89 WM 039-9 technology, computer interface, and signal processing techniques to

August 1989 study harmonic-related problems. The experience and knowledge

gained from the different experiments are invaluable. The industry
interaction has greatly increased with many experiments to be
Computer Based Harmonic Generator Facilities to developed and many others awaiting to be developed.
Study Harmonic Related Problems
Adly A. Girgis, Senior Member, IEEE,
Elham B. Makram, Senior Member, IEEE, and
Thomas L. Baldwin, Student Member, IEEE
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Clemson University
Clemson, SC

Abstract-This paper reports on unique educational and research

facilities to teach and perform research on harmonic related problems.
The facility consists mainly of computer-based three-phase harmonic
generators, a data acquisition system to process the data digitally,
and a computer control system to control the harmonic level.
Application of the system in teaching, studying and investigating
appropriate solutions to harmonic related problems is the primary
objective. The interaction of power industry representatives in
formulating the different problems is also reported. A brief summary
of different teaching projects and the concepts of the computer based HARMONIC GENERATOR
system are also included. WI VUL I AUt AMPrL1rict
n %1n1 TArC AM
WITU l I=ID EQUIPMENT

Fig. 1. Computer-Based Harmonic Generator System

Objectives
Interaction with power industry led the power systems group at
Clemson University, with support from the members of Clemson
University Electric Power Research Association (CUEPRA), to design
and implement computer based harmonic generator facilities. The
overall system includes the harmonic generators, transducers, data
acquisition system, an IBM PC/AT personal computer. The computer
controls the harmonic contents of the waveform to be generated by 89 W/l/ 038-1
the harmonic generator. The waveforms at the generator and/or the August 1989
equipment are sampled and stored. Programs are also developed for
different problems. Figure 1 shows a diagram of the stages of the
computer-based system. The system was implemented to satisfy the An Aid For Teaching Field Oriented Control
following objectives: Applied To Induction Machines
1. To teach students the aspects of hardware and software design G. Diana and R. G. Harley, Senior Member, IEEE
and computer interface. University of Natal
2. To encourage interaction between the students and the power King George V Ave.
engineers by recording actual waveforms and reproducing these Durban 4001
waveforms in the laboratory model to understand what the term
harmonic means. Rep. of South Africa
3. To study the impact of a typically distorted waveform on
instrumentation, control and protection. Summary
4. To use the harmonic generator as a voltage or a current source in a
laboratory model of a distribution network, and to characterize and During the past six years the method of Field Oriented or Vector
measure the harmonic distortion at different nodes in the network. Control (FOC) has become accepted as a means of enabling ac
machines, in particular the Squirrel Cage Induction Machine (SCIM),
to realize a dynamic performance equal or superior to that of the dc
Examples of Projects machine. However, whilst the method of FOC and its application has
The initial projects were mainly hardware design of the different been successful, it is a complex method of control and difficult to
stages of a single-phase harmonic generator. This was followed by understand unless one has a thorough understanding of the internal
the design of a three-phase harmonic generator, interfacing and data dynamic behaviour of the SCIM. Such an understanding is necessary
acquisition, and controlling the harmonic generator via the computer. in order to understand how the method of FOC decouples the internal
The design of digital timers and protection system for the harmonic dynamic structure of the SCIM to enable a high dynamic performance
generator was a necessary step. to be realized.
After the system was completed, application projects were con- The objective of FOC is to establish and maintain an explicit angular
ducted. Examples of these projects are as follows: relationship (or ORIENTATION) between the stator current vector and
the rotor flux (or FIELD) that is established within the air-gap of the
1. Reproduction of Actual Recorded Waveforms, SCIM. This explicit angular relationship may be achieved by regulating
2. Modeling Transformers In The Presence of Harmonic Distortion, the slip of the machine to a particular value which causes the rotor
3. Identification of Induction and Synchronous Machine Parameters, flux vector to become aligned with the d-axis component of the stator
4. Testing of Solid-State and Electromechanical Relays in the Pres- current vector. FOC is therefore merely trying to fix the ORIENTA-
ence of Harmonic Distortion, TION (angle cx in Fig. 1) between the stator current vector and the
5. Testing of Induction and Solid-State Watthour Meters, rotor flux vector or FIELD of the machine; hence the name FIELD
6. Design of Fiber Optic Sensors for Speed Measurements. ORIENTED CONTROL.
Most, if not all the published material on FOC appears in the form of
Conclusions journal papers or conference proceedings. However, such papers are
directed at a small and select audience, and use a number of
The computer based harmonic power system (generator) reported conflicting notations. Our experience is that FOC is not fully under-
in this paper has been a unique educational source to study the stood by the broader Industrial and Engineering communities.
harmonic related problems. It allowed the interaction of fiber optic However, it one attempts to teach or even only convey a basic level
IEEE Power Engineering Review, August 19898 69
of understanding of FOC using the published papers, one finds that 89 WM 036-5
the audience is soon lost amongst the mathematical models and the August 1989
derivations that are required. What is therefore required is an
alternative means of describing in a simple manner how FOC works, A PC Based Integrated Software For Power
and how it decouples the internal dynamic structure of the SCIM.
Such an introduction to FOC should contain a minimum of mathemat- System Education
ics while nevertheless allowing the audience (or reader) to gain a
physical understanding by allowing the decoupling process to be M. Daneshdoost and R. Shaat
visually developed and described. The description should be logical Department of Electrical Engineering
and use a minimum number of assumptions. The key issue is not to Southern Illinois University
completely avoid using mathematical models, but merely to recast Carbondale, Illinois
them into an alternative form of presentation which makes it easier to
understand the method of FOC when applied to the SCIM. Summary
A method of achieving this aim is to replace the mathematical This paper presents the implementation of an integrated software
equations which describe the SCIM with their block-diagram or package to run under PC-DOS for the analysis and design of Electric
functional form of representation. However, the block diagram form Power Networks. Graphics and windows are embedded in the user
alone is not helpful at all if the state variables have not been chosen interface to form the basis of the interactive environment. System
appropriately. By choosing the appropriate state-variables and configuration is entered graphically, while system data is entered
recasting the equations into block-diagram form, a new form of directly through tabular windows. A variety of analysis programs are
representation is found which allows FOC to be rapidly explained and provided in this environment such as different types of load flow
understood. solution techniques. In addition, this paper demonstrates a novel use
This paper develops this block diagram method of teaching Field of PC enhanced graphics capability to display the real and reactive
Oriented Control and reaches the result in Fig. 2; this shows a power flows by means of animation. A modular interactive expert
dynamic structure which is similar to that of a separately excited dc system is an element of this environment. Popular features such as
machine in which ids represents the field current, and iq, the armature help menus and icons selection menus are also included. The modular
current of dc machine. Moreover, ids
a if is held constant, then Fig. 2 design of this environment permits the user to interface any custom
reduces to Fig. 3 which now represents a linear dynamic structure made analysis package regardless of the computer language used.
and produces a torque Ter determined by the value of iq4 just like in This environment proves to be useful for educational and research
the case of a dc machine. Any of the control algorithms applied to dc purposes.
machines may now be applied to Fig. 3. Recent work in CAE (Computer Aided Engineering) and CAI
(Computer Assisted Instruction) areas show a clear trend toward
more sophisticated user interfaces. One of the primary goals of any
interactive environment is to enhance the bandwidth of communica-
q-axis between the user and the application program. Wider bandwidth
is= stator current vector tion
of communications means that more information is conveyed to the
user in a shorter period of time. The user interface is the aspect of the
i flC Ar =
rotor flux vector

