Analysis of Ball Bearing Defects in Synchronous Machines using Electrical Measurements

Rolling element bearings are used in most electrical machines, especially for small and medium size applications. Under non-ideal operating conditions, ball bearing condition degrades by fatigue, ambient vibration, misalignment, overloading, contamination, corrosion from water or chemicals, improper lubrication, shaft currents and residual stress left from the bearing manufacturing process. All of these conditions eventually lead to increased vibration and acoustic noise during machine operation which at some point in time results in unexpected bearing failure. Over the years, a great number of publications have been devoted to the detection of mechanical faults, including rolling element bearing defects and torsional defects, in electrical machines based on Electrical Signature Analysis (ESA). It has been observed that these faults can affect either the stator to rotor air-gap distribution or the running speed of the machine, which can be reflected in the signature of the electrical signals. However, the physical link between the mechanical degradation and the electrical signature is still not explained well. A multi-physics model is developed by joining the detailed mechanical model of a rotor bearing system and the electrical model of a synchronous machine in this research. This combined model is capable of describing the transmission of information originating from bearing faults and their impact on the variations of the measured electrical signals. The electrical machine model is developed based on winding function approach and its validity is demonstrated by a more accurate Finite Element Method (FEM) model. The mechanical model consists of a high fidelity rotor-bearing system with detailed nonlinear ball bearing model and a flexible finite element shaft model. It is validated using the housing vibration data collected from some experiments. Generalized roughness bearing anomalies are linked to load torque ripples and airgap variations, while being related to current signature by phase and amplitude modulation. Considering that the induced characteristic signatures are usually subtle broadband changes in the current spectra, these signatures are easily affected by input power quality variations, machine manufacturing imperfections and environmental noise. In this research, a new algorithm is proposed to isolate the influence of the external disturbances of power quality, machine manufacturing imperfections and environmental noise, and to improve the effectiveness of applying the ESA for generalized roughness bearing defects. The results show that the proposed method is effective in analyzing the generalized roughness bearing anomaly in synchronous machines. Furthermore, the electrical signatures are analyzed in a synchronous machine with bearing defects. The proposed fault detection method employs a Zoomed Fast Fourier Transform (ZFFT) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and it is also tested on the available experimental data. The results show that amplitude induced electrical harmonics are related to the level of vibration, and the electrical signatures are affected heavily by other variables, such as power quality and load fluctuation. The proposed method is shown to be effective on detecting generalized roughness bearing defects in synchronous machines

Intentional Controlled Islanding in Wide Area Power Systems with Large Scale Renewable Power Generation to Prevent Blackout

Intentional controlled islanding is a solution to prevent blackouts following a large disturbance. This study focuses on determining island boundaries while maintaining the stability of formed islands and minimising load shedding. A new generator coherency identification framework based on the dynamic coupling of generators and Support Vector Clustering method is proposed to address this challenge. A Mixed Integer Linear Programming model is formulated to minimize power flow disruption and load shedding, and ensure the stability of islanding. The proposed algorithm was validated in 39-bus and 118-bus test systems

Architecture of a network-in-the-Loop environment for characterizing AC power system behavior

This paper describes the method by which a large hardware-in-the-loop environment has been realized for three-phase ac power systems. The environment allows an entire laboratory power-network topology (generators, loads, controls, protection devices, and switches) to be placed in the loop of a large power-network simulation. The system is realized by using a realtime power-network simulator, which interacts with the hardware via the indirect control of a large synchronous generator and by measuring currents flowing from its terminals. These measured currents are injected into the simulation via current sources to close the loop. This paper describes the system architecture and, most importantly, the calibration methodologies which have been developed to overcome measurement and loop latencies. In particular, a new "phase advance" calibration removes the requirement to add unwanted components into the simulated network to compensate for loop delay. The results of early commissioning experiments are demonstrated. The present system performance limits under transient conditions (approximately 0.25 Hz/s and 30 V/s to contain peak phase-and voltage-tracking errors within 5. and 1%) are defined mainly by the controllability of the synchronous generator

Fault Detection of Inter-Turn Short-Circuited Stator Windings in Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machines

