Sliding mode control of the energy recovery chopper in a C-dump switched reluctance motor drive

A control strategy for the energy recovery chopper in a capacitor-dump (C-dump) switched-reluctance motor (SRM) drive is proposed. The strategy is based on sliding-mode control theory and allows continuous-output-current operation of the chopper to be attained with low semiconductor current peaks and low capacitor voltage fluctuations. The dynamic equations of the chopper, which are formulated from the point of view of the capacitor voltage control, show that the chopper operates as a boost DC-to-DC converter in a regenerative mode. The sliding-mode control is then designed, and the effects of the converter and control parameters on chopper performance are pointed out. Experimental results are presented and discussed as well.