Design and Performance Analysis of a Switched Reluctance Motor Using Finite Element Analysis and Magnetic Equivalent Circuit Model

By being magnet-free, and mechanically robust with a longer constant power range, switched reluctance motor (SRM) is gathering much attention as a potential choice to propel electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). This paper comprehensively investigates the performance sensitivity to geometric design variables such as rotor diameter, pole arc angles, and yoke thicknesses for an SRM using static two-dimensional (2D) electromagnetic Finite-Element Analysis (FEA). The reason for the change in static characteristics due to variation in reluctance between SRM designs has not been detailed previously. This is addressed by the magnetic equivalent circuit (MEC) model that simplifies the design analysis. Results indicate that stator pole reluctance needs to be given due importance while studying the influence of rotor diameter. Also, it is imperative to set an adequate thickness of the stator and rotor yokes to minimize the effect of saturation on the performance. Rotor diameter and stator pole arc angle have a pronounced influence on the performance while the influence of rotor pole arc angle and yoke thicknesses was relatively less.