A high performance switched reluctance drive for aerospace applications

• Main Author: Borg Bartolo, James
• Published: University of Nottingham 2016
• Subjects: 629.1
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.716368

This thesis describes the work done in designing, building and testing a high speed, high power, switched reluctance drive as a possible candidate for a starter/generator application within a modem regional jet airframe. The machine was designed for a very wide constant power speed range and as such was required to develop 45kW at speeds ranging from 8000 up to 32000 rpm. To meet this wide constant power speed range, a novel rotor structure was proposed with details of the developed electromagnetic, thermal, rotor- dynamic and structural models used during the design of such a machine geometry given in the first four chapters of this work. The resulting machine design, evaluated using the multi-disciplinary approach mentioned, and capable of meeting both the high torque, low speed node at 54Nm, SOOOrpm and low torque high speed node at 13.5Nm, 32000rpm, had an outer diameter of 192mm, a bore diameter of 120mm and an air gap of 0.5mm with an active component volume of 4.59 litres. Tests carried out on the built prototype, detailed in Chapter 8, have shown that the machine is well capable of developing the required torque, measured at low speeds in access of 54Nm, and has been tested to a power of 44.7kW at 8000rpm with a global drive efficiency of 82%.