ПЕТТО СОВЕТУВАЊЕ

Охрид, 7–9 октомври 2007

Prof.d-r Milan Cundev

Faculty of Electrical Engineering
Sts. Cyril & Methodius University
Skopje, Macedonia

CONTROL ANALYSIS OF A SWITCHED RELUCTANCE MOTOR

ABSTRACT
In this paper a novel approach to the optimal control of a switched reluctance motor on the basis of elec-
tromagnetic field solution is presented. At first it is required to determine both the flux linkage characteristics
and the characteristics of the coenergy of the motor. After, on the basis of energy concept, the static torque
characteristics are computed. The optimal control analysis of the switched reluctance motor is carried out by
using the set of solutions of the voltage balance equation for different control parameters by changing the
voltage supply and the rotor speed of the motor. On the basis of the analysis of transient characteristics in
this paper the optimal control parameters of the switched reluctance motor are predicted and proposed.

Keywords: Switched Reluctance Motor, Finite Elements Method, Control Analysis

1 INTRODUCTION

Power electronics has achieved an enormous development a few decades ago. Hence, the development of
electronic control devices has challenged the development of a new generation of controlled electrical
motors. Consequently, the adjustable-speed drives have got wonderful possibilities.
For a proper determination of transient characteristics and an accurate analysis of the transient
phenomena, as well as the transient performance at different control parameters of the switched reluctance
motor under various operating and load conditions, it is necessary to calculate electromagnetic and
electromechanical quantities as exact as possible.
The accuracy of calculation of the electromagnetic torque depends to a great extent on the precision with
which the electromagnetic quantities, as flux linkage and magnetic coenergy of the motor are determined.
A transient performance and an analysis of controlled electrical motors is always an interesting subject of
consideration. For that reason, the exact static electromagnetic torque characteristics are required to be avail-
able.

2. SWITCHED RELUCTANCE MOTOR

2.1. Motor Modelling

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The switched reluctance motor drives have got so far a widely recognized application, because of their
distinguished characteristics. The relatively simple construction and the design of the switched reluctance
motor, (SRM) brushless voltage supply and the convenience for the automatic and feedback control,
contribute to consider this motor as very attractive. In this paper the control analysis is carried out on 7.5 kW,
6/8 poles switched reluctance motor which geometrical cross section is presented in Fig. 1.

I S

Figure 1: Switched Reluctance Motor

2.2. Control Device

For proper operation and control of the switched reluctance motor drives, it is obvious that a particular
attention has to be paid to the electronic control device, used for both supply and control of the motor itself.
At this point it is necessary to emphasize that the simplicity of the control device should not reduce its
operating performance and reliability.
The control device of the switched reluctance motor is consisted of two main parts:
Š a switching element by which the DC voltage supply is delivered to the excited stator phase
winding,
Š an electrical circuit where the stored magnetic energy is dissipated, after the excitation current by
the switching unit is turned off.
The performance of the control device is dependent on the performance of the motor itself, as well as on
the required characteristics of the switched reluctance motor drive. Because of the variety of the electronic
devices for supply and control they are going to be designed correspondingly to the switched reluctance
motor performance. Several of the possible arrangements of power electronic circuits are presented in Fig. 2.
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Figure 2: Control Devices

As switching elements in the electronic control devices of the SRM, different power semiconductor
components could be applied, e.g.: thyristors, bipolar transistors, MOSFET transistors, GTO thyristors etc.
The most commercial and convenient up to now have been found the BJT transistors.

