08 - Chapter 4
08 - Chapter 4
08 - Chapter 4
4.1 GENERAL
The speed control of the ceiling fans, is an inevitable requirement as the comfort needs of
the consumer change with a slight variation of weather, individual health conditions and am-
bient air circulation requirements. The fixed speed ceiling fans may lead to discomfort rather
than comfort in frequent seasonal variations. The ceiling fan motor is low power and low cost
appliance. Thus, a simple, cheap, and energy-efficient speed control method is required. The
speed control in case of the single-phase induction motor (SPIM) fans is achieved using the
voltage control, which reduces the flux in the motor and the torque versus speed character-
istics of the motor are controlled, resulting in the new operating point of the ceiling fan at a
lower speed. However, the speed can also be reduced by reducing the voltage and frequency
simultaneously and keeping the flux in the motor constant, the method is economically not
viable for a product like ceiling fan. Most permanent magnet ceiling fan motors use such
a speed control strategy and are quite expensive owing to power converter circuit and their
control. In this chapter, the different types of speed control methods of SPIM ceiling fans are
analyzed. Their experimental performance is analyzed and validated from co-simulation with
FEA. Their impact on the performance of the ceiling fan and supply is analyzed in detail.
The basic requirements of a speed controller for a ceiling fan are as follows.
• It should be reliable.
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Fig. 4.1 Resistive speed controller for ceiling fan
The scope of this analysis is limited to just the voltage control methods as the ceiling fan
cost should stay as low as possible. The voltage reduction for a SPIM can be achieved by a
series resistor with SPIM as shown in Fig. 4.1. This type of controller is extremely cheap and
very simple to manufacture. However, it dissipates heat across the resistance all the time, and
the overall power consumption of the fan remain close to the rated power even at the lower
output power. Thus, it is not a very energy-efficient method of controlling speed. The speed
of the motor can be controlled in discrete steps only. Moreover, the space requirement for
such controllers is quite large and takes close to 30-35% footprint of the switchboard itself.
Power electronic switches can block the part of input voltage during a cycle and trim
a certain portion of the voltage waveform. Two back-to-back thyristors or TRIAC based
voltage controllers have been in existence for speed control of ceiling fans as shown in Fig.
4.2. The TRIAC controller chops the initial part of the AC voltage in both positive and
negative cycles, thereby reducing the rms voltage across the ceiling fan and hence reducing
its speed. However, the chopping of the voltage waveform disturbs the sinusoidal waveshape
of the ceiling fan input voltage, and it becomes a combination of harmonics rather than the
losses of the TRIAC are quite minimal as the ceiling fan currents are less than a quarter of
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Fig. 4.2 TRIAC based speed controller for ceiling fan
an Ampere. The losses are ON state TRIAC voltage times the supply current. The supply
power factor of the AC input deteriorates with TRIAC controllers. Moreover, as the motor
itself contains lower order spatial harmonics in airgap flux density, the harmonic voltages
interact with these spatial harmonics and lead to a deteriorated performance of the motor with
TRIAC controller. The voltage reduction can also be done by introducing a capacitor in series
with the ceiling fan as shown in Fig. 4.3, which reduces the voltage across the ceiling fan
and thus, reduces the speed. The benefit of a capacitive voltage controller is that the voltage
available to the ceiling fan is sinusoidal in nature and contains no harmonic voltages, which
interfere with the harmonic magnetic fields in the SPIM. The overall cost of the controller is
quite cheap as well as the footprint of the controller is also small. However, the use of this
controller makes the circuit capacitive and the supply current becomes leading in phase with
supply voltage. The power factor of the AC mains again deteriorates, however, as compared
to the TRIAC based controller, the load provides the reactive power instead of consuming the
All the three speed controllers discussed above are cheap, can be indigenously manufac-
tured and provide speed control easily. However, their actual performance and impact on the
82
Fig. 4.3 Capacitive speed controller for ceiling fan
energy-efficient ceiling fan motor have to be tested and analyzed experimentally and using the
FEA simulation. The motor performance parameters such as the magnitude of output torque
and torque ripple can be identified from the FEA analysis. Apart from the mechanical pa-
rameters, the internal flux density in the airgap, across teeth and other steel parts of the motor
can be obtained, which is not directly available using electrical measurements. Since, the re-
sistive speed controller introduces a resistance in series with the motor and drops the voltage
across the fan, the performance of the motor can easily be verified from transient FEA with
series resistance. Similarly, the capacitive speed controller reduces voltage across the fan by
adding a series, thus the same can be modeled in transient FEA by connecting a capacitor
with FEA model in the simulation. However, the TRIAC based speed controller blocks a part
of the input voltage for the fan in both positive and negative cycles, hence, the FEA model
needs to be simulated in synchronization with the circuit simulator. For such controller, tran-
sient FEA model in ANSYS Maxwell is simulated along with ANSYS Simplorer, which is a
circuit simulation tool. Fig. 4.4 shows the model of ANSYS Maxwell and Simplorer based
co-simulation of ceiling fan with different speed controllers. The transient electromagnetic
FEA model in series with the TRIAC switch model is fed with an AC voltage source in the
figure. The firing angle of the TRIAC can be changed with the pulse signal shown. The time
step of the circuit simulation is kept variable for faster convergence. The minimum time step
83
is 0.2 ms and the maximum time step is kept 1 ms. During the time, TRIAC is switching, the
circuit is simulated at a minimum time step. For the rest of the AC voltage cycle, the circuit
is simulated at maximum time step. The time step of the FEA model is kept at 0.2 ms similar
Two ceiling fans with 16 poles and 14 poles are experimentally tested with all the three
types of speed controllers discussed in the previous section. The specifications of the ceiling
fans are the same as discussed in chapter 3. The series resistances of the five speed resistive
speed controller are 0 Ω, 121 Ω, 208 Ω, 311 Ω, and 471 Ω. The TRIAC based speed
controller comprises of a TRIAC rated for 230 V and its firing circuit with a potentiometric
divider for smooth firing angle control. The capacitive speed controller comprises of two
RC networks. The capacitors are rated for 2.2 µF and 3.3 µF, while the parallel resistance is
rated for 220 kΩ. A resistor of 2.2 Ω is connected in each RC combination. The two lower
voltages are obtained by connecting the each RC network in series with the ceiling fan, while
the third voltage, which is higher is obtained by connecting both the RC networks in parallel
and the combination in series with the ceiling fan. The FEA models of both the ceiling fans
are used for obtaining the performance and the same is validated using the experimental test
results. The motor current and input voltage are sensed and fed into Yokogawa WT1800
power analyzer for measurement of motor input power and its quality. While the supply
current and supply voltage are fed used to analyze the power intake from the supply.
