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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/L07147/01
Title: IMPROVED EFFICIENCY OF TWO-PHASE SWITCHED RELUCTANCE MOTOR DRIVES, WITH STARTING AND DIRECTIONAL CONTROL
Principal Investigator: Williams, Professor B W
Other Investigators:
Finney, Professor SJ
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
GEC Pre Nexus Migration
Department: Computing & Electrical Engineering
Organisation: Heriot-Watt University
Scheme: Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts: 01 March 1997 Ends: 29 February 2000 Value (£): 133,134
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Electric Motor & Drive Systems
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Electronics
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
In the low-cost, high-volume, high speed (>3000rpm) domestic white goods market, the commutator motor reigns supreme because of its low total drive cost. Induction and switched reluctance motor based drives suffer from higher controller costs. The switched reluctance motor offers a lower cost solution than the induction motor because of its lower controller costs.By improving switched reluctance motor drive efficiency, size, hence costs, can be decreased thereby making such a drive a viable alternative to the triac controlled commutator motor.The efficiency is to be improved by using improved cooling techniques (patent pending), better magnet design (patent pending) and a novel converter voltage-boosting arrangement. By solving,without any compromises, the traditional starting problems of the two-phase switched reluctance motor (patent pending on both starting and bidirectional rotation control ) this drive will become viable in washing machine (400W) , variable-suction vacuum cleaners (1500W) and other high-adjustable-speed white goods applications.
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Organisation Website: http://www.hw.ac.uk