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PWM Control of Magnetic Suspension System

Martin Hynes, Prof. W. G. Hurley

Magnetic levitation of a metallic object has many applications, not least as an educational tool that motivates and inspires students to investigate and understand the fundamental principles of electrical engineering such as magnetic design, amplifier design, sensor and control theory. This project describes the operation of a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) converter in a magnetic suspension system. The PWM converter illustrates modern principles of power electronics such as PWM control, current mode control, averaged and linearized models of switched-mode converters and power supply design. The reduced size of the heat sink in the switched-mode converter compared with its linear amplifier counterpart clearly illustrates the improved efficiency. The electromagnetic design and dynamic analysis of the levitation system are presented. An experimental system is described which levitates a 6cm diameter, 0.8kg metallic sphere. Advanced control methods are developed for the system in the form of feedforward and observer-based control and their implementation and the results thereof are presented. Digital control and fuzzy logic control strategies are described and an explanation of their implementation using DSP technology is provide in each case.

Start date: 1st of October 1999. This project has been completed.

Project collaborators: Enterprise Ireland

Project Publications

Journal
W. G. Hurley, C. K. Lee, "Development, Implementation, and Assessment of a Web-Based Power Electronics Laboratory", IEEE Transactions on Education, vol. 48, no. 4, pp. 567-573, November 2005.
W. G. Hurley, M. Hynes, W. Wolfle, "PWM Control of a Magnetic Suspension System", IEEE Trans. on Education, vol. 47, no. 2, pp. 165-173, May 2004.

Conference
M. Hynes, W. G. Hurley, "The Design and Implementation of a Switched Mode Converter for a Magnetic Suspension System", Proceedings of the 36th Universities Power Engineering Conference, UPEC2001, University of Wales, Swansea, Session 1B, September 2001.
M. Hynes, W. G. Hurley, "The Design and Implementation of a DC-DC Power Conversion Board for a Laboratory Exercise", Proceedings of the 35th Universities Power Engineering Conference, UPEC2000, Belfast, Session 5B, September 2000.

Power Electronics Research Centre,
Electrical & Electronic Engineering,
NUI Galway, Galway, Ireland.
Phone +353 91 493270. Fax +353 91 494511.
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This page was last updated Tuesday, November 15, 2011