The resistive speed controller is connected in series with the ceiling fan and the measure-
ments are taken at the motor input as well as supply side. The simulations are carried out
using the same series resistance with the motor in Simplorer and Maxwell. The test results,
84
(a)
(b)
(c)
Fig. 4.4 Simplorer based co-simulation of the ceiling fan SPIM with speed controller (a) Resistive Controller,
(b) Capacitive Controller, (c) TRIAC Controller
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as well as simulation results are as follows.
The performance of 14 pole and 16 pole ceiling fan SPIMs are tested and analyzed with
resistive speed controller. The performance is compared with the reduced voltage by auto-
transformer or AC variac. Fig. 4.5 shows the experimental test results showing comparison
for a 16 pole motor. Similarly, the test results for a 14 pole motor are shown in Fig. 4.6.
In Figs. 4.5(a) and 4.6(a), the variation of speed with the input voltage is seen. The speed
reduces in a much similar way since the voltage remains sinusoidal and there is no difference
between the harmonics content of the two input voltages. Similarly, the supply current also
reduces with the input voltage as the speed reduces and thus, the power intake reduces as
seen in Fig. 4.5(b) and 4.6(b). In Figs. 4.5(c) and 4.6(c), same trend is seen in the supply
power factor. However, there is a significant difference in the supply power in Figs. 4.5(d)
and 4.6(d). This is because of the fact that the a resistive speed controller consumes an I 2 Rx
W of power in the series resistor Rx throughout the operation of the ceiling fan, which could
have been avoided when supplied with a reduced voltage directly from the source. Thus,
it can be concluded that, even though the motor can be made energy efficient, the power
consumption is not to be reduced with such controllers. Fig. 4.7 shows the performance
of the 16 pole motor when fed the lowest voltage with a resistive controller. The motor
input voltage is 161.9 V with an input power of 23.95 W in Fig. 4.7(a). The power factor
of the motor is 0.989. The motor current and motor voltage have harmonic distortions of
2.418% and 2.205%, respectively as seen in Fig. 4.7(b). However, the supply input power
consumption is 34.02 W as shown in Fig. 4.7(c) with a supply power factor of 0.9943. In
Fig. 4.7(d), the harmonic distortion in the supply current and supply voltage are 2.568%
and 1.533%. Fig. 4.7(e) shows the recorded wave-forms of the supply voltage (230 V),
86
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
Fig. 4.5 Comparison of performance of a 16 pole ceiling fan with resistive speed controller (a) Speed versus
input voltage, (b) Supply current versus input voltage, (c) Supply power factor versus input voltage,
(d) Supply power versus input voltage
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
Fig. 4.6 Comparison of performance of a 14 pole ceiling fan with resistive speed controller (a) Speed versus
input voltage, (b) Supply current versus input voltage, (c) Supply power factor versus input voltage,
(d) Supply power versus input voltage
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main winding voltage (161.9 V), auxiliary winding voltage (93.73 V) and capacitor voltage
(233.3 V). Similarly, Fig. 4.7(f) shows the wave-forms of the supply current and winding
voltages. The main winding current magnitude is 179.1 mA and the auxiliary winding current
magnitude is 138.29 mA. Fig. 4.8 shows the indices of the 14 pole motor when fed the lowest
voltage of 152 V from a resistive controller. The motor consumes 25.65 W, at a power factor
of 0.999 as shown in Fig. 4.8(a). The harmonic distortions of the motor voltage and the motor
current are 2.57% and 2.23%, respectively. The supply input power is 34.02 W, which is
13.2 W higher than the power consumed by the motor. The harmonic distortion in the supply
current and the supply current as evident from Fig. 4.8(d) are 1.93% and 2.18%. The recorded
wave-forms of the supply voltage, winding voltages and capacitor voltage are shown in Fig.
