Method of processing signals of stator currents of induction motor to diagnose broken rotor bar

The study is relevant due to high requirements to the reliability of the operation of auxiliary mechanisms of thermal power plants (TPP). The main source of mechanical power of auxiliary mechanisms of TPPs is high-voltage induction motor with squirrel cage rotor (IMSC). One of the most difficult causes of emergency shutdown to detect early is a broken rotor bar. The breakage of IMSC rotor bar is of latent character. It can be for a long time without considerable influence on the machine operation mode. Nevertheless, the fact of the breakage can be considered as an emergency condition of IMSC, and the consequences of leaving the groove of the magnetic core are irreversible. Scientifically, early diagnostics of IMSC rotor bars breakage of TPP auxiliary needs is both a difficult and extremely urgent task. The existing methods of diagnostics of such damage are based on measurement and analysis of vibration and acoustic physical quantities. The most common electrical parameter, used as a source of information, as a rule, is current consumption. And most of methods are based on Fourier analysis. The purpose of the study is to develop a mathematical algorithm to process digitized curves of stator phase currents to diagnose high-voltage IMSC. The theory of electric machines, the method of analytical approximation of experimental data, the method of regression analysis have been used to solve the problem. Experimental data is obtained, and testing of the algorithm is conducted on an experimental installation with a 0,4 kV induction motor with a modified design of the active part of the rotor developed for physical simulation of IMSC broken rotor bar. This paper proposes a new method of digital processing of stator current signals based on the regression analysis method for diagnostics of IMSC rotor winding. The authors have developed an algorithm for mathematical processing of digitized stator current curves based on regression analysis in the cosine-sine basis to identify the diagnostic sign of failure of one rotor bar of IMSC rotor. The authors have determined the number of harmonic components that best describe the initial signal from the point of view of the balance between saving computational resources and accuracy of approximation. A mathematical algorithm to detect the rotor bar breakage of an induction motor based on regression analysis of stator currents has been obtained and tested. It allows to detect rotor circuit damage with 97 % accuracy. At the same time the diagnostic sign changes its level when one bar breaks by 5 %. It is recommended to adapt the algorithm to the programming languages of microprocessor relay protection units.