TRANSIENT ANALYSIS OF 3-PHASE RELUCTANCE MOTORS FED FROM A SINGLE-PHASE SUPPLY

The inherent advantages of three phase reluctance motors have called f or their use in applications requiring constant speed. This has create d a growing interest in this field, and considerable effort has been s pent in analysing the steady state and dynamic behaviour of these moto rs. Single phase operation of three phase reluctance motors has been s uggested recently as a practical possibility that extends the range of applications of such motors and adds flexibility to their modes of op eration. Previous work in this direction has been very scarce and is l imited so far to the study of steady-state operating conditions. The m ain objective of the paper is to investigate the transient process of three phase reluctance motors fed from a single phase supply. For this purpose a rigorous mathematical model has been developed. The model, which is based on the state space form of representation, is then simu lated and the transient characteristics for such a mode of operation a re obtained. The feasibility of the principle of operation and the val idity of the mathematical model have been verified experimentally.