4.8(e). The rms value of the auxiliary voltage and capacitor voltage are 132 V and 247 W,
respectively. The supply current, main winding current and auxiliary winding currents have
rms values of 168.72 mA, 159 mA and 145 mA, respectively as shown in Fig. 4.8(f).
4.4.1.2 FEA Based Co-Simulation of Resistive Based Controller With Ceiling Fan
Simulated results with the series resistance controller with the FEA model are presented
with the electromagnetic torque developed for both the ceiling fans. Fig. 4.9 shows the
simulated performance both the motor at rated voltage. The average electromagnetic torque
developed by 16 pole motor is 595.79 mNm with a torque ripple of 87.68% as shown in Fig.
4.9(a). The rms values of the supply current at rated voltage obtained from experimental
test and simulation are 189.41 mA and 188.3 mA, respectively as shown in Fig. 4.9(b).
The simulated and experimental values of motor input power are 42.44 W and 43.74 W,
respectively. The simulated values of the power factor are 0.998 (leading) from simulation
Similarly, for a 14 pole motor, the electromagnetic torque developed at rated voltage is
88
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
(e) (f)
Fig. 4.7 Performance parameters of a 16 pole motor with resistive controller at lowest motor voltage setting
(a) Motor voltage, motor current, motor input power and motor power factor, (b) Harmonic spectrum
of the motor current and motor input voltage, (c) Supply voltage, supply current, supply input power
and supply power factor, (d) Harmonic spectrum of the supply current and supply input voltage, (e)
Wave-forms of supply supply voltage, main winding voltage, auxiliary winding voltage and capacitor
voltage, (f) Wave-forms of supply voltage, supply current, main winding current and auxiliary winding
current
89
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
(e) (f)
Fig. 4.8 Performance parameters of a 14 pole motor with resistive controller at lowest motor voltage setting
(a) Motor voltage, motor current, motor input power and motor power factor, (b) Harmonic spectrum
of the motor current and motor input voltage, (c) Supply voltage, supply current, supply input power
and supply power factor, (d) Harmonic spectrum of the supply current and supply input voltage, (e)
Wave-forms of supply supply voltage, main winding voltage, auxiliary winding voltage and capacitor
voltage, (f) Wave-forms of supply voltage, supply current, main winding current and auxiliary winding
current
90
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
Fig. 4.9 Simulated performance of ceiling fan motors at rated voltage (a) Simulated electromagnetic torque
of a 16 pole motor, (b) Simulated supply voltage and motor current for 16 pole motor, (c) Simulated
electromagnetic torque of 14 pole motor, (d) Simulated supply voltage and motor current for 14 pole
motor
shown in Fig. 4.9(c). The average value of the torque is 514.53 mNm with a torque ripple of
126.05%. The rms values of the supply current obtained from the simulation and experimental
test are 215.4 mA and 219.34 mA, respectively as shown in Fig. 4.9(d). The motor input
power consumption is obtained as 48.44 W from simulation and 49.64 W from experimental
test results. Moreover, the values of power factor for the motor are 0.974 (leading) from
simulation and 0.985 (leading) from experimental test. Thus, there is a satisfactory co-relation
between the actual performance of and the simulated performance of the motor, which can be
used to identify the torque of the motor at lower voltages fed from different types of speed
controllers.
The analysis of the torque reduction and the input power with the simulation is also done.
The simulated torque of a 14 pole motor with reduced voltages is shown in Fig. 4.10. At
161 V, the simulated motor input power is 23.62 W, as compared to the experimental value
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of 23.95 W. The supply input power are 34.19 W (simulation) and 34.02 W (experimental
test). The developed torque is shown in Fig. 4.10(a) with an average value of 331.3 mNm
and torque ripple of 58%. Similarly, with series resistance of 311 Ω, the motor input volt-
age is 181 V. The motor input power obtained from the simulation and experimental test are
28.43 W and 29.53 W, respectively. Similarly, the supply input power from simulation and
experimental results are 36.51 W and 38.02 W, respectively. The torque at 181 V is shown
in Fig. 4.10(b). The mean torque is 427 mNm with a torque ripple of 59.5%. At the third
speed setting, the motor input voltage becomes 196 V and the simulated value of the motor
input power is 33.54 W. The same value obtained from the experimental test is 33.59 W. The
supply input powers are 39.97 W (simulation) and 39.75 W (experimental test). The motor
develops an average torque of 503.46 mNm with a torque ripple of 57.91% as shown in Fig.
4.10(c). The fourth speed setting, a series resistance of 121 Ω is added in series with the ceil-
ing fan and reduces the motor input voltage to 210 V. The motor input powers obtained from
the simulation and the experimental test are 36.51 W and 37.65 W, respectively. Moreover,
the input power at the supply side is 40.35 W (simulation) and 41.07 W (experimental test).
