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CHAPTER-3 SWITCH RELUCTANCE MOTOR CHARACTERISTICS 3.1 SWITCHED RELUCTANCE MOTOR The SR motor is an old technology. It was invented by Davidson in Scotland in 1838. There were no suitable electronics to make the SR feasible at the time. In 1920 Walker invented the variable reluctance (VR) stepper motor, which shares many features of the modern SR Motor. In 1971 Bedford and Hoft filed US patents on the modern Switched Reluctance Motor. Hewlett Packard used the first Switched Reluctance Motor in a volume application for the Draft Master plotter. Today several manufacturers have introduced successful SR products. The name switched reluctance has now become the popular term for this class of electric machine. The machines are alternatively known as variable reluctance motors (VR), reflecting the origins of the technology being derived from VR stepper motors. Switched reluctance motors (SRM), are a specialized form of stepper motor, distinguished mainly by having fewer poles. The SRM has the lowest construction cost of any industrial electric motor due to its lack of magnets and simple structure. The most common usage for an SRM is in applications where the stator must be held stationary for long periods. A Switched Reluctance (SR) motor is a rotating electric machine where both stator and rotor have salient poles. The stator winding is comprised of a set of coils, each of which is wound on one pole. SR motors differ in the number of phases wound on the stator. Each of them has a certain number of suitable combinations of stator and rotor poles. A typical SR motor is referenced as an x/y n-phase: x = number of rotor poles y = number of stator poles n = number of phases

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The number of rotor and stator poles must be different to allow a motor to generate torque at still. x = y is possible for a generator or a specialized application. Typically y = x 2 but other combinations are possible. The number of stator poles is an integral multiple of the number of phases, x = n * m; m = 2, 4, 6 3.2. TERMINOLOGY Un-aligned position: rotor and stator tooth are most unaligned between two neighbouring phases Aligned position:Rotor and stator tooth are aligned Absolute torque zone: Phase produces non-zero torque Effective torque zone: Phase produces positive torque Regular SR motor: Rotor and stator poles are equally spaced

3.3 KEY CHARACTERISTICS Lowest construction complexity, many stamped metal elements like a stepper without the magnets. High reliability (no brush wear), failsafe for Inverter but acoustically noisy High efficiency Motor EMI good but terrible EMI from Inverter Driven by multi-phase Inverter controllers Sensor less speed control possible Higher total system cost than for DC motors Torque ripple can be reduced by advanced control techniques High speed operation possible High start-up torque

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Salient-pole rotor and stator Concentrated stator winding Rotor hasnt got any winding

3.4 BASIC STRUCTURE The basic structure of a Switched Reluctance motor is shown in figure which is an illustrative cross sectional view of a three phase 6/4 SR motor. The SR motor has salient poles on both the rotor and the stator, making it a double salient machine. The machine has 4 rotor poles and 6 stator poles, which is referred to as a 6/4 SR motor. Each stator pole has a concentrated coil wound on it (not shown in the figure ). Two coils on the opposite stator poles are connected in serial or parallel, making one stator phase. There are no windings on the rotor, nor does the rotor have any permanent magnetic material.

Fig 3.1 Cross sectional view of 6/4 3 phase Switched Reluctance Motor

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3.4.1 PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION The motor is doubly salient with phase coils mounted around diametrically opposite stator poles. Energization of a phase will lead to the rotor moving into alignment with the stator poles, so minimizing the reluctance of the magnetic path. This is the same principle of operation as the VR stepper motor. As a high performance variable speed drive, the motor's magnets are optimized for closed-loop operation. Rotor position information is used to control phase energisation in an optimal way to achieve smooth, continuous torque and high efficiency. The maximum inductance corresponds to the minimum reluctance pole-aligned position. Positive torque is only produced at angles when the inductance gradient is positive. At low speeds the phase current has to be constrained to protect the electronics because of the high available Volt-seconds. At higher speeds the current is naturally constrained, and single-pulse voltage control is normally employed with angle advance prior to the unaligned position to optimize performance. The SR motor requires position feedback for motor phase commutation. In many cases, this requirement is addressed by using position sensors, like encoders, Hall sensors, etc. The result is that the implementation of mechanical sensors increases costs and decreases system reliability. Traditionally, developers of motion control products have attempted to lower system costs by reducing the number of sensors. A variety of algorithms for sensorless control have been developed, most of which involve evaluation of the variation of magnetic circuit parameters that are dependent on the rotor position. The phase windings in a SRM are electrically isolated from each other, resulting in higher fault tolerance compared to inverter driven AC motors. The optimal drive waveform is not a pure sinusoid, due to the non-linear torque relative to rotor displacement, and the highly position dependent inductance of the stator phase windings. The motor is excited by a sequence of current pulses applied at each phase. The individual phases are consequently excited, forcing the motor to rotate. The current pulses need to be applied to the respective phase at the exact rotor position relative to the excited phase.

