Performance Analysis of Saturated Induction Motors by Virtual Tests

Many undergraduate-level electrical machines textbooks give detailed treatments of the performance of induction motors. Students can deepen this understanding of motor performance by performing the appropriate practical work in laboratories or in simulation using proper software packages. This paper considers various common and less-common tests for induction motors performance analysis, and their simulations using MATLAB/Simulink. These tests are the no-load test, the locked-rotor test, and the load test, as well as two new tests introduced to determine breakdown and starting torques. A saturable model allows magnetic saturation effects to be simulated, which helps students to recognize the importance of saturation impact upon induction motor performance.