World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology

International Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Vol:8, No:1, 2014

Simulation of Inverter Fed Induction Motor Drive

with LabVIEW
R. Gunabalan, S. Immanuel Prabakaran, J. Reegan, S. Ganesh

MATLAB simulink block sets are widely used in simulation

Abstract—This paper describes a software approach for of all kind of systems. MATLAB was used for simulation of
modeling inverter fed induction motor drive using Laboratory Virtual vector control of induction motor and different electric motors
Instrument Engineering Workbench (LabVIEW). The reason behind [1]-[9]. But Simulink lack the imitation of physical
the selection of LabVIEW software is because of its strong graphical instruments or equipment in appearance and operation.
interface, flexibility of its programming language combined with
built-in tools designed specifically for test, measurement and control. Considering the above, LabVIEW is used as a simulation tool
LabVIEW is generally used in most of the applications for data to model inverter fed induction motor drive.
acquisition, test and control. In this paper, inverter and induction Field oriented control of induction motor drive using
motor are modeled using LabVIEW toolkits. Simulation results are LabVIEW was discussed in [10] but simulation results were
Open Science Index, Electrical and Computer Engineering Vol:8, No:1, 2014 waset.org/Publication/9997236

presented and are validated. not explained clearly. LabVIEW was used to simulate and find
the characteristics of synchronous generator [11] but the
Keywords—Induction motor, LabVIEW, State model. speed-torque characteristics were not explained. LabVIEW
was used to identify the induction motor parameter [12],
I. INTRODUCTION automatic testing for DC motor of portable washing machine

M ATHEMATICAL models of electrical machines are

used to learn about their dynamic characteristics using
simulation tools. With the advancement of computer
[13], harmonic measurement [14], speed control of stepper
motor [15], fault diagnosis of induction motor [16]-[17], etc.
modeling of inverter and induction motor using LabVIEW is
technology, the drawbacks of conventional simulation not discussed in literature.
methods become more and more obvious. With the rapid In this paper, LABVIEW is used as a simulation tool to
growth in computer hardware and software techniques, new model the inverter and induction motor. The induction motor
user friendly simulation software packages are now available. state equations are constructed in LabVIEW environment
Putting virtual instruments software into mathematical using control design and simulation toolkit, mathscript node
modeling and analysis of electrical machines will result in not and simple VIs. Inverter is constructed using simple VIs.
only the cost reduction of the hardware but also the The paper is organized as follows: Chapter II discusses the
enhancement of the teaching or training effect. The direct inverter model in LabVIEW. The state space model of
application of this sort of software drastically simplifies induction motor and results are discussed in Chapter III.
simulation procedures for several practicing engineers. Finally it is concluded in Chapter IV.
LabVIEW programs are called Virtual Instruments (VI)
because their appearance and operation imitate physical II. INVERTER MODEL
instruments, such as oscilloscopes and multi-meters. Voltage fed inverter receives DC voltage at one side and
LabVIEW is a graphical programming language for data convert it to AC voltage. The AC voltage and frequency may
acquisition, analysis and presentation. The components of be variable or constant depending on the application. Voltage
LabVIEW are front panel and block diagram. The front panel fed inverter is used extensively for AC motor drive, induction
is built with controls and indicators and the block diagram heating, UPS etc. In voltage fed inverters, transistor family
contains the pictorial representation of source code. devices are generally preferred because of self commutation
At present, LabVIEW simplifies the scientific computation, and high switching frequency. When a new converter circuit is
process control, research, industrial applications and developed, or a control strategy of a converter or drive system
measurement applications. is formulated, it is often convenient to study the system
MATLAB is a high performance language for technical performance by simulation before building the breadboard or
computing. It integrates computation, visualization and prototype. The simulation not only validates the system’s
programming in an easy-to-use environment where problems operation, but also permits optimization of the system’s
and solutions are expressed in familiar mathematical notation. performance. Besides control and circuit parameters, the plant
parameter variation effect can be studied. Fig. 1 shows the
R. Gunabalan and S. Ganesh are with the department of Electrical and simple simulation block diagram for a three-phase, two-level
Electronics Engineering, Chandy College of Engineering, Thoothukudi, Anna
University, Chennai, TamilNadu, India. (e-mail: [email protected], PWM inverter. Each leg of the inverter is represented by a
[email protected]) “switch” which has three input terminals and one output
S. Immanuel Prabakaran and J. Reegan are with the department of terminal.
Electronics and Communication Engineering, Chandy College of Engineering,
Thoothukudi, Anna University, Chennai, TamilNadu, India.

