Low-cost BLDC drive with PBBO-tuned FOPID controller for enhanced speed regulation and torque ripple reduction

Abstract

Torque ripple (TR) minimization in brushless DC (BLDC) motors has become a critical research focus due to its direct impact on drive performance, efficiency, and reliability. Conventional BLDC drives typically employ large DC-link capacitors, which increase system cost and weight and are highly sensitive to operating temperature, thereby reducing lifetime. To address these limitations, this work proposes a low-cost capacitor-based BLDC drive integrated with a torque ripple compensation (TRC) technique and optimized control using the probabilistic biogeography-based optimization (PBBO) algorithm. The PBBO method is employed to tune the parameters of a fractional-order proportional-integral-derivative (FOPID) controller, ensuring effective speed regulation and TR reduction. By probabilistically refining migration and emigration rates, PBBO enhances convergence and eliminates redundant species movements, leading to superior controller parameter optimization. Simulation studies validate the proposed PBBO-FOPID approach, demonstrating significant improvements in TR reduction and speed control compared to conventional controllers such as DGOA-FOPID and spider web-based controller (SWC). Results confirm that the PBBO-FOPID controller achieves smoother torque response, reduced ripple, and enhanced speed regulation, establishing it as a cost effective and high-performance solution for BLDC motor drives.