Optimization and control of a photovoltaic powered water pumping system

In this paper, we present a vector control of induction motor coupled with a centrifugal hydraulic pump, powered by a photovoltaic array. Since the rotor current is not accessible, the d-q components of the stator current are used to estimate the motor speed and torque. Moreover, pump affinity laws are presented and used to generate the reference speed so that the motor follows the solar radiation variations. The error between the reference and the estimated speed is used to compensate the stator current and make the motor runs at the reference speed. This procedure will optimize the pump flow rate.