Design, Characterization, and Validation of a 1-kW AC Self-Excited Switched Reluctance Generator

The switched reluctance machine (SRM) has certain advantages such as robustness and the absence of permanent magnets which have encouraged its use in recent years. One of its applications is as a self-excited generator. This behavior is produced when a capacitor is series or parallel connected to each single phase forming a nonlinear pseudoresonant circuit. This application can be used in isolated sites with a wind turbine for energy generation. This paper describes a novel method used for the specific design of a 1-kW self-excited SRM for wind power applications based on torque considerations. The machine volume, dimensions, finite-element analysis, model verification, simulations, and experimental results are all presented.