Shaft Position for an 8/6 Switched Reluctance Machine: Theoretical concept, FEM analysis and Experimental results

The switched reluctance machine (SRM) was, during this last decade, the target of various researchers´ attention. Several authors have published mainly research results analysing torque ripple reduction, speed control, noise reduction, magnetic characteristics, and the SR machine operation without position sensor. However, very few works have studied the SR machine in terms of its shaft position. This paper presents this thematic. The static torque, experimentally obtained, is analysed followed by the determination of which phases must be excited in order to immobilize the shaft. Finite element method (FEM) is used to calculate the current values, function of the various shaft positions. Experimental tests were done in order to validate the theoretical assumptions and FEM results. Finally, the results are discussed.