The National Centre for PV Research and Education (NCPRE) Power Electronics group is developing solar PV components including standalone inverters, grid connected inverters, and solar water pumps. Their current activities include technology development through simulation and building prototypes for commercialization and field testing. Specifically, they have developed a prototype brushless DC motor for solar water pumps that uses ferrite magnets instead of rare-earth magnets, making it a lower-cost and indigenous technology. Performance testing shows the motor controller can operate the pump efficiently using sensorless position control. The group is looking to further evaluate prototypes in the field and partner with organizations to commercialize their products.

1. Power Electronics Group
NCPRE
National Centre for PV Research and Education

2. Power Electronics at NCPRE
• Team
– 4 Faculty members
– 10 Staff and students (M.Tech, PhD, Post-Doctoral)
• Current Activities
– Technology Development
– Simulation of solar PV BoS components
• Commercialization
– Prototypes available for testing and market study
– BLDC Motor Prototype Information

3. Prototypes for Commercialization
Standalone Inverter Grid Connected Inverter
Solar Pump

4. Technology Development
Standalone Inverter
• 12 V/24 V Battery PV compatible
• Integrated MPPT and charge controller
• DC link capacitor selection for longer life time
• Reduced number of power electronics switching
devices
• Low cost and high reliability
Solar water Pump
• Induction motor drive of 3hp capacity
• SVM and V/f control of IM

5. Technology Development
BLDC motor
– Low-Cost Design
– Ferrite permanent magnets
– No rare-earth magnets – indigenous technology
– Low flux density
– High Curie temperature – suitable for bore-well pumps
– Rust proof – suitable for water-filled motors
– Higher air-gap flux density

6. BLDC Motor for PV Submersible Pump
• Flux concentration capability
• Safe retention of the magnets inside the rotor
• Spoke-Type Rotor
• Ferrite Magnets

7. Prototype Specifications

8. BLDC Motor Prototype at NCPRE

9. BLDC Motor Prototype at NCPRE
(a) Submersible BLDC motor coupled
with pump
(b) Zoomed-in view of the coupling

10. Prototype BLDC Motor Performance

11. Prototype BLDC Motor Performance

12. Back-EMF based Position Sensorless Controller

13. BLDC Motor Experimental Setup

14. Sensorless Controller Results

15. BoM and Cost Comparison
• Cost of new design is 40% lower
• Compared to 2 HP submersible pump with rare-earth magnets
and surface mounted rotor design
• Detail List of BoM
– Available upon request

16. Other Research Activities
• Apart from prototype development, NCPRE PE
group is involved in High Power Research activities
• Design & Simulation
– Simulation of High Power Converters
– Topologies of high power inverter
– High Power Electrical Machine Simulation and Design
– High Power Drive design

17. Plan
• We are currently evaluating the field performance
and reliability of prototypes developed in-house
• If you would like to jointly develop any products
with us OR
• If you would like to commercialize any of the
existing prototypes
• Contact us for further details
• www.ncpre.iitb.ac.in