June 17, 2004 19:46 Research Publishing: Trim Size: 8.50in x 11.

00in (IEEE proceedings) ieee-emc08:P153

Common-Mode Current Inductively
Coupled Emission of AC PWM Drives
Meng Jin, Zhang Lei, Ma Weiming, Zhao Zhihua, and Pan Qijun
Research Institute of Power Electronic Technology
Naval University of Engineering
Wuhan 430033, China
mengjinemc@yahoo.com.cn
AbstractThe most common solution for modern adjustable
speed drives is the use of induction motors fed by voltage-source
inverters. The inverters using fast switching insulated gate
bipolar transistors (IGBTs) generate pulse-width modulated
(PWM) voltage pulses. The high carrier frequency along with
fast rise and fall time of the PWM switching results in nontrivial
common-mode or ground currents noise. The current component
can cause electromagnetic interference (EMI) noise to neighbour
equipments and installations by either radiation from the motor
cable or by cross-talk (inductive and capacitive coupling) with
other conductors. This paper discusses the inductively coupled
EMI noise from an ac drive system where there susceptible
devices and a common ground plant are presented. The model
describing the sophisticated EMI phenomenon is proposed and
measurement results are presented.
I. INTRODUCTION
The standard solution used in industry for ac adjustable
speed drives (ASD) remains the pulse-width modulated
(PWM) voltage source inverter because of many advantages:
high efficiency (up to 98%), open-circuit protection, small
relative size, excellent regulation capabilities, wide speed
range, constant high input power factor, common bus
regeneration, etc [1]. To achieve high efficiency levels, fast
switching insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) are used.
As a consequence, at the output of the inverter, PWM pulses
with high dv/dt (5kV/s to 15kV/s) [2] will have the
potential to cause electromagnetic interference (EMI) issues
with adjacent sensitive equipments, when large quantities of
drives are assembled in a concentrated area.
Conducted EMI emissions of the ASD output power leads
contain several frequency components [2]. There is a circular
low-frequency magnetic field component around the wires
due to the inverter fundamental output frequency, a mid-
frequency magnetic field component due to the carrier
frequency current and a high-frequency electric and magnetic
field due to the transient di/dt common-mode (CM) current
conducted on the power leads. The CM noise is a type of EMI
noise induced on signals with respect to a reference ground, is
sourced from CM voltage. In three phase inverters, PWM
generates CM voltage because of asymmetrical switching
states. Past experience has shown unknown conducted noise
in the plant ground as the predominant EMI issue for
susceptible equipment, which may be computer systems,
communication links, ultrasonic sensors, weighing and
temperature sensors, bar code/vision systems.
Fig. 1 Common-mode current paths in a grounded PWM drive.
Fig. 2 30 hp ASD output waveforms (200 s/div).
II. CMCURRENT PATHS IN A DRIVE SYSTEM
Fig. 1 shows the high frequency CM current paths in a
grounded PWM ac drive system. The high rates of rise and
fall of line-line voltage pulses in the range of a few hundreds
of nanoseconds give rise to ground currents due to 1) cable
capacitance to ground C
cg
and 2) motor winding capacitance
to ground C
mg
. If not properly mitigated, high frequency
ground currents can also interfere with the power system
ground and affect other equipment on the power system
through inductive coupling and capacitive coupling paths.
Fig. 2 shows the CM voltage and CM current waveforms
from a 400V/50Hz 30hp ASD system. A convenient way of
investigating ASD CM voltage is by establishing a virtual
neutral reference node from a wye connected node of three 1
M resistors to ground. A current probe (CT) encircling all
ASD output cables normally measure CM current, since the
2008 Asia-Pacic Sympsoium on Electromagnetic Compatibility &
650 19
th
International Zurich Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility, 1922 May 2008, Singapore
June 17, 2004 19:46 Research Publishing: Trim Size: 8.50in x 11.00in (IEEE proceedings) ieee-emc08:P153
2008 Asia-Pacic Sympsoium on Electromagnetic Compatibility, 1922 May 2008, Singapore
instantaneous sum of the fundamental frequency components
of each phase sum to zero. The transient CM current in Fig. 2
may reach 1 Apk at every CM voltage switching transient
become possible EMI problems.
The CM voltage with high and high amplitude in the cable
between the inverter and the motor is a potential source of
EMI, therefore usually shielded motor cables are used. Such
cables are expensive and increase the overall installation cost.
Usually, unshielded cables are between 30% and 70% cheaper
than shielded cables. Unfortunately, their use is restricted by
EMC-related concerns [3].
High dv/dt from a drive unshielded output leads would
capacitively couple through stray capacitance onto both signal
lines in close proximity and produce an error voltage. The
capacitively coupled emission has been detailed discussed [4],
[5], [6]. A complete investigation from an EMC point of view,
about the inductively coupled EMI from the motor drives, has
not been presented in the literatures until now.
III. INDUCTIVELY COUPLED EMI
Long unshielded drive output cables carrying CM current
may act as loop antennas for radiated emissions, due to the
current path in these cables returning via the ground plane in
Fig. 3. Drive CM output cables and others circuits conductors
also inductively couple and introduce EMI issue.
PWM Drive
Motor
Cmg
Common Mode Current
Steel Ground Plane
Load
U
V
W
Drive Cable
Signal Cable
Signal Current
Common Mode Voltage
Mutual
Inductance
SEND RECEIV
Fig. 3 Configuration of CM EMI loop coupling for ASD system.
The ground plane is a high impedance to high frequency
ground noise current [7], so that an instantaneous CM noise
voltage is created across the ground points of the drive and
motor. CM voltage is impressed on susceptible interface
equipment between drive logic ground and interface ground.
As shown Fig. 3, a susceptible interface circuit, SEND and
RECEIVE, with source and return signal current. Thus, CM
noise voltage impressed on both signal lines, allows a CM
noise current to appear in the same direction on both lines and
circulate back through ground. The signal may develop a
noise voltage. There also has mutual inductance coupling
between the output cables and signal cables, which can induce
another noise voltage into this interface circuit, has not been
presented in the previous literature until now.
Fig. 4 show a interface signal with 50% duty cycle,
frequency = 15 kHz and amplitude = 10 mV. Fig. 4(a) referred
to the drive OFF state, and Fig. 4(b) referred to PWM drive
RUNNING. A series of pulses with a maximum magnitude of
80 mVpk can be seen in Fig. 4(b).
(a) Drive off. Vertical scale: 10mV/div; Time scale: 10s/div
(b) Drive running. Vertical scale: 20mV/div; Time scale: 10s/div
Fig. 4 Measured waveforms of receiver load signal.
10
4
10
5
10
6
10
7
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Frequency [Hz]
M
a
g
n
i
t
u
d
e
[
d
B