program that governs the communication between the user and the
qs
application. Generally speaking, user interfaces must meet a set of
criteria to add to the power of the application program. It is the
authors opinion that the user interface must:
1. Help the user to use the software.
2. Display input/output information in an organized and easy to
understand fashion (i.e. tables, graphics, etc).
d-axis 3. Allow the user to manipulate the way output information is
displayed.
Fig. 1. Conditions with correct Field Orientation. 4. Activate application programs in the proper context and manage
all the needed resources such as data files memory allocation;
and this must be carried out with minimum user assistance.
5. Supply the user with easy means to enter and modify data.
6. Enhance the effectiveness of trial and error type of studies; this
is an immediate result to the simplification of the cycle of
modifying data and application activation and output probing.
7. Allow different application programs to share common data
bases.
8. Help the user make a better understanding of output informa-
tion.
The software package, which this paper presents, is an example of
Fig. 2. Resulting block diagram under FOC with stator current
an interactive environment for electrical power engineering studies on
controL
microcomputers. This package presents models of electrical power
networks graphically.
The user interactively enters models of systems using a graphical
editor. Interaction is accomplished through overlaid symbolic menus.
When the user completes the graphical description, the graphical
2 LmXdr editor saves the system on the form of a global data base common to
all modules.
ii To enter numerical data, the user moves to the data editor module.
qs em In the data editor, sophisticated tables provide the user with easy and
fast means for data entry. Once the user completes data entry, new
Fig. 3. Final dynamic structure resulting from FOC. data is added to the existing data base. Empty slots in the data base
designated for numerical data are filled with corresponding values.
The user may now apply the needed type of analysis.
At the end of the analysis, the package supplies the user with a
choice of examining and/or printing the results. This package offers a
new dimension in displaying results; the animation module vividly
displays the power flow through transmission lines as well as Limits
violations.
70 IEEE Power Engineering Review, August 1989