Enhancing variable Frequency drive efficiency through advanced control and thermal management

• This research introduces the Lichtenberg Optimization Algorithm (LOA) in Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) controller optimization, opening a novel direction for future studies in advanced drive control. • LOA enables precise tuning of PI controllers, Achieves 94% less speed overshoot and 83% faster settling versus conventional PI. • A unique integration of electrical drive control and inverter thermal modeling is presented, demonstrating how LOA-based optimization achieves superior thermal management alongside control performance. • Comprehensive Simulations and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HiL) experiments confirm that the LOA-driven scheme outperforms traditional approaches, particularly in faster dynamic response, reduced oscillations, and improved overall system reliability. In this paper, an innovative solution for co-optimizing control and thermal management in Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) is proposed using the Lichtenberg Optimization Algorithm (LOA). This paper aims to improve the current speed regulation of an Interior Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (IPMSM) and the thermal integrity of the inverter. Performance analysis of the system is carried out for the range of 1000–3000 r/min with quadratic loads, comparing thermal methods of no cooling, simple cooling, and LOA optimized cooling. Analysis reveals that there is a vast improvement in the dynamic response of the system, in which the LOA optimized controller succeeds in reducing overshoot by 85.7–94.1% and settling time by 57.1–83.3% over that of the Conventional Propotional Integral (CPI) controller. Moreover, the optimized controller converges 27% earlier than other metaheuristic optimization approaches with an insignificant overshoot of 0.4%. Furthermore, the optimized cooling process for LOA helps stabilize the inverter temperature at an ideal 20.5°C, significantly lower than 43-48°C with simple cooling and 62.8-72°C without cooling. This effective thermal management process substantially enhances the system’s energy efficiency by 90.7%, representing an improvement of 9–13%. The Hardware-in-the-Loop (HiL) simulation verifies the robustness and real-time integrity of the developed technique. The findings clearly show that the technique has a significant solution, providing a multi-objective electro-thermal optimization solution for high-performance VFDs.