Detection of interturn faults in PMSMs with different winding configurations

• Interturn faults in PMSMs may lead to severe consequences.
• By analyzing specific current and ZSVC harmonics these faults may be diagnosed.
• The winding configuration greatly affects the currents and ZSVC harmonic content.
• Interturn faults may be diagnosed by analyzing the third currents harmonics.
• The analysis of the first, fifth and seventh ZSVC harmonics is also useful.

Interturn faults in permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) may develop fast into more severe faults such as coil-to-coil, phase-to-phase and phase-to-ground short circuits. These faults are very destructive and may irreversibly damage the PMSM. Therefore, it is highly desirable to develop suitable methods for the early detection of such faults. The effects of interturn faults are visible in both the stator currents and the zero-sequence voltage component (ZSVC) spectra. By designing appropriate fault diagnosis schemes based on the analysis of the harmonic content of such electric variables it is possible to detect short circuit faults in its early stage. However, the stator winding configuration of the PMSM deeply impacts the harmonic content of both spectra. This paper studies the effects of different stator winding configurations in both the stator currents and the ZSVC spectra of healthy and faulty machines. Results presented may help to develop fault diagnosis schemes based on the acquisition and further analysis of the stator currents and/or the ZSVC harmonic components.