Description

This work is primarily focused on the design and development of an efficient and cost effective solar photovoltaic generator (PVG) based water pumping system implying a switched reluctance motor (SRM) drive. The maximum extraction of available power from PVG is attained by introducing an incremental conductance (IC) maximum power point tracking (MPPT) controller with Landsman DCDC converter as a power conditioning stage. The CCM (continuous conduction mode) operation of Landsman DC-DC converter helps to reduce the current and voltage stress on its components and to realize the DC-DC conversion ratio independent of the load. The efficient utilization of SPV array and limiting the high initial inrush current in the motor drive is the primary concern of a Landsman converter. The inclusion of start-up control algorithm in the motor drive system facilitates the smooth self-starting of an 8/6 SRM drive. A novel approach to regulate the speed of the motor–pump system by controlling the DC link voltage of split capacitors converter helps in eliminating the voltage or current sensors required for speed control of SRM drive. The electronic commutated operation of mid-point converter considerably reduces its switching losses. This topology is designed and modeled in Matlab/Simulink platform and a laboratory prototype is developed to validate its performance under varying environmental conditions.