International Scholarly and Scientific Research & Innovation 8(1) 2014 84 ISNI:0000000091950263
 World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology
International Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Vol:8, No:1, 2014

The output of a switch (Va0, Vb0 or Vc0) is connected to the The state variables are d and q-axes stator currents and rotor
upper input terminal (+0.5 Vd ) if the PWM control signal fluxes.
(middle input) is positive. Otherwise, the output is connected
to the lower input terminal (-0.5 Vd). The output or Va0 voltage  L2m 
thus oscillates between +0.5Vd and -0.5Vd, which is  Lr Rs + τr   Lm   Lmωr   1  (9)
iɺds =− ids +ωeiqs + φdr + φqr + Vds
characteristics of a pole of an inverter. The output phase  σLsLr   σLsLrτr   σLsLr   σLs 
voltages are constructed by the following equations:  

Van =2/3Va0 -1/3 Vb0 – Vc0 (1)  L2m 

 Lr Rs + τr   Lmωr   Lm   1  (10)
iɺqs =−( ωeids ) − iqs − φdr + φqr + Vqs
Vbn =2/3Vb0 -1/3 Va0 – Vc0 (2)
 σLs Lr   σLs Lr   σLs Lrτr   σLs 
 
Vcn =2/3Vc0 -1/3 Va0 – Vb0 (3)
Lm 1
Vab = Van-Vbn (4) φɺdr = ids − φdr + ( ωe − ωr ) φqr (11)
τr τ
Vbc=Vbn-Vcn (5)
Lm 1
φɺqr = iqs − ( ωe − ωr ) φdr − φqr (12)
Open Science Index, Electrical and Computer Engineering Vol:8, No:1, 2014 waset.org/Publication/9997236

Vca=Vcn-Van (6) τr τr

Speed is calculated from the resultant stator currents and

rotor fluxes. The equation for rotor speed is given by

3 n p Lm
ω
ɺr =
2 JLr
( φdr iqs − φqr ids ) − TL
1
J
(13)

The above state equations are constructed in LabVIEW

using mathscript node inside the simulation loop. Steps:
1. Control and simulation loop is created
2. Mathscript node is constructed inside the simulation loop.
3. First order differential equations are written inside the
mathscript node.
4. Integration is performed to find the different state
variables.
5. By using simple arithmetic VIs, the speed and torque are
calculated from the stator voltages and currents.
Fig. 1 Block diagram codes for modeling of inverter
6. Three phase stator voltages are converted into two phase
quantities in formula node.
III. INDUCTION MOTOR MODEL
A part of the block diagram codes framed in LabVIEW is
State space equations are used to solve linear and non linear shown in Fig. 2. The mathscript node, simple arithmetic VIs
system equations. In state space representations, any nth order and scope for measurement are illustrated. Fig. 3 shows the
differential equations describing a control system could be speed and torque waveforms created in the front panel using
reduced to n 1st order equations. These equations are arranged graphical display. Initially the motor runs at no load speed. At
in the form of matrix equations to find the solution easily t=2.5s, a load of 5 Nm is applied to the motor. As the motor
using software tools. This method is named as the state runs at open loop condition, speed of the motor decreases from
variable method. The selection of state variables depends upon 1497 rpm to 1480 rpm. The dq-axes stator currents and rotor
the system structure and the goals of study. The state variables fluxes are considered as state variables. Fig. 4 shows the dq-
chosen for induction motor are stator currents and rotor fluxes. axes stator phase currents. The dq-axes rotor fluxes are shown
Torque is calculated from the state variables and motor in Fig. 5. The output of the inverter contains harmonics. The
parameters. The continuous state space representation of the dq-axes stator voltages are depicted in Fig. 6.
induction motor is as follows:

dX (7)
= AX + BU
dt

Y = CX (8)

International Scholarly and Scientific Research & Innovation 8(1) 2014 85 ISNI:0000000091950263
 World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology
International Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Vol:8, No:1, 2014
Open Science Index, Electrical and Computer Engineering Vol:8, No:1, 2014 waset.org/Publication/9997236

Fig. 2 Block diagram codes for modeling of induction motor

Fig. 3 Speed and torque waveforms of induction motor

International Scholarly and Scientific Research & Innovation 8(1) 2014 86 ISNI:0000000091950263
 World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology
International Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Vol:8, No:1, 2014

Fig. 4 dq axes stator phase currents

Open Science Index, Electrical and Computer Engineering Vol:8, No:1, 2014 waset.org/Publication/9997236

Fig. 5 dq axes rotor fluxes

Fig. 6 dq axes stator voltages

International Scholarly and Scientific Research & Innovation 8(1) 2014 87 ISNI:0000000091950263
 World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology
International Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Vol:8, No:1, 2014

