Development of an experimental platform for research in energy and electrical machine control

This paper presents the development of a test bench dedicated for electrical machines and energy control, as realized by the research team of the Power Systems and Electrical Machines Laboratory (RME) of the National Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology (INSAT) in Tunisia. The principal components of the proposed test bench are explained, and the respective characteristics are given. This paper focuses on mounting low-cost sensors and developing reliable scientific results. The relevant obtained results in photovoltaic (PV) and wind energy fields, power measurement and control, as well as alternating current (AC) machine drives are likewise presented. These are supported by two signal processing controller boards based on Technosoft MCK240 and dSPACE DS1104 kits. In the wind energy field, some results relative to Self Excited Induction Generator dedicated to supplying isolated sites are discussed; in addition, water pumping is discussed for PV energy. In the AC drives area, the results of a closed loop control are presented using a developed direct voltage control (DVC) scheme implemented on dSPACE DS1104. Maps and interesting details of some realized sensors are also presented.