Sliding mode control of the energy recovery chopper in a C-dump switched reluctance motor drive

The authors propose a novel control strategy of the energy recovery chopper in a C-dump switched reluctance motor drive. The control is based on the sliding mode theory and allows continuous output current operation of the chopper to be attained with low semiconductor current peaks and capacitor voltage fluctuations. The dynamic equations of the chopper are at first formulated, from the capacitor voltage control point of view. It is shown that the chopper operates as a boost DC-to-DC power converter in a regenerative mode. The sliding mode control is then designed, and the effects of converter and control parameters on the chopper performance are pointed out. Experimental results are presented and discussed