3. MAGNETIC FIELD MODELLING

The 3D Finite Element Method is a very efficient and contemporary approach to an accurate computation
of electromagnetic field, particularly in electrical machines. Recently, with such hardware and software
possibilities and opportunities as are available, it is obligate to take into consideration the 3D domain of the
electrical machine where the magnetic field exists. It is very important to emphasize that, due to three dimen-
sional calculations it is possible, the slot leakage flux and the leakage flux in the end-regions of windings to
be determined separately.
The numerical nonlinear iterative calculation of three dimensional magnetic field in the switched
reluctance motor is performed by the software package FEM-3D. The mesh of finite elements is particularly
adjusted to conveniently modelling the movement of rotor, as well as the winding end-regions outside of the
active length of the magnetic core. The exit database of computations is formed by the values of magnetic
vector potential and its components in every node of the machine domain. They are used for determination of
equipotential surfaces in the 3D domain, i.e. their projection - equipotential lines in the 2D domain, at any
cross-section of the motor. In Fig. 3 the distribution of magnetic field in the middle cross section of the
switched reluctance motor for four different rotor positions in reference to the excited stator pole axis is
presented as follows: (a) the initial position 00 (maximum air-gap length, i.e. minimum magnetic
permeance); (b) position +150; (c) position +300 (minimum air-gap length, i.e. maximum magnetic
permeance) and (d) position +450, i.e. -150. In this case it is supposed that the rotor movement is clockwise.
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(a) (b) (c) (d)

Figure 3: Magnetic Field Distribution in SRM

4. ELECTROMAGNETIC CHARACTERISTICS

The magnetic flux in electromagnetic systems, as the electrical machines are, is being determined from a
numerically derived expression by using the magnetic field theory for closed and bounded steady systems.
Having the values of magnetic vector potential and its components in Cartesian coordinates, the magnetic
flux per pole in the switched reluctance motor is calculated as:

φ =
∫ B ⋅ dS = ∫ rotA ⋅ dS = ∫ A ⋅ dr
Σ Σ C
(1)

hence
φ =
∫∫ ( B ⋅ n)dS
S
(2)

After some mathematical transformations have been performed the above expression is deduced to the
form convenient for calculation of the magnetic flux and its components in electrical machines, when the
values of the magnetic vector potential A={Ax,Ay,Az} are ordered discretely. The following step is to apply
this derived expression for calculation of the air-gap flux and the flux leakage including its components.
The air-gap flux and the flux leakage are calculated numerically for different values of the stator exci-
tation currents and rotor angular positions, with reference to which the total flux ψ(θ,I) in the switched
reluctance motor is obtained and presented in Fig. 4.
The electromagnetic torque of the switched reluctance motor is calculated by the change of the magnetic
system coenergy at virtual angular displacement of the rotor, for constant value of the current in the
excitation winding. The constant excitation current comprehends a constant value of the magnetic vector
potential A. For the quasi static model of the considered motor, the magnetic coenergy is calculated
numerically from the following expression :
I
W ' ( θ, I ) =
∫ ψ( I , θ)dI |
0
θ =const
(3)

For discretely ordered distribution of the air-gap flux per one pole pitch, the numerical integration with
reference to the excitation winding current, at given value of the rotor angular position, leads to the magnetic
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coenergy characteristics W'(θ,I). The result of calculation applied to the switched reluctance motor is the set
of the characteristics presented in Fig. 5.

Figure 4: Flux linkage characteristics Figure 5: Magnetic coenergy characteristics

5. ELECTROMECHANICAL CHARACTERISTICS

The knowledge of electromagnetic torque and its characteristics is very important matter in analysis and
performance of electrical motors. Different concepts for determination of electromagnetic torque exist. Some
authors use the energy method. Others use the method of Maxwell's tangential stresses. The concept based
on the Lorenz's force is a well known access for calculation of electromagnetic torque, too. In this paper the
energy concept for numerical calculation of electromagnetic torque is applied. The electromagnetic torque of
the switched reluctance motor is calculated by the change of the magnetic system coenergy at virtual angular
displacement of the rotor, for constant value of the excitation current.
The static electromagnetic torque is effected by the magnetic field energy variation in the air-gap at
movement of the rotor, for constant excitation current. The available database with values of magnetic vector
potential A, and its components {Ax,Ay,Az} obtained as an exit of the numerical 3D field calculation, is quite
correspondent with the numerical procedure for calculation of the static electromagnetic torque in the electri-
cal machine.
As previous mentioned, according to the energy concept, the static electromagnetic torque is calculated as
follows:
∂W ' (θ, I )
T (θ , I ) = | I=const. (4)
∂θ

