Real time systems for teaching induction motor drives

This paper presents a full real time system for educational purposes which includes the hardware and software descriptions to achieve a complete laboratory setup in order to teach induction motor drives. The induction motor drives schemes have sometimes similar operational and control blocks which can be called general blocks. In this paper the general blocks are developed and tested for generating a full real time system instead of a single induction motor electric drive scheme. These general blocks (GB) are used in both simulation and experimental design stages without substantial changes. Hence, a small number of GB is required in a basic electric drive course for the purpose of designing experimental electric drive knowledge. Not only do general blocks allow understanding the fundamental principles of electric drives, but also they could be applied for designing complex electric drives topologies. This laboratory setup allows evaluating the most important control blocks used in electric drives in a short period of time for understanding and developing complex control schemes as Space Vector Modulation, Direct Torque Control and V/F for electric drives. To implement the real time system a power evaluation board isolated was used as the main interface between the control system and the electric motor. The dsPACE card was the platform for designing and implementing the real time system. A set of simulation and experimental results were conducted to validate the GB.