Week-6 Challenge: EV Drivetrain

Question 1. Which types of power converter circuits are employed in electric and hybrid electric vehicle?

Answer:--

Before going into an Power Converter circuits we will see

"What is Power Electronics ?"

Power Electronics is an Combination of Electrical and Electronics power in other words It is an process and Control the flow of electric energy by supplying voltages and current in a form that is optimally suited for user loads and power electronics uses only how much power is required and in Electric Vehicles(EV) and in Hybrid Electric Vehicles(HEV) there is switching technique which is used to regulate the voltage how much it is required to start and move the vehicle and that switch is called as "Semiconductor Switch" and they are used by control signals

~Now we will see The Types of Power Converters That are used in EVand HEV

In Electric and Hybrid Electric Vehicles (EV/HEV), the power electronic converters are considered as the key elements that interface their power sources to the drivetrain of the EVs. In order to design highly efficient converters for the EV’s power system

There are Three TYpes of Power Converters That are used in EV/HEV

• AC DC
• DC AC
• DC DC

• AC DC:--

AC to DC converters are most commonly used in Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) & Plug-in Electric Vehicles (PEV). These vehicles get their propulsion power from an external electricity source (charging stations) which is alternating current(AC). The battery needs to be charged using a direct current source(DC). For this purpose, AC to DC converter is employed in a PHEV & PEV.They are Known as "RECTIFIER"

DC

• DC AC:--

The DC to AC converter is required to convert the dc power to a suitable ac power for the electrical machine. The power output from battery pack (DC current) is converted using inverter to be used in electric motor(AC current) and it is also known as "INVERTER"

• DC DC:--

DC to DC converters can be used to interface the elements in the electric power train by boosting or chopping the voltage levels. By introducing DC/DC converters one can choose the voltage variation of the devices and the power of each device can be controlled. The power of the DC/DC converter depends on the characteristics of the vehicle such as top speed, acceleration time from 0 to 100 Km/h, weight, maximum torque, and power profile (peak power, continuous power).It is Also Known As "CHOPPER" and if the Voltage has to decrese then it is called STEP DOWN and if the Voltage is Incresed then it is called STEP UP and these are used in cars for enforcement system

Question2. An Electric Vehicle's powertrain with 72V battery pack in shown in the diagram below. The duty ratio for acceleration operation is 'd1' and for the braking operation the duty ratio is 'd2'.

The other parameters of the electric vehicle is given below,

Motor and Controller Parameters:

Rated Armature voltage= 72 V

Rated armature current= 400 A

Ra= 0.5Ω, KΦ= 0.7 Volt second

Chopper Switching frequency= 400 Hz

The vehicle speed-torque characteristics are given by the below equation

What is EV steady state speed if duty cycle is 70%?

Answer:--

Given: -

The following input parameters are given: -

Battery pack voltage (V) = 72V

Rated armature current = 400 A

Armature Resistance (R_a) = 0.5Ω

Motor constant (K_Φ) = 0.7

Chopper Switching frequency= 400 Hz

Duty Cycle = 70%ω

Solution:-

Vehicle Output Voltage() = Battery Voltage(V)*Duty Cycle

= 72*0.70

= 50.4 V

So, the vehicle voltage is 50.4 V

Now, Equation for Vehicle torque is:

`Tv = V v *(K ϕ)/ (R a) - ( K ϕ )^2/(R a) *w..........(1)`

Where,

`Tv`=Vehicle Torque (N-m)

`Vv`=Vehicle Voltage (Volts)

`w`= Steady State speed of Vehicle (rps)

`Kϕ`=Motor Constant

`Ra`=Armature Resistance

Substituting all the values in equation 1, we get

`Tv = (50.4 × 0.7 )/0.5 − ( 0.7 ) ^2 /0.5 × w`

`T v = 70.56 − 0.98 w ^2 .................(2)`

Now, the vehicle speed torque characteristics is given as,

`T v = 24.7 − 0.0051 w^ 2 .....................(3)`

At Steady State,

Eq (2) = Eq (3) ...................(4)

`24.7 − 0.0051 w ^2 = 70.56 − 0.98 w^2`

`0.0051 w^2 + 0.98 w − 45.85 = 0 ..................(5)`

To solve the above eq we have to apply the QUADRATIC EQUATION formula,

`x = (− b ±(√b^2−4ac))/ (2a)`

`x = (− 0.98 ± √ 0.98^ 2 − 4 ( 0.0051 ) ( − 45.85 ))/(2 *( 0.0051 )`

`w`=38.92 rad/sec

So, The steady-state speed of the vehicle is 38.92 rad/sec.

Question 3. Develop a mathematical model of a DC Motor for the below equation using Simulink.

`ω = V/(Kϕ ) -(Ra)/(Kϕ ^2) *T`

Answer:--

Let us draw a model for the above equation. by considering the above data

Let `V = 50.4`Volts

`K ϕ = 0.7`

`R a = 0.5 Ω`

and also let consider torque as a linearly increasing signal.

