UNIT I

SYNCHRONOUS RELUCTANCE
MOTORS

Contents

Constructional features
Types Axial and radial air gap motors
Operating principle
Reluctance
Phasor diagram
Characteristics
Vernier motor.

Reluctance motor
A reluctance motor is a type of electric motor that induces non-permanent
magnetic poles on the ferromagnetic rotor. Torque is generated through
the phenomenon of magnetic reluctance.
There are various types of reluctance motor:
1. Synchronous reluctance motor
2. Variable reluctance motor
3. Switched reluctance motor
4. Variable reluctance stepping motor.
Reluctance motors can deliver very high power density at low cost, making
them ideal for many applications.
Disadvantages are high torque ripple (the difference between maximum
and minimum torque during one revolution) when operated at low speed,
and noise caused by torque ripple.

Reluctance motor
The stator consists of multiple projecting (salient) electromagnet poles, similar to
a wound field brushed DC motor. The rotor consists of soft magnetic material,
such as laminated silicon steel, which has multiple projections acting as salient
magnetic poles through magnetic reluctance.
For switched reluctance motors, the number of rotor poles is typically less than
the number of stator poles, which minimizes torque ripple and prevents the poles
from all aligning simultaneouslya position which cannot generate torque.
When a rotor pole is equidistant from the two adjacent stator poles, the rotor
pole is said to be in the "fully unaligned position". This is the position of
maximum magnetic reluctance for the rotor pole.
In the "aligned position", two (or more) rotor poles are fully aligned with two (or
more) stator poles, (which means the rotor poles completely face the stator
poles) and is a position of minimum reluctance.

Reluctance motor
When a stator pole is energized, the rotor torque is in the direction that
will reduce reluctance. Thus the nearest rotor pole is pulled from the
unaligned position into alignment with the stator field (a position of less
reluctance). (This is the same effect used by a solenoid, or when picking
up ferromagnetic metal with a magnet.)
In order to sustain rotation, the stator field must rotate in advance of the
rotor poles, thus constantly "pulling" the rotor along. Some motor variants
will run on 3-phase AC power.
Most modern designs are of the switched reluctance type, because
electronic commutation gives significant control advantages for motor
starting, speed control, and smooth operation (low torque ripple).
Dual-rotor layouts provide more torque at lower price per volume or per
mass.
The inductance of each phase winding in the motor will vary with position,
because the reluctance also varies with position.

Synchronous Reluctance motor

Synchronous reluctance
Synchronous reluctance motor is similar to three phase Synchronous
motor except the rotor are demagnetized and made with saliency to
increase the reluctance power. It is a motor which develops torque due to
the difference in reluctance of the two axes, namely quadrature and direct
axis.
Synchronous reluctance motors have an equal number of stator and rotor
poles. The projections on the rotor are arranged to introduce internal flux
barriers, holes which direct the magnetic flux along the so-called direct
axis. Typical pole numbers are 4 and 6.
As the rotor is operating at synchronous speed and there are no currentconducting parts in the rotor, rotor losses are minimal compared to those
of an induction motor.
Once started at synchronous speed, the motor can operate with sinusoidal
voltage. Speed control requires a variable-frequency drive.

Switched reluctance or variable reluctance motor

The switched reluctance motor (SRM) is a form of stepper motor that
uses fewer poles. The SRM has the lowest construction cost of any
industrial electric motor because of its simple structure. Common
uses for an SRM include applications where the rotor must be held
stationary for long periods, and in potentially explosive
environments such as mining because it does not have a mechanical
commutator.
The phase windings in a SRM are electrically isolated from each other,
resulting in higher fault tolerance than inverter-driven AC induction
motors. The optimal drive waveform is not a pure sinusoid, due to the
non-linear torque relative to rotor displacement, and the highly
position-dependent inductance of the stator phase windings.

Constructional features of synchronous reluctance

motor
Constructional features
They have several useful properties, including:
(1) combined reluctance and magnet alignment torque;
(2) field-weakening capability;
(3) under-excited operation for most load conditions;
(4) high inductance;
(5) high speed capability; and
(6) high temperature capability.

Operating principle
When a piece of magnetic material is loaded in a magnetic field a
force acts on the material tending them to bring it in to the most
dense portion.
Force tends to align the specimen of material in such a way that the
reluctance of the magnetic path lies through the material will be
minimum
Broadly classified into two parts 1. Stator 2. Rotor

Stator Construction
Similar to induction motor.
Outer frame to cover whole machine.
Next to frame stator core is available.
Stator core made up of silicon material to reduce hysteresis and
eddy current loss
Core have slots.
Slots used for housing the stator winding.