Vannkraftverk leverer grønn og pålitelig energi til befolkningen i Norge, og bidrar med rundt 88 % av landets årlige strømbehov. Uventede avbrudd og stans for kraftverkene vil resultere i store økonomiske tap, samt at kraftverkene ikke får levert nødvendig kraft til nettet. Med fremveksten av Industri 4.0 benytter industriene nyskapende teknologier som skytjenester, Kunstig Intelligens (KI) og tingenes internett for å forbedre de ulike operasjonene i selskapet. Innen vannkraft-industrien vil KI-baserte systemer bli brukt som grunnlag for prediktive vedlikehold. I dag utføres det meste av vedlikeholdsarbeid i henhold til en planlagt tidsplan, og industrien ser derfor på bruk av maskinlærings-metoder for tidlig feilgjenkjenning i vannkraftverkene. Denne masteroppgaven ser på anvendelsen av maskinlærings-algoritmer for å tidlig forutsi kortslutninger i aramturviklingene i en Permanent Magnet Synkronmaskin (PMSM), ved bruk av trefaset strøm-data. Data A ble samlet inn i et internt laboratorium med en Permanent Magnet Synkrongenerator (PMSG) som hadde en implementert 4.8 % kortslutning i aramturviklingen. Dataen bestod av sunne og defekte datasett med RMSverdier for den trefasede strømmen. Data B ble hentet fra et tidligere arbeid av den samme typen PMSM med en 6.0 % kortslutning i aramturviklingen. Data B bestod av signal-verdier for den trefasede strømmen. Ved bruk av Python ble de to datasettene visuelt inspisert og forbehandlet ved hjelp av ‘Z-score’-metoden for å fjerne avvikende verdier. Denne prosessen hadde imidlertid ingen merkbar effekt på nøyaktigheten til maskinlærings-modellene. Enkel signalbehandling i tidsplanet ble anvendt på strømdataene, men klarte ikke å oppdage kortslutningsfeilen implementert på den andre faseviklingen. Statistiske parameter som gjennomsnitt, standard avvik, skjevhet, kurtose, toppverdifaktor, peak-to-peak, RMS, klaringsfaktor, formfaktor og impulsfaktor ble beregnet for alle tre fasene. En Principal Component Analysis (PCA)- algoritme ble anvendt på datasettene med de statistiske parameterne og reduserte Data A fra 18 parameter til tre Principal Components. Data B ble redusert fra 33 parametere til fire Principal Components. Før dataen kjøres i maskinlørings-modellene, ble feilindikatorer som flagger verdier utenfor den 95. persentilen av gjennomsnittsverdiene til parameterne lagt til i datasettet . Fire overvåkede maskinlærings-modeller – ‘Random Forest’, ‘Decision Trees’, ‘k-NN’ og ‘Naive Bayes’ – ble kjørt for datasettene. Random Forest- og Decision Tree-modellene hadde en tendens til å overtilpasse maskinlærings-prediksjonene på datasettene som inneholdt de statistisk parameterne. Datasettet med PCA-komponentene reduserte overtilpasningen av disse modellene og forbedret nøyaktigheten til Naive Bayes-modellen. Ettersom Naive Bayes-modellen ga varierende resultater og ble ansett som inkonsekvent, samt overtilpasnings-tendensene til Random Forest og Decision Tree, ble k-NN-modellen vurdert som den mest pålitelige av maskinlærings-modellene. De beste feilindikatorene for Data A var kurtose- og skjevhet-indikatorene, mens klaringsfaktor og formfaktor ga best nøyaktighet for Data B. Videre arbeid bør unngå bruk av data som inneholder RMS-verdier, og fokusere på bruk av signalbaserte verdier slik som i Data B. Dataprosessering og feilmerking bør også utføres i frekvensplanet, ettersom en stor svakhet ved avhandlingen er at metodikken kun ble anvendt i tidplanet. Andre ytelsesindikatorer som robusthet bør også brukes for å vurdere ytelsen til maskinlærings-modellene

Converter fault diagnosis and post-fault operation of a doubly-fed induction generator for a wind turbine

