Energy Syst

DOI 10.1007/s12667-014-0134-4
ORIGINAL PAPER

Steady and transient characteristics of a single stage PV

water pumping system
Periasamy Packiam N. K. Jain I. P. Singh

Received: 15 December 2013 / Accepted: 10 October 2014

Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014

Abstract A single stage water pumping system comprises of a photovoltaic (PV)

array, a controlled voltage source inverter, and an induction motor coupled with a
water pump. It is highly efficient, low cost and easily controllable for water pumping
application. The system characteristics are a predominant requirement for improving
the performance. In this paper, the system behavior with six step mode, sinusoidal
pulse width modulation (PWM) and space vector PWM (SVPWM) technique are
studied. The system responses for different modulation indices are also reported. The
characteristics for linear, centrifugal and optimized centrifugal pump load are determined. The experimental validation has been performed by implementing SVPWM
employed with perturb and observe peak power tracking algorithm using dsPIC 6010A
on a laboratory prototype. Thus, the system behavior proves to be high efficient, low
cost and with simple control. Also, the selection of SVPWM with optimized v/f slope
improves the performance of the system.
Keywords Characterization DC/AC water pump Induction motor Microcontroller implementation Single stage photovoltaic

P. Packiam (B) N. K. Jain I. P. Singh

Instrument Design Development Centre, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi,
New Delhi 110016, India
e-mail: packiamp@gmail.com
N. K. Jain
e-mail: ntnjain@gmail.com
I. P. Singh
e-mail: ipsingh@iddc.iitd.ac.in

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P. Packiam et al.

1 Introduction
Environment friendly solar energy is abundant in nature. The present day solar energy
systems are modular, and have a short gestation period with almost no running cost. The
use of solar power is becoming increasingly important for water pumping applications
in remote, isolated, and non-electrified population due to issues of either accessibility
to the grid or implementation cost. Even grid power fed pumps used for irrigation
purposes need to be studied for various reasons, such as, cost of motor burnouts due
to voltage fluctuations, crop yields affected by short fall in the supply of electricity,
requirement of government subsidies, as well as, transmission & distribution losses.
The main challenges of photovoltaic (PV) system are that its initial installation cost
is high, it has a low irradiation to electric power conversion efficiency and voltagecurrent (V I ), as well as, voltage-power (V P) characteristics are non-linear.
Notwithstanding these drawbacks, the PV systems have emerged as one of the most
potent alternatives to grid power supply for feeding water pump drive system. The
water pump can be broadly classified as DC and AC motor based pumping systems.
Permanent magnet brushless DC (PMBLDC) motors powered by solar power source
with and without a DCDC converter have been used for water pumping applications
[17]. However, difficulties in availability of permanent magnet motors and its high
cost are still major hurdles in their application. In a parallel development, the induction motor based AC water pumping system has found considerable interest among
researchers due to its low cost, low maintenance, rugged design, small sizes, and its
availability as high efficiency motors [821]. Off-grid solar stand-alone water pumping
systems utilizing induction motors can be classified as multistage [814] and single
stage [1518]. The single stage water pumping system is highly efficient, low cost
and simple to control in comparison to multi stage system. In both systems, instead
of battery modules, a water storage tank is considered as an indirect energy storage
device. The size of the tank should be compatible with the capacity of the PV array
and the maximum possible insolation at the location of usage.
The major interest in PV power based system development is in reducing the payback period in terms of improved efficiency and performance, as well as, reducing the
number of components to decrease overall cost. For developing a cost effective, highly
efficient water pumping system, the characterization of balance of system for water
pumping application is a paramount requirement. Therefore, steady state, dynamic
performances, starting of motor performances, and characterization when motor is
connected directly to PV or through intermediate converter are studied for DC motors
[2227]. The current source fed parallel resonant converter based single phase induction motor water pumping system has been proposed [28]. This is simple to be used in
rural areas. However, no study which exclusively characterizes voltage source inverter
based single stage PV water pump employing three phase induction motor has been
carried out. In present days, this system is implemented with the ease.
In this paper, simulation studies are performed with six-step, SPWM, and SVPWM
voltage source inverter control using MATLAB/SIMULINK with SimPower system
tool box. The simulation is done with different value of modulation index (MI). The
system response to the different load torque models is also characterized. The control function is implemented using dsPIC 6010A [29], a 16-bit microcontroller. The

