Variable Speed Photovoltaic Water Pumping Using Affinity Laws

Abstract

Photovoltaic (PV) power is most commonly used for water pumping applications. The DC output voltage of PV arrays is connected to a DC-DC converter using a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) controller to maximize their produced energy. Then, that converter is linked to a voltage source inverter (VSI) that converts DC power to AC power. Vector control is used to control the VSI fed three phase induction motor driving the water pump. The Affinity laws are used to change the pump characteristics by changing the pump speed, and consequently, the pump flow rate, head, and power will be varied. In this paper, the Affinity laws are adapted to achieve the pump hydraulic requirements while the power delivered to the pump motor remains unchanged by constructing new pump curves. A Matlab/Simulink model of the PV pumping system is observed over a wide range of weather and loading conditions.