Microcontroller-based power regulation for induction motors with power quality conditioning

The focus of this thesis is to verify the power-saving characteristics of a triac-based motor controller and reduce the harmonics associated with the device by integrating a power quality conditioner. A hardware prototype of a motor controller was constructed using a microcontroller to detect the load magnitude and fire a triac accordingly. Test results showed an average decrease in active power consumption of 23.2% with a 426.6% average increase in harmonic distortion; the largest power savings occurred with light loads. A Simulink model of a line conditioner was created, verified, and adapted to utilize a digital controller. This conditioner uses a DC capacitor and inverter to produce harmonic-compensating signals, and connects to the AC source via a link reactor. The model was combined with a model of the motor controller and the complete system was simulated. Results show a successful reduction in real power consumption with harmonic distortion below 6%