Mechanical Fault Diagnostic in PMSM from Only One Current Measurement: A Tacholess Order Tracking Approach

This article presents a mechanical fault diagnosis methodology in synchronous machines using only a single current measurement in variable speed conditions. The proposed methodology uses order tracking in order to sample the analysis signal as a function of the rotor angle. The spectrum of the signal is then independent of speed and it could be employed in frequency analysis. Order tracking is usually applied using rotor position measurement. In this work, the proposed method uses one current measurement to estimate the position as well as the analysis signal (rotation speed). Furthermore, a statistical approach is used to create a complete diagnosis protocol. At variable speed and with only one current measurement the diagnosis is challenging. However, order tracking will allow simpler analysis. The method is proved in simulations and experimental set-up.