Wind energy has become one of the most important alternative energy resources because of the global warming crisis. Wind turbines are often erected off-shore because of favourable wind conditions, requiring lower towers than on-shore. The doubly-fed induction generator is one of the most widely used generators with wind turbines. In such a wind turbine the power converters are less robust than the generator and other mechanical parts. If any switch failure occurs in the converters, the wind turbine may be seriously damaged and have to stop. Therefore, converter health monitoring and fault diagnosis are important to improve system reliability. Moreover, to avoid shutting down the wind turbine, converter fault diagnosis may permit a change in control strategy and/or reconfigure the power converters to permit post-fault operation. This research focuses on switch fault diagnosis and post-fault operation for the converters of the doubly-fed induction generator. The effects of an open-switch fault and a short-circuit switch fault are analysed. Several existing open-switch fault diagnosis methods are examined but are found to be unsuitable for the doubly-fed induction generator. The causes of false alarms with these methods are investigated. A proposed diagnosis method, with false alarm suppression, has the fault detection capability equivalent to the best of the existing methods, but improves system reliability. After any open-switch fault is detected, reconfiguration to a four-switch topology is activated to avoid shutting down the system. Short-circuit switch faults are also investigated. Possible methods to deal with this fault are discussed and demonstrated in simulation. Operating the doubly-fed induction generator as a squirrel cage generator with aerodynamic power control of turbine blades is suggested if this fault occurs in the machine-side converter, while constant dc voltage control is suitable for a short-circuit switch fault in the grid-side converter.Wind energy has become one of the most important alternative energy resources because of the global warming crisis. Wind turbines are often erected off-shore because of favourable wind conditions, requiring lower towers than on-shore. The doubly-fed induction generator is one of the most widely used generators with wind turbines. In such a wind turbine the power converters are less robust than the generator and other mechanical parts. If any switch failure occurs in the converters, the wind turbine may be seriously damaged and have to stop. Therefore, converter health monitoring and fault diagnosis are important to improve system reliability. Moreover, to avoid shutting down the wind turbine, converter fault diagnosis may permit a change in control strategy and/or reconfigure the power converters to permit post-fault operation. This research focuses on switch fault diagnosis and post-fault operation for the converters of the doubly-fed induction generator. The effects of an open-switch fault and a short-circuit switch fault are analysed. Several existing open-switch fault diagnosis methods are examined but are found to be unsuitable for the doubly-fed induction generator. The causes of false alarms with these methods are investigated. A proposed diagnosis method, with false alarm suppression, has the fault detection capability equivalent to the best of the existing methods, but improves system reliability. After any open-switch fault is detected, reconfiguration to a four-switch topology is activated to avoid shutting down the system. Short-circuit switch faults are also investigated. Possible methods to deal with this fault are discussed and demonstrated in simulation. Operating the doubly-fed induction generator as a squirrel cage generator with aerodynamic power control of turbine blades is suggested if this fault occurs in the machine-side converter, while constant dc voltage control is suitable for a short-circuit switch fault in the grid-side converter

Effective algorithms for real-time wind turbine condition monitoring and fault-detection

Reliable condition monitoring (CM) can be an effective means to significantly reduce wind turbine (WT) downtime, operations and maintenance costs and plan preventative maintenance in advance. The WT generator voltage and current output, if sampled at a sufficiently high rate (kHz range), can provide a rich source of data for CM. However, the electrical output of the WT generator is frequently shown to be complex and noisy in nature due to the varying and turbulent nature of the wind. Thus, a fully satisfactory technique that is capable to provide accurate interpretation of the WT electrical output has not been achieved to date. The objective of the research described in this thesis is to develop reliable WT CM using advanced signal processing techniques so that fast analysis of non-stationary current measurements with high diagnostic accuracy is achieved. The diagnostic accuracy and reliability of the proposed techniques have been evaluated using data from a laboratory test rig where experiments are performed under two levels of rotor electrical asymmetry faults. The experimental test rig was run under fixed and variable speed driving conditions to investigate the kind of results expected under such conditions. An effective extended Kalman filter (EKF) based method is proposed to iteratively track the characteristic fault frequencies in WT CM signals as the WT speed varies. The EKF performance was compared with some of the leading WT CM techniques to establish its pros and cons. The reported experimental findings demonstrate clear and significant gains in both the computational efficiency and the diagnostic accuracy using the proposed technique. In addition, a novel frequency tracking technique is proposed in this thesis to analyse the non-stationary current signals by improving the capability of a continuous wavelet transform (CWT). Simulations and experiments have been performed to verify the proposed method for detecting early abnormalities in WT generators. The improved CWT is finally applied for developing a new real-time CM technique dedicated to detect early abnormalities in a commercial WT. The results presented highlight the advantages of the improved CWT over the conventional CWT to identify frequency components of interest and cope with the non-linear and non-stationary fault features in the current signal, and go on to indicate its potential and suitability for WT CM.</div

