Dynamic measurement of magnetic characteristics of switched reluctance motor

Introduction. Switched reluctance motor (SRM) is a type of electric motor featuring nonlinear magnetic characteristics. The flux linkage or inductance profile of SRM is usually required for the purpose of high control performance, and can be normally obtained through conventional static test by using DC or AC method when the rotor is locked. Problem. However, it is not practical to use the conventional method of measurement when the specific apparatus for locking the rotor is unavailable. Besides, due to the magnetic nonlinearity of SRM, the saturation effect makes it difficult to obtain the saturated magnetic characteristics, and the conventional static AC test fails to address this problem. Novelty. In this paper, a dynamic measurement method of the magnetization curves of SRM is proposed which allows the measurement take place while the motor is running with load. Methodology. Based on the conventional static AC test, the proposed measurement handles the saturation problem successfully by introducing a DC offset in the high frequency AC voltage. Phase inductance with different rotor positions and currents can be obtained by analyzing simple equivalent circuit. Practical value. Simulation is conducted in MATLAB/Simulink environment and the results have verified that the proposed dynamic measurement can effectively obtain the magnetic characteristics of SRM.