Search Results (76)

Reliable detection of the rotor winding faults in the doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) is crucial for the resilience of the variable speed energy systems. High-resistance connection (HRC) and inter-turn short circuit (ITSC) faults cause current distortions that are remarkably similar, and the rapid rotor side dynamics and the DFIG multimode operation ability also make fault diagnosis more difficult. This paper proposes a three-layer diagnostic framework named ZSC-CASI-CADI which leverages three-phase rotor currents in conjunction with rotor zero-sequence current (ZSC) for comprehensive rotor winding fault diagnosis. Fault detection is realized through ZSC magnitude and the Cosine Angle Spread Indicator (CASI) enables the strong discrimination between HRC and ITSC faults using the dispersion of rotor current phasors from the ZSC reference. Fault localization is achieved using the Current Angle Difference Indicator (CADI), which determines the faulty rotor phase through the angular deviations in rotor currents from the ZSC. The methodology is verified with extensive simulation results to demonstrate the accurate, real-time fault detection, discrimination, and localization of DFIG rotor winding faults under different load and rotor speed conditions including sub-synchronous and super-synchronous modes. The results show that the proposed framework provides a light and effective solution for rotor winding fault monitoring of the DFIG systems. Full article

High volume pencil manufacturing often generates substantial material waste due to a small proportion of products having missing or recessed graphite leads. Standard vision-based quality control processes discard entire wooden slats that carry any faulty pencils, causing excessive waste of usable wood and graphite resources. This study describes the design and implementation of a laser triangulation-based inspection system for lead defect detection after individual pencils are cut from the slat. The system combines a two-dimensional laser profile scanner with synchronized triggering sensors and a programmable logic controller (PLC)-controlled pneumatic rejection unit. Using the systematic design methodology for VDI 2221, a functional prototype was developed, which was then tested in a simulated production system with a throughput of up to 200 pencils per minute. The proposed system was able to detect missing and recessed leads highly accurately and correctly classified 98–100% of pencils without false rejections of acceptable products. The most common type of defect was missing or deeply recessed lead with an accuracy of 98.5%, and the less common partial-lead fractures had a lower percentage of detection of nearly 92% due to geometric sensitivity. The developed inline inspection system was successful in identifying and rejecting defective pencils without the waste of materials and provided a viable alternative of economical implementation with less than a one-year payback period. Through its increased resource efficiency and decreased raw material waste, the proposed system contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, namely SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). Full article

Among gearbox faults, gear tooth faults are dominant. Although the traditional vibration spectrum analysis method is the mainstream diagnostic method, it has limitations such as sensitivity to environmental noise and high sensor deployment cost. Based on the influence of the meshing stiffness of the faulty gear on the dynamic transmission error of the gear, this study innovatively proposes to use the transmission error to diagnose and identify typical gear tooth faults. This paper first calculates the time-varying stiffness of typical faulty gear teeth based on the potential energy method, and analyzes the influence of various faults and environmental noise on the dynamic transmission error signal and vibration signal by establishing a six-degree-of-freedom gear transmission dynamics model. Then, a gear transmission experimental platform is built to synchronously collect the vibration acceleration and transmission error data of the gearbox. The convolutional neural network is used to classify the data under different sample lengths and different noise intensities. The results show that the transmission error signal under the same conditions has a higher gear fault diagnosis accuracy. The proposed method can not only improve the accuracy and anti-interference of gear fault diagnosis but also reduce the deployment cost of signal acquisition, providing a new paradigm for gear condition monitoring. Full article