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Steady and transient characteristics of a single stage PV water pumping system

characteristics of the controller are tested on a laboratory prototype by implementing

SVPWM employed with perturb and observe (PAO) maximum power point (MPP)
tracking algorithm [30] to demonstrate the simulated characteristics experimentally.
2 System description
The system consists of a PV array source, a pulse width modulated voltage source
inverter (VSI), an induction motor, and a water pump as shown in Fig. 1. The space
vector pulse width modulation is used to control the VSI to convert the PV voltage in
to a variable voltage variable frequency source to feed an induction motor coupled to
a pump [31].
2.1 PV array and its characteristics
The PV array source considered in this study consists of seven series connected modules of type PM150 from CEL [32]. The PV array is characterized using diode Eq. (1)
[33],
Ia = M I ph





q(M Va + N Rs Ia )
(M Va + N Rs Ia )
1
M Io exp
M N B K Tc
N Rsh

(1)

where, N is number of identical cells connected in series, M is number of parallel PV

arrays, Va ,Ia are voltage and current of a cell respectively, I ph is the generated current
(A) under given insolation, Rs and Rsh are intrinsic series and shunt resistances of the
PV cell in (), respectively, Ior is the reverse saturation current (A), q is the charge of

ipv

Ra
ati
di

Q1

on

D1

Q3

D3

Q5

D5

Cdc
PV
Modules

Q2

D2

Q4

D4

Q6

ib ic

ia

ipv
vpv

D6

Q1 Q6

IM

MPPT
Controller

PUMP

Fig. 1 Single stage PV water pumping system

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P. Packiam et al.
Table 1 Specifications of CEL PM150 PV module
Maximum peak power (Pmax )

150 W p to 180 W p

Voltage at MPP (Vmp )

34 V

Current at MPP (Imp )

4.8 A

Open-circuit voltage (Voc )

42.8 V

Short-circuit current (Isc )

5A

Temperature co-efficient of Isc

Temperature co-efficient of Voc

+0.0004/ K
0.0034/ K

Series resistance of a PV cell (Rs )

3 m

Module temperature (Ta K )

298 K

Reference temperature (Tr K )

298 K

Current at MPP (Imp ) modeling

36.6446 V

Voltage at MPP (Vmp ) modeling

4.6476 A

Fig. 2 Voltage, current and power characteristics of PV array

an electron (1.60218 1019 C), Tc is the temperature of a PV cell in Kelvin, B is the

ideality factor for p-n junction and K is the Boltzmanns constant (1.3805 1023
N m/K).The insolation is represented in terms of SUN. It is defined as intensity of
solar radiation impinging on the square meter surface of PV array under standard
test conditions, and is normalized to 1,000 W/m2 . The specification of PV module
considered for simulation is given in Table 1. The slope parameters of the PV array
are assumed due to non availability of PV curves in datasheet.
For a given PV array model, the maximum power point depends on slope of voltage
and current characteristics. The slope is a function of series resistance, reference and
module temperature. The open circuit voltage is (7 42.8 V) 299.6 V and short circuit
current is 5A. With the assumption of slope parameters given in Table 1, the modelled
voltage and current at maximum power is 256.5 V and 4.647 A respectively. Therefore,
the maximum power is 1,192W p (Fig. 2).

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Steady and transient characteristics of a single stage PV water pumping system

2.2 Voltage source inverter control

The voltage source inverter is controlled to generate an output voltage which is sinusoidal and of controllable magnitude and frequency. Invariably, pulse width modulation (PWM) technique is preferred to control the voltage source inverter. Wellknown among PWM techniques are sinusoidal PWM (SPWM) and space vector PWM
(SVPWM). The six-step method of switching is considered for comparison. SPWM
and six-step mode of switching are well established techniques. Therefore, SVPWM
technique is explained in detail in the following paragraphs.
2.2.1 SVPWM controlled voltage source inverter
A three-phase two level inverter controlled by SVPWM is used to convert PV voltage
input to variable voltage variable frequency signal to feed induction motor. The space
voltage vectors involve six effective vectors and two zero vectors as shown in Fig. 3a
[34,35]. There are eight possible combinations of ON and OFF states with respect to
the three upper power switches. The objective is to approximate the reference voltage
V using two active vectors adjacent to it for the duration of T1 and T2 and zero vectors
for the duration of T0 , so as to generate reference voltage. The time intervals of T1 , T2
and T0 are derived by resolving V in the plane. At nth sector, T1 , T2 , and To
are calculated from the Eqs. (2)(4).

