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University of Victoria (Canada)

Impact of pulse width modulation schemes In eccentricity fault detection using current signature analysis

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

Among various motor issues, eccentricity faults pose significant challenges, leading to vibrations, reduced efficiency, and potential failure if undetected. Motor Current Signature Analysis (MCSA) is a widely used technique for diagnosing such faults, particularly in line-fed motors. However, the effectiveness of MCSA based on the modulation scheme employed in inverter-driven setup is underexplored. This thesis addresses this gap by analyzing the impact of Sinusoidal Pulse Width Modulation (SPWM) and Selective Harmonic Elimination (SHE) on diagnosing eccentricity faults in three-phase synchronous motor drives. The study involves a three-phase, 2 kW, 208 V, 1800 rpm synchronous motor driven by an inverter, which is controlled via a Raspberry Pi Pico2 microcontroller. Using Sinusoidal PWM (SPWM) and Selective Harmonic Elimination (SHE) modulation schemes, the research examines their influence on motor current signatures, focusing on harmonic distortion and the detectability of eccentricity faults. A comprehensive experimental setup is developed to analyze both healthy and fault-induced conditions with varying eccentricity levels. Current signals are processed through Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to extract fault-relevant spectral features and assess the sensitivity of each modulation method. The results emphasize the differences in the frequency spectra produced by pulse-width modulation systems, uncovering unexpected behaviors and trends as eccentricity increases. They also demonstrate how much easier it is to observe the magnitude and growth of specific fault frequencies when the system is connected directly to the electrical grid, compared to when it operates under pulse width modulation schemes.

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Espinoza Velez, Christian Omar
Advisors dc:contributor.supervisor
  • Thirumarai Chelvan, Ilamparithi Thirumarai
  • Popli, Navneet

Subjects

dc:subject × 8

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • Available to the World Wide Web
Language dc:language.iso
en, English

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Handle dc:identifier.uri
https://hdl.handle.net/1828/23029
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:dspace.library.uvic.ca:1828/23029

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
University of Victoria (Canada)
Base URL
dspace.library.uvic.ca/server/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Espinoza Velez, Christian Omar. Impact of pulse width modulation schemes In eccentricity fault detection using current signature analysis. 2025. https://hdl.handle.net/1828/23029