Modelling and detection of faults in axial-flux permanent magnet machines

The development of various topologies and configurations of axial-flux permanent magnet machine has spurred its use for electromechanical energy conversion in several applications. As it becomes increasingly deployed, effective condition monitoring built on reliable and accurate fault detection techniques is needed to ensure its engineering integrity. Unlike induction machine which has been rigorously investigated for faults, axial-flux permanent magnet machine has not. Thus in this thesis, axial-flux permanent magnet machine is investigated under faulty conditions. Common faults associated with it namely; static eccentricity and interturn short circuit are modelled, and detection techniques are established. The modelling forms a basis for; developing a platform for precise fault replication on a developed experimental test-rig, predicting and analysing fault signatures using both finite element analysis and experimental analysis. In the detection, the motor current signature analysis, vibration analysis and electrical impedance spectroscopy are applied. Attention is paid to fault-feature extraction and fault discrimination. Using both frequency and time-frequency techniques, features are tracked in the line current under steady-state and transient conditions respectively. Results obtained provide rich information on the pattern of fault harmonics. Parametric spectral estimation is also explored as an alternative to the Fourier transform in the steady-state analysis of faulty conditions. It is found to be as effective as the Fourier transform and more amenable to short signal-measurement duration. Vibration analysis is applied in the detection of eccentricities; its efficacy in fault detection is hinged on proper determination of vibratory frequencies and quantification of corresponding tones. This is achieved using analytical formulations and signal processing techniques. Furthermore, the developed fault model is used to assess the influence of cogging torque minimization techniques and rotor topologies in axial-flux permanent magnet machine on current signal in the presence of static eccentricity. The double-sided topology is found to be tolerant to the presence of static eccentricity unlike the single-sided topology due to the opposing effect of the resulting asymmetrical properties of the airgap. The cogging torque minimization techniques do not impair on the established fault detection technique in the single-sided topology. By applying electrical broadband impedance spectroscopy, interturn faults are diagnosed; a high frequency winding model is developed to analyse the impedance-frequency response obtained

Hierarchical k-nearest neighbours classification and binary differential evolution for fault diagnostics of automotive bearings operating under variable conditions

International audienc

Evaluation of machine learning techniques for electro-mechanical system diagnosis

The application of intelligent algorithms, in electro-mechanical diagnosis systems, is increasing in order to reach high Reliability and performance ratios in critical and complex scenarios. In this context, different multidimensional intelligent diagnosis systems, based on different machine learning techniques, are presented and evaluated in an electro-mechanical actuator diagnosis scheme. The used diagnosis methodology includes the acquisition of different physical magnitudes from the system, such as machine vibrations and stator currents, to enhance the monitoring capabilities. The features calculation process is based on statistical time and frequency domains features, as well as timefrequency fault indicators. A features reduction stage is, additionally, included to compress the descriptive fault information in a reduced feature set. After, different classification algorithms such as Support Vector Machines, Neural Network, k-Nearest Neighbors and Classification Trees are implemented. Classification ratios over inputs corresponding to previously learnt classes, and generalization capabilities with inputs corresponding to learnt classes slightly modified are evaluated in an experimental test bench to analyze the suitability of each algorithm for this kind of application.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author’s final draft

Comparison between unipolar and bipolar single phase grid-connected inverters for PV applications

An inverter is essential for the interfacing of photovoltaic panels with the AC network. There are many possible inverter topologies and inverter switching schemes and each one will have its own relative advantages and disadvantages. Efficiency and output current distortion are two important factors governing the choice of inverter system. In this paper, it is argued that current controlled inverters offer significant advantages from the point of view of minimisation of current distortion. Two inverter switching strategies are explored in detail. These are the unipolar current controlled inverter and the bipolar current controlled inverter. With respect to low frequency distortion, previously published works provide theoretical arguments in favour of bipolar switching. On the other hand it has also been argued that the unipolar switched inverter offers reduced switching losses and generates less EMI. On efficiency grounds, it appears that the unipolar switched inverter has an advantage. However, experimental results presented in this paper show that the level of low frequency current distortion in the unipolar switched inverter is such that it can only comply with Australian Standard 4777.2 above a minimum output current. On the other hand it is shown that at the same current levels bipolar switching results in reduced low frequency harmonics

