Electrical Drives Juha Pyrhnen, LUT, Department of Electrical Engineering

10.1
10. SYNCHRONOUS RELUCTANCE MACHINE .................................................................... 1
10.1 Operating Principle and Structure of a Synchronous Reluctance Machine ......................... 1
10.2 Model, Vector Diagram and Basic Characteristics of a Synchronous Reluctance Machine
4
10.3 Control of a Synchronous Reluctance Machine ................................................................. 12
10.3.1 Current Vector Control .............................................................................................. 12
10.3.2 Constant i
sd
Control .................................................................................................... 13
10.3.3 Constant Angle k Control .......................................................................................... 14
10.3.4 Combined Current-Voltage Vector Control ............................................................... 15
10.3.5 Direct Torque and Flux Linkage Control ................................................................... 16
10.4 Synchronous Reluctance Machine Operating as a Generator ............................................ 17
10. SYNCHRONOUS RELUCTANCE MACHINE

An induction machine is the most inexpensive industrial motor; however, developing the machine
any further is difficult. In the future, new motor types, such as permanent magnet synchronous
machines and synchronous reluctance machines (SyRM), may gain ground thanks to some of the
advantageous properties they have. An induction motor is less expensive than a permanent magnet
synchronous machine, but the efficiency of an induction motor is, due to rotor losses, inferior to the
efficiency of synchronous machines. Furthermore, the control of an induction machine is difficult at
low speeds, if aiming at position sensorless drives. On the other hand, it is often necessary to set
limits to the maximum torque of a permanent magnet machine, and temperature restrictions for the
rotor to prevent demagnetization of the permanent magnets.

Considering the operational principle, the simplest rotating-field machine is a synchronous
reluctance machine, which is typically equipped with a simple, salient-pole laminated rotor without
a winding. Thanks to its simple structure, the machine type is a favourable alternative for many
purposes; however, a synchronous reluctance machine can seldom operate without a vector control.

The synchronous reluctance machine has potential to overhaul the induction motor at least as a
controlled drive. For direct-on-line start-up, a cage winding is required in the synchronous
reluctance machine, which in turn, as the saliency ratio decreases, impairs the power factor and
efficiency of the machine when compared with a synchronous reluctance machine with a cageless
rotor. Furthermore, also the direct-on-line start-up may even be prevented, if the saliency ratio of
the machine is very large. This is due to the asymmetric damper winding, which has a synchronous
frequency at a half speed. Thus, an incorrectly designed machine may remain operating at a half
speed.

10.1 Operating Principle and Structure of a Synchronous Reluctance Machine

A synchronous reluctance machine is a salient-pole rotating-field synchronous machine, the rotor of
which does not have excitation. Consequently, the load angle equation can be simplified to the form

o
e
o
e
2 sin
2
1
3 2 sin
2
3
q s
d
q
2
sv
q d s
q d
2
sv
L
L
L
U
L L
L L
U P

= . (10.1)

Electrical Drives Juha Pyrhnen, LUT, Department of Electrical Engineering
10.2
We can see that the difference of the direct-axis and quadrature-axis synchronous inductance L
d

L
q
should be as large as possible, and L
d
L
q
as small as possible in order for the SyR machine to yield
a maximum power. In practice, the target is to maximize the direct-axis inductance and to minimize
the quadrature-axis synchronous inductance. In principle, the machine can yield its maximum
torque at the load angle o = 45. Saturation and other phenomena may cause apparent deviation
from this value.

A damper winding belongs conventionally to the rotor of a SyR machine, when we desire the
machine to start direct-on-line. In the stator, there is a poly-phase (e.g. three-phase) stator winding
of an ordinary rotating-field machine. A synchronous reluctance machine is in principle a salient
pole synchronous machine without field current. The simplest method to convert an induction
machine to a SyR machine is to cut away equal segments from the opposite sides of the rotor. In
practical applications however, the ferromagnetic rotor is shaped or laminated in such a way that
the phase inductance variation with respect to the rotation of the rotor is as large as possible. The
iron parts of the magnetic circuit of the SyR machine area not allowed to saturate magnetically
under normal operating conditions, since the target is to keep the operating range of the machine
linear.

Typical applications of SyR machines are servo drives, pumps and conveyors, devices producing
synthetic fibres, and packaging and wrapping machines. New fields of application are vehicle
drives, robots, as well as generators of wind power plants and mini hydro power plants (Boldea
1996).

