Novel zero voltage transition PWM converter for switched reluctance motor drives

A novel zero-voltage-transition (ZVT) PWM converter for switched reluctance motor (SRM) drives is proposed. A simple auxiliary circuit which consists of one active switch, one resonant inductor, and three diodes provides ZVS condition to all main switches and diodes allowing high frequency operation of the converter with high efficiency. The auxiliary circuit is placed in parallel with the main power flow path and thus it handles only a small fraction of the main power. So, the power rating of the auxiliary circuit can be very small (about 30% of main power). So, the auxiliary circuit can be realized with small power rating and low cost. Operation, features and characteristics of the proposed converter are illustrated and verified on a 1.5 kW, 50 kHz IGBT based (a MOSFET for the auxiliary switch) experimental circuit.