Modeling of Torsional Resonances for Multi-Megawatt Drives Design

Several torsional issues have been reported in drive train applications such as oil and gas or mining, where the drive rated power exceeds the megawatt range. This paper analytically explains why mechanical engineers worry about this phenomenon in such applications. Simple and comprehensive relationships are established, and electrical and mechanical similarities are pointed out. The proposed model can be easily implemented in common simulation software using passive electrical elements. This paper is a key design tool to support torsional analysis of large drive trains. It has been written to avoid communication gaps between mechanical and electrical engineers involved in the design of complex drive trains. Several tests have been performed in an integrated-motor- compressor system (5.5 MW at 10,000 rpm) using the proposed modeling approach. Only intensive simulation results are reported in this paper, in order to validate the suggested modeling approach.