The 2 × 25 kV flexible traction power supply system (FTPSS), using a three-phase-single-phase converter as its power source, effectively addresses the challenges of neutral section transitions and power quality issues inherent in traditional power supply systems (TPSSs). However, the bidirectional fault current and low short-circuit current characteristics degrade the effectiveness of traditional TPSS protection schemes. This paper analyzes the fault characteristics of FTPSS and proposes a fault identification method based on empirical wavelet transform (EWT) and 1-sequence faulty energy. First, a composite sequence network model is developed to reveal the characteristics of three typical fault types, including ground faults and inter-line short circuits. The 1-sequence differential faulty energy is then calculated. Since the 1-sequence component is unaffected by the leakage impedance of autotransformers (ATs), the proposed method uses this feature to distinguish the TPSS faults from disturbances caused by electric multiple units (EMUs). Second, EWT is used to decompose the 1-sequence faulty energy, and relevant components are selected by permutation entropy. The fault variance derived from these components enables reliable identification of TPSS faults, effectively avoiding misjudgment caused by AT excitation inrush or harmonic disturbances from EMUs. Finally, real-time digital simulator experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. The fault identification method possesses high tolerance to transition impedance performance and does not require synchronized current measurements from both sides of the TPSS. Full article

Model predictive control offers high-performance regulation for multiphase drives but is critically dependent on the accuracy of mathematical models for prediction, making it vulnerable to parameter mismatches and uncertainties. To achieve parameter-independent control across both healthy and faulty operations, this paper proposes a novel dynamic mode decomposition with control (DMDc)-based model predictive current control (MPCC) scheme for five-phase permanent magnet synchronous motors. The core innovation lies in constructing discrete-time state-space models directly from operational data via the open-loop DMDc identification, completely eliminating reliance on explicit motor parameters. Furthermore, an improved fault-tolerant strategy is developed to mitigate the torque ripple induced by inter-turn short-circuit (ITSC) faults. This strategy estimates the key fault characteristic, the product of the short-circuit ratio and current, through a spectral decomposition of the AC component in the q-axis current variations, bypassing the need for complex parameter-dependent observers. The derived compensation currents are seamlessly integrated into the predictive control loop. Experimental results comprehensively validate the effectiveness of the proposed framework, demonstrating a performance comparable to a conventional MPCC under healthy conditions and a significant reduction in torque ripple under ITSC fault conditions, all achieved without any prior knowledge of motor parameters or the retuning of controller gains. Full article

This article presents the simulation results of inter-turn short circuits in the stator winding of a permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) dedicated for small hydroelectric power plants. During the calculations, a field–circuit model is used via ANSYS software. The simulations were performed for both a fault-free generator and faulty generator with various degrees of short-circuited turns under various operating conditions. The degree of stator winding damage is modeled by changing the number of shorted turns in one phase. The studied generator has a two-layer stator winding made of winding wire. In addition, it is made of three parallel branches. In this way, a more difficult-to-detect condition is simulated. We analyzed the influences of short-circuit fault on the magnetic field and their impact on generator behavior. The analysis of the obtained results indicates the possibility of using the measurement of the stator current histogram, higher-order harmonics of the stator current, back electromotive force (back EMF), phase current growth, and power factor fluctuations for early detection of an inter-turn short circuit. Full article

DFIG rotor windings face high stress and transients from back-to-back converters, causing inter-turn short circuit (ITSC) faults. Rapid rotor-side dynamics, combined with the unique capability of DFIG to operate in multiple modes, make the fault detection in rotor windings more challenging. This paper presents a comprehensive methodology for online ITSC fault diagnosis in DFIG rotor windings based on zero-sequence current (ZSC) component analysis under variable operating conditions. Fault features are identified and defined through the analytical evaluation of the DFIG mathematical model. Further, a simple yet effective algorithm is presented for online implementation of the proposed methodology. Finally, the simulation of the DFIG model is carried out in MATLAB/Simulink under both sub-synchronous and super-synchronous modes, covering a range of variable loads and low-frequency conditions, along with different fault severity levels of ITSC in rotor windings. Simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed methodology for online ITSC fault detection at a low-severity stage and precise location identification of the faulty phase within the DFIG rotor windings under both sub-synchronous and super-synchronous modes. Full article

