region Original Research Article

A novel simple stator resistance estimation technique for high-performance induction motor drives is proposed. It makes use of a synchronously revolving reference frame aligned with the stator current vector, so that the resistance can be straightforwardly derived from the mathematical model of the induction motor. A sensorless direct field orientation scheme is employed to validate the proposed solution, with the drive operating in the critical area of low speeds. A combination of two observers is used: a Kalman filter observer to estimate the rotor flux, and a MRAS observer for speed estimation. The stator resistance estimator alleviates the usual performance degradation of MRAS-based drives at low speeds, caused by the thermal drift of stator resistance. Computer simulations, including realistic disturbances, show high effectiveness of the described approach.