Electrical drive system with model predictive control of a mechanical variable

1. A method for controlling an electrical drive system, the electrical drive system comprising a drive mechanically interconnected via a shaft with a machinery for processing an industrial process, the method comprising the steps of:

measuring process control variables of the industrial process and determining an input reference value for a first mechanical variable of the electrical drive system from the process control variables with a process control layer, whereby the first mechanical variable is a mechanical variable of a component mechanically connected to the drive of the electrical drive system, the component being arranged downstream of the drive;

estimating a development of an output reference for a second mechanical variable of the electrical drive system for a predefined horizon of time steps from the input reference value of the first mechanical variable based on a mathematical model of the electrical drive system with a mechanical variable control layer, whereby the second mechanical variable is a mechanical variable of a component of the electric drive system which is different from the component associated with the first mechanical variable, whereby the second mechanical variable is a mechanical variable at an air gap of the drive of the electrical drive system, whereby the mathematical model predicts a mechanical behavior of the electrical drive system and whereby the mathematical model is based on:

a first equation for predicting a future state of the electrical drive system from an actual state and measured and/or estimated actual input values and based on

a second equation for predicting at least an actual value of the second mechanical variable from an actual state of the electrical drive system and measured and/or estimated actual input values;

selecting a first future value from the development of the second mechanical variable as output reference value for the second mechanical variable to be output to a drive control layer; and

controlling electrical inputs of the drive with the drive control layer by processing the output reference value for the second mechanical variable, which is a speed, a torque, an angle, or a difference of angles at the air gap of the drive, to generate switching states for an inverter or a converter providing input current to the drive.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:

receiving measured and/or estimated input values for further mechanical and/or electrical variables of the electrical drive system;

wherein the estimating of the development of the output reference for the second mechanical variable is also based on the input values for further mechanical and/or electrical variables.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:

estimating a current state of the electrical drive system from at least past output reference values of the second mechanical variable based on the mathematical model of the electrical drive system.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:

estimating a current state of the electrical drive system from at least past input values based on the mathematical model of the electrical drive system.

5. The method of claim 3 ,

wherein estimating of the current state is based on an extended Kalman filter.

6. The method of claim 1 ,

wherein the estimating of the development of the output reference of the second mechanical variable is based on solving a quadratic problem which minimizes differences between future values of the first mechanical variable and future reference values for the first mechanical variable.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising the step of:

receiving further dynamic objectives and/or dynamics constraints for the quadratic problem.

8. A computer program, which is executable in an electrical drive system, the electrical drive system having a drive mechanically interconnected via a shaft with a machinery for processing an industrial process, and when being executed by a processor in the electrical drive system, carries out the steps of:

measuring process control variables of the industrial process and determining an input reference value for a first mechanical variable of the electrical drive system from the process control variables with a process control layer, whereby the first mechanical variable is a mechanical variable of a component mechanically connected to the drive of the electrical drive system, the component being arranged downstream of the drive;

estimating a development of an output reference for a second mechanical variable of the electrical drive system for a predefined horizon of time steps from the input reference value of the first mechanical variable based on a mathematical model of the electrical drive system with a mechanical variable control layer, whereby the second mechanical variable is a mechanical variable of a component of the electric drive system which is different from the component associated with the first mechanical variable, whereby the second mechanical variable is a mechanical variable at an air gap of the drive of the electrical drive system, whereby the mathematical model predicts a mechanical behavior of the electrical drive system and whereby the mathematical model is based on:

a first equation for predicting a future state of the electrical drive system from an actual state and measured and/or estimated actual input values and based on

a second equation for predicting at least an actual value of the second mechanical variable from an actual state of the electrical drive system and measured and/or estimated actual input values;

selecting a first future value from the development of the second mechanical variable as output reference value for the second mechanical variable to be output to a drive control layer; and

controlling electrical inputs of the drive with the drive control layer by processing the output reference value for the second mechanical variable, which is a speed, a torque, an angle, or a difference of angles at the air gap of the drive, to generate switching states for an inverter or a converter providing input current to the drive.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program, which is executable in an electrical drive system, the electrical drive system having a drive mechanically interconnected via a shaft with a machinery for processing an industrial process, the computer program when executed performs the following steps:

measuring process control variables of the industrial process and determining an input reference value for a first mechanical variable of the electrical drive system from the process control variables with a process control layer, whereby the first mechanical variable is a mechanical variable of a component mechanically connected to the drive of the electrical drive system, the component being arranged downstream of the drive;

estimating a development of an output reference for a second mechanical variable of the electrical drive system for a predefined horizon of time steps from the input reference value of the first mechanical variable based on a mathematical model of the electrical drive system with a mechanical variable control layer, whereby the second mechanical variable is a mechanical variable of a component of the electric drive system which is different from the component associated with the first mechanical variable, whereby the second mechanical variable is a mechanical variable at an air gap of the drive of the electrical drive system, whereby the mathematical model predicts a mechanical behavior of the electrical drive system and whereby the mathematical model is based on:

a first equation for predicting a future state of the electrical drive system from an actual state and measured and/or estimated actual input values and based on

a second equation for predicting at least an actual value of the second mechanical variable from an actual state of the electrical drive system and measured and/or estimated actual input values;

selecting a first future value from the development of the second mechanical variable as output reference value for the second mechanical variable to be output to a drive control layer; and

controlling electrical inputs of the drive with the drive control layer by processing the output reference value for the second mechanical variable, which is a speed, a torque, an angle, or a difference of angles at the air gap of the drive, to generate switching states for an inverter or a converter providing input current to the drive.

