Design and modeling of a 45kW, switched reluctance starter-generator for a regional jet application

A 45kW, switched reluctance type, starter-generator, having a 1:4 constant power speed range has been designed as a possible candidate for a regional jet application. In the first section of this paper, a review of the major starter-generator topologies considered for the aerospace application is provided, highlighting the advantages of choosing the Switched reluctance topology for such a safety critical application. Following this, the required torque speed characteristic of the machine, along with the imposed physical constraints, in terms of cooling and outer dimensions, are also detailed. Section III provides a description of the Electromagnetic design, and challenges encountered in meeting both the low speed, peak torque node, at 8000rpm, and the high speed, high power node, at 32000rpm. The induced mechanical stresses in the rotor at such high speeds have also been evaluated and used as a material selection criterion for such a design as presented in section III. Section IV, describes the thermal model developed to estimate the radial temperature distribution within the machine, taking into account end winding phenomena and cooling fluid constraints. The work done in estimating the rotor-dynamic performance of the design along with the progress to date in building the machine are detailed in section V, and a number of conclusions drawn in Section VI.