Slamet J.

Electrical Systems 14-4 (2018): 205-216

Riyadi1,* JES
Regular paper Journal of
Electrical
A Control Strategy for SRM Drive to Systems
Produce Higher Torque and Reduce
Switching Losses

Switched reluctance motors (SRMs) have been alternative solution for electric drives due to
their simple construction, low cost in manufacturing and less maintenance although they have
high ripple torque and require complicated control strategies. To generate higher torque of SRM
for electric drive, the negative torque must be minimized by turning off the phase current as
soon as possible after the aligned position between stator and rotor is achieved. A static
converter is needed to give sequential excitation due to rotor position information. Some of
converter topologies implement fewer switches to reduce losses produced by the switches. An
asymmetric converter has some advantages because its phase leg can be independently
controlled. The use a pair of switches in one leg will produce greater losses. A current control
strategy is more appropriate for SRM drive due to the relationship between the torque and the
phase currents of the motor. In this paper, a control strategy for asymmetric converter to drive
an SRM is proposed. This control strategy is capable to operate the converter with lower
switching losses and minimize the negative torque generated by the SRM. Simulation works were
conducted to verify the analysis and finally the laboratory experiments were done to validate.
They show the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy to drive the SRM.

Keywords: switched reluctance motor, torque ripple, phase current, asymmetric converter, current
control.
Article history: Received 4 September 2018, Accepted 16 November 2018

1. Introduction
Switches Reluctance Motors (SRMs) offer some advantages such as simple construction,
low cost in manufacturing and less maintenance but they have larger torque ripple for their
doubly salient structure. Direction of torque developed by an SRM is determined by the
slope of the phase inductance when the excitation is given. To minimize the negative
torque, the phase current must be turned off as soon as possible when the aligned position
between the stator and rotor poles is achieved. Sequential excitation is required to drive an
SRM with respect to the rotor position. A static converter is needed to control the power
flow from a DC source to an SRM. Application of electric drives in electric vehicle requires
high torque, low torque ripple and good efficiency therefore some methods are taken to
acquire such requirement. Structure design of stator and rotor can be used to obtain such
requirement [1]-[3]. Some different types of converters are used to obtained better
performance of SRM drives by minimizing the torque ripple [4], higher torque production
by using modified converter topology [5], reduced the number of switches by modifying a
standard converter [6]. The use control algorithm to develop the motor torque smoothly is
also capable to increase the efficiency [7], [8].
The current control strategy is commonly used in the electric drive for direct correlation
between current and torque. To minimize the negative torque of an SRM, turning off the
phase winding which is in aligned position with respect to the rotor pole is done by using
*
Corresponding author: Slamet Riyadi, Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering,
Soegijapranata Catholic University, Indonesia, E-mail: riyadi@unika.ac.id ; s_riyadi672003@yahoo.com
1
Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Soegijapranata Catholic University, Indonesia

Copyright © JES 2018 on-line : journal/esrgroups.org/jes

 S. Riyadi : A Control Strategy for SRM Drive to Produce Higher Torque ...

negative voltage. This can be achieved by using dumping capacitor voltage as used in C-
dump converter topologies or by reversing the DC source voltage as used in asymmetric
converter. C-dump converter topologies implement fewer switches so they can reduce
losses [9]-[11]. On the other side, an asymmetric converter utilizes a pair of switches in one
leg so that greater losses will be produced. Such configuration of switches in the converter
will give ability to control phase current independently.
In this paper, a control strategy for an SRM drive using an asymmetric converter is
proposed. The strategy adopts the current control concept, modification is made by using
two voltage patterns during tracking process to reduce the switching losses of the converter
and increase the motor torque. During the positive slope of the phase inductance,
combination of magnetizing-freewheeling modes with unipolar switching voltage is applied
to the stator winding, meanwhile when the aligned position is achieved, negative voltage is
used to turn off the phase current in demagnetizing mode.

