thesis projects in magnetic amplifiers
TRANSCRIPT
lec-triosU Engineering Education
t h o u g h t t h a t one oi the most i m p o r t a n t steps wh ich engineer ing educa t ion can take in t he future is to a r r a n g e m a t t e r s so t h a t each s tuden t has the oppor tun i ty t o tai lor his c u r r i c u l u m to fit his persona l character is t ics ,
Thesis Projects in Magnetic Amplifiers H . F . S T O R M MEMBER AIEE
D U R I N G A M E E T I N G of the T h e o r y S u b c o m m i t t e e of the A I E E M a g n e t i c Amplifier C o m m i t t e e , t h e discussion dwel t o n t he p r o b l e m of a c q u a i n t i n g college s tuden ts wi th m a g n e t i c amplifiers. I t was felt t h a t s tudents w h o wish to deepen their knowledge in this field find it often difficult to do so, because of a n a p p a r e n t lack of su i table thesis projects . T o r emove this difficulty a n d , the reby , s t imula te interest in s tudying this subject, t h e subcommi t t ee m e m b e r s suggested a n u m b e r of thesis projects wh ich a r e believed to h a v e :
1. H i g h - a c a d e m i c con ten t . 2. Prac t ica l impor t ance . 3. Good probab i l i ty for finding solut ion.
Such projects a r e listed in this ar t ic le . T o p rov ide init ial g u i d a n c e to t he s tudents , the p roponen t s of t h e thesis projects a re identified at t he end of t he project list by t he project n u m b e r a n d m a y be con tac ted by the s tudents . After comple t ion of the thesis project , t he s tuden t is reques ted t o send one copy of t he thesis to t he p r o p o n e n t of his project , a n d a n o t h e r copy t o the C h a i r m a n of the T h e o r y S u b c o m m i t t e e .
Lists of Thesis Projects
7. Characteristics of 2-Phase Servo Motors, Driven from Magnetic Amplifiers. A n u m b e r of magnet ic-ampl i f ier circuits have been developed for dr iv ing the con t ro l phase of 2-phase servo motors . A l t h o u g h some informat ion has been publ i shed on the effect of var ious wave forms on the speed - to rque character is t ics of such moto r s , t he re is need for a good ana ly t ica l a n d expe r imen ta l t r e a t m e n t of this subject , cover ing t h e different types of circuits wh ich a re c o m m o n l y employed for this purpose .
2. Circuit Comparisons. S tudy exper i men ta l ly a n d / o r theoret ical ly t he t e c h n i q u e
A special article by the Theory Subcommittee of the AIEE Magnetic Amplifier Committee and recommended by the AIEE Committee on Education.
H. F. Storm is with the General Electric Company, Schenectady, Ν. Y.
r a the r t h a n be ing forced in to a p rede t e r m i n e d mo ld t h a t is the same for all s tuden ts . Lockstep m a y be all r ight for c r imina ls , b u t it is not the best way to t r a in engineers to take responsibi l i ty in the wor ld of t he future.
of app ly ing biased rectifiers t o increase t he effective c o n t r o l c ircui t i m p e d a n c e in t he half -wave b r idge - type m a g n e t i c amplifier, as descr ibed in N A V O R D R e p o r t N o . 4258, M a r c h 29, 1956 (Fig . 1), e.g., c o m p a r e t he mer i t s of this c i rcui t w i th those of t he R a m e y circui t .
3. Computing Amplifier. Inves t iga te t he errors i n t r o d u c e d by var ia t ions in supply vol tage , f requency, a n d w a v e shape in to c o m p u t e r circuits , ope ra t i ng on t h e pr inciples ou t l ined by Finzi a n d M a t h i a s . 1
Dynamic Properties (4 through 7).
4. Sampled-Data-System Analysis. Since t he magne t i c amplifier is basical ly a s ampl ing device, t h e t echn iques t h a t h a v e been de veloped for s a m p l e d - d a t a feedback systems should b e app l ied t o m a g n e t i c amplifiers. By so do ing , t he n o n c o n t i n u o u s t ransforms (Z t ransforms) of t h e m a g n e t i c amplif ier will be deve loped a n d c a n be app l ied to t he d e t e r m i n a t i o n of stabil i ty of t h e system in wh ich the amplif ier is i nco rpora t ed .