The rotor of a synchronous reluctance machine should be constructed such that the ratio of the
direct-axis inductance L
d
and the quadrature-axis inductance L
q
of the machine (saliency ratio) is as
large as possible. Thus, the reluctance torque produced by the machine is also maximized. The ratio
of the direct-axis L
d
and the quadrature-axis inductance L
q
of the rotor chiefly determines the
characteristics of the SyR machine: what the peak torque of the machine is, how fast the machine
responds to dynamic changes, and what power factor and efficiency can be reached by the machine.
In order to be competitive with an induction motor of equal size, the saliency ratio of the SyR
machine has to be at least ten. Next we consider further different rotor alternatives for a SyR
machine, and the saliency ratios reached by these configurations.

The simplest structure for a rotor of a SyR machine is obtained by removing teeth from the rotor of
a conventional induction motor as shown in Figure 10.1. However, in the resulting rotor
construction, the ratio of direct-axis and quadrature-axis inductance remains so low (L
d
/L
q
< 3) that
the rotor is not a potential solution. The rotor of Figure 10.1d corresponds with the rotor of an
ordinary salient-pole synchronous machine, from which the excitation windings have been
removed. A salient-pole rotor can also be manufactured of notched segments made of solid iron.
The saliency ratio of the conventional salient pole rotor remains nevertheless so low that a SyR
machine with such a rotor cannot compete with an induction motor equipped with a similar stator.
A typical saliency ratio for the rotor has been determined to be 34 (Staton et al. 1993).

The so-called single-layer flux-barrier rotors illustrated in Figures 10.1b and 10.1e have been
designed so that if desired, it is possible to mount permanent magnets in the insulation spacer
intended to prevent the progression of the flux in q-axis direction; this way, the machine
characteristics can be improved, and the size of the inverter required for the power supply can be
reduced. As a matter of fact, the rotor structure of Figure 10.1e occurs in permanent magnet
machines, in which the magnets are located inside the rotor. The rotor of Figure 10.1b is a sort of a
mixture of a salient pole and a permanently excited rotor structure. The flux barrier is usually made
Electrical Drives Juha Pyrhnen, LUT, Department of Electrical Engineering
10.3
of a nonmagnetic material, such as aluminium, copper, slot insulation paper, or even plastics (Betz
et al. 1993). A SyR machine equipped with the rotor of Figure 10.1b can at best be started direct-
on-line, since the bars on the rotor surface comprise a cage winding. The quadrature-axis
magnetizing inductance of a radially laminated rotor, in which the path of the magnetic flux is
guided by flux barriers made of a nonmagnetic material and located below the bars of the cage
winding, reduces rapidly with the increasing stator current aligned with q-axis. Furthermore, the
leakage inductance of the rotor is low during the start-up. The cross-sections of the bars of the cage
winding are left small in order to produce a high rotor resistance in the start-up, during which the
start-up torque of the machine increases. The saliency ratio of this rotor type is of the scale 68
(Boldea 1996, Staton et al. 1993).

a)
q
d
b)
q
d
e)
q
d
d)
q
d
f)
d
q
q
d
c)

Figure 10.1 Four-pole rotors of a SyR machine. a) The simplest model, constructed of an ordinary rotor of an induction
motor by removing certain teeth, b) a laminated flux-barrier cage rotor, c) an axially laminated rotor with alternating
magnetic and nonmagnetic laminates. The shaded regions are pole holders made of nonmagnetic material; d) a salient-
pole rotor with also a cage winding as a damper winding, e) a cageless flux-barrier rotor, f) a flux-barrier rotor
produced by punching (Boldea 1996, Staton et al. 1993).

The largest saliency ratios have been achieved by the axially laminated rotor of Figure 10.1c. Such
results cannot be achieved by the multilayer flux-barrier rotor of Figure 10.1f due to the supports in
the round laminates, since they reduce the reluctance of the quadrature axis. L
d
/L
q
values for the c-
type rotors are normally above ten, and at their best even above 15 (Boldea 1996). In the f-type, we
must content ourselves with the value ten for the saliency ratio L
d
/L
q
.

In a multilayer flux-barrier rotor, several curved sections are cut away from the stator plate; when
assembling the rotor stack, these sections can be filled with a desired nonmagnetic material by
pressure casting. This way, the construction becomes mechanically stronger than it would be were
the sections left unfilled. When employing a light material as the nonmagnetic material, also the
inertia of the rotor can be kept low. The ratio of the thicknesses of the lamination layers, that is, the
conductor and insulator layers has a significant impact in the saliency ratio of the machine.

