Soft Starter
Soft Starter
Sneha M Mukare
(Electrical and Electronics Department, Hirasugar Institute of Technology Nidasoshi ,Karnataka, India)
ABSTRACT: Three-phase induction motor of ratings beyond 50 kW take very large currents and low power
factor while being started directly from a 3-phase supply. In order to mitigate the adverse effects of starting
torque transients and high inrush currents in induction motors, a popular method is to use electronically
controlled soft-starting voltages utilizing IGBTs. Normally soft-starters are used for avoiding this problem and
to achieve smooth starting of large capacity induction motors. Soft starters use ac voltage controllers to start
the induction motor and to adjust its speed. The performance of a voltage-controlled large induction motor soft
starter has been improved, resulting in nearly perfect current and torque profiles. Soft starters are used as
induction motor controllers in compressors, blowers, fans, pumps, mixers, crushers and grinders, and many
other applications. Starting torque pulsations are eliminated by triggering back-to-back-connected IGBT at
proper points on the first supply voltage cycle. The soft starter is connected in motor drive during the starting
condition only and once the motor get its rated speed then the soft starter is disconnected from the main motor
system so that the motor get protected. For analysis of the various waveforms Digital Storage Oscilloscope
Textronix TDS2024B is used.
Keywords- AC voltage controller, dspic30F2010, Induction motor, soft starter.
I.
INTRODUCTION
Like induction motor (IM) variable speed drives, soft starters are also essential components in every modern IM
drives and automation systems [1]. In almost every application the squirrel cage Induction Motor is used.
Whenever a squirrel-cage induction motor is started, the electrical system experiences a current surge, and the
mechanical system experiences a torque surge. With line voltage applied to the motor, the current can be
anywhere between four to ten times the motor full-load current. The magnitude of the torque (or turning force)
that the driven equipment will be in excess of 200% of the motor full-load torque. These current and torque
surges can be reduced substantially by reducing the voltage supplied to the motor during starting. AC voltagecontroller-based soft starters offer many advantages over conventional starters such as the following. Smooth
acceleration, which reduces stress on the mechanical drive system due to high starting torque hence increases
the life and reliability of belts, gear boxes, chain drives, motor bearings, and shafts.
Smooth acceleration reduces also stress on the electrical supply due to high starting currents meeting utility
requirements for reduced voltage starting and eliminating voltage dip and brown out conditions. It reduces also
the shock on the driven load due to high starting torque that can cause a jolt on the conveyor that damages
products, or pump cavitations and water hammer in pipes. Thus, a fully adjustable acceleration (ramp time) and
starting torque for optimal starting performance, provides enough torque to accelerate the load while minimizing
both mechanical and electrical shock to the system. Energy savings at lightly loaded conditions.
Energy savings by voltage control is achieved by reducing the applied voltage if the load torque requirement
can be met with less than rated flux. This way, core loss and stator copper losses can be reduced [2]. In this
work an attempt is made to develop a soft starter for a three phase Induction Motor drive. The soft starter uses
two anti parallel connected switches in each phase. The IGBTs are used as the switches in this work because of
their higher power rating and high efficiency. The Fig. 1 shows the block diagram of the entire system. In the
Fig.1 the motor is connected to the soft starter at the starting and once the motor get its rated speed then the soft
starter is disconnected and the motor drive system take the control over the motor. By using soft starter the
controlled voltage is applied at the motor input so the motor is protected and life of motor increases.
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II.
A.
Theory of Constant Volts/hertz Induction Motor Drive: The constant Volts Hertz control method is the
most popular method of Scalar control, controls the magnitude of the variable like frequency, voltage or current.
The magnitude of stator flux is proportional to the ratio of stator voltage and the frequency. If ratio is kept
constant the stator flux remains constant and motor torque will only depends upon slip frequency. Open-loop
speed control of an induction motor provides a satisfactory variable speed drive when the transient performance
characteristics are undemanding and when the motor operates at steady speeds for long periods. The demerit of
this system is that it cannot be used in the presence of supply voltage fluctuations and loads disturbances. Also,
when the drive requirements include rapid acceleration and deceleration, an open-loop system is unsatisfactory
because the supply frequency cannot be varied quickly without exceeding the rotor breakdown frequency.
However, when fast dynamic response and greater speed accuracy are needed, closed-loop control methods are
essential, but a precise feedback system must be used to sense the rotor speed and adjust the inverter frequency
accordingly. For adjustable speed applications, variable voltage and variable frequency is prevalent. The simple
principle is to keep stator flux(s=Vs/e) constant by changing voltage with proportional to frequency. Fig.4
shows the block diagram of the Volt Hz speed control method. The power circuit consists of a diode rectifier
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III.
A.
Experimental results and analysis of speed Control: Various readings for various speed-load
combinations are taken. Table no.1, 2 and 3 shows the reading for various loads, for the RPM's 1440 and 1350
respectively. Fig. 7 and 8 show the various characteristics for the set RPM's of 1440 and 1350 respectively.
Fig.6s shows the frequency variation of gate pulse for different speeds.
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Fig 7: Characteristics of actual RPM vs load for the set speed of 1440
B. Experimental results and analysis of Starting current with and without soft starter:By designing the IGBT
based induction motor soft starter the starting current is reduced to 30% to 50% of its rated current. The
developed IBBT based soft starter is included in the motor drive system and the starting current and voltage are
noted. The induction motor starting current and voltage are tabulated in Table.4 for with and without soft starter.
Table 2: Details of starting current with and without Soft starter.
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