5. Transfer Function of Magnetic Amplifiers. M a n y m a g n e t i c amplifiers exhib i t a doub le -va lued response, d e p e n d i n g u p o n t h e d i rect ion of t h e con t ro l s ignal . I n system analyses for se rvomechanisms , Nyquis t a n d Bode d i a g r a m s a r e often used, bu t these
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Fig. 1 . Project 2, Circuit Comparisons.
m e t h o d s c a n n o t be direct ly appl ied where a doub le -va lued response is present . T h e object ive of this thesis project is to s tudy t h e response ( t ime cons tan t , d e a d - t i m e lag, e tc . ) of self-saturat ing magne t i c amplifiers, hav ing doub le -va lued response, in o rde r t o a r r ive at a transfer function sui table for app l ica t ion in Nyquis t or Bode d iag rams .
6. Effect of Supply Frequency on Figure of Merit. S o m e p re l iminary s ta tements h a v e been m a d e in t h e l i t e ra tu re r ega rd ing t h e effect of supply frequency on figure of mer i t . N o w t h a t be t t e r informat ion is avai lable o n magne t i c -core character is t ics a n d the influence on amplifier per formance , a good ana ly t ica l t r e a t m e n t of this subject m a y b e possible. Such a t r e a t m e n t should t a k e accura te ly in to accoun t the var ia t ion of core character is t ics wi th frequency.
7. Bistable Circuit. I n bis ta te m a g n e t i c -amplifier circui ts , t he switching t i m e from o f f t o o n a n d from o n t o o f f a p p e a r s t o be a funct ion of several var iables , inc lud ing the m a g n i t u d e of signal a n d t h e a m o u n t of r egenera t ion . An objective of this thesis project w o u l d be to s tudy the factors influencing t h e switching t ime a n d t o d e t e r m i n e some a p p r o p r i a t e cr i ter ia w h i c h w o u l d re l a t e t he ra t io of power gain (switching r a t i o ) a n d the switching t ime .
8. High-Frequency Operation. If a m a g net ic amplif ier is ope ra t ed from a h i g h carr ier f requency, its b a n d w i d t h m a y b e m a d e wide e n o u g h t o accept low-frequency a-c signals w i thou t d e m o d u l a t i o n . T h e circui t m a y be designed t o p r o v i d e b o t h vol tage a n d p o w e r gain at t he low frequency. A n object of this thesis project w o u l d b e t o d e t e r m i n e o p t i m u m coupl ing circuits t o t h e load . Cons ide ra t ion should also b e given to over-a l l c ircui t efficiency ( ra t io of h igh-frequency p o w e r suppl ied t o low-frequency p o w e r o u t p u t ) .
9. Interstage Coupling. If t w o m a g n e t i c amplifiers of the self-saturated t y p e a r e g r o u p e d toge the r t o form a 2-stage m a g n e t i c amplifier , t he a m p e r e - t u r n ga in of t he 2-stage m a g n e t i c amplif ier usual ly is less t h a n the p r o d u c t of t he gains of t h e t w o ind iv idua l amplif iers . T h e object of this thesis projec t is t o s tudy the m e c h a n i s m of ga in r educ t ion a n d to ar r ive a t recomm e n d a t i o n s for r e d u c i n g or e l imina t ing t h e a fo rement ioned ga in r educ t ion .
Low-Level Amplifiers ( 70 and 77). 70. Input-Stage Design. W o r k is needed
on t h e design of con t ro l circuits a n d i n p u t stages of m a g n e t i c amplifiers ope ra t ing at ext remely low p o w e r levels. Th is work , t o be effective, m a y r equ i r e t h e redesign or o r ig ina t ion of t r ansduce r s t h a t wil l gene ra te t h e r e q u i r e d signals a n d transfer t h e m in o p t i m u m m a n n e r t o t h e i n p u t s tage. W o r k is also n e e d e d in t h e op t imiza t ion of mul t i s tage amplif iers for best closed-loop d y n a m i c pe r fo rmance .
