Real-Time Implementation of Starting Current Limitation Method for Cereals Milling Systems Using dSPACE R&D Controller Board

Abstract

In this paper, a starting current limitation method of a cereals milling system powered by a photovoltaic micro-grid is proposed. Today, the milling system consisting of a locally designed hammer mill driven by an induction motor is recognized as an innovative and efficient cereal milling solution. For this purpose, they are increasingly being developed in urban and rural areas. Although they offer many advantages, they have some limitations, such as the electromagnetic torque oscillations and the high inrush current at startup. A starting current limitation method based on soft starting technique is proposed to mitigate these negative effects in the transient state. To develop the proposed method, the scalar control principle is used. The scalar control is a simple technique, and it is operated to control the voltage magnitude and the supply frequency. The proposed method has been simulated and compared to conventional direct-on-line starting to evaluate its performance. Simulation results show that the method achieves a predominant performance over the conventional, providing a significant reduction in inrush current while having a lower electromagnetic torque ripple. To validate the method in real-time, an experimental test environment was developed using a dSPACE R&D 1104 controller board, an induction motor, and a SEMIKRON converter. Real-time experimental results show positive feedback on the proposed current limitation method's efficiency and effectiveness by corroborating the simulation results.