T1 =

T2 =

n 

3 Ts |V |   n 
cos cos
sin
sin
Vdc
3
3

(2)





 
n1
n1
3 Ts |V |
cos sin
sin cos

Vdc
3
3

(3)

T0 = Ts T1 T2

(a)

V3 (010)

(b)

V2 (011)

/3
V*

V7 (111)

T2/Tz
T1/Tz

Q1
Q3
Q5

V5 (100)

T1/2

T2/2

0
0

T2/2

T1/2

T0/2

T0/4

V0 (000)

Q5Q3Q1
V1 (001)

T0/4

V4(110)

(4)

V6 (101)

Fig. 3 a Space vectors in plane, b conduction of upper switches in sectorI

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P. Packiam et al.

The SVPWM pattern, shown in Fig. 3b shows the placement of zero vectors so as to
minimize the switching losses and conduction of upper switches Q 1 , Q3 , and Q5 in
the first sector. The complementary switching signals are fed to the lower switches.
For a given sector 1 to sector 6, PWM duty is updated as given in Eqs. (5a)(5f)
respectively for switching the upper switches.
D1H = T1 + T2 + T0 /2
D3H = T2 + T0 /2
D5H = T0 /2

(5a)

D1H = T1 + T0 /2
D3H = T1 + T2 + T0 /2
D5H = T0 /2

(5b)

D1H = T0 /2
D3H = T1 + T2 + T0 /2
D5H = T2 + T0 /2

(5c)

D1H = T0 /2
D3H = T1 + T0 /2
D5H = T1 + T2 + T0 /2

(5d)

D1H = T2 + T0 /2
D3H = T0 /2
D5H = T1 + T2 + T0 /2

(5e)

D1H = T1 + T2 + T0 /2
D3H = T0 /2
D5H = T1 + T0 /2

(5f)

2.3 Dynamics of single stage system

From the per phase equivalent circuit shown in Fig. 4a of an induction motor fed
from a variable frequency source, the load seen by the PV array is represented by an
equivalent resistor Rr /se . When frequency is increased, the speed of the motor also
increases resulting in high slip for the pump load. If slip is high, the motor presents a
low DC equivalent resistance to the PV array. This causes the voltage, and thus the flux,
to decrease and move towards the MPP in voltage-power characteristics of the array.
Whereas for low slip, the motor presents a high DC equivalent resistance to the solar
array, and hence increases the voltage. Thus, the fundamental component of voltage
and current of the invertermotor relationship is reflected as a variable resistor to
the PV array as given in Fig. 4b. This forms the basis for replacing MPP tracking
controller employing a DCDC converter by the inverter itself. The specifications of
an induction motor are given in Table 2.

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Steady and transient characteristics of a single stage PV water pumping system

(a)

jLlr

jLls

Rs/e

Ir

Vs /e

Is

Im
jLm

Rr/se

(b)

Fig. 4 a Per phase equivalent circuit of an induction motor, b DC representation of the system
Table 2 Specifications of induction motor
Power

2 HP

Stator resistance (Rs )

6

Configuration

Delta

Rotor resistance (Rr )

4.1583
0.01274 H

Voltage

240 V

Stator inductance (L ls )

Current

6A

Rotor inductance (L lr )

0.01875 H

Speed

1,420 rpm

Mutual inductance (L m )

0.404 H

Frequency

50 Hz

PF

0.81

Pole pair

Efficiency

77 %

2.4 Water pump as a load

Two types of pumps are commonly used for water pumping applications; positive
displacement and centrifugal pump. Positive displacement pumps have water output
directly proportional to the speed of the pump, almost independent of head. The torque
and power developed by the displacement pump can be represented using Eqs. (6) and
(7), respectively.
(6)
T = k pm m


sl 2 2
2
= k pm 1
e
Pm = k pm m
e

(7)

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P. Packiam et al.

