Intelligence Based Soft Starting Scheme for the Three Phase Squirrel Cage Induction Motor with Extinction Angle AC Voltage Controller

Abstract

Whenever a squirrel cage induction motor is started, notable electromechanical torque and current pulsations occur. The adverse effects of starting torque pulsations and high inrush current in induction motor are eliminated using digital power electronic soft starting schemes that guarantee higher degrees of compliance of the requirements of an ideal soft starter for the induction motor. Soft starters are cheap, simple, reliable and occupy less volume. In this paper, an experimental setup of soft starting technique with extinction angle AC voltage controller and a speed and stator current based closed loop scheme is demonstrated using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Fuzzy Logic Control (FLC) by the way of MATLAB/SIMULINK based simulation. The ANN based soft starting scheme produces best results in terms of smooth starting torque and least inrush current. The results thus obtained were satisfactory and promising.