Switched Reluctance Motor Design Using Ansys Maxwell

The switched reluctance motor (SRM) is a type of a stepper motor, an electric motor that runs by reluctance torque. Unlike common DC motor types, power is delivered to windings in the stator (case) rather than the rotor. This greatly simplifies mechanical design as power does not have to be delivered to a moving part, but it complicates the electrical design as some sort of switching system needs to be used to deliver power to the different windings. With modern electronic devices, precisely timed switching is not a problem, and the SRM is a popular design for modern stepper motors. Its main drawback is torque ripple. However, motor company Striatech developed controller technology that limits torque ripple with the same high torque at low speeds shown in switched reluctance.

An alternate use of the same mechanical design is as a generator when driven mechanically, and the load is switched to the coils in sequence to synchronize the current flow with the rotation. Such generators can be run at much higher speeds than conventional types as the armature can be made as one piece of magnetizable material, a simple slotted cylinder.[2]In this case use of the abbreviation SRM is extended to mean Switched Reluctance Machine, although SRG, Switched Reluctance Generator is also used. A topology that is both motor and generator is useful for starting the prime mover, as it saves a dedicated starter motor.

Content Source:Wikipedia

Step 1: Maxwell 3D Design

Open Ansoft Maxwell and click Insert Maxwell 3D Design

Step 2: Rotor Design

Click Tool->edit configurated Libraries->Material and select steel_1008

Click Draw->User-defined primitives->SysLib->RMxprt->SRMCoreTo Design Rotor,.

Enter the value shown in the image(These are Example Value,You can enter your own Calculated Values Also)

Rename SRMCORE1 to Rotor

Step 3: Stator Design

click Draw->User-defined primitives->SysLib->RMxprt->SRMCore.

Enter the value shown in the image(These are Example Value,You can enter your own Calculated Values Also)

Rename SRMCORE1 to Stator

Step 4: Separating Coils and Creating Terminal

To separate coils in stator,select Stator in Branch Tree,click modeler->Boolean->separateBodies

Rename Stator_Separate1 to CoilA1 and delete Stator_Separate2 to 8 and click CoilA1 and change its material to copper (Other Coils are deleted because we can create terminal in a single coil and duplicate it later)

To Create Terminal, Click CoilA1.Click Modeler->Surface->Section,Type as XY and click terminal and rename to TerminalA1

Click TerminalA1, click modeler->Boolean->separateBodies and delete the separated terminal.

Step 5: Excitation,Duplicating Coils & Terminals

Right Click TerminalA1,Assign Excitation->Current.Value as 3750 and type as Stranded.

Select CoilA1 and TerminalA1 in branch tree and click duplicate around axis. Axis as Z,Angle as 45,Total Number as 8

Rename the Coils and terminal and then Change the colour(As shown in the image)

Step 6: Creating Region and Calculating B(Tesla)

Click Draw->Regular Polyhedron.Enter X:0,Y:0,Z:-100 and dX:150,dY:0,dZ:200 and rename as region

Right Click on Result and click solution data

Select Rotor and Stator,right click->field->B->Mag_B and select lastadaptive and plot in surface only