Introduction

This chapter briefly introduces switched reluctance motor (SRM) drive systems and their state-of-the-art design optimization methods. The design optimization of SRM drive systems is a system-level, multi-objective, highly coupled, and nonlinear problem, which makes it a significant challenge to achieve the optimal solution. This chapter provides readers with a basic understanding of SRMs. It paves a smooth path to present various optimization methods for achieving optimal results according to the design specifications of many challenging applications, such as aircraft and electric vehicles.