Transient Analysis of Partial Armature Short Circuit in an Electronically Commutated Permanent Magnet Motor System using an Integrated Nonlinear Magnetic Field-Network Model

The simulation of the dynamic performance characteristics of an electronically commutated brushless dc machine system with radially oriented permanent magnets, which is experiencing a partial short in one of its phases, is reported in this paper. The newly introduced integrated field network (IFN) method was used throughout this work. The IFN method, which is detailed in a companion paper, is based on simultaneously solving the dynamic equations of the machine system network, using machine winding parameters (inductances and emfs) which are determined from numerical solutions of the nonlinear magnetic field prevailing in the machine cores for the corresponding winding currents. These field solutions and corresponding machine parameters are updated at every time step of the solution of the dynamic equations. The results presented here document effects of the shorting of a portion of an armature phase winding on the dynamic performance of a 15 hp (11.2 kw), 120 volts samarium-cobalt permanent magnet brushless dc motor. A comparison of the current, inductance, enf, torque and power time profiles of the motor system with and without partial armature winding failure (short) is given here. These studies are of importance in motor system security and redundancy considerations. The dramatic change of the values of machine parameters upon occurrence of the partial short circuits demonstrate that conventional solution methods would have left much to be desired.