Rotor Construction
No permanent magnets.
No separate field winding for excitation on rotor.
Have salient pole rotor core.
Made up of solid steel material or laminated sheets.
Low cost, high efficiency and capable of operating at very high
speeds.

classification of Synchronous reluctance motor

Synchronous reluctance motor is classified into three types depending
upon the construction of rotor.
Salient type or Radial type rotor
Flat type or axial type rotor
Flux Barrier type or Laminated type rotor.

Working Principle
Works on the basic principle of minimum reluctance position.
In reluctance machines, torque is produced by the tendency of the rotor to move to a
position where the inductance of the excited stator winding is maximized (i.e., rotor tooth
aligns with active stator phase to minimize reluctance).
The rotor is typically constructed of soft magnetic iron shaped so as to maximize the
variation of inductance with rotor position. Opposite poles form a phase and the phases are
magnetically independent of one another.
Sinusoidal rotating field is produced in the air gap when stator winding is excited by AC
supply.
Produced field exerts reluctance torque on the unsymmetrical rotor.
Tending to align the salient pole axis of the rotor with the axis of revolving magnetic field.
Rotor tries to align with the minimum reluctance position by developing reluctance torque in
between stator and rotor.
No core in the rotor so no core or copper loss.

Notch-Type Rotor
Notch areas are HighReluctance
Pole areas are known
as Salient Poles
Number of salient poles
must match the number
of stator poles

Flat and Barrier Slot Rotors

 Cross-section of Cage less PM

synchronous reluctance hybrid
motor
(a)Four pole radially magnetized.
Without this magnet the motor is
pure synchronous reluctance motor.
(b) six pole circumferentially magnetized. This arrangement is flux
concentrating design because the magnet pole area exceeds the pole
area at the air gap, producing an air gap flux density higher than that
in the magnet.

Operation
Rotor accelerates towards
synchronous speed
At a critical speed, the lowreluctance paths provided by the
salient poles will cause them to
snap into synchronism with the
rotating flux.

Operation (continued)
When the rotor synchronizes, slip
is equal to zero
Rotor pulled around by
reluctance torque
Figure at right shows the rotor
synchronized at no load

Operation (continued)
A step increase in load slows the
rotor down, and the rotor poles
lag the stator poles.
The angle of lag, , is called the
torque angle.
The maximum torque angle, max
= 45.

Operation at maximum load

Maximum load is when = 45.
If load increases so that >45,
the flux path is over stretched
and the rotor falls out of
synchronism.
Motor runs at slip speed

Operating principle
when there is no torque; all the flux is q-axis flux at no-load, and there is no
d-axis flux.
The d-axis in the reluctance motor is taken to be the same as in the PM
motor. This is contrary to the convention adopted in some early reluctancemotor analysis, in which the d-axis and q-axis were interchanged.
With the convention used here it is usually the case that

which is the opposite of the situation in wound-field synchronous machines

Operating principle
The use of a one-piece lamination requires compromises in the design.
The section linking the pole pieces must be wide enough to support them
and the magnets against the centrifugal load, but narrow enough to limit
its" participation in the magnetic circuit, which is undesirable in both
reluctance and PM versions.
If it is too thin, the lamination is flimsy and easily damaged.
A cast cage winding, or even a fabricated one, may help to relieve some of
the mechanical constraints on the lamination design, but a cage winding
may not be desired.
The rotor is amenable to fabrication from solid steel parts with no
connecting links between the poles; instead, the pole pieces are held on by
end-caps at each end of the rotor.

Reluctance Torque-The torque which is exhibited on the rotor due to the difference in Reluctance in the air gap (or)
a function of angular position of rotor with respect to the stator coil is known as reluctance torque.
Reluctance Torque
The torque exerted by the reluctance motor because of the tendency of the salient poles to align themselves in
the minimum reluctance position. This torque is called reluctance torque.
Advantages of Synchronous reluctance motor
Rotor is simple in construction i.e. very low inertia,
Robust
Low torque ripple
Can be operated from standard PWM AC Inverters.
It can also built with a standard induction motor, stator and windings.
No excitation field at zero torque, thus eliminating electromagnetic spinning losses.
Disadvantages of Synchronous reluctance motor
It has poor power factor performance and therefore the efficiency is not as high as permanent magnet motor.
Compared to IM it is slightly heavier and has low power factor. But increasing the saliency ratio Lds/Lqs, the
power factor can be improved.
The converter kVA requirement is high,
The pull in and pull out torque of the motor are weak.
Need speed synchronization to inverter output frequency by using rotor position sensor and sensorless control.

Reluctance torque, Trel

Maximum reluctance torque, Trelmax occurs at rel = 45

Trels0

V
K sin(2 rel )
f

Trel = average value of reluctance torque

V = applied voltage (V)
f = line frequency (Hz)
rel = torque angle (electrical degrees)

K = motor constant

Applications
It is used for constant speed applications i.e. timing devices, signaling
devices, recording instruments and phonograph.
it is used in automatic processors such as in food processing and
packaging industries.
Used in high speed applications, Synthetic fiber manufacturing
equipment, Wrapping and folding machines, synchronized conveyors.
Metering pumps

S.No

Synchronous Reluctance motor

Induction motor

1.

