Predictive current control in electrical drives: an illustrated review with case examples using a five-phase induction motor drive with distributed windings

The industrial application of electric machines in variable-speed drives has recently grown thanks to the development of microprocessors and power converters. Although three-phase machines constitute the most common case, the interest of the research community is also focused on multiphase machines with more than three phases. The principal reason lies in the exploitation of their advantages such as reliability, better current distribution among phases or lower current harmonic in the converter, to name a few. Nevertheless, multiphase drive applications require the development of complex controllers to regulate the torque (or speed) and flux of the machine. In this regard, predictive current controllers have appeared as a viable alternative due to an easy formulation and high flexibility to incorporate different control objectives. It is found, however, that these controllers face some peculiarities and limitations in their use that require attention. This work attempts to tackle the predictive current control technique as a viable alternative for the regulation of multiphase drives, paying special attention to the development of the control technique and the discussion of the benefits and limitations. Case examples with experimental results using a symmetrical five-phase induction machine with distributed windings are included to this end.