Radial electro-magnetic field analysis of induction motor under faulty condition using FEM

In industrial applications, condition monitoring of induction motors (IM) is an inevitable process. Various methods are adopted to detect different faults in induction motors. In this paper, a simulation study on the flux distribution of the motor under faulty conditions is made using Finite Element Method (FEM). The effect of radial flux density in the air gap is analyzed under steady-state and phase to phase short circuit fault conditions. FEM considers the mapping of stator winding and rotor bar distribution physically, offering a more accurate fault prediction compared to other simulation tools. The analysis is carried out for the IM when directly connected to the mains and also when fed from a pulse width modulated (PWM) voltage source inverter in open loop. ANSYS Maxwell Finite element analysis (FEA) software is used for designing the IM, and Co-simulated using ANSYS Simplorer for implementation of open-loop PWM inverter drive. In Induction motors, during fault conditions, the radial flux components cause torque components giving rise to magnetic noise.