Investigation and Experimental Test of Fault-Tolerant Operation of a Mutually Coupled Dual Three-Phase SRM Drive Under Faulty Conditions

The mutually coupled dual three-phase switched reluctance motor (DTPSRM) is a new type of special 12/8 SRMs, which possesses high-reliability and fault-tolerant feature. In the past researches, the model, analysis, and fault-tolerant operation were mainly focused on the classical single three- and four-phase SRMs. This paper is mainly to analyze and investigate the fault-tolerant performances of a 12/8-pole mutually coupled DTPSRM drive under various open-circuit operations. First, the static magnetic characteristics of DTPSRM with single- and two-phase excitations are calculated by finite-element analysis. Then, the mathematic model of the DTPSRM drive under open-circuit condition is developed with a combination of state and fault functions. The simulation model of the DTPSRM drive system with a fault-tolerant control strategy is established for dynamic analysis. The faulty characteristics and fault-tolerant performances of the DTPSRM with diverse open circuits are predicted. Finally, a 12/8 DTPSRM is prototyped and an experimental setup is built for verification. The experimental normal results and diverse open-circuit operations and self-starting capability under lack of phases are presented, validating the accuracy of the analysis and simulation as well as fault-tolerant characteristics of the DTPSRM drive system.