Reduced-Switch Fault-Tolerant 8/6 Switched Reluctance Motor Drive Based on a Dual-Y Configuration

Abstract

Ensuring the reliability of electrical drives has become increasingly critical across a wide range of industrial sectors. Conventional SRM drive architectures are generally unable to maintain operation when power semiconductor faults occur. In this context, the development of robust converter and switching strategies represents a vital area of research. This work discusses a novel, reduced-switch converter tailored for Switched Reluctance Motor (SRM) drives. The minimal use of power semiconductors in this fault-tolerant topology results in a low-cost, small-form-factor, and high-power-density converter design. This study details the various operating modes of the converter, under both healthy and open-switch fault conditions. The effectiveness of the proposed architecture is validated through several simulation results. The SRM drive was tested under both healthy and faulty operating conditions.