The average torque of the motor at 210 V is 543.55 mNm with a torque ripple of 39.9 % as
The simulated electromagnetic torque of a 14 pole motor with the same resistance as exper-
imental test is shown in Fig. 4.11. Fig. 4.11(a) shows the electromagnetic torque developed
by the motor at 152 V. The simulated values of the motor power and input power are 27.54
W and 43.02 W, respectively as compared to the experimental values of 25.65 W and 38.85
W, respectively. The average value of the torque is 349.53 mNm with 40.61% peak to peak
torque ripple. At the next speed setting, the motor input voltage is reduced to 172 V and the
torque waveform is shown in Fig. 4.11(b). The motor power and supply input power from
92
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
Fig. 4.10 Simulated waveforms of electromagnetic torque developed in a 16 pole motor with resistive con-
troller at (a) 161 V, (b) 181 V, (c), 196 V, (d) 210 V
simulation are 32.74 W and 44.25 W. Whereas, the corresponding values from the experi-
mental test are 32.64 W and 43.45 W, respectively. The average value of the torque is 437.47
mNm with a torque ripple of 32.35%. The experimentally obtained motor power and supply
power at 189 V with series resistance are 37.89 W and 46.27 W, respectively. The same values
from simulation at 189 V are 37.82 W and 46.35 W, respectively. The average value of the
electromagnetic torque developed is 479.78 mNm with a torque ripple of 67.83% as shown
in Fig. 4.11(c). The simulated and experimental values of the motor powers at 206 V are
41.72 W and 42.75 W, respectively. Similarly, the simulated and experimental supply input
powers are 46.87 W and 47.57 W, respectively. The developed torque at 206 V is shown in
Fig. 4.11(d). The average value of the torque is 484 mNm and the torque ripple is 99.8%.
Tables 4.1 and 4.2 show the performance of the the motor at reduced voltage with resistive
controller. The torque ripple at all the speeds is less than 70%, however, the difference in the
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Table 4.1 Performance of 16 Pole Ceiling Fan Motor With Resistive Speed Controller
Table 4.2 Performance of 14 Pole Ceiling Fan Motor With Resistive Speed Controller
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
Fig. 4.11 Simulated waveforms of electromagnetic torque developed in 14 pole motor at (a) 152V, (b) 172V,
(c) 189 V, (d) 206 V
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4.4.2 Performance Analysis of Capacitive Based Controller With Ceiling Fan
The input voltage to the motor is reduced by connecting a capacitor in series as shown in
Fig. 4.4(b). The value of capacitors C1 and C2 are 2.2 µF and 3.3 µF, respectively. The value
of the parallel resistance R1 also known as bleeder resistance is 220 kΩ. It’s main function is
to dissipate the stored energy in the capacitor once the switch is turned off. It is usually kept
high to limit any on state current. The series resistance R2 is very small series resistance to
limit sudden short circuit with a value of 2.2 Ω. The performance of both the ceiling fans is
The experimental test results of 16 pole and 14 pole energy-efficient ceiling fans are con-
ducted for analyzing the performance of the fans in Figs. 4.12 and 4.13, respectively. The
variation of the speed is shown in Figs. 4.12(a) and 4.13(a) with voltage given to SPIM ceiling
fan. The speed remains the same for the reduced voltage with capacitive speed controller in
both the motors in comparison to the reduced voltage from AC source. This illustrates that the
quality of the input voltage to the motor has not deteriorated and maintains sinusoidal wave-
shape with the capacitive speed controller. The motor and supply currents are similar as seen
in Figs. 4.12(b) and 4.13(b). However, the power factor of the supply as seen in Figs. 4.12(c)
and 4.13(c) is reduced with the speed reduction in the case of the capacitive speed controller.
There is no difference in supply power with and without capacitive speed controllers as seen
in Figs. 4.12(d) and 4.13(d). The difference in the motor input power and supply input power
Fig. 4.14 shows the performance indices of a 16 pole motor when fed the lowest voltage
with the capacitive controller. In Fig. 4.14(a), motor consumes an input power of 21.49 W
at a power factor of 0.9839 when fed voltage of 153.5 V. However, the harmonic distortion
95
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
Fig. 4.12 Comparison of performance of a 16 pole ceiling fan with capacitive speed controller (a) Speed versus
input voltage, (b) Supply current versus input voltage, (c) Supply power factor versus input voltage,
(d) Supply power versus input voltage
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
Fig. 4.13 Comparison of performance of a 14 pole ceiling fan with capacitive speed controller (a) Speed versus
input voltage, (b) Supply current versus input voltage, (c) Supply power factor versus input voltage,
(d) Supply power versus input voltage
96
of the motor voltage (5.07%) and motor current (9.36%) are higher as compared to resistive
controller as seen in Fig. 4.14(b). The supply power is close to the motor power with a
reactive power of 24.53 Var is fed to the supply in Fig. 4.14(d). The recorded wave-forms
of the important voltages of the motor with capacitive controller are depicted in Fig. 4.14(e).