Better Efficiency

Low efficiency

High cost

Low cost

Low power factor

High power factor

Used for low and medium power

applications

Used for high power

applications

Stator current modes- unipolar

Stator current modes -bipolar

Phasor Diagram

Phasor diagram

Phasor diagram
In synchronous reluctance motor excitation emf is zero.

Phasor diagram of synchronous reluctance motor

Stator current has been increased by

2

Torque s characteristics

Speed-torque characteristics

Open circuit EMF

Open circuit EMF

The stator and rotor steel is assumed to be infinitely permeable
everywhere except in the link sections between the pole pieces. This
permits the surfaces to be represented by equipotential. The q-axes are
also equipotential, by symmetry.
From fig (a) a model in which there are only two boundary potentials, u0
and u1. The potential function here is magnetic potential, and its units are
amperes (or ampere-turns).
The link sections are assumed to saturate at a flux-density Bs.
On open-circuit the flux through them is leakage flux that follows a closed
path through the rotor and does not cross the airgap.
The equipotential are assumed not to be distorted by this leakage flux.
We can arbitrarily assign one of the two potentials to be zero, because the
fluxes of interest depend on potential differences, not on absolute
potential values.

 The rotor shaft and stator are both common to all poles uo=0
The radial flux density in the gap is
= o/g [ u1 uo ]
= o/g u1
This gives rise to a rectangular distribution of flux across the pole.
In terms of reluctance g=u1 Pg
Airgap permeance is Pg=1/Rg=oAg/g

 The fundamental open circuit flux per pole can be determined by

fourier analysis
1 = (1. . )/p
Bm1= k1 Bg , k1=4/[(Sin /2)]
1 =g[8/ 2. ] [(Sin /2)]

Open circuit EMF

Open circuit emf per phase is
=

2
2

1 1 .

= = 1

1 =

1
2

1 1

Where -series turns per phase

1 -winding factor
Eq-the phasor emf lies on the q-axis of the phasor diagram.

Synchronous reactance(d-axis)
In pure reluctance motor with no magnets, the links are assumed to
be saturated permanently by q-axis armature current and are omitted
from the calculation of d-axis reactance.
With a sine distribution of ampere-conductors whose magnetic axis is
aligned with the d-axis

sin
2

(1)

m.m.f integral Hdl for flux lines that cross the airgap via the pole face is
.
cos
2

(2) where

<<
2
2

Synchronous reactance(d-axis)

Synchronous reactance(d-axis)

Synchronous reactance(d-axis)

gd is effective airgap in the d-axis

Synchronous reactance(q-axis)

The higher this ratio, the greater the potential reluctance

torque

Vernier motor

Unexcited reluctance type synchronous motor

Useful torque is developed only when it operates at synchronous speed.
Designed to run at low speed and to have high torque
Operates on the principle of Vernier
Peculiar feature of this motor is that small displacement of a rotor
produces large displacement of the permeance.
Permeance is inverse of reluctance.
As the rotor speed steps down from the speed of the rotating field the
motor torque steps up.
Find applications where required low speed and high torque.
Also where mechanical gearing is undesirable.

Vernier motor
Construction is similar to poly phase induction motor
Parts stator, rotor
The types of Stator in Vernier motor.

1. Split pole type.

2. Open slot type.

The types of rotor in Vernier motor
1. Sandwiched magnet
2. Surface magnet
3. Intersurface magnet

Vernier motor
Vernier motor is a PM motor and has a high torque at low speed. It
operates on the principles of a vernier.
A vernier motor comprising toothed stator and rotor members, each
member having uniformly spaced magnetizable teeth extending around the
entire periphery.
a winding on the stator member for producing a rotating magnetic field,
when energized from a commercial frequency power circuit,
The rotating magnetic field threading through coinciding stator and rotormember teeth, from one member to the other, and back again through
other coinciding teeth, the coincidence of the flux-carrying teeth
progressing slowly around the periphery, by vernier action, as the field
rotates, characterized by the difference between the numbers of the stator
teeth and the rotor teeth being exactly equal to :P, where p is the number
of poles of the rotating field.

Vernier motor
draw backs of Vernier Motor.

1. Low speed.

2. Design factors.

Vernier motor
a new type of vernier machine with permanent magnets (PMs) on
both sides of rotor and stator.
The rotor is of the flux concentrating structure and the stator has
also PMs between the flux modulation poles (FMPs).
Comparing the other types of the vernier machine, the proposed
model has a huge increase in the induced voltage and developed
torque for the same size.
This shows the possibility of the new suggested machine to the
direct-driven applications such as wind-power generators.