2. Switched Reluctance Motor

An SRM has simple construction and salient poles on both rotor and stator. It consists of
simple concentrated windings on its stator and there are no windings or permanent magnets
on its rotor. The equivalent circuit of SRM is shown in Figure 1.

i ph
+
vR
−
V dc d λ (θ , i )
e=
dt

Figure 1. Equivalent circuit of Switched Reluctance Motor

By neglecting effects caused by saturation, fringing flux, leakage flux and mutual
inductance, voltage equation can be derived as the following

( )
v = R.i ph + e θ , i ph = .i ph +
(
dλ θ , i ph ) (1)
dt
where R, iph, e, θ and λ are the phase resistance, phase current, back EMF, rotor position
and linkage flux. Based on Eq. (1), the torque (T) developed by the SRM is expressed as
1 dL (θ )
T = i 2ph (2)
2 dθ
Equation (2) shows that the developed torque is determined by the instantaneous value of
the phase current and the slope of the phase winding inductance. If it is assumed that the
profile of the phase winding inductance is nearly linear, the square of the phase current will
determine the motor torque. A converter used in the SRM drive must be capable to excite
the phase winding when the slope of the phase inductance is positive and stop the phase
current as soon as possible when the slope of the phase inductance starts to be negative.
Synchronization between the phase current excitation and the rotor position is required to
have higher average value of the developed torque.

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 J. Electrical Systems 14-4 (2018): 205-216

To develop the torque with lower ripple, a current chopping concept can be implemented
(Figure 2), this strategy is capable to make the phase winding currents track the reference
values. When the difference between Imax and Imin is too low, the switching frequency will
increase then the greater switching losses will be produced but the motor has better ripple
of the developed torque. To have the higher average value of the developed torque, the
negative torque must be minimized, this can be attained by commutating the phase current
near the aligned position between the stator and the rotor. It means that the phase current
must decay fast to zero after aligned position is passed.
i ph

I max
I min
i ph
L (θ )
iref

θ
Figure 2. Chopping the phase current to track the reference value

3. Asymmetric Converter for SRM

A static converter is required to give sequential excitations to the phase stator of an
SRM. An asymmetric converter topology is chosen in this paper due to its advantages such
as capability of the phase leg to be independently controlled. Figure 3 shows an asymmetric
converter for a three-phase SRM, it consists of two static switches and two diodes in one
phase. These static switches are series connected with the phase stator winding (LA, LB,
LC). The converter can be operated in three modes of operation, these are magnetizing
mode, demagnetizing mode and freewheeling mode. When two switches in one phase are
turned on simultaneously, the DC source is connected to the stator winding and the motor
absorbs the energy from the source. This converter is operated in the magnetizing mode
(Figure 4) and the phase current will increase. It is commonly done when the slope of the
phase inductance is positive. To reduce the phase current, two modes of operation are
available for the asymmetric converter. The energy stored in the motor winding can be sent
back into the DC source by turning off all the switches. The two diodes are used as the
pathway for the phase current to send back the stored energy into the source, it means that
the converter is operated in demagnetizing mode (Figure 5). The other method to dispose
the stored energy in the motor winding is freewheeling mode, it uses one switch and one
diode as a pathway for the phase current to make a closed circuit (Figure 6).

Vdc

Figure 3. An asymmetric converter for three-phase SRM

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 S. Riyadi : A Control Strategy for SRM Drive to Produce Higher Torque ...

Vdc

Figure 4. Current flow in the asymmetric converter under magnetizing mode of phase-A

Vdc

Figure 5. Current flow in the asymmetric converter under demagnetizing mode of phase-A

Vdc

Figure 6. Current flow in the asymmetric converter under freewheeling mode of phase-A

The equivalent circuits of the asymmetric converter under the three modes are depicted
in Figure 7. The voltage equation can be derived from the magnetizing mode, it is stated as
d
Vdc = R.i ph + L i ph + e (3)
dt
By neglecting the phase resistance, then the slope of the phase current can be obtained as
d V −e
i ph = dc (4)
dt L
This means that the phase current will increase. To make the phase current decay, one of
the two modes of operation may be implemented. In the demagnetizing mode, the motor
winding is connected to the DC source with opposite polarity, so we have the voltage
equation as the following

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 J. Electrical Systems 14-4 (2018): 205-216

d
− Vdc = R.i ph + L i ph + e (5)
dt
then the slope of the phase current can be derived as
d (V + e )
i ph = − dc (6)
dt L
The slope in Eq. (6) is negative, it shows that the phase current drops fast. On the other
side, the freewheeling method implements a closed circuit to dispose the stored energy
through one switch and one diode, then we have
d
0 = R.i ph + L i ph + e (7)
dt
d e
i ph = − (8)
dt L
The phase current will go down slowly with the slope determined by Eq. (8).