V
]
Drive OFF
Drive RUNNING
Fig. 5 Measured spectrum of the signal voltage in Fig. 4.
Frequency characteristics of the signal voltage spectrum for
drive RUNNING state and OFF state are compared in Fig. 5.
The frequency components of coupled noise voltage exceed
the original signal more than 30 dB. There must be a serious
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June 17, 2004 19:46 Research Publishing: Trim Size: 8.50in x 11.00in (IEEE proceedings) ieee-emc08:P153
19
th
International Zurich Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility, 1922 May 2008, Singapore
risk of the interface equipments ability to function in the
presence of the high-level noise voltage.
IV. MODELLING ANALYSIS
The investigated topology is shown in Fig. 6. The purpose
is to model the RECEIVE load voltage when the unshielded
cable carrying a noisy CM current couples to the susceptible
circuit.
Steel Plane
Unshielded Phase Conductor
SEND RECEIV
t
Cip
S
R
VS VE
SIG
I
LOAD
R
Cmp
HS
H0
l
ICM
Fig. 6 Configuration of CM EMI inductively coupling.
The EMI coupling mechanism can be theoretically modeled
by Fig. 7. Z
MG
is the impedance of ground plane. M
t
is the
total mutual inductance between the loops formed by the drive
cables and the signal cables [8], [9], detailed model is shown
in Fig. 8.
S
R
MG
Z
t CM
j M I e
VS VE
Steel plane
Cable
RECEIV
SEND
SIG
I
CM SIG
I I
LOAD
R
Fig. 7 Equivalent circuit model for the susceptible circuit.
1
L
-
-
CM
I
SIG
I
2
L
3
L
15
M
-
5
L
6
L
7
L
4
L
-
-
-
-
26
M
24
M
37
M
17
M
35
M
--
Fig. 8 Partial inductance model for the coupling loops.
From Fig. 7, the noise voltage at the RECEIVE load can
be obtained as
( ) ( )
S LOAD MG SIG MG t CM S
0 R R Z I Z j M I V e + + + = (1)
where,
t 15 26 17 24
2 2 M M M M M = + (2)
MG in ex in ex
Z Z Z Z j L e = + = + . (3)
where Z
in
is internal impedance of the ground plane [10], can
be expressed by
in DC HF
Z R jX = + (4)
6
DC
r
17.2
10
l
R
wt o

