The fault diagnosis of rotating electrical machines has received an intense amount of research interest during the last 30 years. Reducing maintenance costs and preventing unscheduled downtimes, which result in losses of production and financial incomes, are the priorities of electrical drives manufacturers and operators. In fact, both correct diagnosis and early detection of incipient faults lead to fast unscheduled maintenance and short downtime for the process under consideration. They also prevent the harmful and sometimes devastating consequences of faults and failures. This topic has become far more attractive and critical as the population of electric machines has greatly increased in recent years. The total number of operating electrical machines in the world was around 16.1 billion in 2011, with a growth rate of about 50% in the last five years [1].

This paper shows that a static eccentricity makes rise a double fundamental frequency ripple in the rotor current of salient-pole synchronous machines. This ripple leads, under conditions ruled by the stator windings, to precise signatures in the no-load voltage spectrum. Both rotor current ripple and voltage harmonics can be used for diagnosis. The fault-related voltage harmonics are theoretically previewed in this paper through analysis of the windings. Simulations performed by using the winding function approach confirm the theoretical predictions. A four-pole 15-kVA generator was used for experiments, featuring an innovative flange with exact and easy regulation of mixed-type eccentricities. Rotor current monitoring has advantages of single-sensor measure and accentuate fault sensitivity. Experiments also showed an additional rotor-rotation frequency ripple in the rotor current, in case of mixed-type fault.

Permanent-magnet synchronous linear motors (PMSLMs) are more and more frequently used as all-electric direct-drive actuators in those applications where a force needs to be developed along a fixed direction. In this paper, an accurate 3-D thermal model of a PMSLM is derived through a lumped-parameter network approach which exploits all the symmetries in the actuator structure to maximize the spatial density of nodes. Numerically efficient techniques are then proposed to solve the thermal network analytically. Some experimental validations are finally presented based on the thermal testing of a laboratory prototype.

In this paper, some original and effective fault indicators for broken-bar detection in power squirrel-cage induction motors are presented. A motor phase-current signature analysis can be performed by evaluating the typical ratios I _{(7 - 2s})_f /I _5f and I _{(5 + 2s})_f I _7f, I _{(13 - 2s})_f /I ₁₁ f and I _{(11 + 2s})_f /I _13f , etc., which appear in the phase-current spectrum of faulted motors fed by nonsinusoidal voltage sources. The main advantages of the new indicators are the following: (1) accentuate insensitivity to disturbs such as load torque, drive inertia, and frequency variations; (2) low dependence with respect to machine parameters (except the pole number); and (3) linear dependence on fault gravity. They can be directly applied on motors fed by open-loop low-switching frequency gate turn-off/thyristor converters. Railway traction drives are possible targets. Application to mains-fed motors can be tried too, if suitable harmonics are present in the plant supply. A detailed analytical formulation for fault indicators is furnished, based on the multiphase symmetrical component theory; theoretical results have been supported by experimental work, performed by using a motor with an appositely prepared cage, and successively, method validation was achieved on three other industrial motors.

This work shows a method to quantify rotor eccentricities in synchronous machines by exploiting the unbalance caused in the split-phase currents. The paper first develops a machine model comprehensive of eccentricities and parallel circuits in the stator, by using symmetrical components. Then, the model is used for formal calculation of the unbalanced currents. Finally, the equations are reversed to obtain eccentricity degrees from current measurements. Practical formulas are given for fault assessment, only requiring machine line voltage and synchronous reactance. The method can be applied on load. This paper provides full details of the theory underlying the method. The theory also clarifies some aspects about split-phase currents, not deepened before. It is proven that the air gap flux modulation due to eccentricities, acting through additional 2(p ±1) -pole flux waves in 2p-pole machines, stimulates additional currents, which circulate in the stator and turn into 2(p ±1)-pole rotating space vectors in the complex domain. Vector trajectories have shape and amplitude dictated by eccentricity type and degree, respectively. This study is limited to 2p-pole machines with p ≥ 2. The theory is corroborated by simulations of a practical 1950-kVA generator in this paper. Experimental proofs and simulations of a laboratory 17-kVA machine are provided in a sequel of this paper.

The windings of power synchronous machines are often parallel connected to obtain the desired machine voltage and current ratings. Ideally, the split-phase currents are equal in symmetrical windings, so as to avoid parasitic circulation of current in the parallel branches. However, the symmetry is broken in case of rotor eccentricity, and the split-phase currents become unbalanced. Part I of this paper analyzed the theoretical behavior of the unbalanced currents by using symmetrical components. A new fault diagnosis method was shown, based on a combined space-vector/fast Fourier transformation (FFT) analysis of signatures in the split-phase currents. This Part II applies the split-phase current signature analysis to a laboratory 17-kVA synchronous generator with artificial faults. Method performances have been evaluated with mixed static/dynamic type fault, in no-load and loaded conditions. The experiments are matched with time-stepping finite-element simulations, which help explain the effect of saturation and load on the diagnosis accuracy. The feasibility of installation of current probes in practical machines is also discussed.