The rms value of the auxiliary winding voltage is 85.11 V and the capacitor across voltage is
218.36 V. Similarly, the recorded wave-forms of the supply and winding currents are shown
in Fig. 4.14(f). The rms values of the main winding current and auxiliary winding current are
In Fig. 4.15, the system indices of a 14 pole ceiling fan motor are shown with the lowest
input voltage fed from the capacitive controller. The motor consumes 18.49 W at a power
factor of 0.996 in Fig. 4.15(a). The harmonic distortions of the motor voltage and current are
4.85% and 5.07% as evident from Fig. 4.15(b). In Fig. 4.15(c), power consumption at the
supply is 18.87 W, which is close to the motor input power. However, the power factor of the
supply current is 0.5685 leading. The harmonics distortion of the supply current is observed
as 4.74% with a reactive power of 27.31 Var being supplied to the AC source in Fig. 4.15(d).
The wave-forms of the supply voltage, main winding voltage, auxiliary winding voltage and
capacitor voltage are shown in Fig. 4.15(e). The rms values of all the voltages are 231 V,
129.68 V, 104.28 V and 207.74 V, respectively. The wave-forms of the supply and winding
currents are shown in Fig. 4.15(f) with rms values of main winding current and auxiliary
4.4.2.2 FEA Based Co-Simulation of Capacitive Based Controller With Ceiling Fan
The performances of both the ceiling fans are validated and the electromagnetic developed
torque of the ceiling fans is analyzed using a capacitive speed controller with the help of co-
97
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
(e) (f)
Fig. 4.14 Performance parameters of a 16 pole motor with capacitive controller at lowest motor voltage setting
(a) Motor voltage, motor current, motor input power and motor power factor, (b) Harmonic spectrum
of the motor current and motor input voltage, (c) Supply voltage, supply current, supply input power
and supply power factor, (d) Harmonic spectrum of the supply current and supply input voltage, (e)
Wave-forms of supply supply voltage, main winding voltage, auxiliary winding voltage and capac-
itor voltage, (f) Wave-forms of supply voltage, supply current, main winding current and auxiliary
winding current
98
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
(e) (f)
Fig. 4.15 Performance parameters of a 14 pole motor with capacitive controller at lowest motor voltage setting
(a) Motor voltage, motor current, motor input power and motor power factor, (b) Harmonic spectrum
of the motor current and motor input voltage, (c) Supply voltage, supply current, supply input power
and supply power factor, (d) Harmonic spectrum of the supply current and supply input voltage, (e)
Wave-forms of supply supply voltage, main winding voltage, auxiliary winding voltage and capac-
itor voltage, (f) Wave-forms of supply voltage, supply current, main winding current and auxiliary
winding current
99
simulation. The simulation results are as follows.
Fig. 4.16(a) shows the electromagnetic torque developed when a 2.2 µF is connected in
series with a 16 pole ceiling fan. The motor input power is identified as 22.01 W (simula-
tion) and 21.49 W (experimental test). The supply power factors from the simulation and the
experimental test are 0.656 (leading) and 0.663 (leading), respectively. The average torque
developed by the motor is 281.5 mNm with a torque ripple of 65.59%. The simulated and
experimentally obtained motor input powers with a 3.3 µF capacitor are 29.64 W and 29.89
W, respectively. Moreover, the supply power factors obtained from the simulation and exper-
imental test are 0.778 (leading) and 0.792 (leading), respectively. The average value of the
torque as shown in Fig. 4.16(b) with this speed setting is 431.13 mNm with a torque ripple
of 59.74%. With both the capacitors in parallel and the combination in series with a 16 pole
ceiling fan, the resultant motor input voltage is 208 V and a motor speed of 280 rpm is at-
tained. The developed electromagnetic torque is shown in Fig. 4.16(c). The average value
of the electromagnetic torque is 532 mNm and a torque ripple of 66.44 % is observed. The
measured motor input power from the test is 36.52 W as compared to 35 W obtained from
simulation. Similarly, the power factors of the supply from simulation and experimental test
are 0.8641 (leading) and 0.90 (leading), respectively. The simulated and experimental motor
input powers with a 2.2 µF and motor input voltage of 128 V are 18.27 W and 18.49 W, re-
spectively. The supply input power is determined from the simulation is 0.550 (leading) as
compared to the experimental value of 0.568 (leading). The developed electromagnetic torque
waveform is shown in Fig. 4.17(a). The average value of the torque is 238.38 mNm with a
torque ripple of 34.89%. With a 3.3 µF capacitor in series, the simulated and experimental
motor input powers are 27.83 W and 27.46 W, respectively. The supply power factor obtained
from the simulation is 0.678 (leading) as compared to the actual supply power factor of 0.694
100
Table 4.3 Performance of 16 Pole Ceiling Fan Motor With Capacitive Speed Controller
Table 4.4 Performance of 14 pole Ceiling Fan Motor With Capacitive Speed Controller
(leading). The waveform of the torque is shown in Fig. 4.17(b). The average value of the
torque is 366 mNm with a torque ripple of 33.04%. The motor input voltage obtained with
both capacitors of 2.2 µF and 3.3 µF in parallel is 208 V. The simulated value of the motor
input power is 37.52 W, whereas the experimental test value is 36.83 W. The supply input
power factors from simulation and experimental test results are 0.807 (leading) and 0.813
(leading), respectively. The developed torque waveform is shown in Fig. 4.17(c) with an
average torque of 473.17 mNm. The torque ripple in the motor is 57.77%. Tables 4.3 and 4.4
show the performance of the motor at reduced voltage with capacitive speed controller. The
torque ripple at all the speeds is less than 70%. Moreover, the difference in the supply input
power is negligible.
