Design and Implementation of an Electronic Fan Regulator for Reduced Harmonics and Ripple Free Speed

Majority electronic fan regulators available in the market feed significant amounts of harmonics into the fan, which leads to fan overheating and frequent failures of fan capacitors. This paper presents a design and development of a new electronic fan regulator that feeds negligible amounts of harmonics into the fan, and hence offers more reliable fan operation with smooth control and ripple free speed.
The paper first reviews different forms of power electronic based control applicable to single-phase induction motors, and then identifies six topologies suitable for ceiling fans, based on the simplicity and cost effectiveness in meeting the performance targets. Final topology for the new design was selected after simulation of each short-listed topology to assess relative performances in terms of lesser harmonics, ripple free speed, smooth control, and cost. Finally, a prototype was built of the selected topology for a 70W single phase ceiling fan and test results verified the simulation results. Details of investigations, design, simulation, and test results are given and discussed.