A Stepped Two-Phase Configuration for Switched-Reluctance Motor with High Starting Torque

The Switched Reluctance (SR) motor is a simple and robust machine, which has found application over a wide range of different power and speed shapes. This paper briefly reviews the different types of SR motors with different geometries and then presents a new configuration for a two phase SR motor with step shaped rotor poles. This motor has the ability to start and run in a specified direction without any difficulties. In other words the motor will always have starting torque no matter where the rotor is positioned. Also centrifugal switch is presented and mounted on the motor shaft for a sudden advancement of current-pulses relative to the rotor position after reaching a preset motor speed in order to develop a higher torque at starting. Then the machine is analyzed in the generator mode. To evaluate the performance of the switched reluctance machine in motoring as well as generating mode, two types of analysis, namely numerical technique and experimental study have been utilized. In the numerical analysis, due to the highly non-linear nature of the motor, a three dimensional finite element analysis is employed, whereas in the experimental study, a proto-type motor has been built and tested.