A constant air flow rate control of blower for residential applications

This paper presents a technique to control a blower for residential applications at constant air flow rate using an induction motor drive. The control scheme combines a variable volt/hertz ratio inverter drive and an average motor current regulation loop to achieve control of the motor torque-speed characteristics, consequently controlling the air flow rate of the blower which the motor is driving. The controller is simple to implement and practical for commercialization. It is also reliable, since no external pressure or air flow sensor is required. Both a theoretical derivation and an experimental verification for the control scheme are presented in this paper.