Single phase induction motor alternate start-up and speed control method for renewable energy applications

The Single Phase Induction Motor (SPIM) is known for its simplicity and convenience. It is most commonly used in homes, businesses and small industries. One of the most known advantages of the SPIM is that they require a single phase to maintain the motor in motion. The only drawback is that due to the lack of starting torque, an additional auxiliary winding is required to start the motor. This increases costs and reduces the performance as well as the reliability. With the increasing popularity of renewable energy, there is a need for developing methods that couple these two technologies. Wind and solar power is a variable source of energy due to its dependency on natural resources, which makes connecting them directly to SPIM tedious. This connection can be achieved by driving a SPIM with solid state electronics in order to start-up and control rotor speed. This paper introduces an alternate start-up method by driving the SPIM with solid state electronics. This alternate method is achieved by driving a SPIM with a two-phase supply obtained from an AC to AC converter. Using a cycloconverter to control the start-up allows a new level of speed control, by manipulating the main winding waveform. A Simulink SPIM model is used to compare simulated results with the constructed AC to AC converter prototype.