The performance of the ceiling fans with TRIAC voltage controller is analyzed from ex-
perimental tests and co-simulation with FEA model. Moreover, the performance of TRIAC
101
(a) (b)
(c)
Fig. 4.16 Simulated waveforms of electromagnetic torque developed in a 16 pole motor with capacitive con-
troller at (a) 151 V, (b) 181 V, (c), 208 V
(a) (b)
(c)
Fig. 4.17 Simulated waveforms of electromagnetic torque developed in a 14 pole motor with capacitive con-
troller at (a) 128 V, (b) 158V, (c), 186 V
102
4.4.3.1 Experimental Testing of TRIAC based Controller with ceiling fan
The performance of the TRIAC based speed controller on energy-efficient ceiling fans is
demonstrated with experimental results in Fig. 4.18-4.25. It can be observed in Figs. 4.18(a)
and 4.19(a), that the speed of the motor when fed with a TRIAC controller is less as compared
to when fed the same reduced input voltage directly from the supply. Moreover, it is evident
from Figs. 4.18(b) and 4.19(b) that the supply current is higher when fed with a TRIAC speed
controller. The increase in current is because of the harmonic currents, which are introduced
in the supply current because of the non-sinusoidal wave-shape of the motor input voltage.
The supply power factor is deteriorated because of the reactive power and harmonics, which
are introduced by the TRIAC. It is evident in Figs. 4.18(c) and 4.19(c). Moreover, when the
input active power is compared when fed with a TRIAC speed controller and reduced AC
reduced voltage from the supply, it is observed input power with the TRIAC is less in Figs.
4.18(d) and 4.19(d). This is because of the lower loading because of lower speed with the
Fig. 4.20 shows the performance indices of a 16 pole motor when fed with TRIAC based
speed controller at the lowest voltage. The motor voltage and the motor power are shown in
Fig. 4.20(a) as 151.29 V and 17.66 W, respectively. However, in this case the total harmonics
distortions of the motor input voltage as well as motor current are as high as 46.6% and
54.59%, respectively as shown in Fig. 4.20(b). The power factor in this condition is 0.788.
The supply side power indices are shown in Fig. 4.20(c). There is reduction in the input
power. However, the supply side power factor reduces further to 0.520. The harmonic spectra
of supply voltage and supply current are shown in Fig. 4.20(d). The recorded wave-forms of
the fan voltages are shown in Fig. 4.20(e). The supply voltage (230 V), main winding voltage
(151.29 V), auxiliary winding voltage (113.7 V) and capacitor voltage (191 V) are shown.
103
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
Fig. 4.18 Comparison of performance of a 16 pole ceiling fan with TRIAC based speed controller (a) Speed
versus input voltage, (b) Supply current versus input voltage, (c) Supply power factor versus input
voltage, (d) Supply power versus input voltage
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
Fig. 4.19 Comparison of performance of a 14 pole ceiling fan with TRIAC based speed controller (a) Speed
versus input voltage, (b) Supply current versus input voltage, (c) Supply power factor versus input
voltage, (d) Supply power versus input voltage
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The supply currents and the winding currents are shown in Fig. 4.20(f). The supply current is
peaky in nature with significant 3rd (52.18%) and 5th (14.59%) harmonics. The rms values of
the main winding current and the auxiliary winding current are 160.39 mA and 126.13 mA,
respectively.
In Fig. 4.21, performance indices of a 14 pole motor when fed lowest voltage with a
TRIAC controller, are depicted. The motor is fed rms voltage of magnitude 130.89 V using
the TRIAC voltage controller in Fig. 4.21(a). The input power of the motor is 12.97 W at a
power factor of 0.7316. The motor voltage and motor current both have significant harmonic
contents as shown in Fig. 4.21(b). A total harmonic distortion of 46.60% and 54.6% is seen
in motor voltage and current, respectively. The supply side indices are shown in Fig. 4.21(c).
The motor consumes 13.07 W, which is early equal to the motor input power. However, the
power factor of the supply current is severely affected and is 0.4155. The motor output power
is 13.07 W, however, the VA drawn from the supply is 31.44 VA as evident from Fig. 4.21(d).
The 3rd , 5th and 7th harmonics dominated the supply current with 53.43%, 17.43% and 4.48%,
respectively. The wave-forms of the supply voltage, main winding voltage, auxiliary winding
voltage and capacitor voltage are shown in Fig. 4.21(e). The rms values of the auxiliary
winding voltage and capacitor voltage are 125.14 V and 170 V, respectively. The supply
current and winding currents along with the supply voltage are shown in Fig. 4.21(f). The
rms values of the main winding current and auxiliary winding current are 128.05 mA and
The TRIAC speed controller is compared with the resistive speed controller by varying
the firing angle of the TRIAC for keeping the same speed of the motor as the resistive speed
controller. Thus, both the motors provide the same air delivery and produce the same output
power. These test results for both 16 pole and 14 pole motors are shown in Figs. 4.22 and 4.23.
