Several microgrid control strategies are proposed and studied in the literature. However, there are still gaps in improving their transient behavior and studying their stability. This paper uses small-signal analysis to explore the behavior of internal model-based current and voltage controllers by deriving a state-space model and performing eigenvalue and sensitivity analysis on an islanded inverter-based microgrid system. The results are compared with those of the same microgrid but with PI-based current and voltage controllers. Simulation case studies are performed in the PSCAD/EMTDC environment to compare the transient behavior of both methods. Results show that internal model-based controllers have superior eigenvalue patterns that lead to increased stability and improved transient behavior.

Cogging torque reduction measures are hardly applied to low-cost sub-fractional hp BLDC motors, because the additional fabrication operations involved typically increase both the manufacturing complexity and cost significantly. By proposing an innovative punching layout, this paper shows how to minimize the high cogging torque of the mass-produced single-phase outer-rotor BLDC claw-pole motor–opposed to conventional cogging torque reduction–with no increase to the manufacturing cost. Systematically, a way is presented in which the selected introduction of auxiliary slots can double the cogging torque fundamental frequency, making stator claw skewing much more effective in reducing the cogging torque; both measures can be included at the stage of punching the steel sheets and subsequent deep-drawing thereof, at no additional cost. A detailed analysis of the effects of the cogging torque reduction measures on the most important motor performance parameters is conducted. The findings show that, with the exception of a small reduction of a few percent in the average output torque, the proposed design can reduce the peak-to-peak cogging torque by 70% in both the simulations and experiments. The reduction in the cogging torque translates into a reduction in the output torque ripple of 17 %, ensuring smoother operation especially at low speeds.

Advancing the turn-off angle of the phase current of brushless direct current (BLDC) motors is a common control practice to improve the operating behavior and energy conversion efficiency of such drives by, e.g., reduction of current peaks, copper losses, and breaking torques. This paper investigates a refined switching strategy for a single-phase BLDC motor with bifilar winding to increase the energy conversion efficiency of the system. In addition to advancing the phase current turn-off angle, the turn-on angle is delayed to improve the drive's performance and increase the efficiency even further. This efficiency increase of up to 20.6 % is verified experimentally for a speed range from 3000 to 8000 rpm, translating into a reduction of copper losses of up to 37.4 % or a decrease of current peaks by 27.4 %. The focus is on sub-fractional horsepower single-phase BLDC motors with bifilar winding which, concerning this matter, have not drawn much attention in the literature yet. The findings show that the improved switching strategy can reduce current peaks, breaking torques, copper losses, and therefore increase efficiency over the speed range of interest for fan applications.

Depending on the stator lamination manufacturing processes (e.g., punching, laser cutting, clamping, welding, interlocking, and bonding), the motor’s magnetic performance parameters, such as cogging torque, hysteresis torque, and iron losses, can vary significantly. In sub-fractional horsepower (SFHP) permanent magnet motors, the manufacturing influence is typically even more severe because, due to their small dimensions, practically, the whole stator material is likely to be affected. This article analyzes the magnetic performance parameters cogging torque, hysteresis torque, and iron losses of three different stator lamination stacks (i.e., M250-35A punched with interlocking, M250-35A laser cut with bonding, and NO10 laser cut with bonding) of an SFHP single-phase brushless permanent magnet motor often found in automotive fan applications. A rheometer is used for extremely accurate torque measurements in the sub-millinewton meter range, and electron backscatter diffraction measurements are performed to visualize changes in the grain morphology and crystal orientation. The findings reveal that the punched stator with interlocking is affected the most by the manufacturing process, showing the lowest cogging torque yet the highest average hysteresis torque and thus up to 40% higher iron losses. The results presented in this article allow for both making basic stator lamination design choices and translating the iron losses, as well as the hysteresis torque and cogging torque waveforms, of a laser cut and bonded prototype into those of its punched and interlocked mass-produced counterpart.

Accurately measuring the cogging torque, hysteresis torque, and iron losses of permanent magnet (PM) motors is a challenging task. This is especially true for sub-fractional horsepower (SFHP) variants used, e.g., in auxiliary drives for automotive fan and pump applications. Their cogging torque and hysteresis torque peak values are often in the sub-milli-Newton meter range, causing conventional measuring methods and devices to fail as especially friction impedes the measurement significantly. Moreover, their iron losses are hard to determine and usually merely estimated in the literature. This article presents an unconventional rheometer-based method to determine both 1) the cogging torque and hysteresis torque of SFHP PM motors and 2) their iron losses by evaluating the observed offset torque. Two SFHP outer-rotor PM motor topologies for fan applications are analyzed, i.e., a claw-pole motor and a salient-pole motor. The results show that, with the proposed setup, settings, and evaluation, a rheometer can successfully be used to determine the cogging torque and hysteresis torque waveforms in the sub-milli-Newton meter range and the iron losses of SFHP motors, both with excellent accuracy.