Control of Electrical Drives

Electrical drives play an important role as electromechanical energy convert­ ers in transportation, material handling and most production processes. The ease of controlling electrical drives is an important aspect for meeting the in­ creasing demands by the user with respect to flexibility and precision, caused by technological progress in industry as well as the need for energy conser­ vation. At the same time, the control of electrical drives has provided strong incentives to control engineering in general, leading to the development of new control structures and their introduction to other areas of control. This is due to the stringent operating conditions and widely varying specifications - a drive may alternately require control of torque, acceleration, speed or position - and the fact that most electric drives have - in contrast to chem­ ical or thermal processes - well defined structures and consistent dynamic characteristics. During the last years the field of controlled electrical drives has undergone rapid expansion due mainly to the advances of semiconductors in the form of power electronics as well as analogue and digital signal electronics, eventu­ ally culminating in microelectronics and microprocessors. The introduction of electronically switched solid-state power converters has renewed the search for adjustable speed AC motor drives, not subject to the limitations of the mechanical commutator of DC drives which dominated the field for a century.

Electrical drives play an important part as electromechanical energy converters in transportation, materials handling and most production processes. This book presents a unified treatment of complete electrical drive systems, including the mechanical parts, electrical machines, and power converters and controls. Since it was first published in 1985 the book has found its way onto many desks in industry and universities all over the world. For the second edition the text has been thoroughly revised and updated, with the aim of offering the reader a general view of the field of controlled electrical drives, which are maintaining and extending their importance as the most flexible source of controlled mechanical energy. Fachgebiet: Electrical Engineering Zielgruppe: Research and Development