Robust speed control of a reciprocating compressor driven by a field-oriented controlled induction motor

This thesis presents an application of robust control theories to control the speed of a reciprocating compressor driven by a field oriented controlled induction motor. The concepts and techniques of 'field orientation' are explained. A voltage source inverter driven field oriented controlled induction motor is implemented and tested to obtain an input-output model for robust speed controller design. The field oriented controlled induction motor loaded by a reciprocating compressor is considered as a plant whose speed should be robustly controlled. Relevant concepts in robust control are introduced. Feedback linearization is employed to reduce the size of the perturbed plant set and a controller is designed to achieve robust performance. The result indicates that under allowable test conditions, the system performs as designed. The work presented is thought to be useful for the natural gas industry for reducing polluting effluents in the process of natural gas compression.