Due to the construction damage of high-density polyethylene film (HDPE) during the early stages of landfill construction and missed or faulty welding, this paper proposes a method based on the synchronous characteristic temperature differences between defective and intact areas of HDPE film. An image feature-edge-picking algorithm was used to detect various defects. First, under the action of a continuous heat source, infrared images of different types of defects on the surface of HDPE films were collected, and we recorded the temperature of different areas on the film surface. We also analyzed the changes in the temperatures of the complete and defect areas over time and extracted the temperature characteristic curves. Second, the contour characteristics of hidden defects in the weld area were analyzed. The image with the most substantial temperature difference resolution was selected and preliminary noise reduction was performed. Further enhancement of the edges was carried out using the guided image-filtering (GIF) algorithm, which was improved by using the edge-aware weighting in weighted guided image filtering (WGIF) and the weighted aggregation mechanism in weighted aggregated guided image filtering (WAGIF). Finally, the Canny operator was used to detect the edges of the processed images to recognize the contour of the welding defect. The best pixel image was extracted, the pixel comparison relationship was used to quantitatively detect the defect size of the HDPE film and the error between the image defect size and the actual size was analyzed. The experimental results show that the model could identify the surface defects on HDPE film during construction and could obtain the approximate outline and size of the hidden defects in the welding area. Full article

Motor current analysis is useful for ensuring the safety and reliability of electromechanical systems. However, for gearboxes, the commonly used methods of detecting faulty frequency sidebands are easily disturbed by installation errors, inherent harmonics, and fundamental frequency with high amplitude. Aiming at this problem, this study presents instantaneous frequency polarview (IFpolarview), which diagnoses faults based on motor angle and motor current frequency modulation (FM) features. Firstly, to address the problem of the limited analysis order of higher-order synchrosqueezing transform (HSST), the higher-order multisynchrosqueezing transform (HMSST) is introduced to improve the instantaneous frequency (IF) estimation accuracy and reveal the transient fault features from the motor current without further increasing the order and algorithm difficulty. Then, based on the motor angle and accurate motor current IF extracted from HMSST, the IFpolarview is proposed to visualize gear faults through detecting the FM of motor current synchronized with the faulty gear mesh. In the simulation, the IF estimation error of HMSST is 2.51%, which is smaller than other methods. The experimental results show that the HMSST has the smallest Rényi entropy value of 9.13, implying that the most aggregated time–frequency representation (TFR) of the energy is obtained. HMSST can enhance the resolution of fault characteristics, and IFpolarview concentrates the abnormal IF fluctuations with periodicity into a small angular interval, which highlights the fault features and demonstrates greater intuitiveness and reliability in comparison to the frequency sideband detection method. Full article

The growing demand for higher reliability and efficiency in modern electric drives, coupled with the increasing adoption of multi-phase machines, has necessitated advancements in fault-tolerant control strategies. This paper presents a fault tolerance analysis for a six-phase permanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM) connected to a five-level cascaded H-bridge converter, employing a level-shift pulse width modulation (LSPWM) technique. Unlike existing strategies, this work integrates a unique combination of three key innovations: first, a fault detection mechanism capable of identifying faults in both machine phases and inverter legs with high precision; second, an open-circuit fault compensation strategy that dynamically reconfigures the faulty inverter phase leg into a two-level topology to reduce losses and preserve healthy switches; and third, a modified closed-loop control method designed specifically to mitigate the adverse effects of short-circuit faults while maintaining system stability. The proposed approach is validated through rigorous simulations in Simulink and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) tests, demonstrating its robustness and applicability in high-reliability applications. Full article

Faulty synchronizations of synchronous generators can cause significant detrimental effects, primarily due to a large current and high electromagnetic torque. These effects not only impact the generator but they can also extend to the prime mover and the step-up transformer. Furthermore, such events can trigger disturbances in the power system, potentially leading to system collapse if not promptly cleared. Although the autosynchronizers and synchro-check technologies are well established in the industry, faulty synchronizations, such as those caused by incorrect wiring during maintenance or commissioning operations, can go undetected by these systems. Existing protections do not allow for the detection of faulty synchronizations in a timely manner. This paper presents novel protection methods specifically designed for this issue: one based on instantaneous current value and the other on the instantaneous current-derivative value. These schemes are activated exclusively during the synchronizations process, allowing for faster fault detection compared to existing methods, thereby reducing the duration of harmful electrical and mechanical stresses after a faulty synchronization. The effectiveness of the proposed schemes has been validated through computer simulations of a 362 MVA turbo-generator from a thermal power plant and also through experimental tests on a 5 kVA synchronous generator using a specialized laboratory synchronization test bench, yielding promising results. Full article

