SWITCHED RELUCTANCE DRIVE AS FAULT TOLERANT DRIVE

Abstract

Nowadays, the switched reluctance motor (SRM) is gaining increasing interest, mainly due to its simple and robust construction with low cost and higher reliability.These good features and others such as high efficiency, fault tolerance and variable speed capabilities make the motor one of the so called tomorrow motors.The main object of this paper is to explain why the switched reluctance motor (SRM) drives are perceived to have a degree of fault tolerance not found in other motor drives.The critical operating conditions and the principal electromagnetic faults which may occur within the drive are explained.The fault tolerant drive requirements and the needed design modifications are discussed briefly.Various electrical configurations of winding and controller circuits are discussed under fault conditions.Comparisons with other drives are explained in many situations to explain advantages of SRM drives in safety critical applications.