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The inductance profile of SR motors is triangular shaped, with maximum inductance when it is in an aligned position and minimum inductance when unaligned. When the voltage is applied to the stator phase, the motor creates torque in the direction of increasing inductance. When the phase is energized in its minimum inductance position, the rotor moves to the forthcoming position of maximal inductance. The profile of the phase current together with the magnetization characteristics defines the generated torque and thus the speed of the motor.

Fig 3.2 SRM structure

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3.4.2 SRM NON LINEAR CHARACTERISTICS The nonlinear saturating characteristics of real magnetic steel has a marked influence on the energy conversion process in an SRM. Only for very low values of saturation, the characteristics approximate the ideal linear case. The flux-current characteristics in the unaligned position is approximately linear because the magnetic path is dominated by large air-gap and flux densities are small. In the aligned position the airgap reluctance is small and flux density is high, which causes high saturation at higher currents.

Fig 3.3 Nonlinear characteristics 3.5 TORQUE RIPPLE SR machines have a significant torque ripple, especially when operated in single-pulse voltage control mode. This is the price to pay for high efficiency. For many applications where the machine is operating at fairly high speeds, this is not a problem since the mechanical time-constant is far longer than the fast rates of change of instantaneous torque produced by the motor. There are applications where the torque ripple is a major concern and a well publicized application by way of example here is automotive Electric power assisted steering (EPAS). The human beings can sense very low levels of torque perturbation and so minimizing not only the peak-to-peak levels, but also angular rates of change are high priorities. Effort can be put into both the machine design and the

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control strategies to help optimizing the individual phase torque-angle characteristic by salient pole shape profiling, longitudinal skewing of the rotor and angular phase current profiling can all help to minimize the inherent torque ripple. The shows a typical torque ripple in a SRM

Fig 3.4 Torque ripple in a SRM 3.6 ACOUSTIC NOISE The magnetic forces are strong enough to force the teeth to elongate and to distort the stator yoke. The radial forces are significantly higher than the tangential forces (torque) by a factor of 10:1 or more. A small air gap can aggregate the problem due to mechanic tolerances. The rate of change in the magnetic field has an impact on the acoustic noise. Geometry, mechanical construction and electronic control schemes can be used to reduce acoustic noise. A large air gap can help to reduce the acoustic noise.

3.7 ADVANTAGES OF SRM Simple construction the rotor does not have any windings, commutators, brushes, cages or permanent magnets. High efficiency and reliability compared to conventional AC or DC motors. High starting torque. The torque-inertia ratio is high.

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It provides high reliability, wide-speed range at constant power, low manufacturing cost, fast dynamic response, ruggedness and fault-tolerance. No shoot-through and crossovers in the converter. The maximum permissible rotor temperature is higher since there is no permanent magnet. Cost effective compared to brushless DC motor in high volumes. Open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current at faults are zero or very small. Fault tolerance. Low manufacturing and operating costs.

3.8 DISADVANTAGES OF SRM Current versus torque is highly nonlinear. Phase switching must be precise to minimize ripple torque. Phase current must be controlled to minimize ripple torque. Acoustic and electrical noise. Not applicable to low volumes due to complex control issues.

3.9 APPLICATIONS OF SRM High performance laboratory centrifuge system Flameproof drive systems for potentially explosive atmosphere. Direct drive unit for automatic sliding door operating system. Servo systems for advanced technology weaving machines. Innovative motor blower for commercial vacuum cleaner systems. Advanced operating unit for high speed roll doors. Aerospace Applications Conventional automotive actuators Robotics

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