Unit vector template controlled grid integrated and solar fed BLDC drive-based water pumping system

Abstract

With increased population and energy demand, the need to utilize renewable energy becomes so vital. The need to manage food demand globally also emphasizes the support to agriculture. This article proposes a unit vector template-controlled grid-integrated solar Photovoltaic (PV) powered three-phase Brushless Direct Current (BLDC) drive-based water pumping system. The proposed system includes solar photovoltaic, boost converter, voltage source inverter, single phase grid supply, single phase bidirectional voltage source converter, and BLDC-driven water pump. The solar PV is connected to the dc grid through the boost converter. An incremental conductance algorithm performs the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) of a Photovoltaic array. The power exchange between the dc-bus and the utility grid has been achieved through a unit vector template algorithm-controlled bidirectional voltage source converter. It allows a consumer to operate a water pump at maximum capacity for the whole day regardless of the weather and to supply a single-phase power grid when water pumping is unnecessary. A 3-phase BLDC motor-based water pump is driven by a 3-phase voltage source inverter, which is used for electronic commutation and to regulate the motor speed. The performance of the proposed system has been evaluated for different modes of peak, rms voltage and motor speed has been maintained around 255 V and 180 V and 2500 rpm respectively in all the modes of operation. Its practicality and trustworthiness are shown by different simulation results using MATLAB/Simulink version 2022bsoftware.