Switched reluctance motor drives for rail traction: a second view

The authors first describe the basis of the original feasibility study drawn on by French in his paper (published in the same issue). They then discuss a sound basis for comparison between an SR drive and an inverter-fed induction motor drive in a particular traction application, commenting on a number of underlying inadequacies in the comparison which French makes in his paper. Finally, they outline a recast design for the SR drive based on published circuits and the feasibility study data which, taken with a more closely comparable performance characteristic, demonstrates considerable cost savings for the SR system.