Online Interturn Short-Circuit Fault Diagnosis in Induction Motors Operating Under Unbalanced Supply Voltage and Load Variations, Using the STLSP Technique

It is well known that the most common reason for electrical machines breakdown is the stator windings’ fault occurrence. Indeed, this type of fault represents almost 40% of faults occurring in induction machines. One of the major causes of stator defects is the occurrence of interturn short-circuit (ITSC) faults that have critical and dangerous effects on the motor itself, as well as on the related electrical equipment. Therefore, early detection and a precise severity estimation of the occurrence of ITSC faults for all working conditions can prevent failure breakdowns and increase reliability and safety of industrial facilities. In this context, this article proposes an efficient online diagnostics method based on calculating and monitoring a pertinent severity factor defined as the ratio between the zero and positive voltage symmetrical components. The online implementation of this method is performed on a LabVIEW environment, using the short-time least square Prony's (STLSP) method. It does not need any estimation of motor parameters and it requires only voltage sensors. Several tests under healthy and faulty conditions are carried out on a three-phase 3-kW induction motor. The obtained results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method for diagnosing the occurrence of ITSC faults with high reliability, fastness, and high precision, even under load variations or unbalanced supply voltage.