For discretely derived values of the motor system coenergy the numerical differentiation of W'(θ,I) with
respect to the rotor angular position θ, at given value of the winding excitation current I is performed, and the
static electromagnetic torque T(θ,I) is calculated.
The results of calculations of the characteristics T=f(I) at θ=cons. for the switched reluctance motor are
presented in Fig. 6.
In Fig. 7 is presented a part of the numerically computed and experimentally obtained characteristics
T=f(θ) at I=cons. It is very important to emphasize that the characteristics show a reasonable and good
agreement between calculated and measured values.
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Figure 6: Electromagnetic torque characteristics Figure 7: Comparative torque characteristics

6. TRANSIENT ANALYSIS

Transient performance of the switched reluctance motor is analyzed starting with the equation of the
voltage balance in the electrical circuit of the excitation current:
u (t ) = - e ( t ) + r ⋅ i ( t ) (5)

where u(t), e(t) and i(t) are instantaneous values of the voltage supply, induced voltage and current in
the excitation winding, respectively; r is active resistance of the excited winding. Knowing that:
dψ
e = - (6)
dt
and
dϑ
ω = (7)
dt
and by substituting the equations (6) and (7) in equation (5) it is derived the expression for the
determination of transient characteristics for the switched reluctance motor drive:
ω ⋅ dψ ( t )
u(t ) = + r ⋅ i(t ) (8)
dϑ
However as exit values from the 3D magnetic field solution the instantaneous values of the quantities in
the equation (8) don't exist. Consequently, exist their discretely ordered values. For that purpose it is required
to introduce the correspondent changes in the above mentioned equation .
Having the flux linkage characteristics ψ(θ,I) and the static electromagnetic torque characteristics T(I,θ)
the voltage balance equation of the controlled switched reluctance motor is solved starting with:
dΨ ( θ , I ) U Rf
= - ⋅ I ( θ, ψ ) (9)
dθ ω ω
As input data, the previous calculated and discretely ordered quantities ψ(θ,I) and T(I,θ) are used. At the
beginning, it is required to invert the characteristics ψ(θ,I) into characteristics I(ψ,θ). Afterwards, the tran-
sient characteristics I(t), for different input and control parameters are computed by using the Runge-Kutta
Method of the fourth order; then by using the calculated values I(t) it is determined T(t). The computations
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are performed for different values of voltage supply U [V], rotor speed [rev/min], control switching angle α,
and length of angular leading interval Δα. In Fig. 10 some of the characteristics I=f(t) are presented and in
Fig. 11 are presented some of the characteristics T=f(t).

Figure 8: Transient characteristics of current Figure 9: Transient characteristics of torque

7. CONTROL ANALYSIS

The numerical solution of the differential equation (9) is performed by varying the voltage supply, the
rotor speed and the control parameters. As the result there is obtained a set of transient characteristics of the
switched reluctance motor.
On the basis of the analysis of transients characteristics it is possible to determine the optimal control
parameters of the motor. As an example in the next figures transient characteristics for the following
parameters are presented: the rotor speed is 1500 rpm, the voltage supply is rectangular square voltage wave
200 V and the width of the control impulse is 15 deg. The varying parameter is the value of control switching
angle α. The initial position and α=0 deg. is the rotor position at maximum air-gap length, i.e. minimum
magnetic permeance. For these parameters in Fig. 10 and Fig. 11 the transient characteristics for the switched
reluctance motor, I=f(t) and T=f(t), are presented respectively.
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Figure 10: Comparative transient characteristics I(t) Figure 11: Comparative transient characteristics
T(t)

The selected optimal control parameters of the SRM have to satisfy the following requirements: the
torque should be as great as possible and the instantaneous current increase should be as small as possible.

8. CONCLUSION

The topic of this paper is an approach to prediction of optimal control parameters for a deepened analysis
of the switched reluctance motor. The suitable mathematical as well transient modelling of the motor proper
to its physical model is performed. On the basis of the field theory the magnetic flux linkage and magnetic
coenergy are computed. The electromagnetic torque is calculated by using the energy concept. Taking into
consideration the initial rotor angular position and applying the derived model, the simulation of transient
characteristics is performed. These characteristics are used for an analysis of transient behaviour as well as
the steady state performance of the switched reluctance motor, including in computations the parameters of
the control device, too. An extension of this work is the inclusion of the interaction between the control
device and the motor. The results given in the paper could serve as a guide for this task.

REFERENCES

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