iph iph iph

+ +
+
vR vR vR
− −
Vdc + Vdc − +
+
vL vL vL
− + − + − +
e e e
− − −

Figure 7. Equivalent circuits of the asymmetric converter (a) magnetizing mode (b) demagnetizing
mode (c) freewheeling mode

4. The Proposed Control Strategy

In many applications of electric drives, torque developed by the motor must be
controlled in the specific level. The common strategy used in SRM drives is the current
control method because the developed torque is determined by the magnitude of
instantaneous phase current. The important things that must be considered in designing the
control strategy for an SRM drive are the phase current ripple and how fast the phase
current can be turned off. In the current control strategy, the phase current (iph) is forced to
track the reference value (iref). The phase current will fluctuate between Imin to Imax and vice
versa. When the phase current is smaller than the reference then magnetizing mode is
applied, then the fluctuating current (∆iph) can be expressed
V −e
∆i ph = I max − I min = dc ton (9)
L
Meanwhile, if the phase current is greater than the reference, the demagnetizing mode or
freewheeling mode will be applied. So the fluctuating current under the demagnetizing
mode is expressed as
(V + e ) t
∆i ph = I max − I min = dc (10)
off
L
or under freewheeling mode :
e
∆i ph = I max − I min = toff (11)
L

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 S. Riyadi : A Control Strategy for SRM Drive to Produce Higher Torque ...

Combining the magnetizing-demagnetizing mode will make Eq. (9) equal to Eq. (10),
while the use of the magnetizing-freewheeling mode will make Eq. (9) and (11) have the
same value. Under fixed switching frequency (Figure 8), the value of ∆iph which is
generated by Eq.(6) is greater than that is produced by Eq. (8), it means that the ripple of
the phase current under demagnetizing mode is also greater than the ripple under
freewheeling mode. In the current control strategy, hysteresis control is often used, this
strategy will result in the nearly constant value of ∆iph. For higher slope of the phase
current, the higher switching frequency is also produced which finally increases the
switching losses (Figure 9).

i ph
∆ i ph iref

i ph
∆ i ph iref
Tsw

Figure 8. Phase current waveforms under fixed switching frequency (a) magnetizing-
demagnetizing modes (b) magnetizing-freewheeling modes

i ph

∆ i ph iref

Tsw
i ph

∆ i ph iref

Tsw

Figure 9. Phase current waveforms under the same fluctuation (a) magnetizing-demagnetizing
modes (b) magnetizing-freewheeling modes

In this paper the aim of the proposed control strategy is to reduce the switching losses,
increase the converter efficiency and improve the average torque developed by the SRM.
Based on the information of the rotor position, the sequence of excitation for each phase
can be determined. The magnetizing mode is implemented at the starting point of the
excitation so that the motor absorbs energy from the DC source. At the end of the phase
excitation, the demagnetizing mode is used to force the phase current decay fast, this is
functioned to reduce the negative torque. During the positive slope of the phase inductance,
the phase current is controlled to track the reference value. The use of magnetizing and
freewheeling modes is implemented to reduce the switching frequency which is capable to
generate lower switching losses of the converter.

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 J. Electrical Systems 14-4 (2018): 205-216

i ph

L (θ )

iref

Figure 10. Tracking process of the phase current of the proposed strategy

The scheme of the proposed control strategy is shown in Figure 11 and Figure 12. The
controller requires phase currents, rotor information and rotor speed as the input signals.
The lower switches of the converter are operated based on the rotor position meanwhile the
upper switches are controlled due to how the stator currents track the reference currents.

Vdc
i ph

ω ref

Figure 11. The main scheme of the proposed control strategy

iph

iref

ω
ω ref

Figure 12. Controller of the proposed strategy

5. Results and Discussion

Based on the control schemes depicted in Figure 11 and Figure 12, simulation works
were done by using 6/4 SRM with parameters depicted in Table.1. The first simulation
works were conducted by using magnetizing and demagnetizing modes (Figure 13 – Figure

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15) to observe the speed, phase currents, developed torque and the phase voltage. From the
waveforms presented, they shows that the phase voltage fluctuates between the positive and
negative value of the DC source voltage so the phase currents are formed based on higher
switching frequency.

