Low-noise switched reluctance drive

Switched reluctance (SR) motor drive is of great topical interest. It has the potential to emerge as a viable option for variable speed applications. Though simple in construction, the motor is quite rugged, and has many attractive features like high torque-to-inertia ratio, fault tolerance, and high efficiency. A number of converter topologies are prescribed for driving the motor. However, its applicability is limited because it emits high acoustic noise in operation. This paper deals with the issues regarding sources of acoustic noise, and means of reducing the same, and finally proposes a low-noise control algorithm based on voltage control. It achieves noise abatement by the use of a TMS320c50 based DSP platform. The controller was tested on a 5 hp 8/6 OULTON motor. Results of tests, measurement of noise level at different speeds, and performance comparison with an existing system are presented.