Switched reluctance motor flux linkage characteristic: experimental approach

Currently, switched reluctance motors are considered the most promising type of electromechanical energy converter without permanent magnets, especially for operations at sub-nominal speeds. To control of a switched reluctance motor to minimize torque ripple requires the regulation of phase currents based on the rotor angular position, utilizing the flux linkage as a function of both current and rotor angle. The flux linkage characteristic is essential in control systems that indirectly determine the rotor position. The paper presents an experimental methodology for deriving the flux linkage characteristic of a switched reluctance motor. The calculation of flux linkage for each rotor position angle of the electric machine is provided. The proposed methodology involves mechanically locking the rotor and periodically applying voltage to one of the motor phases using a power converter to gather data on phase current and voltage. Using the proposed experimental methodology, the relationships between flux linkage, phase current, and rotor angle were obtained. The results demonstrate that this methodology can be effectively utilized to accurately determine the flux linkage characteristic of a switched reluctance motor. The experimental methodology proposed in this paper can be employed to generate the flux linkage characteristic of a switched reluctance motor. This approach is particularly advantageous for designing model predictive control systems.