Figure 10.2 illustrates the dependence of the saliency ratio of a 6 kW SyR machine on the ratio of
the thicknesses of the iron and insulator layers of the rotor w
r
/w
e
. When the proportion of the iron
Electrical Drives Juha Pyrhnen, LUT, Department of Electrical Engineering
10.4
layer w
r
is increased in the lamination layer, the area of the cross-section of the magnetic circuit of
the d-axis flux increases, and thus also L
d
increases; however, as the insulator layer becomes
thinner, its preventive effect on the progression of the flux reduces, and the quadrature inductance
L
q
increases. The figure shows that an optimum ratio is approximately one. The total number of
insulator and conductor layers instead does not have a significant impact on the saliency ratio, if the
number of layers is above ten (Staton et al. 1993; Matsuo and Lipo 1994).









Figure 10.2 The saliency ratio L
d
/L
q
of a 6 kW
synchronous reluctance machine. w
e
is the thickness of
the insulation layer, w
r
is the thickness of the iron layer.
The number of layers (iron + insulator) is 24. The
values of saliency ratios L
d
/L
q
are normalized with
respect to the value corresponding to the thickness ratio
one.
0
0,2
0,4
0,6
0,8
1
1,2
0 0,4 0,8 1,2 1,6
L
d
/
L
q
w
r
/w
e
1,0

In addition to the structural factors of the rotor, the direct and quadrature inductances depend on the
currents i
d
and i
q
, the stator slotting, and the shape of the end windings. Considering the control of
the machine, the sufficiently accurate determination of the saliency ratio is a complex task. Often it
is necessary to resort to the estimation and determination of inductances by motor models.

10.2 Model, Vector Diagram and Basic Characteristics of a Synchronous Reluctance
Machine

A modern controllable electrical drive with its frequency converters allows the start-up of the
electrical motor also without damper windings. This property makes the SyR machine a serious
challenger for the induction motor, since the rotor of a SyR machine can be constructed without a
cage winding, and thus the efficiency and power factor of the machine will be improved as the rotor
losses are eliminated, and the rotor design will concentrate on maximizing the saliency ratio L
d
/ L
q

and optimizing the synchronous operation. Simultaneously also the response times of the machine
to the changes in torque decrease as the rotor becomes lighter. Therefore, we introduce next a
mathematical model only for a synchronous reluctance machine without a damper winding. The
model does not take into account the losses of the iron circuit.

A synchronous reluctance machine can be considered to correspond to a non-excited salient pole
machine, since in both machines, due to the rotor structure, the machine characteristics are different
in direct and quadrature directions. The two-axis model equivalent circuit for a synchronous
reluctance machine of Figure 10.3 is obtained from the corresponding model for a salient pole
machine by omitting the components representing the excitation winding of the rotor.

Electrical Drives Juha Pyrhnen, LUT, Department of Electrical Engineering
10.5
u
d
i
d
R
s
e
q

d
L
s
o
L
md
i
D
R
D
i
d
+i
D
L
D
o

md
u
q
i
q
R
s
e
d

q
L
s
o
L
mq
i
Q
R
Q
i
q
+i
Q
L
Q
o

mq


Figure 10.3 Equivalent circuit according to the two-axis model for a synchronous reluctance machine. The stator
voltage and current components are indicated by the subscripts d and q. Damper windings are indicated by subscripts D
and Q. The subscript o refers to the leakage component. The iron losses are neglected.

Voltage equations corresponding to the equivalent circuit by the notations of Fig. 10.3 are written
as

u R i
t
d s s
sd
sq
d
d
= +

e , (10.2)
u R i
t
q s s
sq
sd
d
d
= + +

e . (10.3)

The flux linkage components in the equations are determined as

( )
D md d s md d d sd
i L i L L i L + + = =
o
, (10.4)
( )
Q mq q s mq q q sq
i L i L L i L + + = =
o
. (10.5)

The stator flux linkage of a SyR machine is comprised of the stator leakage flux linkage and the air
gap flux linkage


s s m
= +
o
, (10.6)

where
s
is the stator flux linkage,
so
is the stator leakage flux linkage, and
m
is the air gap flux
linkage. The stator leakage flux linkage can be expressed by the stator leakage inductance as


s s s o o
= L i , (10.7)

where i
s
is the stator current.

Figure 10.4 illustrates the vector diagram of the SyR motor. The vectors can be decomposed into
direct-axis and quadrature-axis components.

