A super‐high‐speed PM motor drive for centrifugal air compressor used in fuel cell unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract The authors show a PM motor drive with the maximum speed of 170,000 r/min for a super‐high‐speed centrifugal air compressor, which is used in high‐altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Conventional turbochargers used in high‐altitude UAV are usually driven by the exhaust of the engine in the fuel cell system; however, the exhaust is composed of vapour and water drop, which can't drive a mechanical turbocharger effectively. In this circumstance, a super‐high‐speed electric centrifugal compressor becomes attractive to boost the air pressure and improve overall efficiency. A wide‐speed‐adaptive sliding mode observer (WSA‐SMO) is adopted to realise the super‐high‐speed sensorless control. A super‐high‐speed motor drive system is developed based on the WSA‐SMO. The current waveform at 170,000 r/min is shown to prove the steady state performance. The acceleration curves and start/stop curves are shown to demonstrate the excellent dynamic performances.