Short term braking capability during power interruptions for integrated matrix converter-motor drives

The new trend in adjustable speed drives (ASD) is to integrate the inverter and the motor into a single unit in order to reduce the production cost, the commissioning time and the physical size of the equipment. This last issue becomes more important, making the matrix converter topology more attractive. Sinusoidal input currents and bidirectional power flow are other advantages of the matrix converter but it is less immune to power grid disturbances compared to a standard ASD. In hoisting applications, short-term braking capability during a power outage is needed until the mechanical brake engages or to perform more effective a combined braking. This paper proposes a new method to provide short-term braking capability during a power outage for matrix converters. A braking chopper is needed in the clamp circuit, which allows for a drastically reduction of the capacitor size. The power flow in the clamp circuit may be reduced by increasing the harmonic content in the motor currents, which causes higher motor losses. Experiments prove the validity of the proposed method.