Control of switched reluctance generators in continuous conduction mode

The continuous conduction mode operation of switched reluctance (SR) machines yields high utilization of the electromagnetic core. As a result, the power density of an SR machine design can be increased with consideration on this mode of operation. However, the control strategies for the operation of SR machines in continuous conduction mode power generation have not received adequate attention in the past. In this paper, the control design and analysis of an SR generator in continuous conduction mode operation is considered. This paper proposes the use of a peak-current control strategy to control the phase current in continuous conduction mode as well as in discontinuous conduction mode. The dynamics associated with the SR machine and the average dynamics in continuous conduction are explained. A current-peak controller in the form of a PI regulator is developed. Finite element modelling is performed on a 46kW candidate SR generator design of a more-electric aircraft engine. The controller is implemented in a co-simulation environment with the finite element model of the SR generator. The controllability of the phase peak-currents with the proposed strategy is verified.