Performance of a high-speed switched reluctance starter/generator system using electronic position sensing

A switched reluctance machine-based system, whether a motor drive or a starter/generator, requires the rotor position to be determined to commutate at the correct instants. This paper compares the performance of a high-speed switched reluctance starter/generator (SR S/G) system when operating with a resolver to the performance when operating resolverless, or sensorless, using an electronic position sensing subsystem for rotor position estimation. A brief overview of the SR S/G system is given, followed by the approach for sensorless system operation. Test results are given, and system efficiency is compared, for both approaches when operating both as a starter and as a generator. Minimal difference is seen in system efficiency, with peaks at over 75 percent for start-mode and at over 79 percent for generate mode, for both resolver-based and sensorless operation.