Method and apparatus for detection, classification and reduction of

Abstract

A winding fault detection system provides classification and identification of winding faults or winding malfunctions. The fault detection system provides signals to individual electronic switches for segmented primary windings each having an electrical phase and grouped into sub-phases which are individually switch into or out of an excitation supply or isolated through the electronic switching in response to signals from the winding fault detection system. Each primary winding forms an electrical member which includes a stator having a poly-phase winding, and there is a secondary electrical member magnetically coupled with the stator. Each primary has magnetic field sensors which detect phase angle and magnitudes of radial components of air gap flux by magnetic measurement probes between each secondary electrical member and each primary electrical member and derives an electrical signal for a component of air gap flux contributing to electromagnetic torque at each position of each stator's periphery. Additionally, the system instantaneously stores data continuously derived from the magnetic sensors and determines a hierarchy of fault detection schemes.