Experimental Characterization and Optimal Control of Synchronous Reluctance Motors

Synchronous Reluctance Motors (SynRMs) offer high efficiency and cost advantages due to the absence of rotor magnets. However, optimal control requires accurate motor-specific characterization, typically demanding extensive and energy-intensive testing. This paper presents an energy-efficient experimental procedure using a back-to-back test bench, enabling the extraction of key performance maps such as Maximum Torque Per Ampere (MTPA) and Maximum Efficiency (ME) under realistic voltage and current constraints. The system employs two coupled SynRMs and coordinated vector control, significantly reducing energy consumption. Experimental results validate the approach and highlight its effectiveness for optimal SynRM control strategy design. In a back-to-back (B2B) configuration, two equal-power machines can be tested simultaneously, one as a motor and one as a generator, which reduces total experimental time by half and cuts external energy demand by up to ~85% compared to passive test benches and ~50% compared to regenerative benches.