Nonlinear Digital Simulation Models of Switched Reluctance Motor Drive

The paper deals with nonlinear simulation models of a drive consisting of the four-phase 8/6 doubly salient switched reluctance motor (SRM), the four-phase dissymmetric bridge power converter and the closed-cycle rotor speed control strategy carried out by the pulse width modulation (PWM) with variable angle and combined control scheme with the PI algorithm. All presented considerations are based on a MATLAB-SIMULINK platform. The nonlinear mathematical model of the analyzed SRM drive was obtained as a combination of the two dimensional (2D) finite element model (FEM) of the motor and the nonlinear model of the electrical network of the power supply circuit. The main model and its seven sub-modules, such as the controller module, one phase simulation module, rotor position angle transformation module, power system module, phase current operation module, “subsystem” module, and electromagnetic torque of one phase operation module, are described. MATLAB functions store the magnetization curves data of the motor obtained by the 2D FEM electromagnetic field calculations, as well as the data of magnetic co-energy curves of the motor calculated from the magnetization curves. The 2D specimen insert method is adopted in MATLAB functions for operating the flux linkage and the magnetic co-energy at the given phase current and rotor position. The phase current waveforms obtained during simulations match with the tested experimentally phases current waveforms at the same rotor speed and the same load basically. The simulated rotor speed curves also agree with the experimental rotor speed curves. This means that the method of suggested nonlinear simulation models of the analyzed SRM drive is correct, and the model is accurate.