Comparison between unipolar and bipolar single phase grid-connected inverters for PV applications

An inverter is essential for the interfacing of photovoltaic panels with the AC network. There are many possible inverter topologies and inverter switching schemes and each one will have its own relative advantages and disadvantages. Efficiency and output current distortion are two important factors governing the choice of inverter system. In this paper, it is argued that current controlled inverters offer significant advantages from the point of view of minimisation of current distortion. Two inverter switching strategies are explored in detail. These are the unipolar current controlled inverter and the bipolar current controlled inverter. With respect to low frequency distortion, previously published works provide theoretical arguments in favour of bipolar switching. On the other hand it has also been argued that the unipolar switched inverter offers reduced switching losses and generates less EMI. On efficiency grounds, it appears that the unipolar switched inverter has an advantage. However, experimental results presented in this paper show that the level of low frequency current distortion in the unipolar switched inverter is such that it can only comply with Australian Standard 4777.2 above a minimum output current. On the other hand it is shown that at the same current levels bipolar switching results in reduced low frequency harmonics

Diagnosis of induction motor faults via gabor analysis of the current in transient regime

© 2011 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permissíon from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertisíng or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.[EN] Time-frequency analysis of the transient current in induction motors (IMs) is the basis of the transient motor current signature analysis diagnosis method. IM faults can be accurately identified by detecting the characteristic pattern that each type of fault produces in the time-frequency plane during a speed transient. Diverse transforms have been proposed to generate a 2-D time-frequency representation of the current, such as the short time Fourier transform (FT), the wavelet transform, or the Wigner-Ville distribution. However, a fine tuning of their parameters is needed in order to obtain a high-resolution image of the fault in the time-frequency domain, and they also require a much higher processing effort than traditional diagnosis techniques, such as the FT. The new method proposed in this paper addresses both problems using the Gabor analysis of the current via the chirp z-transform, which can be easily adapted to generate high-resolution time-frequency stamps of different types of faults. In this paper, it is used to diagnose broken bars and mixed eccentricity faults of an IM using the current during a startup transient. This new approach is theoretically introduced and experimentally validated with a 1.1-kW commercial motor in faulty and healthy conditions. © 2012 IEEE.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion (MICINN) in the framework of the VI Plan Nacional de Investigacion Cientifica, Desarrollo e Innovacion Tecnologica 2008-2011. (Programa Nacional de proyectos de Investigacion Fundamental, project reference DPI2011-23740). The Associate Editor coordinating the review process for this paper was Dr. Subhas Mukhopadhyay.Riera-Guasp, M.; Pineda-Sanchez, M.; Pérez-Cruz, J.; Puche-Panadero, R.; Roger-Folch, J.; Antonino-Daviu, J. (2012). Diagnosis of induction motor faults via gabor analysis of the current in transient regime. IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement. 61(6):1583-1596. doi:10.1109/TIM.2012.2186650S1583159661

Minimization of power loss in newfangled cascaded H-bridge multilevel inverter using in-phase disposition PWM and wavelet transform based fault diagnosis

AbstractNowadays multilevel inverters (MLIs) have been preferred over conventional two-level inverters due to reduced harmonic distortions, lower electromagnetic interference, and higher DC link voltages. However, the increased number of components, complex PWM control, voltage-balancing problem, and component failure in the circuit are some of the disadvantages. The topology suggested in this paper provides a DC voltage in the shape of a staircase that approximates the rectified shape of a commanded sinusoidal wave to the bridge inverter, which in turn alternates the polarity to produce an AC voltage with low total harmonic distortion and power loss. This topology requires fewer components and hence it leads to the reduction of overall cost and complexity particularly for higher output voltage levels. The component fault diagnostic algorithm is developed using wavelets transform tool. Finally an experimental prototype is developed and validated with the simulation results