Comparative performance analysis of Thyristor and IGBT based induction motor soft starters

Abstract

In this paper the performance of a split-phase motor and a three-phase induction motor drives for soft starting is evaluated. The paper systematically investigates and compares the characteristics of a variable voltage fed induction motor drive for two different types of soft starters; one based on IGBT and another based on Thyristor. Experimental validation is done using analogue circuit based system, developed in the laboratory. The novelty of the work lies in the development of simple and flexible models for simulation purpose and their experimental validation.

Keywords: Variable speed electric drives, Soft starter, Thyristor, IGBT