IV. CONCLUSION He is having 11 years of teaching experience in various reputed

institutions. He is currently pursuing his PhD in Anna University, Chennai,
In this work, the inverter and induction motor are modeled Tamilnadu, India. He is working as an Assistant Professor in the department
and simulated using LabVIEW. The models are constructed of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Chandy College of Engineering,
using simple VIs and mathscript node. To prove the Thoothukudi, Tamilnadu, India. He published 18 papers in national
conferences, 8 papers in international conferences. He published 5 paper in
effectiveness of the given method, simulation results are international journals. He is working in the area of sensorless vector control
provided. and DSP control.
Mr. R. Gunabalan is a life member in ISTE.
REFERENCES
[1] G K. Matsuse, Y. Kouno, H. Kawai, J. Oikawa, “Characteristics of
speed sensor-less vector controlled dual induction motor drive
connected in parallel fed by a single Inverter”, IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl.,
vol. 40, pp. 153-161, Jan./Feb. 2004.
[2] K. Matsuse, Y. Kouno, H. Kawai, S. Yokomizo, “A Speed-sensor-less
vector control method of parallel-connected dual induction motor fed by
a single inverter”, IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl., vol. 38, pp. 1566–1571,
Nov./Dec. 2002.
[3] H. Kubota K. Matsuse, “Speed sensorless field-oriented control of
induction motor with rotor resistance adaptation”, IEEE Trans. Ind.
Appl., vol. 30, pp. 1219–1224, Sept. /Oct. 1994.
[4] H. Kubota, K. Matsuse, T. Nakano, “DSP-Based Speed Adaptive Flux
Observer of Induction Motor”, IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl., vol. 29, pp. 344-
Open Science Index, Electrical and Computer Engineering Vol:8, No:1, 2014 waset.org/Publication/9997236

348, Mar./Apr. 1993.

[5] Sidney R. Bowes, Ata Sevinc, Derrick Holliday, “New natural observer
applied to speed sensorless DC servo and induction motors,”, IEEE
Trans. Ind. Appl., vol. 51, no.5, pp. 1025–1032, Oct. 2004.
[6] Young-Real Kim, Seung-Ki Sul, Min-Ho Park, “Speed sensorless
vector control of induction motor using Extended Kalman Filter”, IEEE
Trans. Ind. Appl., vol. 30, no. 5, pp.1225-1233, Sept. / Oct. 1994.
[7] Luigi Salvatore, Silvio Stasi, Lea Tarchioni, “A new EKF-based
algorithm for flux estimation in induction machines”, IEEE Trans. Ind.
Electron., vol.40, no.5, pp.496-504, Oct.1993.
[8] Young-Real Kim, Seung-Ki Sul, Min-Ho Park, “Speed sensorless vector
control of induction motor using Extended Kalman Filter”, IEEE Trans.
Ind. Appl., vol. 30, no. 5, pp.1225-1233, Sept. / Oct. 1994.
[9] Murat Barut, Seta Bogosyan, Metin Gokasan, “Speed-sensorless
estimation for induction motors using Extended Kalman Filters”, IEEE
Trans. Ind. Electron., vol. 54, no.1, pp. 272-280, Feb. 2007.
[10] Tao Wu, Yi-Lim Chi, Yu Guo, Chao Xu, “Simulation of FOC vector
control of induction motor based on LabVIEW”, International
conference on information engineering and computer science, IEEE,
Dec 2009.
[11] M.Usama Surdar, “Synchronous generator simulation using LabVIEW”,
Journal of world academic of science, engineering and technology,
vol.39, pp.392-400, 2008.
[12] F. Filippetti, S.Pirani, L.Tommasini, G. Franceschini, “A LabVIEW
based virtual instrument for on line induction motor parameter
identification”, IEEE, pp.648-653.
[13] Chien-Lung Cheng, J.C.Yeh, S.C.Chern, Yi-Hung Lan, “Automatic
testing system based on LabVIEW for DC motor of portable washing
machine”, International Symposium on Ind. Electron., IEEE, pp.489-
493, 2008.
[14] Qiu Tang, Yaonan Wang, Siyu Guo, “Design of power system harmonic
measurement system based on LabVIEW”, Fourth international
conference on natural computation, IEEE, pp.489-493, 2008.
[15] A.Shuqiu Gong, B.Binhe, “LabVIEW based automatic rising and falling
speed control of stepper motor”, International conference on electrical
machines and systems (ICEMS 2009).
[16] Irahis Rodriguez, Roberto Alves, Victor Guzman, “Analysis of air gap
flux to detect induction motor faults”, Universities power engineering
conference (UPEC’06), pp. 690-694, Sept.2006.
[17] R. Supangat, N. Ertugrul, W. L.Soong, D. A. Gray, C. Hansen, J.
Grieger, “Broken rotor bar fault detection in induction motors using
starting current analysis”, European conference on power electronics
and applications, 2005.

R. Gunabalan obtained his B.E. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering in

Government College of Engineering Tirunelveli, Manonmanium Sundaranar
University, Tamilnadu, India, in 2000 and did his Master of Technology
(Electrical Drives & Control) in Pondicherry Engineering College,
Pondicherry University, India, in 2006.

International Scholarly and Scientific Research & Innovation 8(1) 2014 88 ISNI:0000000091950263