= O (5)
9
HF
369
10
1
r r
t
f l
X
w e
o
o

= O

(6)
where
r
o is relative conductivity, l, w, and t represent the
length, width, and thick of the plane, respectively, all units are
mm,
r
is relative permeability, f is frequency, and o is
skin depth,
r r
66 f o o = , unit is mm.
The external impedance of a flat steel plane mainly formed
by the external inductance L
ex
[10], due to the fields external
to the cable, can be calculated [11], [12]
( )
1 0
ex 0 w
0 w
2 2
0 w
( ) tan
2
ln(4( ) ) ln( )
4 2
l w
L H r
w H r
w w
H r w w

| |
= |
|

\ .
(
+ +
(

(7)
where H
0
is height of the cable and r
w
is cable radius.
Usually, the total impedance of a flat steel plane Z
MG
is very
small compared to R
S
and R
LOAD
, as shown in Fig. 9, its
magnitude is less than 11 below 10 MHz. Assuming
S LOAD MG
( ) R R Z + >> and (1) can be approximated
( ) ( )
S LOAD SIG MG t CM S
0 R R I Z j M I V e + + = (8)
Substituting
E LOAD SIG
V R I = into (8), yielding
( )
S
E S MG t CM
S LOAD
R
V V Z j M I
R R
e = + + (

+
(9)
Therefore, the expression of the coupled voltage on the
susceptible load is obtained and can be calculated based on
practical parameters.
10
4
10
5
10
6
10
7
0.1
1
10
100
Frequency [Hz]
I
m
p
e
d
a
n
c
e
M
a
g
n
i
t
u
d
e
[

]
Fig. 9 Calculated impedance for steel ground plane.
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June 17, 2004 19:46 Research Publishing: Trim Size: 8.50in x 11.00in (IEEE proceedings) ieee-emc08:P153
2008 Asia-Pacic Sympsoium on Electromagnetic Compatibility, 1922 May 2008, Singapore
10
4
10
5
10
6
10
7
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
Frequency [Hz]
M
a
g
n
i
t
u
d
e
[
d
B

A
]
Measured
Modeled
Fig. 10 Common-mode current spectrum of the drive output cable.
V. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
Two sets of experiments were conducted. A first set of
experiments aimed to evaluate CM current on the motor
output cable. Though the CM EMI modeling is not the scope
of this paper, detailed presented in the literatures [2], [4]-[6].
Fig. 10 show the measured CM current spectrum by R&S
ESIB 26 EMI receiver for a 22 kW induction motor working
at 380 V was fed by a 25 kW commercial drive, running with
10 kHz switching frequency and 50 Hz fundamental output
frequency. The modeled CM spectrum is also shown in Fig.
10 using present analytical techniques from the literatures.
Good agreement can be seen even at more than several MHz.
The modeled CM current (I
CM
) is used to evaluate the noise
voltage in (9).
The second set of experiments focused on verification of
the proposed EMI models. An Agilent 33220A signal
generator acts as the SENT and R&S ESIB26 EMI receiver
corresponding to the RECEIVE. The test plat steel plane has a
dimension with l = 2700 mm, w = 600 mm, and t = 5 mm. Fig.
11 give the EMI spectrum with two cases of heights for drive
cable and signal cable, respectively. Compared with the
envelops of the measured spectra, it can be seen that the
analytical predictions agree with the measurements very well
in terms of peak decibel values and the shapes, which verifies
the proposed EMI modeling method.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the
National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grants
50721063 and 50677070.
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10
4
10
5
10
6
10
7
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Frequency [Hz]
M
a
g
n
i
t
u
d
e
[
d
B

V
]
Measured
Modeled
(a) H0 = 280 mm, Hs = 450 mm
10
4
10
5
10
6
10
7
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Frequency [Hz]
M
a
g
n
i
t
u
d
e
[
d
B

V
]
Measured
Modeled
(b) H0 = 80 mm, Hs = 450 mm
Fig. 11 Measured and calculated spectrum for CM loop coupled EMI.
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