Electrical Drives Juha Pyrhnen, LUT, Department of Electrical Engineering
10.6

md
L
s
o
i
s
=
s
o
i
s
u
s
i
q
x
y
d
q
u
r

i
d
o
m
o
s
k

mq

s


Figure 10.4 Vector diagram of a SyR machine at the nominal operating point. In the figure, i
s
is the stator current vector
and k is the angle of current vector measured on the d-axis,
s
is the stator flux linkage vector,
m
is the air gap flux
linkage vector,
so
is the stator leakage flux linkage vector, and u
s
is the stator voltage vector. The angles o
s
and o
m

between the flux linkage vectors and d-axis are known as the pole angle of the stator flux linkage and the pole angle of
the air gap flux linkage, respectively. The angle k is the angle between the stator current vector and the d-axis of the
rotor. The figure also shows the phase angle between the stator voltage u
s
and the stator current i
s
, which determines
the power factor cos; the rotor angle u
r
and the xy reference frame fixed to the stator. Note that the quadrature
inductance has to be really low to prevent the stator flux linkage and air gap flux linkage from turning significantly
away from the d-axis.

Since the magnitude of the cross product of the vectors is proportional to the area of the
parallelogram defined by these vectors, we may state that the torque produced by the machine is
proportional to the triangle delimited by the vectors
s
,
m
, and
so
of Figure 10.4. Consequently,
the function of the control can be considered to be the determination of the optimum triangle for the
required torque according to the control method in question. On the other hand, during a transient,
the function of the control is to implement the transition of the machine state from one triangle to
another as rapidly as possible.

The power angle producing the maximum torque for a SyR machine o
t,max
is determined as follows

) cos(
s sd
o = , (10.7)

) sin(
s sq
o = , (10.8)

) cos(
1
s
d
sd
o
L
i = , (10.9)

) sin(
1
s
q
sq
o
L
i = . (10.10)

The torque as a function of load angle, calculated with space vectors

Electrical Drives Juha Pyrhnen, LUT, Department of Electrical Engineering
10.7
( )
|
|
.
|

\
|
= = ) cos(
1
) sin( ) sin(
1
) cos(
2
3
2
3
s
sd
s s
sq
s s s e
o o o o
L L
p p T i

) cos( ) sin(
1 1
2
3
sd sq
2
s
o o
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
L L
p , (10.11)


) 2 sin(
2
1
2
3
d q
q d 2
s
o
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
L L
L L
p .

The output power in pu values p
out
becomes

) 2 sin(
2 2
3
q d
q d 2
s e out
o
e
e
|
|
.
|

\
|
= =
l l
l l
pu t p , (10.12)
when
b
s
s
U
u
e
= . (10.13)

The maximum torque is obtained by the load angle o = t/4. Figure 10.5 depicts the torque
production capacity of a SyR machine with the saliency ratio as a parameter. The quadrature
inductance is kept constant at l
q
= 0.2.

0
0.5
1
1.5
2
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
load angle
t
o
r
q
u
e
L
d
/L
q
= 5
L
d
/L
q
= 10
L
d
/L
q
= 50



Figure 10.5 Torque production capacity of a SyR machine at different saliency ratios; the quadrature inductance is
constant l
q
= 0.2 [12].

In practice, the saliency ratio L
d
/L
q
= 50 cannot be reached, since the value 0.2 of the quadrature-
axis synchronous inductance is almost impossible to reach, because the stator leakage alone
comprises a half of this value. If the saliency ratio is 10, a per unit value of l
d
= 2 is required of the
Electrical Drives Juha Pyrhnen, LUT, Department of Electrical Engineering
10.8
direct-axis inductance; this value can well be achieved. In large induction machines, the direct-axis
inductance is typically of the scale l
d
= 3.5; values above this are not easily achieved for the direct-
axis synchronous inductance by a SyR machine either. A machine, the saliency ratio of which
exceeds 10, can also provide the required breakdown torque. In the breakdown torque, however, the
synchronous reluctance machine cannot challenge an induction machine. Not even an
unrealistically high saliency ratio is capable of producing a 200 % breakdown torque. In
asynchronous machines, the breakdown torque is typically above 300 %.

Figure 10.6 illustrates also how the torque depends on the current angle k in the voltage supply

0
0.5
1
1.5
2
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Current angle with respect to rotor d-axis
T
o
r
q
u
e
.
L
d
/L
q
= 10
L
d
/L
q
= 50
L
d
/L
q
= 5


Figure 10.6 Effect of the saliency ratio on the torque production capacity of a SyR machine and on the current angle in
voltage supply. In the calculation, the rated current of the induction motor with a corresponding stator construction is
used. The values are calculated for a 30 kW, four-pole 50 Hz machine (Haataja 2003).

A large saliency ratio produces a large current angle, which is a prerequisite for a good power
factor.

