Accumulator Capacitor Converter for a Switched Reluctance Generator

In this paper, a novel converter is presented to improve the excitation process in switched reluctance generators (SRGs). Accumulator capacitor converter (ACC) is based on a singular scheme of flyback converters. ACC performs two main roles. First, in an initial step, it charges an accumulator capacitor with a determined value of voltage; then, during the magnetizing period, it discharges the stored energy into machine coils. Therefore, ACC provides the SRG with a determined magnetizing energy and uses the forced magnetizing phenomenon to magnetize its coils. The processes yield some outstanding superiority such as excellent operation at high speeds, simple controlling scheme, lower stress on the excitation source, etc., over conventional converters. To analyze the performance of ACC, the required analytical expressions for charging the capacitor and discharging it into the coils are developed and the constraints for switching periods are demonstrated in detail. Afterward, through MATLAB/Simulink and finite-element analysis (FEA) simulations, its operation is evaluated and compared to conventional asymmetric bridge and bifilar converters (BFCs); moreover, its test bed is assembled and tested experimentally, and its results, along with the simulation ones, validates ACC performance.