On-line rotor cage monitoring of inverter-fed induction machines by means of an improved method

This paper suggests a fault-detection technique to monitor defects such as cracked rotor bars in induction machines. It has been introduced as the Vienna monitoring method. Rotor bar faults cause an asymmetric magnetic flux pattern in the air gap. Thus, the current phasor (or voltage phasor at current-controlled machines), flux phasor and air-gap torque differ from those of an ideal symmetric machine. The Vienna monitoring method compares the outputs of a reference model, which represents an ideal machine, to a measurement model. Observing the deviations of these two models makes it possible to detect and even locate rotor faults. It can be applied to inverter-fed machines as no frequency analysis is used. The method is verified by online experimental results from a DSP-controlled IGBT inverter drive. The findings match the outcomes of a detailed machine simulation. Air-gap flux density evaluation by a measurement coil system proves both the excellent sensitivity and fault location ability of the proposed scheme.