Variable-Speed Five-Phase Induction Motor Drive Based on Predictive Torque Control

Multiphase electric drives have been recently proposed for applications where the highest overall system reliability and a reduction in the total power per phase are required. Strategies derived from the conventional field-oriented control have been traditionally used in high-performance speed-control applications of multiphase drives. The well-known direct torque control (DTC) technique has been also applied in the multiphase case, but the achieved performance with a hysteresis-control-based approach is far from that obtainable with the three-phase drive, although the control structure is actually more complex. In this paper, a predictive-torque-control method is introduced as an alternative to the DTC technique for the high-performance variable-speed operation of multiphase drives. Simulation and experimental results are provided to illustrate the properties of the developed method.