Multiple Open-Circuit Faults Diagnosis in Six-Phase Induction Motor Drives Using Stator Current Analysis

In recent years, multiphase machines have been presented as a good alternative to the classical three-phase machines due to their ability to operate under fault-tolerant conditions. However, the transition from pre- to post-fault control needs a reliable fault diagnostics algorithm. Accordingly, this article presents a reliable diagnostics approach that allows the detection and identification of multiple open-switches and open-phase faults in power converters fed six-phase induction motors, including adjacent and nonadjacent phases. The proposed method provides normalized numerical signatures from the measured output currents without requiring either tuning effort or detection thresholds. The reliability and robustness of the proposed algorithm are proven through experimental tests.