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(a) (b)
(c) (d)
(e) (f)
Fig. 4.20 Performance parameters of a 16 pole motor with TRIAC controller at lowest motor voltage setting
(a) Motor voltage, motor current, motor input power and motor power factor, (b) Harmonic spectrum
of the motor current and motor input voltage, (c) Supply voltage, supply current, supply input power
and supply power factor, (d) Harmonic spectrum of the supply current and supply input voltage, (e)
Wave-forms of supply supply voltage, main winding voltage, auxiliary winding voltage and capac-
itor voltage, (f) Wave-forms of supply voltage, supply current, main winding current and auxiliary
winding current
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(a) (b)
(c) (d)
(e) (f)
Fig. 4.21 Performance parameters of a 14 pole motor with TRIAC controller at lowest motor voltage setting
(a) Motor voltage, motor current, motor input power and motor power factor, (b) Harmonic spectrum
of the motor current and motor input voltage, (c) Supply voltage, supply current, supply input power
and supply power factor, (d) Harmonic spectrum of the supply current and supply input voltage, (e)
Wave-forms of supply supply voltage, main winding voltage, auxiliary winding voltage and capac-
itor voltage, (f) Wave-forms of supply voltage, supply current, main winding current and auxiliary
winding current
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(a) (b)
(c) (d)
Fig. 4.22 Comparison of performance of a 16 pole ceiling fan with TRIAC speed controller with resistive
speed controller (a) Speed versus input voltage, (b) Supply current versus input voltage, (c) Supply
power factor versus input voltage, (d) Supply power versus input voltage
It is observed that the motors requires a higher rms voltage with TRIAC speed controller for
providing same air delivery as compared to the resistive speed controller in Figs. 4.22(a) and
4.23(a). Similarly, the supply current at the same value of rms voltage is less in resistive speed
controller as seen in Figs. 4.22(b). However, the difference between the same is negligible in
a 14 pole motor as shown in Fig. 4.23(b). In Figs. 4.22(c) and 4.23(c), the power factor of
the supply current is lower with TRIAC speed controller owing to the harmonic currents and
the reactive power introduced because of the firing angle delay. In Figs. 4.22(d) and 4.23(d),
there is an appreciable drop in the input power consumption with the TRIAC speed controller
as compared to the resistive speed controller, which can be attributed to higher loading as well
as losses across the resistive element. The performance of the TRIAC based speed controller
is compared with the capacitive speed controller by regulating the firing angle to keep the
speed same as capacitive speed controller at a particular setting on both the motors. The plots
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(a) (b)
(c) (d)
Fig. 4.23 Comparison of performance of a 14 pole ceiling fan with TRIAC speed controller with resistive
speed controller (a) Speed versus input voltage, (b) Supply current versus input voltage, (c) Supply
power factor versus input voltage, (d) Supply power versus input voltage
in Figs. 4.24(a) and 4.25(a) demonstrate the comparison between the two controllers. For the
same rms input voltage, the speed of the capacitive speed controller is higher than that with
TRIAC speed controller as seen in Figs, 4.24(a) and 4.25(a). Moreover, the supply current
higher with series TRIAC in Figs. 4.24(b). However, the supply current is at par in both
the controllers in a 14 pole motor as shown in Fig. 4.25(b). This is because the current is
inherently peaky in 14 pole motor because of the saturation in the auxiliary winding teeth as
discussed in chapter 3. The supply current power factor deteriorates with both the type of
speed controllers, which is evident from Fig. 4.24(c) and Fig. 4.25(c). However, the power
factor in the case of capacitive speed controller is leading and in the case of the TRIAC is
lagging in nature. Therefore, the capacitive speed controller is a better choice as it provides
reactive power to the supply rather than consuming reactive power and harmonic currents like
TRIAC based controller. Moreover, the output motor consumes a higher input power because
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(a) (b)
(c) (d)
Fig. 4.24 Comparison of performance of a 16 pole ceiling fan with TRIAC speed controller with capacitive
speed controller (a) Speed versus input voltage, (b) Supply current versus input voltage, (c) Supply
power factor versus input voltage, (d) Supply power versus input voltage
4.4.3.2 FEA based Co-Simulation of TRIAC Based Controller With Ceiling Fan
The developed electromagnetic torque of a 16 pole motor with TRIAC controller from
co-simulation is shown in Fig. 4.26. The performance of the motor is analysed by adjusting
the firing angle for obtaining same speed as resistive controller. In Fig. 4.26(a), the motor
input voltage is 173 V and the average electromagnetic torque developed is 313 mNm with a
torque ripple of 166.45%. The simulated and experimental values of motor input power are
24.85 W and 24.4 W, respectively. At 193 V and 235 rpm, the motor input power is 31.65 W
(simulation) and 30.94 W (experimental test). The supply power factors are 0.732 (lagging)
(simulation) and 0.73 (lagging) (experimental test). The average torque developed by the
motor is 420.44 mNm with a torque ripple of 151.5% as shown in Fig. 4.26(b). The torque
developed by the motor at an input voltage of 204 V and 257 rpm is shown in Fig. 4.26(c). The
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(a) (b)
(c) (d)
Fig. 4.25 Comparison of performance of a 14 pole ceiling fan with TRIAC speed controller with capacitive
speed controller (a) Speed versus input voltage, (b) Supply current versus input voltage, (c) Supply
power factor versus input voltage, (d) Supply power versus input voltage
motor input powers obtained from the simulation and experimental test results are 33.78 W
and 34.28 W, respectively. The obtained supply power factors are 0.78 (lagging) (simulation)
and 0.79 (lagging) (experimental test). The average torque from the simulation is 458 mNm
with a torque ripple of 143.05 %. At 222 V, the motor produces an average torque of 545.05
mNm with a torque ripple of 134.74 %. The simulated and experimentally identified values of
motor input power are 39.7 W and 39.34 W, respectively. The supply power factors obtained
are 0.870 (lagging) (simulation) and 0.890 (lagging) (experimental test), respectively.