Fig. 5 Expanded waveforms of the PV array and machine parameters during MPPT tracking: a temperature,
b insolation, c perturbation of frequency, d torque, e rotor speed of the motor, f variation of MI, g PV voltage,
h PV current, i PV power, j variation of motor flux

Fig. 6 a The responses of the PV power when the system is operated at steady frequency. b The responses
of the PV voltage and current when the system is operated at steady frequency

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Steady and transient characteristics of a single stage PV water pumping system

The torque and power models of a centrifugal pump can be represented using Eqs.
(8) and (9) respectively,
2
(8)
TL = km m


3
sl
3
Pm = km m
= km 1
e3
(9)
e
Generally, the load torque offered by the centrifugal pump at high speed can be optimized [23], and it is given by,
1.8
TL = km m
(10)
Table 3 PV power tracking due to operating the system at steady frequency
Voc
(V)

Vm
(V)

Isc
(A)

Im
(A)

Pm
(W)

Vm (actual) Im (actual)
(V)
(A)

Pm (actual) Tracking
(W)
efficiency
(%)

300

267

4.4

1,175

256.5

1,192

4.647

98.57 %

Fig. 7 a THD of Phase A line currentsix step mode, b PV power and frequency perturbationsix step,
c Torque and speed of the motorsix step

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P. Packiam et al.

Fig. 8 a THD of Phase A line currentSPWM, b PV power and frequency perturbationSPWM, c

Torque and speed of the motorSPWM

where, km is the constant of the water pump, m is the rotor speed in rad/s, e is the
supply frequency in rad/s, sl is the slip frequency in rad/s. Thus, the speed and torque
of the water pump is regulated according to the availability of maximum PV power
by varying the supply frequency.

3 Simulation study of the system

The system under investigation is modeled and simulated using MATLAB/SIMU
LINK with SimPower block tool box to study the detailed characteristics of the
system.

3.1 Basic characteristics

The inverter is modulated using SVPWM technique with specifications of insolation
at 1SUN, temperature of 25 C, switching frequency of 20 kHz, perturbation step size
of 0.5 Hz, and for the given load torque model TL = km m .

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Steady and transient characteristics of a single stage PV water pumping system

Fig. 9 a THD of Phase A line currentSVPWM, b PV power and frequency perturbationSVPWM, c

torque and speed of the motorSVPWM

Table 4 Comparison of voltage source inverter switching techniques

Switching technique

P pv (W)

Speed (rpm)

Fe (Hz)

THD (%)

Six step

1,165

1,204

41.75

47.99

SPWM

1,160

1,184

42.75

10.4

SVPWM

1,175

1,210

43

3.57

Figure 5aj illustrate the dynamic behavior of the PV array and machine parameters,
namely, insolation, temperature, frequency perturbation, torque, speed, MI, voltage,
current, PV power, and flux of the motor for a time period of 0.61.6 s.
Figure 5g, h show that when frequency is perturbed for the stated conditions, the
PV voltage decreases and current increases towards the MPP as shown in Fig. 5i. As
is evident from the Fig. 5j, when the flux is at low, the PV power is at the maximum,
otherwise, it reverses. Hence, the tracking or utilization of the PV power depends on
utilization of active power by the motor. Thus, the tracking efficiency of the PV power

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P. Packiam et al.
Fig. 10 The responses of the
PV power and machine
parameters for MI 0.75 at
insolation 0.8 SUN temperature
at 25 C during MPPT tracking:
a insolation, b PV power, c rotor
speed, d torque, e motor flux

is directly related to the efficiency of the motor. Figure 5c shows that the frequency
perturbation undergoes bounded oscillations around the MPP.
It is observed from Fig. 6a, b that the PV voltage, current, and hence power, as well
as, motor flux, torque, speed settle at optimized values when the system is operated at
the steady frequency during the steady state as presented in Table 3.
The steady frequency is calculated from maximum and minimum values of frequency oscillation when it oscillates around the MPP. The system operation closer to
the MPP depends on resolution of the perturbation frequency available for calculation
of the steady frequency.

