Drive of a high torque, low speed switched reluctance machine

A novel switched reluctance machine, based on the fact that the rotor rolls on the inside of the stator, is described and evaluated. An efficient power converter for controlling the freewheeling energy in its rotor coils requiring only a low number of switches, is also presented. Tests on an experimental model are compared with theoretical calculation. Attention is drawn to the robustness and simplicity of the motor, so that it can be considered for low cost applications where large torque and low speed are required from a gearless construction.<>