Table.1 Parameter for simulation works

Parameters Value
Stator Resistance 0.2 Ohm
Minimum Stator Inductance 1 mH
Maximum Stator Inductance 10 mH
DC Source 200 Volt
Reference Speed 2000 RPM
Load Torque 5 Nm

Figure 13. Simulation results of the motor speed under the magnetizing-demagnetizing modes

Figure 14. Simulation results under the magnetizing-demagnetizing modes (a) phase currents (b)
developed torque

Figure 15. Simulation results under the magnetizing-demagnetizing modes (a) phase-A current (b)
phase-A voltage

The second simulation works implemented the proposed control strategy (Figure 16 –
Figure 18), it used magnetizing mode to increase the phase currents, freewheeling mode to

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degrade them in tracking process and demagnetizing mode to turn off them at the end of the
phase excitation. Simulation shows that the phase-A voltage has unipolar voltage patterns
during tracking process and negative voltage during turning off. They cause the switches of
the converter operate in lower switching frequency.

Figure 16. Simulation results of the motor speed under the proposed control method

Figure 17. Simulation results under the proposed control method (a) phase currents (b) developed
torque

Figure 18. Simulation results under the proposed control method (a) phase-A current (b) phase-A
voltage

Comparison of the phase currents between the converter under magnetizing-

demagnetizing modes and the proposed control strategy for the same current ripple is
depicted in Figure 19. The proposed strategy produces the phase current with smaller slope
so that it results in lower switching frequency and lower switching losses. This can be
achieved by implementing hysteresis controller as the inner loop controller. Comparison of
the torque developed is shown in Figure 20, the torques developed under both condition
have the same value as the load torque but the proposed control strategy develops the
torque with lower frequency ripple.
The prototype for the laboratory experiments is depicted in Figure 21, the core of control
strategy implements a Digital Signal Controller dsPIC30F4012. MOSFET IRFP 460 is used
as static switches of the asymmetric converter. The experimental results of the phase
current and voltage are presented in Figure 22 - Figure 25. Commonly, low torque ripple is
required for SRM in application. Hysteresis based current control overcomes this problem

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by degrading its hysteresis band that has an impact on the higher switching frequency. The
proposed control strategy is very appropriate to achieve such requirement.

Figure 19. Simulation results of the phase currents comparison under the same current ripple (a)
under the magnetizing-demagnetizing modes (b) under the proposed control method

Figure 20. Simulation results of the developed torque comparison under the same current ripple (a)
under the magnetizing-demagnetizing modes (b) under the proposed control method

Table.2 Parameter for Experimental works

Parameters Value
Stator Resistance 0.3 Ohm
Minimum Stator Inductance 1 mH
Maximum Stator Inductance 5 mH
DC Source 24 Volt
Voltage transducer for measurement 2:1
Current transducer for measurement 2A/1V

Figure 21. The prototype for experimental works

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Figure 22. Experimental results of the phase currents under magnetizing-demagnetizing modes

Figure 23. Experimental results under magnetizing-demagnetizing modes (a) phase current (b)
phase voltage

Figure 24. Experimental results of the phase currents under the proposed control strategy

Figure 25. Experimental results under the proposed control strategy (a) phase current (b) phase
voltage

6. Conclusion
To drive an SRM, a static converter is required to give sequential excitation. Higher
torque of the motor can be obtained if the phase current is turned off fast after aligned
position between the stator and rotor poles is passed. An asymmetric converter is capable to
do such requirement but the use of a pair of switches in one leg results in greater switching

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losses. The proposed control strategy has capability to operate the asymmetric converter for
SRM with lower switching frequency then it is able to give higher efficiency. The unipolar
voltage patterns are applied to the stator winding during the positive slope of the phase
inductance and negative voltage is applied at the end of the phase excitation. The
simulation and experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.

Acknowledgment

Author gratefully acknowledges the support of The Ministry of Research, Technology

and Higher Education, Republic of Indonesia under the scheme of PUPT 2018.

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