77. Control Hysteresis. M a k e invest igat ion of con t ro l -c i rcu i t hysteresis in second-
942 Electrical Engineering Education ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
El oc-tri o al Engineering Education
' harmonic- type m a g n e t i c amplif ier . I n case sufficient m a t e r i a l has been pub l i shed a l ready on this top ic , a l i t e ra tu re s tudy a lone m a y be useful.
72. Polyphase Amplifiers. M o r e work ( a n d publ i shed p a p e r s ) is needed on the analysis of po lyphase magne t i c amplifiers. Th i s work should explore the var ious types of po lyphase circui ts , t h e m e t h o d s of connec t ing cont ro l windings , ope ra t ion wi th var ious types of loads, a n d stabi l i ty . Usab le expressions for ga in a n d t ime cons tan t should be der ived as functions of t he core m a t e r i a l , geometry , windings , a n d in te rconnec t ion .
Prediction of Control Characteristics ( 13 through 16).
13. Relation between Control Characteristics and B-H Loop of Cores. W o r k should be cont inued on t h e p red ic t ion of t h e con t ro l characterist ics of m a g n e t i c amplifiers from the measured curves of φ versus t ime wi th H as a p a r a m e t e r . M e t h o d s for d e t e r m i n i n g such curves from the physics or t h e m e t a l lurgy of t he m a t e r i a l shou ld b e deve loped .
74. Doubler Circuit. A m a g n e t i c a m p l i fier circuit wh ich exhibits m a n y in teres t ing characterist ics inc lud ing h igh p o w e r ga in , well-filtered o u t p u t , a n d h igh o u t p u t vol tage is shown in Fig. 2. N o a t t e m p t has yet been m a d e t o ana lyze this c i rcui t in o r d e r to predic t its m o d e of ope ra t ion a n d de t e rmine design equa t ions for its pe r fo rmance . T h u s , t he object of this thesis project w o u l d be t o ana lyze t h e circui t behav io r a n d establish design equa t ions .
75. Amplifier with Counter-Emf Load. I t is felt t h a t a theory is needed for t he self-sa tu ra ted magne t i c amplif ier work ing in to a coun te r -emf load , such as a s torage ba t te ry or t h e a r m a t u r e of a d-c m o t o r . Such a theory should b e a i m e d t o p r o d u c e design informat ion a n d , therefore , its findings a n d conclusions should b e p resen ted in a m a n n e r which can be easily g rasped a n d uti l ized.
76. Effects of Winding Capacitances. H o w a re t h e t h r ee basic magne t ic -ampl i f ie r circuits, name ly " d o u b l e r , " b r idge , a n d cen te r - t ap , influenced, favorably or unfavorably, by c a p a c i t a n c e in t h e wind ings of the coils? T o w h a t ex ten t d o these effects d e p e n d on t h e proper t i es of t h e core m a terial? At wh ich frequencies d o capac i t a n c e effects b e c o m e apprec iab le? O n e way t o d e t e r m i n e w i n d i n g capac i t ances
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79. Stabilizing of Closed-Loop Systems. T h e a r e a of stabi l iz ing m e t h o d s for feedback systems inco rpo ra t i ng m a g n e t i c amplifiers needs cons iderab le work . Both t h e specific t echn iques a n d the ana ly t ica l me thods for p red ic t ing t h e pe r fo rmance of t he stabil ized system need a t t en t ion .
Project Number Proponents and Addresses.
Fig. 2. Project 14, Doubler Circuit.
w o u l d be to m e a s u r e c a p a c i t a n c e of coils w o u n d on n o n - m a g n e t i c core forms.
77. Push-Pull Circuits. T o study t h e var ious conven t iona l s ingle-stage push-pu l l a-c a n d / o r d-c o u t p u t m a g n e t i c amplif iers wi th a view to d e t e r m i n i n g the o p t i m u m m e t h o d s of mix ing the t w o s ingle-ended o u t p u t s a n d the effect of bias a n d con t ro l circuit conf igura t ion on j u m p s or discont inui t ies in the transfer curve , w h e n a low-frequency s inusoidal s ignal is app l ied .
