Projects / Power electronics and energy conversion
Industrial DC source and drive power block for depot work: three-phase 380 V input, 20-110 V output up to 550 A, speed feedback and heavy-load tests.
In a depot, a locomotive wheelset had to be rotated during turning without removing it and without using the standard traction system. For turning work it is important to keep rotational speed stable even when cutting tools enter the metal and motor load changes.
A DC power source up to 20 kW was developed with an electronic control system. The device connects to a three-phase supply, generates regulated DC voltage and current, works with a traction motor and corrects the mode using encoder speed feedback.
Project materials
Engineering context
This is a drive power block for a heavy mechanical load.
During wheel turning, high current, stable speed and resistance to sharp torque changes are important.
Speed feedback is needed to compensate for changing cutting force.
The device had to be suitable for depot operation and understandable operator connection.
Work done
20 kW power-source architecture.
Power-converter circuitry.
STM32 control board.
Low-level PWM control.
Measurement inputs and ADC processing.
LCD indication interface.
Speed feedback from the wheelset rotation encoder.
Power-block enclosure and SVG part drawings.
Prototype assembly and depot tests.
Details
A simple adjustable voltage source would not hold speed under changing cutting load. Therefore the power block works as a controlled traction-motor drive with rotational-speed feedback.
The block was used for prolonged wheelset turning, for moving a locomotive inside a depot and was also checked as a welding source. Charging mode was considered as a possible use case, but was not tested separately.
One industrial power block can work as a drive for a mobile machine, a technological source for moving a locomotive, a powerful DC source and a base for additional operating modes.
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