The simulated performance of a 14 pole ceiling fan is simulated with TRIAC based speed
controller is presented is shown in Fig. 4.27. At the lowest speed same as the resistive
controller, the motor input voltage is 174 V. The motor input power is obtained as 27.01
W from simulation and 26.96 W from experimental test results. The supply input power
factor is obtained as 0.651 (lagging) from simulation while, the same is obtained as 0.631
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(a) (b)
(c) (d)
Fig. 4.26 Simulated waveforms of electromagnetic torque developed in a 16 pole motor with TRIAC controller
at (a) 173 V, (b) 193 V, (c), 204 V, (d) 222 V
(lagging) from experimental tests. The waveform of the developed electromagnetic torque
is shown in Fig. 4.27(a). The average value of the torque is 344.92 mNm with a torque
ripple of 171.45%. Similarly, at a motor input voltage of 195 V, the motor input powers from
simulation and experimental test are identified as, 36.11 W and 34.83 W, respectively. The
supply input power factors from simulation and test results are 0.747 (lagging) and 0.732
(lagging), respectively. The developed torque profile of the motor at 195V rms motor input
voltage is shown in Fig. 4.27(b). The average value of the torque is 446.25 mNm with a
torque ripple of 157.03%. The motor input power at an rms voltage of 211 V with TRIAC is
40.68 W from simulation, while the same is obtained as 41 W from test results. The supply
power factors from simulation and test are obtained as 0.833 (lagging) and 0.804 (lagging),
respectively. The average value of the torque is 460 mNm with a torque ripple of 150.55%
as shown in Fig. 4.27(c). The power consumption of the motor at an input voltage of 221 V
from TRIAC is 44.1 W (simulation) and 44.18 W (experimental test), respectively. Similarly,
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(a) (b)
(c) (d)
Fig. 4.27 Simulated waveforms of electromagnetic torque developed in a 14 pole motor with TRIAC controller
at (a) 174 V, (b) 195 V, (c), 211 V, (d) 221 V
the supply power factors are 0.883 (lagging) (simulation) and 0.851 (lagging) (experimental
test). The developed torque is shown in Fig. 4.27(d). The mean torque is 497.69 mNm with a
torque ripple of 166.27 %. Tables 4.5 and 4.6 show the performance of the motor at reduced
voltage with TRIAC based speed controller. The torque ripple at all the speed is much higher
above 100%, however, the difference in the supply input power is significant.
Table 4.5 Performance of 16 Pole Ceiling Fan Motor With TRIAC Based Speed Controller
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Table 4.6 Performance of 14 Pole Ceiling Fan Motor With TRIAC Based Speed Controller
4.5 CONCLUSIONS
In this chapter, the performance of the single phase induction motor (SPIM) based ceiling
fans is analyzed with different types of speed controllers. Three different types of speed
controllers namely, resistive, capacitive and TRIAC based controllers are used to analyze the
performance of the motor at reduced speed. The motor input parameters are analyzed from
the experimental tests as well as co-simulation with the FEA model. Moreover, the developed
electromagnetic torque is observed using the simulation results. The main conclusions based
• The resistive speed controllers are the worst from an energy conservation point of view.
From the experiments, it has been found that the losses at lowest speed setting are
38% to 42% of the motor input power. Moreover, the torque ripple in the developed
electromagnetic torque is much less at lower voltages when fed from resistive speed
• The motor speed and air delivery are reduced with a TRIAC controller as compared to
a resistive and capacitive controller for the same input voltage. A higher TRIAC output
voltage (nearly 5 to 10%) is needed for retaining the same speed and air delivery.
• The losses in a TRIAC and capacitor based voltage controller are negligible (less than
0.5 W).
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• The motor efficiency reduces with a TRIAC controller. There are additional copper
losses introduced in the motor. These losses are because of an increase in the rms
current and harmonic currents. A difference of 5% to 9% has been seen at lowest speed
settings.
• The supply power factor is seriously deteriorated with a TRIAC controller. However,
the power factor reduces with a capacitive controller but it injects reactive power into
• A significant amount of 3rd harmonic is observed in the supply current with a TRIAC
controller. A large number of ceiling fans when operated with a TRIAC controller can
• The torque ripple with the TRIAC based controller is significantly higher and is of the
order of more than 100% of the average value of the torque. Whereas, the torque with
the resistive and capacitive controller has a torque ripple less than 60%. A higher torque
ripple may lead to noise and wear and tear of the bearing of the ceiling fan.
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