Failure Simulator of the Induction Machine

Abstract

To ensure the continuous operation of the three-phase induction motor and production, researchers have been developing techniques for monitoring the machine’s operating conditions to prevent the development of faults and unplanned shutdowns of the drive. For that, it is essential to understand the impact of faults on the motor’s characteristics. In this regard, proposals for the machine’s equations are available in the literature, reproducing the physical phenomenon with data that the user typically possesses, which are the parameters used in the classical symmetrical model. In this work, a simulator with a graphical interface was developed, allowing the user to input motor parameters, load, power supply system, percentage of shorted turns, number of broken bars, and intensity of mechanical failure, and analyze current, flux, speed, and torque characteristics for various operating points, in both transient and steady-state conditions. Python programming language was utilized, as it is a freely available and widely used language in the scientific community. The complete algorithm was transformed into a Windows executable application, enabling its utilization on any machine running this operating system. Additionally, the work presents two contributions to the asymmetrical model to allow an analysis of the situation before a short-circuit fault, corresponding to low insulation, and before bar breakage, corresponding to small cracks.