A Review of the Integral-Horsepower Switched Reluctance Drive

An evaluation of the capabilities of the switched reluctance (SR) motor drive, particularly in small integral-horsepower sizes, is presented, and some of its special features are discussed. The simplicity of the construction of the rotor together with certain advantages in the power circuit, such as unipolar operation and the independence of the phases, are described along with some of the important performance parameters, which are compared with those of typical induction motor drives. It is shown that the ruggedness and simplicity of the SR drive are accompanied by a performance profile that matches that of modern induction motor drives in torque per unit volume, efficiency, converter voltampere requirements, and other parameters. A comparison of three SR motors, including one low-inertia design and one with two stator teeth per pole, shows torque/inertia ratios several times greater than those for induction motor drives.