Detection of rotor slot and other eccentricity related harmonics in a three phase induction motor with different rotor cages

Detection of rotor slot and other eccentricity related harmonics in the line current of a three phase induction motor is important both from the viewpoint of sensorless speed estimation as well as eccentricity related fault detection. However, it is now clear that not all three phase induction motors are capable of generating such harmonics in the line current. Recent research has shown that the presence of these harmonics is primarily dependent on the number of rotor slots and the number of fundamental pole pairs of the machine. While the number of fundamental pole pairs of a three phase induction motor usually is within one to four (higher pole pairs are generally avoided due to increased magnetizing current), the number of rotor slots can vary widely. The present paper investigates this phenomenon further and obtains a hitherto nebulous theoretical basis for the experimentally verified results. Detailed coupled magnetic circuit simulation results are presented for a four pole, three phase induction motor with 44, 43, and 42 rotor slots under healthy, static, dynamic and mixed eccentricity conditions. The simulation is flexible enough to accommodate other pole numbers also. These simulations are helpful in quantifying the predicted harmonics under different combinations of load, pole pair numbers, rotor slots and eccentricity conditions, thus making the problem easier for drive designers or diagnostic tools' developers. Data from three different induction machines, namely, a 4 pole, 44 bar, 3 HP, a 4 pole, 28 bar, 3 HP, and a 2 pole, 39 bar, 100 HP motor have been used to verify the results experimentally. The simulation and the experimental results clearly validate the theoretical findings put forward in this paper.