A four-switch based long-cable-fed five-phase induction motor drive system

In applications where motors are fed from low voltage variable-frequency drive (VFD) through long cables, a step up transformer is commonly used to boost the converter output voltage in order to compensate for the cable voltage drop. For safety-critical applications, employing a multiphase machine generally enhances system reliability, however, a multiphase converter and transformer will be then needed. This paper proposes a simple drive system using a four-switch based five-phase drive system for motors fed through long cables. The system simply comprises a four-switch converter, which is controlled to produce a balanced two-phase output, and a static transformer that converts the two-phase inverter output voltage to five-phase balanced voltages. The proposed system is simulated using MATLAB/SIMULINK to verify the proposed concept.