Neuromodel of an Eddy Current Brake for Load Emulation

Abstract

The eddy current brake (ECB) is an electromechanical energy conversion device that can be used as a load emulator to load a motor according to the intended load scenario. However, conducting an analysis in the time domain is difficult due to its complex behavior involving mechanical, electrical, and magnetic phenomena. The challenges with the time domain analysis of the ECB require new modeling approaches that provide reliability, robustness, and controllability over a wide speed interval. If the ECB can be modeled with high accuracy, it can be controlled like a load emulator that can simulate nonlinear industrial loads. This paper describes a neuromodeling approach taken to develop an ECB. The nonlinear characteristic of the brake system was modeled with a high performance by using an artificial neural network (ANN), which is a potent nonlinear system identification tool. Several characteristics of a designed and optimized brake system undergoing various excitation currents in whole speed regions are described and verified experimentally. Eventually, an electromechanical brake system is proposed that aims to provide the required linear or nonlinear load model dynamics throughout an emulation process in line with the obtained neuromodel. To identify the most suitable ANN architecture for the problem, various ANN configurations, ranging from 1 neuron to 20 neurons in the hidden layer, as well as a statistical approach that differs from the existing literature, are presented. Additionally, the suggested model’s scalability is discussed.