When we neglect the effect of the stator resistance, we obtain for the power factor angle by
employing Fig. 10.4
k o + ~
2

. (10.14)

At a maximum load angle, the power factor angle is approximately

k o + ~
2

max t, max t,
= k +
2

= k
4
3
. (10.15)

The current angle remains always in the range

(

e
2

, 0 k . (10.16)

At maximum power, the power factor of the SyR machine is thus always

Electrical Drives Juha Pyrhnen, LUT, Department of Electrical Engineering
10.9
|
.
|

\
|
<
4

cos
max t,
o = 0.707. (10.17)

Without the losses of the stator winding and the iron circuit, the power factor of the SyR machine is

cos
e
=
2
3
T
pu i
e
s s
. (10.18)

e is the electric angular speed of the rotor, u
s
is the magnitude of the stator voltage vector, and i
s
is
the magnitude of the stator current vector. By applying the cross-field principle, the torque can be
expressed as

( )
T p L L i i
e d q d q
=
3
2
(10.19)

We may write for the magnitude of the flux linkage

( ) ( )

s sd
2
sq d d q q
= + = +
2
2
2
L i L i . (10.20)

By substituting (10.18) to (10.19) and (10.20) and by using the following connections

u
s s
= e , (10.21)
i i i
s d
2
q
2
= + , (10.22)

we obtain the following equation for the power factor


( )
( ) ( )
cos =

+ +
L L i i
L i L i i i
d q d q
d d q q d
2
q
2
2
2
. (10.23)

By deriving Eq. (10.23) with respect to
d
/i
q
and by writing the obtained expression zero, we obtain
the following condition for the maximum power factor


i
i
L
L
q
d
d
q
= . (10.24)

Hence, the power factor reaches its maximum at the current angle

q
d
arctan
L
L
= k . (10.25)

The maximum power factor is thus

Electrical Drives Juha Pyrhnen, LUT, Department of Electrical Engineering
10.10
1
1
cos
q
d
q
d
max
+

=
L
L
L
L
. (10.26)

If L
d
/L
q
= 10, the current angle becomes k = 72.5 and the maximum power factor will be cos
max
=
0.81. A large saliency ratio leads to a small current angle and thus to a good power factor, Figure
10.7.

0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1
15 30 45 60 75 90
current angle [electric degrees]
p
o
w
e
r

f
a
c
t
o
rL
d
/L
q
=50
L
d
/L
q
=10
L
d
/L
q
=5


Figure 10.7 The power factor of a SyR machine as a function of current angle at different saliency ratios. l
q
= 0.2
(Haataja 2003).

Figure 10.8 illustrates the power factor of a SyR machine as a function of load angle.

0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1
0 15 30 45 60 75 90
Load angle [electric degrees]
P
o
w
e
r

f
a
c
t
o
r
L
d
/L
q
= 50
L
d
/L
q
= 10
L
d
/L
q
= 5



Figure 10.8 The power factor of a SyR machine as a function of load angle at different saliency ratios. l
q
= 0.2 (Haataja
2003).
Electrical Drives Juha Pyrhnen, LUT, Department of Electrical Engineering
10.11

Figure 10.9 illustrates the power factor of a SyR machine as a function of shaft output power. The
figure indicates clearly how essential a large saliency ratio is for the good machine characteristics.

0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1
0 0.5 1 1.5 2
P
o
w
e
r

f
a
c
t
o
r
L
d
/L
q
=50
L
d
/L
q
=10
L
d
/L
q
=5
P
o
w
e
r

f
a
c
t
o
r


Figure 10.9 The power factor of a SyR machine as a function of shaft output power at a rated speed (Haataja 2003).

The efficiency of a synchronous reluctance machine can be investigated also at different values of
the saliency ratio. The efficiency can be written in the form

Loss Out
Out
P P
P
+
= q
mek Fe s
2
s e
e
+
+ +
=
P R I m T
T
e
e
. (10.22)

mek Fe s
2
s q d q d
2
'
s
q d q d
2
'
s
) 2 sin( ) (
) 2 sin( ) (
+
+ +

=
P R I m I I L L U m
I I L L U m
o
o
q . (10.23)

The term P
Fe+Mech
includes the no-load iron losses and the mechanical losses. Figure 10.10 depicts
the idealized efficiencies of a 30 kW, four-pole SyR machine at different saliency ratios and pole
angles. In reality, changing the saliency ratio requires also changes in the iron circuit and the air
gap, and thus the motor parameters do not remain unchanged. The result of the illustration is thus
fictitious.
80
82
84
86
88
90
92
94
96
0 20 40 60 80
Load angle
E
f
f
i
c
i
e
n
c
y
L
d
/L
q
=50
L
d
/L
q
=10
L
d
/L
q
=5


Figure 10.10 The calculated efficiency of a 30 kW machine as a function of load angle with the saliency ratio L
d
/L
q
as a
parameter (Haataja 2003).
Electrical Drives Juha Pyrhnen, LUT, Department of Electrical Engineering
10.12

