Reduction of Shaft Voltages and Bearing Currents in Five-Phase Induction Motor

Induction motors are commonly used in numerous industrial applications. To maintain a reliable operation of the motor, it is important to identify the potential faults that may cause the motor to fail. Bearing failures are one of the main causes of motor breakdown. The causes of bearing damage have been studied in detail for a long time. In some cases, bearing failed due to the current passing through them. In this thesis, bearing currents in an inverter driven five-phase induction motor are studied and a new solution is proposed.

First, theory of shaft voltage and bearing current are presented. The causes are identified and current solutions are discussed. Then, new switching patterns are proposed for the five-phase induction motor. The new schemes apply a modified algorithm for the space vector pulse-width-modulation (SVPWM). The system is simulated and the results of the new switching patterns are compared with the conventional switching pattern. Finally, the new schemes are experimentally tested using a digital signal processor (DSP) to drive the five-phase IGBT inverter. The experimental results verified that the new switching pattern could reduce shaft voltages and bearing current without affecting the performance.