An enhanced direct instantaneous torque control of switched reluctance motor drives using ant colony optimization

The highly nonlinear characteristics of switched reluctance motors (SRMs) are the drawback that complicates their control and modeling. Hence, obtaining the best performance becomes a challenging task. Therefore, this paper presents an upgraded methodology of the ant colony optimization (ACO) technique. The proposed multistage ant colony optimization (MSACO) enhances the search capability of the classical ACO. Therefore, it helps to find the best switching angles without violating pre-specified constraints. The optimized angles are used to implement an improved high-performance direct instantaneous torque control (DITC) drive. This work focuses on reducing torque ripple, improving motor efficiency, and preventing generating a considerable amount of negative torque. Moreover, a current detector is used to provide information about negative torque production and thus helps to find optimal angles and avoid the set of solutions that give a considerable amount of negative torque. Furthermore, a new switching strategy is utilized to implement an efficient hysteresis torque controller, where the selection of the switching mode of the power converter is entirely determined based on the inductance profile of the SRM. The utilized switching strategy guarantees accurate torque tracking over the entire phase excitation period; thus, the machine's torque profile is improved further. The simulation results showed the superiority of the proposed control method over the traditional control method. In addition, the experimental measurements have been carried out to verify the simulation findings using a three-phase 750 W, 12/8 SRM prototype.