10.3 Control of a Synchronous Reluctance Machine

Although the operation principle and the theory of the synchronous reluctance machine were
documented already in the early 20th century, the poor torquecurrent ratio, a high torque ripple, a
poor power factor and low efficiency prevented the SyR machine from becoming a serious
competitor among controlled-speed electrical drives. An inverter drive allows an optimal design of
a cageless rotor when considering an efficient synchronous operation. A cageless rotor enables a
high saliency ratio, which improves the efficiency of the machine and reduces the inertia of the
machine. A low inertia of the machine is favourable when considering the response time in
transients. As the stator is identical with the asynchronous machine, and since the control system is
comprised of similar components, yet the implementation of the system is somewhat simpler, the
costs of a SyR machine drive remain below the costs of a corresponding induction machine drive or
a permanent magnet synchronous machine drive.

Since the control theories for the synchronous reluctance machine have in practice been developed
already in the context of the control theories of other AC machines, only the most essential and
relevant control principles are presented here. The control principles are based on the two-axis
model of a SyR machine in the rotor reference frame. These control methods require the rotor angle
information, and therefore a position or speed feedback is necessary. Characteristic of sensorless
control methods is the use of different estimators, which requires large calculation capacity of the
control system.
10.3.1 Current Vector Control

In the current vector control, references i
dref
and i
qref
are constructed for the direct and quadrature
current components. Usually the references are formed directly from the torque reference T
eref
;
however, in certain methods and cases, such as in field weakening, the current references are
formed on the basis of the measured rotation speed or the torque reference given by the rotation
speed controller (Luukko 1998). The torque control block produces the current references according
to the selected control strategy. The strategies can be divided into two main categories: the constant
angle k control and the constant i
sd
control. The latter is better adapted to the operation below rated
speed (Vas 1998; Betz et al. 1992). The reference values for the phase currents are generated from
the current references of the two-axis model by two-phase-to-three-phase (23) transformations.
The current control is implemented with the measured stator phase currents and the phase current
references for instance by a hysteresis controller. Figure 10.11 illustrates the block diagram of the
operating principle of this kind of a control system.
Electrical Drives Juha Pyrhnen, LUT, Department of Electrical Engineering
10.13

Torque
control
T
eref
i
dref
i
qref
i
xref
i
yref
i
saref
i
sbref
i
scref
SYRM
i
sa
i
sb
i
sc
u
r
sA
sB
sC
e
2 3
Current
control
r
j
e
u


Figure 10.11 Block diagram of the current vector control system of a SyR machine.

10.3.2 Constant i
sd
Control

The torque equation for the SyR machine according to the cross-field principle is recapitulated here


( )
T p L L i i
e d q d q
=
3
2
. (10.24)

Magnitude of the flux linkage

( ) ( )

s sd
2
sq d d q q
= + = +
2
2
2
L i L i . (10.25)

By substituting i
q
solved from Eq.(10.25) to Eq. (10.24), the torque can be written in the form


( )
T
p
L
L L i L i
e
q
d q d s
2
d
2
d
2
=
3
2
, (10.26)

when we solve cT
e
/ci
d
= 0 from the above, we obtain

i
L
d
s
d
2
=

. (10.27)

The maximum torque at a certain magnitude of the flux linkage is

T p
L L
L L
emax
d q
d q
s
2
=

3
4
. (10.28)

Electrical Drives Juha Pyrhnen, LUT, Department of Electrical Engineering
10.14
At speeds below the rated speed, i
sd
is kept at a constant value, which is obtained with the torque
reference from the equation

constant
2
d
maxref
dref
= =
L
i

, (10.29)

where the maximum value for the reference flux linkage is obtained from the equation


maxref
eref d q
d q
=

4
3
T L L
p L L ( )
. (10.30)

In the field weakening, the i
dref
component is reduced along with the speed as follows

i
L
dref
maxref
d
n
=
e
e 2
. (10.31)

The reference value i
qref
for the quadrature-axis stator current component is obtained from

i
T
p L L i
qref
eref
d q dref
=

2
3 ( )
. (10.32)

Note that when i
sd
varies, also L
d
changes, and thus the torque is no longer directly proportional to
the quadrature-axis current component i
sq
. Now, more advanced methods have to be applied to;
methods such as the self-tuning and model reference adaptive controllers are used to produce the
current reference i
sqref
[6, pp. 196197].

10.3.3 Constant Angle k Control

There are three methods based on keeping the angle k constant between the stator current vector
and the d-axis of the rotor:

1) the fastest torque control (gives the fastest torque response),
2) the maximum torque/current control, and
3) the maximum power factor control.

