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Digital Motor Controller Offers Improved System Reliability
by Eliminating Need for Motor Feedback Devices

MONTGOMERYVILLE, PA – PERFORMANCE CONTROLS, INC.® introduces its DHT24-02 four-quadrant digital motor controller developed for the Oilfield down-hole market.

When operating thousands of feet below ground the last thing a service provider wants is to have their drill stop because of a component failure, particularly with the high financial and reputation costs associated with recovery.  One of the most common failure modes for brushless motors when operating in a harsh down-hole environment is not the motor itself, but the feedback device.  Halls are the most common choice for oil services tool applications because of size, but there are tradeoffs in performance and reliability.  A resolver can provide increased reliability, but they are often as large as the motor and add complexity to the drive electronics.     

Down-hole services companies have been in search of a sensorless solution because typical sensorless motor drives have been unsatisfactory.   The most significant drawback to sensorless designs has been the high current needed to start a sensorless motor, while power efficiency and performance are also important.

In response to these demands, Performance Controls has developed the DHT24-02. 

Key features include:

  • Sensorless – elimination of a feedback device from the motor increases system reliability

  • Sinusoidal Commutation – A combination of advanced commutation and current control provide better bus voltage utilization, improved energy efficiency, and smoother operation compared with the industry standard - trapezoidal commutation

  • Programmable Start-up Current Control – Parameters enable the OEM to set a current limit and ramp rate for the start-up routine

  • High Temperature Operation - Independently tested for 175°C operation

  • Ruggedization – The printed circuit board and components are designed and situated to survive the shock and vibration associated with down-hole services, such as MWD and LWD, and are ready to be potted into an OEM tool

  • Small Size - 7” x 1.22”

  • Control Loop – For pump applications, the drive can receive an analog signal from a pressure transducer and can be programmed to vary the speed as required

  • Customization - PCI can modify the drive to make it compatible with an OEM’s tool

Additional benefits of sensorless control include reduced system cost and size.  The motor cost is reduced because of the removal of the feedback device and the further reduction of material and labor associated with the wiring of the feedback device.  The reduction of wiring also reduces the space required to install the drive system.

A sensorless drive is well suited for applications that do not require position control, have varying load, or require operation near zero speed.  Therefore, a sensorless drive is ideally suited for pump applications.
    
For more information on the DHT24-02 Controller or other Performance Control products, contact:

Dierk Benecke, PERFORMANCE CONTROLS, INC.®,
151 Domorah Drive, Montgomeryville, PA 18936. 
Telephone: 215-619-4920, Fax: 215-619-4999. 
E-mail: sales@pcipa.com

About Performance Controls:

For three decades, PERFORMANCE CONTROLS, INC.® has been a leader in designing and manufacturing high performance motor controllers, ‘choppers’, and power amplifiers for customers worldwide.  The company has a well-earned reputation for reliable, innovative products, and for special engineering expertise and creative solutions.  The company provides high performance products designed or customized to meet the particular needs of customers in a wide range of industries, including oil and gas exploration and production, medical applications such as MRI power and surgical hand tool motor control, motorized vehicles, power generation, rotating instrumentation such as radar and antennas, factory automation, and mechanical testing equipment.