In this paper, the fault-tolerant operation of an electric-drive-reconstructed onboard charger (EDROC) designed on the basis of an asymmetrical six-phase permanent magnet synchronous machine (ASPMSM) drive is studied and discussed for cases where an open-phase fault (OPF) occurs in any phase. The fault-tolerant operation is realized by rearranging the stator currents, aiming to eliminate the rotating field caused by the OPFs and to ensure the balance of grid currents. Each faulty case is discussed, and the rearranging scheme of stator currents is deduced. Meanwhile, a controller shared for both healthy and faulty cases is designed. Finally, some experiments are conducted to verify the theoretical analyses. Full article

Quay cranes (QCs) play a vital role in automated container terminals (ACTs), and once a QC malfunctions, it will seriously affect the operation efficiency of ships being loaded and unloaded by the QC. In this study, we investigate an integrated scheduling problem of quay cranes (QCs), yard cranes (YCs), and automated guided vehicles (AGVs) under QC faults, which is aimed at minimizing the loading and unloading time by determining the range of adjacent operational QCs of the faulty QCs and reallocating unfinished container handling tasks of QCs. A mixed integer programming model is formulated to dispatch QCs, YCs, and AGVs in ACTs. To solve the model, an adaptive two-stage NSGA-II algorithm is proposed. Numerical experiments show that the proposed algorithm can significantly reduce the impact of faulty QCs on productivity while maintaining its synchronous loading and unloading efficiency. The sensitivity analysis of ship scale, location, and number of faulty QCs indicates that the number of faulty QCs has a greater influence on the loading and unloading efficiency than their locations, and the impact of faulty QCs on the efficiency of small-scale ships is greater than that of large-scale ships. Full article

In this article, an optimized fault-tolerant control (FTC) method without current judgement is proposed for open-switch faults (OSFs) in dual three-phase permanent magnet synchronous motor (DTPMSM) drives. The reason for the torque ripple under OSFs has been investigated. The theoretical analysis reveals a significant increase in torque ripple under OSFs. Then, an optimized FTC method is proposed for a DTPMSM with two isolated neutral points. The proposed method maintains the original control scheme, enabling the smooth transitions of current and torque between faulty operation and FTC without introducing noticeable torque ripples. In addition, the universality and robustness are enhanced by eliminating the need for current judgement, thereby avoiding misjudgments due to sinusoidal current zero crossings, sudden load, or speed changes. The experimental results are presented to validate the effectiveness of the proposed FTC strategy under OSFs on a laboratory DTPMSM. Full article

Fused deposition modeling (FDM), a method of additive manufacturing (AM), comprises the extrusion of materials via a nozzle and the subsequent combining of the layers to create 3D-printed objects. FDM is a widely used method for 3D-printing objects since it is affordable, effective, and easy to use. Some defects such as poor infill, elephant foot, layer shift, and poor surface finish arise in the FDM components at the printing stage due to variations in printing parameters such as printing speed, change in nozzle, or bed temperature. Proper fault classification is required to identify the cause of faulty products. In this work, the multi-sensory data are gathered using different sensors such as vibration, current, temperature, and sound sensors. The data acquisition is performed by using the National Instrumentation (NI) Data Acquisition System (DAQ) which provides the synchronous multi-sensory data for the model training. To induce the faults, the data are captured under different conditions such as variations in printing speed, temperate, and jerk during the printing. The collected data are used to train the machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) classification models to classify the variation in printing parameters. The ML models such as k-nearest neighbor (KNN), decision tree (DT), extra trees (ET), and random forest (RF) with convolutional neural network (CNN) as a DL model are used to classify the variable operation printing parameters. Out of the available models, in ML models, the RF classifier shows a classification accuracy of around 91% whereas, in the DL model, the CNN model shows good classification performance with accuracy ranging from 92 to 94% under variable operating conditions. Full article