Modular Tri-Port High-Power Converter for SRM Based Plug-in Hybrid Electrical Trucks

Plug-in hybrid electrical trucks (PHETs) are a kind of emerging transport solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Switched reluctance motors (SRMs) are one of the popular choices for PHETs applications due to characteristics of rear-earth free, high starting torque, wide-speed range, and good fault tolerance. Usually, more than two converters are needed to achieve flexible energy conversion among multiple electrical energy components on board, i.e., generator, battery bank, and motor. High-power converters should be used to drive the trucks that occupy the limited on-board space. Furthermore, an extra converter is also needed to achieve ac grid connecting charging. All these converters make the on-board power electronics converter complicated. In this paper, a modular tri-port high-power converter for SRM based PHETs is proposed to combine the multiple electrical energy components into one converter. The modular tri-port high-power converter can not only support flexible energy flow, but also support parallel and series winding connections according to different conditions. Furthermore, ac grid connecting nodes are also developed in the drive, which allows the proposed converter to work as a grid connecting charger without extra facilities. The simulation and experiments are employed to verify the feasibility of the proposed converter and corresponding control strategies.