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Steady and transient characteristics of a single stage PV water pumping system

Fig. 11 The responses of the
PV power and machine
parameters for MI 0.75 at
insolation 0.6 SUN temperature
at 25 C during MPPT tracking:
a insolation, b PV power, c rotor
speed, d torque, e motor flux

3.2 Comparison of voltage source inverter switching techniques

The system is simulated with the six-step mode of switching, sinusoidal PWM, and
space vector PWM with specifications of insolation at 1 SUN, temperature of 25 C,
and TL = km m as the load torque. For PWM techniques, switching frequency and
MI are considered to be 20 kHz and 0.9, respectively.
Figure 7a shows that six step mode switching results in larger total harmonics
distortion (THD) of 47.99 % at a steady frequency of 41.75 Hz. The utilization of the
PV power for a given frequency perturbation is shown in Fig. 7b. Figure 7c illustrates
a poor response during starting of the motor, and torque ripples are more at steady

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P. Packiam et al.
Fig. 12 The responses of the
PV power and machine
parameters for MI 0.85 at
insolation 0.8 SUN temperature
at 25 C during MPPT tracking:
a insolation, b PV power, c rotor
speed, d torque, e motor flux

state, since the inverter is operated at the fundamental switching frequency and AC
voltage is not regulated.
The same analysis is done with the SPWM, and SVPWM techniques. They are
presented in Figs. 8a and 9c. The inferences made from response curves, namely, PV
power utilization, speed of the pump, perturbation frequency, and the THD obtained
with six-step, SPWM, and SVPWM are tabulated in Table 4.
They clearly show that the SVPWM technique is better than the two other techniques. The SVPWM utilizes more DC link voltage than the SPWM for the same MI
and thus accordingly sets the flux value. It also exhibits better THD. The PV power
extraction in six step mode switching is not as good as in SVPWM mode due to poor

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Steady and transient characteristics of a single stage PV water pumping system

Fig. 13 The responses of the
PV power and machine
parameters for MI 0.85 at
insolation 0.6 SUN temperature
at 25 C during MPPT tracking:
a insolation, b PV power, c rotor
speed, d torque, e motor flux

torque response. It is observed from Figs. 7c, 8c and 9c that effective voltage delivered
to the motor can be adjusted to tune the active power utilization of the motor at high
speed. This demonstrates that PWM technique is an attractive option to be employed
with this system to generate a variable voltage/variable frequency power source.
It is also evident from these response curves that extraction of PV power depends
on the utilization of active power of the machine. Thus, better tracking efficiency
corresponds to an improved efficiency and performance of induction motor drive,
since the tracking is performed by changes in Rr /se . The SVPWM technique is
preferred over other two methods to control the voltage source inverter because of
its high DC link voltage utilization as compared with the SPWM, as well as, a better
THD.

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P. Packiam et al.
Fig. 14 The responses of the
PV power and machine
parameters for MI 0.95 at
insolation 0.8 SUN temperature
at 25 C during MPPT tracking:
a insolation, b PV power, c rotor
speed, d torque, e motor flux

3.3 Effect of modulation index

As is explained in the preceding section, the MI is not necessarily to be of high value
when the speed of the pump is high. The system is simulated to study the effect of MI.
The voltage source inverter is controlled using space vector PWM with MIs of 0.75,
0.85, and 0.95. To study the effect of the MI at high and low insolation, 0.8 SUN and
0.6 SUN are considered at a temperature of 25 C, and TL = km m as the load torque
model.
The PV power, speed, torque, and flux response curves for a constant MI of 0.75,
0.85, 0.95, and variable MI at insolation of 0.8 SUN and 0.6 SUN are presented in

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Steady and transient characteristics of a single stage PV water pumping system

Fig. 15 The responses of the
PV power and machine
parameters for MI 0.95 at
insolation 0.6 SUN temperature
at 25 C during MPPT tracking:
a insolation, b PV power, c rotor
speed, d torque, e motor flux

Figs. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 respectively. The results are tabulated in Table 5
for comparison. Though, an induction motor is controlled by keeping v/f constant, the
control is similar to a constant voltage variable frequency technique, since an increase
in frequency leads to a decrease in flux.
It is also inferred from the table that for the same speed, an increase in MI introduces
more torque ripples. The magnitude of torque ripple is in between 6.37.3 N m for MI
of 0.75 as compared with MI 0.95 for which it varies between 6 to 8.4 N m. When a
MI proportional to frequency is used (v/ f = k), it results in a better torque response,
and the difference in speed is also not larger when compared to a MI of 0.95. The
differences in speed and power utilization for MI of 0.75 and 0.85 are resulting from

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P. Packiam et al.
Fig. 16 The responses of the
PV power and machine
parameters for MI M I = k Fe
at insolation 0.8 SUN
temperature at 25 C during
MPPT tracking: a insolation, b
PV power, c rotor speed, d
torque, e motor flux

a resolution of perturbation frequency available to calculate the steady frequency. In

general, the water pump is not operated at a lower speed. Hence, the MI obtained by
using v/ f = k is considered to be the optimum value. Thus, the v/ f = k is preferred,
although it doesnt maintain constant flux operation when MPP is tracked.
From the results, the range of optimum MI is from 0.7 to 0.75 for the speed obtained
for an insolation range of 0.60.8 SUN. When the MI is further reduced, for example
less than 0.68, it results in very low value of the flux, which causes the system to enter
the low voltage protection mode.

