Detection and Localization of Incipient High Resistance Connection for Asymmetrical Twelve-Phase Induction Motor Drives

Multiphase induction motors are receiving more and more interest in applications where safety and high reliability of operation are key items. Thus, condition monitoring of stator faults is crucial for guaranteeing high motor performance and efficiency. In this paper the behavior of an asymmetrical twelve-phase induction motor, with quadruple three-phase winding configuration, is investigated under high resistance connections affecting the stator windings. The analysis leads to a simple and effective methodology for detecting and localizing stator high resistance connections at incipient stage. The proposed approach is based on the computation of the voltage space vectors evaluated in the available four α-β planes. The performance of the proposed strategy is confirmed by means of numerical simulations.