10. A controller for a drive mechanically interconnected via a shaft with a machinery for processing an industrial process, the controller carrying out the steps of:

measuring process control variables of the industrial process and determining an input reference value for a first mechanical variable of an electrical drive system from the process control variables with a process control layer, the electrical drive system comprising the drive mechanically interconnected with the machinery, whereby the first mechanical variable is a mechanical variable of a component mechanically connected to the drive of the electrical drive system, the component being arranged downstream of the drive;

estimating a development of an output reference for a second mechanical variable of the electrical drive system for a predefined horizon of time steps from the input reference value of the first mechanical variable based on a mathematical model of the electrical drive system with a mechanical variable control layer, whereby the second mechanical variable is a mechanical variable of a component of the electric drive

system which is different from the component associated with the first mechanical variable, whereby the second mechanical variable is a mechanical variable at an air gap of the drive of the electrical drive system, whereby the mathematical model predicts a mechanical behavior of the electrical drive system and whereby the mathematical model is based on:

a first equation for predicting a future state of the electrical drive system from an actual state and measured and/or estimated actual input values and based on

a second equation for predicting at least an actual value of the second mechanical variable from an actual state of the electrical drive system and measured and/or estimated actual input values;

selecting a first future value from the development of the second mechanical variable as output reference value for the second mechanical variable to be output to a drive control layer; and

controlling electrical inputs of the drive with the drive control layer by processing the output reference value for the second mechanical variable, which is a speed, a torque, an angle, or a difference of angles at the air gap of the drive, to generate switching states for an inverter or a converter providing input current to the drive.

11. The controller of claim 10 , further comprising:

the process control layer controlling an industrial process that is performed by the electrical drive system comprising the drive and a machinery mechanically connected to the drive;

the mechanical variable control layer, wherein the process control layer calculates the input reference value to be input to the mechanical variable control layer;

the drive control layer controlling electrical inputs of the drive, wherein the drive control layer processes the output reference value of the second mechanical variable output by the mechanical variable control layer;

wherein the process control layer carries out the steps of:

measuring process control variables and determining an input reference value for a first mechanical variable of the electrical drive system from the process control variables, whereby the first mechanical variable is a mechanical variable of a component mechanically connected to the drive of the electrical drive system, the component being arranged downstream of the drive;

wherein the mechanical variable control layer carries out the steps of:

estimating a development of an output reference for a second mechanical variable of the electrical drive system for a predefined horizon of time steps from the input reference value of the first mechanical variable based on a mathematical model of the electrical drive system, whereby the second mechanical variable is a mechanical variable at an air gap of the drive of the electrical drive system, whereby the mathematical model predicts a mechanical behavior of the electrical drive system and whereby the mathematical model is based on:

a first equation for predicting a future state of the electrical drive system from an actual state and measured and/or estimated actual input values and based on

a second equation for predicting at least an actual value of the second mechanical variable from an actual state of the electrical drive system and measured and/or estimated actual input values;

selecting a first future value from the development of the second mechanical variable as output reference value for the second mechanical variable to be output to the drive control layer.

12. An electrical drive system for an industrial process, comprising:

a drive;

a machinery that is driven by the drive via a shaft;

a controller carrying out the steps of:

measuring process control variables of the industrial process and determining an input reference value for a first mechanical variable of the electrical drive system from the process control variables with a process control layer, whereby the first mechanical variable is a mechanical variable of a component mechanically connected to the drive of the electrical drive system, the component being arranged downstream of the drive;

estimating a development of an output reference for a second mechanical variable of the electrical drive system for a predefined horizon of time steps from the input reference value of the first mechanical variable based on a mathematical model of the electrical drive system with a mechanical variable control layer, whereby the second mechanical variable is a mechanical variable of a component of the electric drive system which is different from the component associated with the first mechanical variable, whereby the second mechanical variable is a mechanical variable at an air gap of the drive of the electrical drive system, whereby the mathematical model predicts a mechanical behavior of the electrical drive system and whereby the mathematical model is based on:

a first equation for predicting a future state of the electrical drive system from an actual state and measured and/or estimated actual input values and based on

a second equation for predicting at least an actual value of the second mechanical variable from an actual state of the electrical drive system and measured and/or estimated actual input values;

selecting a first future value from the development of the second mechanical variable as output reference value for the second mechanical variable to be output to a drive control layer; and

controlling electrical inputs of the drive with a drive control layer by processing the output reference value for the second mechanical variable, which is a speed, a torque, an angle, or a difference of angles at the air gap of the drive, to generate switching states for an inverter or a converter providing input current to the drive.