The Switched Reluctance Machine (SRM) is a rugged, low-cost machine that has a 
simple mechanical construction and which may operate either as a motor or as a 
generator by simply changing the placement of the current pulses with respect 
to the rotor position. However, in spite of these advantages, the SRM has yet 
to see widespread acceptance in industry. The primary reason for this is the complexity 
of control required to achieve high performance levels for servo-type motoring 
applications. The behaviour of an SRM is such that it has strong nonlinear magnetic 
characteristics. This results in torque production that is nonlinearly dependent 
on both rotor position and phase current. Hence, sophisticated electronic control 
of the SRM is required to produce a smooth torque output with minimum torque ripple. 
The SRM is suitable for variable speed generator applications where reliability, 
fault tolerance and the ability to operate at high speeds are important. In this 
seminar, the basic operation of an SRM will be explained and a number of control 
strategies developed for both motoring and generating applications will be described.