It can be shown that all the above three control strategies depend on the tan k (Vas 1998).

Let us first consider how the fastest torque response can be achieved. The solution of the extreme
value problem (10.26) yields an equation for the quadrature current component

i
L
q
s
q
2
=

. (10.33)

By dividing the sides of Eq. (10.33) by Eq. (10.27) we obtain

Electrical Drives Juha Pyrhnen, LUT, Department of Electrical Engineering
10.15

i
i
L
L
L
L
q
d
s q
s d
d
q
= =

2
2
, (10.34)

which can be interpreted as tan k (cf. Figure 10.4). The highest rate of torque change is thus
obtained when the angle between the stator current vector and the d-axis is

k = arctan
L
L
d
q
. (10.35)

The direct-axis current reference i
sdref
is obtained by substituting the magnitude of the flux linkage
solved from Eq. (10.27) to Eq. (10.28) and by substituting the real torque T
emax
by its reference


( )
i
T
p L L
dref
eref
d q
3
=

2
tank
. (10.36)

The reference for quadrature-axis current is obtained from Eqs. (10.34) and (10.35)

i
i T
qref
dref eref
tan
=
sgn( )
k
. (10.37)

In the maximum torque/current control strategy, on grounds of the equation, it is obvious that the
maximum value for the ratio is obtained when the angle k between the current and the d-axis of the
rotor is t/4.

Previously we showed that the maximum power angle is achieved when the angle of the stator
current with respect to the d-axis is

k = arctan
L
L
d
q
. (10.38)

The current references in the dq reference frame are obtained similarly as in the maximum
torque/current control.

10.3.4 Combined Current-Voltage Vector Control

The combined current-voltage vector control is adapted for instance for high rotation speeds; when
using this control scheme, drawbacks resulting from the delays in the AC current references and
saturation can be avoided (Vas 1998). The monitored rotor speed information is fed to the function
generator, the output of which is the direct-axis stator flux reference
sdref
. During field weakening,
the reference signal is a function of the rotor speed. The actual values of the stator flux linkage
components or their estimates are obtained with the measured phase currents and the direct and
quadrature-axis inductances in the stator flux linkage estimation circuit. The flux controller (a PI
controller) produces a direct-axis stator current reference i
dref
from the difference of the stator flux
linkage component reference value and the actual value. The difference of the direct-axis stator
current reference and the measured stator current component, fed to the current controller (PI
Electrical Drives Juha Pyrhnen, LUT, Department of Electrical Engineering
10.16
controller), yields the d-axis voltage component reference. Finally, the rotational voltage induced
by the quadrature-axis stator flux linkage has to be subtracted from the voltage reference obtained
with the current controller, as shown by the equivalent circuit of Figure 10.3.

The torque reference T
eref
is implemented by a speed controller, usually also a PI controller. The
quadrature-axis current reference is obtained by

i
T i
sqref
eref sq sd
sd
=
+

, (10.39)

where T
eref
= 2T
e
/(3p).

The reference obtained from the difference of i
sqref
and i
sq
(the error i
sq
) is fed into the current
controller (PI controller) similarly as in the case of the direct-axis component to obtain the
quadrature-axis voltage component reference. The rotational voltage e
sd
is added to the output
signal, and thus the final u
sqref
is obtained. By coordinate transformations and two-phase-to-three-
phase transformations, phase voltage references are generated from the dq voltage references; the
control of the PWM inverter is based on these obtained references. Figure 10.12 shows the block
diagram of the control.

u
sdref
u
sqref
u
sxref
u
syref
u
sAref
u
sBref
u
sCref
u
r
e
sd
e
sq
-
+
+
+
i
sd
-
+
i
sq
+
Flux
linkage
control
isdref
i
sqref
.
.
sd
-
+

sdref

sd
+
+
T
e ref
sq
i
sd
Function
gen.
-
+
e
e
ref
e
i
sd
i
sq
i
sx
sy
i
sA
i
sB
i
sC
u
r
L
d
L
q

sd

sq
e
1
s
Current
contr.
Current
contr.
Soeed
control

-
2 3
i
r
j
e
u
r
j
e
u +
2 3
inverter SYRM


Figure 10.12 Block diagram of the combined current-voltage vector control. The notation 1/s indicates integration with
respect to time (Vas 1998)

10.3.5 Direct Torque and Flux Linkage Control

The control scheme based on the direct torque and flux linkage control is in principle very well
adapted for the synchronous reluctance machine as well as for other rotating-field machines. A
control method applicable to a synchronous reluctance machine is obtained for the whole speed
Electrical Drives Juha Pyrhnen, LUT, Department of Electrical Engineering
10.17
range by employing a correction based on the current model similarly as in the case of a separately
excited synchronous machine. When aiming at a position feedback system, in the case of the
synchronous reluctance machine, the initial angle can be easily determined on grounds of the large
difference between the direct-axis and quadrature-axis reluctance. In this case, the DTC should be
supplemented with references inherent to this machine type for instance with respect to the power
factor. Any of the previously discussed control schemes can be applied also to the case of a DTC
inverter. Also a position-sensorless drive applying drift correction is adapted for the purpose.

