Simplified detection of broken rotor bars in induction motors controlled in field reference frame

In this paper, a simple method for additional on-line detection of broken rotor bars in a squirrel cage induction motor controlled in rotor field co-ordinates using existing hardware is presented. Based on a previously presented approach, an algorithm for on-line calculation of the variance of stator voltage reference, which depends on the number of broken bars, has been developed. Due to its simplicity, it could run in parallel with a standard control algorithm in field reference frame using contemporary fixed- and floating-point processors, thus requiring minimum processing time. The algorithm uses internal reference values of the stator voltage; therefore no additional dedicated measurements are needed. Results were obtained at different operating points on an induction motor with gradually damaged rotor. Comparison with commonly used diagnostic method confirms the validity of the approach.