Model:-

Simulink Model File :--

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1N8Gzb5qKjuU3wDtffMihGRWF4BUiFp2B?usp=sharing

Question 4.Refer to the blog on below topic:

Induction Versus DC brushless motors by Wally Rippel, Tesla

Explain in brief about author’s perspective.

Answer:--

Wally Ripple is a long-time proponent of electric vehicles. Prior to joining Tesla Motors, he was an engineer at AeroVironment, where he helped develop the EV1 for General Motors and was featured in the documentary movie, Who Killed the Electric Car? Wally has also worked for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on electric vehicle battery research, among other projects. In 1968, as a Caltech undergraduate student, he built an electric car (a converted 1958 Volkswagen microbus) and won the Great Transcontinental Electric Car Race against MIT.

In the beginning, the author describes the dominance of Internal Combustion Engines(ICE) in the world of automobile industry. He explains that all engines were similar and it was up to the user to select according to their requirement. Next, the author highlights topics related to EV technology especially related to DC Brushless Motor and Induction Motor.

According to him, DC Brush Motors is replaced by either DC Brushless Motor or Induction Motor. Also, the Lead Acid Battery is replaced by lithium-ion batteries for EVs.He also quoted that there will be the future of both the technology (DC Brushless Motor and Induction Motor) depends upon their demands and uses.

DC Brushless Motor:--

With brushless machines, the rotor includes two or more permanent magnets that generate a DC magnetic field (as seen from the vantage point of the rotor). In turn, this magnetic field enters the stator core (a core made up of thin, stacked laminations) and interacts with currents flowing within the windings to produce a torque interaction between the rotor and stator. As the rotor rotates, it is necessary that the magnitude and polarity of the stator currents be continuously varied – and in just the right way - such that the torque remains constant and the conversion of electrical to mechanical energy is optimally efficient. The device that provides this current control is called an inverter. Without it, brushless motors are useless motors.

The author also said that a brushless DC motor produces no starting torque when directly connected to fixed frequency utility power. They really need the aid of an inverter whose “phase” is maintained in step with the angular position of the rotor.

Advantage:--

The advantage of DC Brushless Motor is that there is low heat generation in the rotor and its cooling capacity is better as compared to Induction Motor. Also, peak point efficiency is generally higher for this drive. The DC brushless drive can also operate at unity power factor, whereas the best power factor for the induction drive is about 85%. This means that the peak point energy efficiency for a DC brushless drive will typically be a few percentage points higher than for an induction drive.

Disadvantage:--

As Machine size grows, the magnetic losses increase proportionately and part load efficiency drops. Permanent magnets are expensive and difficult to handle due to very large forces that come into play when anything ferromagnetic gets close to them.

Induction Motor:--

The technology behind the induction motor is that it basically uses a 3-phase induction motor which was invented by Nikola Tesla sometime before 1889. Unlike the DC brushless rotor, the induction rotor has no magnets – just stacked steel laminations with buried peripheral conductors that form a “shorted structure.” Currents flowing in the stator windings produce a rotating magnetic field that enters the rotor. In an Induction motor current interacts with the Magnetic field generated by the stator to produce a force which is required for rotor torque.

When a 3-phase induction motor is connected to utility type 3-phase power, torque is produced at the outset. The fact that induction motors are directly compatible with conventional utility power is the main reason for their success.

Advantage:-

The induction motor does not have any magnets and in this the B field is adjustable. The motor has the ability to start under load and there is no need of an inverter. In an induction motor B field is proportionate to V/f (Voltage to frequency). This technology is used to reduce the magnetic losses and conduction losses, due to which efficiency will remain at maximum peak. This all leads to increasing the performance, induction motor is very useful and efficient for high performance.

Disadvantage:-

An induction motor cannot operate from DC Voltage it always requires an AC voltage supply. In an induction motor, the Shaft speed is proportionate to line frequency. Hence, when used with utility power they are constant speed machines. When operated from utility power, they have limited starting torque and somewhat limited running peak torque capabilities, when compared to DC-type machines.

Diffrence B/W BRUSHLESS DC MOTOR and INDUCTION MOTOR:--

Both DC brushless and induction drives use motors having similar stators. Both drives use 3-phase modulating inverters. The only differences are the rotors and the inverter controls. And with digital controllers, the only control differences are with control code. (DC brushless drives require an absolute position sensor, while induction drives require only a speed sensor; these differences are relatively small.)

One of the main differences is that much less rotor heat is generated with the DC brushless drive. Rotor cooling is easier and peak point efficiency is generally higher for this drive. The DC brushless drive can also operate at unity power factor, whereas the best power factor for the induction drive is about 85 percent. This means that the peak point energy efficiency for a DC brushless drive will typically be a few percentage points higher than for an induction drive.

The Authour have Conculeded :--

In the end, the author couldn't choose which drive is better than the other but makes it clear that DC Brushless motor drives will likely continue to dominate in the Hybrid and upcoming Plug-in hybrid markets and induction motor drives will likely maintain dominance for the high-performance pure electric.

Conclusion:--

• Types of power converters used in electric and hybrid electric vehicles explained.
• EV stead speed at 70%duty cycle is 38.92 rad/sec
• Explained in brief what was author's perspective to Induction VS DC brushless motor.