Also in this case, a very low quadrature-axis inductance may prove problematic for the DTC; the
low inductance may result in an excessively high value of the quadrature-axis current ripple, or it
may cause problems in measuring.

10.4 Synchronous Reluctance Machine Operating as a Generator

A synchronous reluctance machine can be operated as a generator similarly as other electrical
machines. It has been shown that reluctance generators are well adapted to low and medium-power
applications, in which a low-loss rotor is a remarkable advantage when compared for instance with
an asynchronous generator. Furthermore, the brushless and simple construction makes the
synchronous reluctance machine a potential alternative for instance as a generator in small-scale
hydropower plants or wind power plants. With a PWM inverter, the voltage of the generator can
also be rectified, in which case the synchronous reluctance machine operates as a DC voltage
generator.

Similarly as in the motoring operation, the most important parameter in the SyR machine operating
as a generator is the saliency ratio L
d
/L
q
, since the efficiency and the power factor of the generator
are directly proportional to this ratio.

However, at the present, large-scale research and development work is yet at the very beginning.
Since the characteristics of a SyR machine can be improved only when the saliency ratio of the
machine reaches a sufficiently high value, it can be easily shown that also in this case, constructing
a machine with a very large number of poles is difficult, similarly as in the case of an induction
machine. This is due to the fact that in machines with a very large number of poles, the stator flux
leakage tends to increase to such a level that the characteristics of both an induction machine and a
SyR machine are impaired. When constructing multi-pole machines, separately excited
synchronous machines and permanent magnet synchronous machines are superior alternatives. A
synchronous reluctance machine is best adapted for the pole pair number of p = 1 ... 3.


References

Betz, R.E. 1992. Theoretical aspects of control of synchronous reluctance machines. IEE
Proceedings-B, Vol. 139, No. 4, pp. 355364. (4)

Betz, R.E., Lagerquist, R., Jovanovic, M., Miller, T. J. E., and Middleton, R. H. 1993. Control of
synchronous reluctance machines. IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, Vol. 29, No. 6, pp.
11101122. (5)

Boldea, I. 1996. Reluctance synchronous machines and drives. Oxford: Clarendon Press (1)

Electrical Drives Juha Pyrhnen, LUT, Department of Electrical Engineering
10.18
Boldea, I., Fu, Z. X., and Nasar, S. A. 1993. High-performance reluctance generator. IEE
Proceedings-B, Vol. 140, No. 2, pp. 124130. (10)

Haataja, J. 2003. A comparative performance study of four-pole induction motors and synchronous
reluctance motors in variable speed drives. Acta Universitatis Lappeenrantaensis. Dissertation,
Lappeenranta University of Technology. (12)

Luukko, J. 1998. Kestomagneettitahtikoneiden vektoristperiaatteet. (Vector control principles of
permanent magnet synchronous machines, in Finnish.) Lappeenranta University of Technology
(unpublished). (7)

Matsuo, T. and Lipo, T. A. 1994. Rotor design optimization of synchronous reluctance machine.
IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion, Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 359365. (3)

Reliance S-2000 Synchronous Reluctance B-2565 AC Motors. 2006. (Online). (Accessed 8 August
2006). Available at http://www.reliance.com/prodserv/motgen/b2565.html. (9)

Pllnen, R. 1998. Shkvoimatekniikan kyttsovelluksia. (Practical applications in Electrical
Power Engineering, in Finnish). Seminar paper, Lappeenranta University of Technology. (11)

Salo, J., Pyrhnen, J. (ed.). 1997. Avonapareluktanssikoneet. (Salient pole reluctance machines, in
Finnish.) Lecture Notes EN C-99. Lappeenranta University of Technology. (8)

Staton, D. A., Miller, T. J. E., Wood, S. E. 1993. Maximising the saliency ratio of the synchronous
reluctance motor. IEE Proceedings-B, Vol. 140, No. 4, pp. 249259. (2)

Vas, P. 1998. Sensorless vector and direct torque control. Oxford: Oxford University Press 1998. 7
(6)