78. Stability of Amplifiers. T h e r e is need for an ana ly t i ca l a n d e x p e r i m e n t a l c o m par i son of t h e s tabi l i ty of var ious m a g n e t i c -amplif ier circuits wi th respect t o changes in core a n d rectifier character is t ics . T h e resul t of a projec t such as this should be a q u a n t i ta t ive c o m p a r i s o n of t h e drift a n d ga in s tabi l i ty of var ious types of m a g n e t i c -amplif ier c ircui ts , inc lud ing var ious types of feedback, assuming c o m p a r a b l e changes in core a n d rectifier character is t ics in al l
1, 6, 18 R . A. R a m e y , Wes t inghouse E l e c t r ic C o r p o r a t i o n , Eng ineer ing Cen te r , Eas t P i t t sburgh , Pa .
2, 16 J . J . Suozzi , Bell T e l e p h o n e Labora to r i e s Inc . , Whippany , R o a d , W h i p p a n y , N . J .
3, 11 T . G. B lancha rd , R . J . Dist ler , Bell T e l e p h o n e Labora tor ies I n c . , W h i p p a n y R o a d , W h i p p a n y , N . J .
4, 10, 12, A. Kusko , Massachuse t t s Ins t i tu te 1 3 , 1 9 of T e c h n o l o g y , R o o m 10-150,
C a m b r i d g e , Mass . 5 , 9 , 1 5 H . F . S t o r m , G e n e r a l Electr ic
C o m p a n y , 1 River R o a d , Bui lding 37, Schenec tady , Ν . Y.
7 , 8 , 1 4 D . F e l d m a n , Bell T e l e p h o n e Labo ra to r i e s I n c , W h i p p a n y R o a d . , W h i p p a n y , N . J .
17 T . G. Wi lson , Magne t i c s Inc . , But ler , Pa .
REFERENCE
1. An Application of Magnetic Amplifier Circuits ta Perform Multiplication and Other Analytical Operations, L. A. Finzi, R. A. Mathias. AIEE Transactions\ vol. 72, pt. I, 1953, pp 455 6 1 .
Magnetic Amplifiers Serve To Teach Power Modulators H . C. B O U R N E MEMBER AIEE
R . M . S A U N D E R S MEMBER AIEE
M A G N E T I C A M P L I F I E R S a r e a n exa m p l e of a who le g r o u p of devices h a v i n g c o m m o n charac te r i s t ics a n d b e i n g a m e n a b l e t o a c o m m o n m e t h o d of analysis . T h e c o m m o n charac ter i s t ics of this class of e q u i p m e n t a re t h a t they con t ro l a n d m o d u l a t e t h e flow of p o w e r a n d energy a n d a r e m e c h a n i c a l l y s tat ic . T h i s a r t ic le descr ibes a m e t h o d of ana lyz ing such s tat ic p o w e r m o d u l a t o r s b y app ly ing t h e t e chn iques t o m a g n e t i c a m p l i fiers in p a r t i c u l a r .
T h e s e m e t h o d s , r e ly ing as they d o u p o n t h e knowledge of c i rcui t analysis at the c o m m a n d of a n a d v a n c e d s t u d e n t , m a k e it pos sible for a n u n d e r g r a d u a t e s tuden t t o ga in cons ide rab le insight i n t o non l i nea r m a g n e t i c c i rcui t analysis , as wel l as p rov ide h i m wi th tools for exploi t ing m o r e compl i ca t ed s i tuat ions in t he future .
F ig . 1 shows a block in to wh ich a signal b e a r i n g inte l l igence is in jec ted; it is desired t h a t t h e s ignal m o d u l a t e the flow of power f rom t h e source in to t h e load in acco rdance w i t h t h a t s ignal . Ac tua l ly , t he genera l power m o d u l a t o r of Fig. 1 m a y involve m e c h a n i c a l m o t i o n if any of the t e rmina l s involve m e c h a n i c a l d i sp lacement or velocity, such as in d-c a n d a-c m o t o r s . Fig. 1 may also represen t a s ta t ionary power m o d u l a t o r >
w h e r e al l i npu t s a n d o u t p u t s a re t he s a m e
Full text of conference paper presented before a session of the AIEE Committee on Magnetic Amplifiers, AIEE Summer and Pacific Meeting, San Francisco, Calif., June 25-29, 1956.
H. C. Bourne and R. M. Saunders are with the University of California, Berkeley, Calif.
O C T O B E R 1956 Electrical Engineering Education 943