Sensorless Control of Multithree-Phase Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator in Distributed Architecture

The distributed architecture of a multithree-phase permanent magnet synchronous generator (MTP-PMSG) is extremely compact and requires interconnecting communication cables to transmit position information for decoupling control, significantly reducing fault tolerance. Moreover, sensorless control methods employed in distributed architecture suffer from significant position errors under power imbalance across windings. To address these issues, this article proposes a distributed sensorless control method for MTP-PMSG within the distributed architecture, which improves the accuracy of position estimation in both balanced and imbalanced power scenarios. First, the mathematical model of MTP-PMSG is derived from the distributed architecture without interconnection, serving as the foundation for the distributed sensorless control strategy. Then, an adaptive selective harmonic elimination filter with harmonic extractors is proposed to construct the distributed sensorless control, which overcomes the limitations of conventional sensorless strategies. The proposed approach effectively suppresses harmonic and dc components, compensates for phase delay, and mitigates back electromotive force (BEMF) attenuation, thereby enhancing the accuracy of rotor position estimation. Finally, the proposed method is experimentally validated on a dual three-phase PMSG platform, demonstrating improved rotor position estimation accuracy, enhanced dynamic response, and significantly reduced BEMF total harmonic distortion under both balanced and imbalanced operating conditions.