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Corresponding Author

Abdo, Mahmoud

Subject Area

Electrical Engineering

Article Type

Original Study

Abstract

Photovoltaic (PV) water-pumping systems have considerable cost-effective value in rural zones. Virtual flow rate (VFR) meter is a technique to measure the water flow rate through a water pump using a numerical method as a function of the pump head, motor power, and overall efficiency of the pump. VFR meter eliminates the need for rotor speed sensors in PV water pumping systems. In this paper, the virtual flow meter is proposed as a novel reference for improving maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithms for PV water-pumping systems. VFR meter removes the expensive flow meter sensors, hence, reducing the overall costs of the system. The VFR will be represented as a new variable in the MPPT algorithm. By replacing the voltage with the instantaneous VFR, the system will operate based on the variation of the VFR meter measurements. Using the physical parameters of a submersible Brushless DC motor pump-based PV water-pumping system, a mathematical model is derived to obtain the input voltage to MPPT algorithm as a function of the instantaneous flow rate. The model is implemented by Mat lab/Simulink software and the results reveal the applicability and efficiency of using the virtual flow meter in MPPT algorithms.

Keywords

Photovoltaic; MPPT; Submersible water pump; Brushless DC motor; Water flow meter

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