Wind Turbine Generator Condition Monitoring via the Generator Control Loop

This thesis focuses on the development of condition monitoring techniques for application in wind turbines, particularly for offshore wind turbine driven doubly fed induction generators. The work describes the significant development of a physical condition monitoring Test Rig and its MATLAB Simulink model to represent modern variable speed wind turbine and the innovation and application of the rotor side control signals for the generator fault detection. Work has been carried out to develop a physical condition monitoring Test Rig from open loop control, with a wound rotor induction generator, into closed loop control with a doubly fed induction generator. This included designing and building the rotor side converter, installing the back-to-back converter and other new instrumentation. Moreover, the MATLAB Simulink model of the Test Rig has been developed to represent the closed loop control, with more detailed information on the Rig components and instrumentation and has been validated against the physical system in the time and frequency domains. A fault detection technique has been proposed by the author based on frequency analysis of the rotor-side control signals, namely; d-rotor current error, q-rotor current error and q-rotor current, for wind turbine generator fault detection. This technique has been investigated for rotor electrical asymmetry on the physical Test Rig and its MATLAB Simulink model at different fixed and variable speed conditions. The sensitivity of the each proposed signal has been studied under different operating conditions. Measured and simulated results are presented, a comparison with the results from using stator current and total power has been addressed and the improvement in condition monitoring detection performance has been demonstrated in comparison with previous methods, looking at current, power and vibration analysis

Dynamic Stability with Artificial Intelligence in Smart Grids

Environmental concerns are among the main drives of the energy transition in power systems. Smart grids are the natural evolution of power systems to become more efficient and sustainable. This modernization coincides with the vast and wide integration of energy generation and storage systems dependent on power electronics. At the same time, the low inertia power electronics, introduce new challenges in power system dynamics. In fact, the synchronisation capabilities of power systems are threatened by the emergence of new oscillations and the displacement of conventional solutions for ensuring the stability of power systems. This necessitates an equal modernization of the methods to maintain the rotor angle stability in the future smart grids. The applications of artificial intelligence in power systems are constantly increasing. The thesis reviews the most relevant works for monitoring, predicting, and controlling the rotor angle stability of power systems and presents a novel controller for power oscillation damping

Adaptive protection and control for wide-area blackout prevention

Technical analyses of several recent power blackouts revealed that a group of generators going out-of-step with the rest of the power system is often a precursor of a complete system collapse. Out-of-step protection is designed to assess the stability of the evolving swing after a disturbance and take control action accordingly. However, the settings of out-of-step relays are found to be unsatisfactory due to the fact that the electromechanical swings that occurred during relay commissioning are different in practice. These concerns motivated the development of a novel approach to recalculate the out-of-step protection settings to suit the prevalent operating condition. With phasor measurement unit (PMU) technology, it is possible to adjust the setting of out-of-step relay in real-time. The setting of out-of-step relay is primarily determined by three dynamic parameters: direct axis transient reactance, quadrature axis speed voltage and generator inertia. In a complex power network, these parameters are the dynamic parameters of an equivalent model of a coherent group of generators. Hence, it is essential to identify the coherent group of generators and estimate the dynamic model parameters of each generator in the system first in order to form the dynamic model equivalent in the system. The work presented in this thesis develops a measurement-based technique to identify the coherent areas of power system network by analysing the measured data obtained from the system. The method is based on multivariate analysis of the signals, using independent component analysis (ICA). Also, a technique for estimating the dynamic model parameters of the generators in the system has been developed. The dynamic model parameters of synchronous generators are estimated by processing the PMU measurements using unscented Kalman filter (UKF).Open Acces

A Review of Modeling and Diagnostic Techniques for Eccentricity Fault in Electric Machines

Research on the modeling and fault diagnosis of rotor eccentricities has been conducted during the past two decades. A variety of diagnostic theories and methods have been proposed based on different mechanisms, and there are reviews following either one type of electric machines or one type of eccentricity. Nonetheless, the research routes of modeling and diagnosis are common, regardless of machine or eccentricity types. This article tends to review all the possible modeling and diagnostic approaches for all common types of electric machines with eccentricities and provide suggestions on future research roadmap. The paper indicates that a reliable low-cost non-intrusive real-time online visualized diagnostic method is the trend. Observer-based diagnostic strategies are thought promising for the continued research