Multi-Objective Differential Evolution Based Performance Optimisation for Switched Reluctance Motor Drives

The simple structure, low manufacturing cost, rugged behavior, high torque per unit volume and wide torquespeed range make switched reluctance motor (SRM) very attractive for industrial applications. However, these advantages are overshadowed by its inherent high torque ripple, acoustic noise, and difficulty to control. The controlled parameters in SRM drives can be selected as the turn-on angle, the turn-off angle, and the current reference. This paper investigates the problem of optimal control parameters considering maximum average torque, minimum copper losses, and minimum torque ripple as the main objectives in SRM drives. The use of evolutionary algorithms (EAs) to solve problems with multiple objectives has attracted much attention recently. Differential Evolution (DE) is an EA that was developed to handle optimization problems over continuous domains. A Multi-Objective Differential Evolution (MODE) technique is here introduced to find optimal firing angles under multiple operating conditions. Simulation results carried out on a four phase 8/6 pole SRM show that the proposed MODE can be a reliable alternative for generating optimal control in multi-objective optimization of SRM drive systems.