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Steady and transient characteristics of a single stage PV water pumping system

Fig. 17 The responses of the
PV power and machine
parameters for MI M I = k Fe
at insolation 0.6 SUN
temperature at 25 C during
MPPT tracking: a insolation, b
PV power, c rotor speed, d
torque, e motor flux

3.4 Responses with the different load torque model

The system is simulated with an insolation of 1 SUN and a temperature of 25 C for
three different load torque models, namely, displacement pump, centrifugal pump,
and optimized torque model of a centrifugal pump ( TL = k1.8 ). The optimized load
torque model of a centrifugal pump has been derived from the fact that the torque
load due to a centrifugal pump is optimum at high speeds. The SVPWM technique
with 20 kHz as switching frequency and a MI of 0.75 is considered for controlling the

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P. Packiam et al.
Table 5 PV power and motor parameter variations with different MI at high and low insolation
Parameter (SUN)

MI = 0.75

MI = 0.85

MI = 0.95

MI/Fe = k

0.8

0.6

0.8

0.6

0.8

0.6

0.8
MI

MI

37.5

31.75

37.75

31.75

37.25

31.75

0.77

0.7

Steady
Frequency (Hz)

0.6

PV power (W)

902

661

913

663

894

666

902

669

Speed (rpm)

1,059

909

1,068

911

1,058

912

1,058

913

Torquea (N m)
Flux (V s)

6.3

5.5

6.1

5.2

4.6

6.3

5.6

7.3

6.4

7.2

8.4

7.5

7.4

6.4

0.49

0.57

0.496

0.58

0.51

0.589

0.495

0.55

a Torque oscillates in between these two value or magnitude of torque ripples

Fig. 18 The responses of the PV power and machine parameters for the volumetric pump load torque at
MI 0.75, insolation 1 SUN, temperature at 25 C during MPPT tracking: a insolation, b PV power, c rotor
speed, d torque, e motor flux

inverter circuit. Figure 18 shows the utilization of the PV power, speed, torque, and
status of the flux for the displacement pump versus time.
Figures 19 and 20 present the response curves for a centrifugal pump and the optimized model of a centrifugal pump, respectively. The inferences from these responses
are tabulated in Table 6.
It presents the fact that the centrifugal pump is the most appropriate for a PV water
pumping systems. The volumetric pump can also be considered if km value is very

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Steady and transient characteristics of a single stage PV water pumping system

Fig. 19 The responses of the
PV power and machine
parameters for the centrifugal
pump load torque at MI 0.75,
insolation 1 SUN, temperature at
25 C during MPPT tracking: a
insolation, b PV power, c rotor
speed, d torque, e motor flux

small. It shows that the speed of the pump is increased until the mechanical power of
the pump matches the optimum power of the PV array. Thus, it results in high efficiency
of the system. It is evident from Fig. 20 that the system shows a better performance in
terms of ripples when the extracted PV power is closer to the optimum. The control
system doesnt require a separate controller to optimize the load torque at high speeds.
The optimization of flux can be achieved by properly choosing MI.

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P. Packiam et al.
Fig. 20 The responses of the
PV power and machine
parameters for the optimized
load torque model of a
centrifugal pump at MI 0.75,
insolation 1 SUN, temperature at
25 C during MPPT tracking: a
insolation, b PV power, c rotor
speed, d torque, e motor flux

4 Experimental validation
The experimental validation is conducted on laboratory prototype shown in Fig. 21a,
in which variable voltage, variable current, and load torque proportional to speed
(TL = k) are established.
As is evident from the simulation studies, when the induction motor is fed from
a variable voltage/variable frequency source, the MPPT tracking in the single stage
water pump system is established by change in impedance (Rr /se ) seen by the power

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Steady and transient characteristics of a single stage PV water pumping system

Table 6 Effect of different load
torque model

Parameter

TL = k

TL = k2

TL = k1.8

Fe (Hz)

