This paper reports the facile synthesis of a novel architecture of Cu-MnS with PVP, where the high theoretical capacitance of MnS, low-cost, and high electrical conductivity of Cu, as well as appreciable surface area with high thermal and mechanical conductivity of PVP, as a single entity to fabricate a high-performance electrode for supercapacitor. Benefiting from their unique structures, the Cu-MnS with 2PVP electrode materials show a high specific capacitance of 833.58 F g⁻¹ at 1 A g⁻¹, reversibility for the charge/discharge process, which are much higher than that of the MnS-7 h, Cu-MnS, and Cu-MnS with 1 and 3PVP. The presence of an appropriate amount of PVP in Cu-MnS is favorable for improving the electrochemical performance of the electrode and the existence of Cu was inclined to enhance the electrical conductivity. The Cu-MnS with 2PVP electrode is a good reference for researchers to design and fabricate new electrode materials with enhanced capacitive performance.

The switched reluctance motor (SRM) benefits from its magnet-free nature, robust construction, low cost, flexible controls, and the ability to operate in harsh environments such as high temperatures and high pressure. It has received increasing attention for all-electric or multi-electric aircraft systems and electric vehicles (EVs) as compared with permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM) and other AC motors in some required high reliability and fault tolerance applications. However, the SRM is prone to considerable wind resistance due to the convex pole structure of the rotor during high-speed rotation, high torque ripple, and also vibration noise. Thus, it is currently a trending topic to develop special SRMs, tailored with high reliability and fault tolerance. Recent research demonstrates several promising feasible solutions to reduce torque ripples and enhance torque density and power factors, including changing topology of SRM, using advanced control methods, as well as different winding configurations. Among these options, the segmented switched reluctance motor (SSRM), as a deformation of the conventional topology, is shown to be capable of effectively optimizing the torque performance. Motivated by this advance, this paper aims to present a comprehensive literature review on the SSRM, first illustrating the development of the topology of the SRM, then providing a description as well as a classification according to the topology of the SSRM. In particular, we focus on the evolution of various kinds of segmental topology and improvement measures. Then, we discuss the performance, advantages, and disadvantages of various types of structures in terms of their electromagnetic aspects and their applications. Eventually, several promising future trends and application prospects of the SSRM are prospected, with the aim of shedding light on further research. In sum, the key contribution of this paper is to provide a valuable basis for detailed analyses of the structure and electromagnetic design of the SSRM that are expected to benefit future research.

This paper focuses on a minimal current sensing strategy and fault detection of Switched Reluctance Machines (SRMs). In order to reduce the number of required current sensors in multiphase motor drives, the optimal selection and location of current sensors is presented in consideration of the precise actual phase current measurement, open- and short-circuit fault detection. The proposed scheme requires two current sensors to replace the phase current sensors placed in each phase without any additional devices for multiphase SRMs to achieve a more compact and low-cost drive. Different current regulation methods are employed for single phase conducting region and commutation region. To obtain the phase currents from the proposed approach, different settings of the pulse-width modulation (PWM) signals for adjacent phases during the commutation region are implemented. The simulation and experiments on a four-phase 8/6 pole SRM are carried out to verify the effectiveness of this approach in the healthy and faulty cases.

A cost-effective and uniform crystal with different structures was fabricated using a facile chemical bath deposition technique for electrochemical supercapacitor (SC) applications. In this study, CuS, PbS, and CuS@PbS composite electrodes were fabricated for SCs. The morphology and structure of the electrodes were analyzed by field emission–scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The CuS@PbS composite electrode delivered outstanding electrochemical performance in SCs with a high specific capacitance of 1004.42 F g⁻¹ at a current density of 2.85 A g⁻¹, good cycling stability (only 2.9% loss after 3000 cycles at 2.85 A g⁻¹), higher energy density of 33.89 Wh kg⁻¹ at a power density of 714.28 W kg⁻¹, and an excellent rate capability compared to other electrodes. These results show that the CuS@PbS composite can be used to improve the surface morphology and is a promising positive electrode material for SC applications.

This paper proposes a novel 12/8 switched reluctance motor (SRM) with segmental rotor for vehicle cooling fan application. Unlike conventional SRMs, the proposed motor adopts one body stator with hybrid stator poles and segmental rotor structures, thereby making the motor operate in short flux paths and parts of the flux paths magnetically isolated between the phases. Therefore, compared with conventional SRMs, the proposed structure not only improves the output torque density and reduces the magneto-motive force (MMF) requirement and core losses of the motor, but also inherits the advantages of conventional SRMs like flexible control as well as the adaptability in harsh environments. To verify the proposed structure, finite element method (FEM) is employed to get characteristics of the proposed SRM. Meanwhile, a conventional 12/8 SRM which has been used for vehicle cooling fan application is also analyzed for comparison. Furthermore, the prototypes for the conventional and proposed 12/8 SRMs are manufactured and tested. Finally, the simulation and experimental results are presented and analyzed to verify the effectiveness of the proposed SRM.

A switched reluctance motor has a very simple structure which becomes its key signature and leads to various advantages. However, because of its double saliency and switching principle, the motor is also known to have a relatively high torque ripple, and this hinders its use as a high-performance drive. In this paper, a method to reduce torque ripple while maintaining average torque is introduced. Two elements are used to achieve this, namely, a non-uniform air-gap on the rotor-pole face and one hole in each non-uniform region, which maintains the saturation level of the air-gap. This approach preserves the mechanical simplicity of the motor and is easy to implement. Simulations and experiments were performed to verify the effectiveness of the proposed design.