AUTOMATIC IC CONTROL OF 3 PHASE MOTORS

(ADVANCES IN ELECTRICAL MACHINES)

CONTENTS

ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION DESCRIPTION OF CONTROLLER UNIT

o o o o o o o o 3-PHASE SEQUENCE CHECKER AUTO STARTER & CURRENT SENSING CIRCUIT MOTOR ON/OFF COUNTER & LATCH MOTOR ON-OFF TIMER FIGURE IMPORTANT PARTS DESCRIPTION TABLE I & TABLE II POWER SUPPLY

SPARKLING FEATURES OF THE SYSTEM REFERENCES

ABSTRACT

"Automatic IC control of three phase motors" is one of the latest advancements in electrical machines. This paper focuses on several advancements that overcomes the shortcomings, such as line dropout, single phasing, overload damage and reverse phasing, present in the existing systems using 3-phase motors. The 3-phase motor controller circuit presented here is fully IC based, which is designed to work in difficult environmental conditions. This drive integrates several facilities with built-in protection for current sensing, overload control, under/over frequency cut-off along with auto-starter and off-timer. This controller circuit possesses major parts viz., phase sequence checker, auto-starter and current sensing circuit, motor on-off counter and latch, motor on-off timer and power supply circuit. The phase sequence checker designed with decade counter and timer IC continuously watches for the phase sequence and permits the operation only if the frequency lies between 42Hz and 50Hz. The second part protects the motor from overload and line dropping. It also comprises the circuit for auto starting. This controller also supports motor on-off timer circuit and counter along with the provisions of power supply, which is connected with the 3-phase motor.

INTRODUTION
In this world of modernization, the applications of motors play a major role in various areas such as industries, house hold appliances, process control labs and so on. However, the usage of the motor differs according to the environment of production and demand. For

example, motors are used for different applications to implement constant speed, variable speed, angular rotation, pulse movement, etc. On focussing our views towards constant speed motors induction motor especially 3-phase induction motors are widely used in different modules. As the usage of induction motors increases, we have to go for motor systems with less maintenance and more efficiency. Several problems such as single phasing, line dropout, reverse phasing, continuous attention towards its operation, etc., are becoming nightmares while using the motors. "The Automatic IC control of 3-phase motors" presented here incorporates so many special features that nullifies all the disadvantages present in the currently usable 3-phase motors. Some of the main features such as current sensing protector and the phase sequence detector make the motor operation safe. Thus the advancement provided by this circuit brings more life and reliable security for 3-phase motors.

DESCRIPTION OF 3-PHASE MOTOR CONTROLLER UNIT

3-PHASE SEQUENCE CHECKER: The voltage from each of the 3-phases is passed to the optocouplers IC1, IC2 and IC3 through the diodes D1, D2 and D3 respectively which supply half wave rectified DC pulses. Then the output DC pulses with a phase difference of 120o are fed to a positive edge triggered dual JK flip-flop IC4. When all the 3-phases are 'high' then the output of the optocoupler will also be 'high' which sets the output of the flip-flops FF1 and FF2 to 'low'.(Figure - part 1) The above process repeats once during each 50Hz cycle. If the outputs of both the flip-flops are 'low' the phase sequence is correct and the 'Sequence OK' LED1 glows.(Table I). This energises the relay, which switches on the starter by momentary energization of relay RL2. The 555 timer IC5, which is a retriggerable monoshot, is set at 25 milliseconds approximately. The relay will be in energised condition upto 42Hz of the supply frequency. If the monoshot is not triggered within its time period, the 'Sequence OK' signal goes 'low' which de-energises

the relay RL1 and turns OFF the motor.

AUTO STARTER AND CURRENT SENSING CIRCUIT: As soon as the phase sequence is found correct the output of IC5 goes 'high' which resets the decade counter IC7 and triggers the timer IC6 besides acting as a clock for IC10. When the output Q8 of IC7 goes 'high' the relay RL2 energises and switches ON the starter. Inspite of the deactivation of relay RL2 due to clock pulse, the starter remains in ON state.(Figure - part 2) The supply of starter is connected through the primary of three small current transformers, which are used for sensing the load in each phase. The secondary of these transformers is connected to the current sensing circuit wired around transistors T3 through T5. If any phase goes OFF it cuts of the corresponding transistor and thereby provides forward bias to transistor T6. Any excessive increase in load current or overload results in forward biasing of transistor T7. The excess current limit can be set with the help of preset VR1. The 'low' signal due to the forward biasing of transistors T6 and/or T7 deactivates the relay RL1 which trips the starter, finally stopping the induction motor.(Table II) MOTOR ON/OFF COUNTER & LATCH: As frequent start and stop operation bring damage to the motor it must be controlled. Thus by

using another decade counter IC10, the automatic restarting of the motor is limited to three attempts for each power ON. This counter monitors each ON-OFF cycle of the motor on every start. In addition, on every start the counter advances the count one by one. On the third start the output Q3 of IC10 goes 'high' which stops any further clock to the decade counter, thus getting latched. The LED3 glows to indicate the latched state and the 'low' signal produced by the relay RL1 that makes the motor not to restart automatically.(Figure - part 4) MOTOR ON-OFF TIMER: A timer is provided to run the motor for a predetermined time. It counts working time of the motor and thereafter switches off the motor automatically. The signal from the output Q9 of the counter IC7 is connected to IC8, which activates the oscillator circuit when the motor is running. R-C network comprising 47F capacitor C8 and resistor R42 set the frequency of oscillation. A timing of either 30 minutes or 60 minutes can be selected with the help of switch S2 whose output is connected to the clock input of decade counter IC9. The basic timing for the operation of the motor can be selected using the multiples of 30/60 minutes time with the 7-way rotary switch S3.(Figure - part 3) As soon as the run time is over the output from S3 goes 'high' causing de-energization of relay RL1 which stops the motor. Simultaneously,LED2 glows to indicate that the run time is over. Bypassing the timer using switch S1 may restart the motor and if required, the counter IC8 and IC9 can be reset. Also a very 'low' power-in standby mode is provided for the timer section with a provision of a battery 'low' indicator. POWER SUPPLY: The normal DC power supply for the circuit is provided by a small step down transformer X4 connected between R (red) phase and N (neutral) followed by rectifier and filter capacitor. The unregulated voltage is used for operation of the relays, while the 5V regulated supply is used for the remaining circuit.(Figure - part 4)

SPARKLING FEATURES OF THE SYSTEM:

It is well known that the AC motor drives are becoming increasingly popular and usable because of its 'low' cost and less maintenance. In the recent days 3-phase induction motors are widely used in workshops, irrigation pumpsets, process control mechanism, household appliances, etc. Having an automatic IC control unit as described here for three phase motors will enable the operator to have the following facilities: ~ Automatic starting/tripping. ~ Latching circuit to prevent the motor from frequently starting and tripping. ~ Current sensing for overload cut-out. ~ Current sensing for single phasing prevention. ~ Electronic sensing of phase sequence with under-frequency cut-out. ~ Programmable timer with battery back-up to count the motor run time. ~ Easy operation with just two switches for time set and reset. Advances in Electrical machines have laid road for reducing human labour and for automation in many fields involving drives. This controller unit is mainly used in places where an operator for switching the motor ON/OFF is always not possible especially when the motor has to be operated round the clock. As there lies some complexity in construction of this controller system, the advantages and the features overcome those shortcomings.

REFERENCES

1. POWER ELECTRONICS - circuits, devices, and applications Second Edition by Muhammad H. Rashid 2. ELECTRONICS FOR YOU, June 2001