43

46.5

64

PV power (W)

1,175

1,172

1,187

Speed (rpm)

1,192

1,286

1,758

Torque (N m)

7.8

7.2

5.34

Flux (V s)

0.43

0.39

0.28

Tracking efficiency (%)

98.57

98.32

99.58

Efficiency (%)

83

83

83

supply. Thus, it is imperative to realize the same technique while the PV emulator of
the system analyzed here is developed. This is emulated by mechanically coupling the
separately excited DC shunt generator with the induction motor shaft. Field winding
of a separately excited DC shunt generator is fed through a constant current source.
The speed command changes the slip speed s, which results in change of impedance as
seen by the power supply module. The generated armature voltage (Va ) is proportional
to the speed of the motor (m ), and it is given as,
Va = ks m

(11)

where, ks is a speed constant. If the resistance of R L is connected across armature

terminal, then the developed load torque (TL ) is defined as,

TL = k t I a = k t

Va
RL


(12)

where kt is the torque constant and Ia is the current through resistance R L . If the
R L is kept constant, the load torque developed by DC motor on induction motor is
characterized by the Eq. (13) after substituting the Eq. (11) on Eq. (12),

T = kt

ks m
RL


= K m

(13)

where K is given by kt ks /R L . Equation (13) describes the torque-speed characteristics

of a volumetric or a displacement pump.
The frequency perturbation is a program running variable in CPU of microcontroller. It is used to demonstrate the characteristics obtained by simulation. A RS232C
interface program is written to log the variable into a computer environment, and it
is then plotted as sampling count versus frequency. The RMS voltage, current, power
factor, and waveform are recorded using power quality analyzer of Fluke make.

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Fig. 21 a Block diagram of developed laboratory prototype. b Developed laboratory prototype as water
pump emulator

4.1 PAO with perturbation step size of 0.61 Hz

The PAO MPP tracking with fixed step size of 0.61 Hz is used to demonstrate MPP
tracking. The frequency perturbation is plotted as shown in Fig. 22a. Figure 22b shows
supply voltage, and speed dependent voltage. When frequency is increased, the speed
of the motor and load current also increases as shown in Fig. 22c resulting from an
increased load voltage. When frequency is perturbed, the input voltage decreases and
supply current increases as shown in Fig. 22d moving towards reaching the MPP. The
recorded RMS voltage and current are presented in Fig. 22e, f.
The voltage and current waveforms indicating frequency at the steady state is shown
in Fig. 22g to substantiate Fig. 22a. At MPP, the armature current equals the motor
RMS current. The power factor value given in Fig. 22h is a measure of efficiency

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Steady and transient characteristics of a single stage PV water pumping system

Fig. 22 a RS232 recorded data of frequency perturbation during MPP tracking. b The load voltage and
total supply voltage during MPP tracking. c Load current and Speed of an induction mtor during MPP
tacking. d Supply voltage and current during MPP tracking. e Induction motor RMS voltage. f Induction
motor RMS current. g Voltage and current waveforms indicating steady frequency, RMS value of voltage
and current. h Power factor reading sampled at steady state

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P. Packiam et al.

and performance of the control system. As is explained in simulation, frequency perturbation undergoes bounded oscillation. When the system is operated at a steady
frequency, the tracking efficiency and power utilization are inferred from the power
factor reading.

5 Conclusions
The modeling and simulation of a single stage PV water pumping system is carried
out using MATLAB/SIMULINK with SimPower system tool box. The SVPWM
control technique is preferred based on the simulation studies performed with sixstep, SPWM, and SVPWM control.
On reaching the MPP by modified PAO, the steady frequency (Fsteady ) is calculated
from the frequency which undergoes bounded oscillations around the MPP. The speed
and flux of the motor settle corresponding to the optimum power of the PV array when
the system is operated at Fsteady . The v/f control technique is considered to improve
flux responses at lower range of frequencies and during MPP tracking.
The simulation results with different value of MI are used to select the optimum
slope of MI/frequency for tuning the active power utilization, thus the power factor
of the machine in real time operation is improved. The system responses to the different load torque models illustrate that the tracking of PV power at high efficiency
corresponds to utilization of power by pump. The experimental validation demonstrates the simulated characteristics. Thus, the system under investigation presents
high efficiency, better performance, minimum hardware, low maintenance, and simple topology for the water pumping application.

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