A general purpose regenerative test-rig using DC drive based load torque emulator

This paper mainly deals with a general purpose test set-up which enables the testing of machines and power electronic converters. The equipments which can be tested vary from DC machines, AC machines and power converters like single phase and three phase voltage source inverters (VSI). The whole arrangement is in such a way as to ensure bi-directional power flow between the test-rig and the grid. Thus the test-rig offers a flexible performance evaluation/research platform for testing machines and converters. Dynamic load and source conditions can be emulated. It allows circulation of power to enhance energy-efficiency while experimentation. The presented test rig includes a Squirrel Cage Induction Machine (SCIM) mechanically coupled to a DC machine, and three power converters. The control strategies used for electrical machines are torque control for dc machine and speed control for ac machine. Simulations of the test setup are performed with MATLAB/SIMULINK which demonstrates the feasibility of the technique.