Method and device for inspecting laminated iron cores of electrical machines for interlamination shorts

• US 6,815,957 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2002
• Issued: 11/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Electric Technology GmbH (GE Aerospace)
• Original Assignee: Alstom Limited (Alstom SA)
• Inventors: Nodwell, Eric, Hobelsberger, Max, Posedel, Zlatimir, Kirchhoff, Ingo
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dole, Timothy J.
• Application Number:
  US10/147,085
• Publication Number:
  US 20030057961A1
• Time in Patent Office: 907 Days
• Field of Search: 324/545, 324/233, 324/242, 324/521
• US Class Current: 324/545
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/9046 by analysing electrical signals
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/34 Testing dynamo-electric machines

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method, an apparatus and a computer program for inspecting laminated iron cores (1) of electrical machines for interlamination shorts, in which the laminated iron core (1) is magnetized by means of an auxiliary winding, and the iron surface is scanned by means of at least one measurement coil arrangement (2) with a downstream measurement device. In this case, unique and quantifiable localization of interlamination shorts is achieved by using both the phase (8) and the amplitude (7) of the electrical signal which is induced in the at least one measurement coil arrangement (2), in combined form.

Claims

1. A method for inspecting laminated iron cores of electrical machines for interlamination shorts, in which the laminated iron core is magnetized by means of an auxiliary winding using alternating current, and the iron surface is scanned by means of at least one measurement coil arrangement with a downstream measurement device, wherein as measurement points both the phase and the amplitude of the electrical signal which is induced in the at least one measurement coil arrangement as a function of the position along the stator axis are used in combined form to localize interlamination shorts, wherein interlamination shorts are localized by means of a real part of the induced electrical signal, which is high in comparison to the intact regions, and wherein the high real part is determined by means of a polar representation of the sequence of measurement points, with the real part defining the vector direction and being determined by a calibration measurement.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one further measurement coil arrangement, which is electrically isolated from a first measurement coil arrangement is used, and is radially at a distance but is mechanically connected to the first measurement coil arrangement, and both the phase and the amplitude of the at least two electrical signals, which are induced in the at least two measurement coil arrangements, are used to localize interlamination shorts, in particular to localize them in the radial direction.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the induced electrical signals are compared with signals which correspond to the interlamination short currents, with a calibration current coil with an appropriate width being mounted on the surface of the laminated iron core as a reference for this purpose, and being fed with an appropriate interlamination short current.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the volt-amperes in an interlamination short are determined quantitatively by comparison with the reference.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the laminated iron core is magnetized in particular via the rotor shaft from a high-power supply source which is connected between the two machine sides, in particular on the insulated shaft.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the laminated iron core is magnetized in a range from 0.03 to 0.7 Tesla, with a voltage of 220 volts or 110 volts at a frequency ranging from 50 Hz to 60 Hz.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the laminated iron core is magnetized at approximately 0.1 Tesla, with a voltage of 220 volts or 110 volts at a frequency ranging from 50 Hz to 60 Hz.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one measurement coil arrangement is shifted on the laminated iron core in the axial direction, and, in the process, the induced signals are determined, in particular in the form of a fingerprint, as a function of the position of the measurement coil arrangement, with regions with critical interlamination shorts being determined, in particular, via the real part and being distinguished from regions with noncritical interlamination shorts, and with the critical regions being marked for immediate rectification, and the regions which are still noncritical at the time being documented for later analysis.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein interlamination shorts are identified by a pronouncedly different and clear vectorial deflection of several sequential measurement points from the sequence of measurement points at a fault-free point.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the clear vectorial deflection of several sequential measurement points at a lamination short differs in phase angle from the fault-free points.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the length of the vectorial deflection is proportional to the power dissipated in the fault point.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the length of the vectorial deflection is proportional to the interlamination short current.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the vectorial deflection substantially corresponds to a direction recorded with a calibration current coil driven with a known current with known phase position.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the length of the vectorial deflection is proportional to the power dissipated in the fault point.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the length of the vectorial deflection is proportional to the interlamination short current.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the length of the vectorial deflection is proportional to the power dissipated in the fault point.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the length of the vectorial deflection is proportional to the interlamination short current.

18. An apparatus for inspecting a laminated iron core of an electrical machine for interlamination shorts, comprising:

first means for determining a position of a measurement coil arrangement on the laminated iron core along a stator axis of the iron core;

second means for detecting an amplitude and a phase of an electrical voltage which is induced in the measurement coil arrangement; and

a data processing unit, which analyzes the determined position, the detected amplitude, and the detected phase via a polar representation of a sequence of determined position values, detected amplitude values and detected phase values to localize critical interlamination shorts and to determine the volt-amperes flowing in them, by comparison with a reference.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the second means for detecting detects the amplitude and the phase of the electrical voltage via a phase detector.

20. A computer program for causing an apparatus for inspecting a laminated iron core of an electrical machine for interlamination shorts, to perform:

determining a position of a measurement coil arrangement on the laminated iron core;

detecting an amplitude and a phase of an electrical voltage which is induced in the measurement coil arrangement; and

analyzing the determined position;

the detected amplitude, and the detected phase to localize critical interlamination shorts and determine the volt-amperes flowing in them by comparison with a reference, wherein the detected phase and detected amplitude are changed to a vector representation in the form of a polar diagram.

21. The computer program as claimed in claim 20, wherein fault points are determined by the real part of the signal exceeding a predetermined limit value.

22. The computer program of claim 20, wherein the detected phase and detected amplitude are changed to a vector representation in the form of a polar diagram after having been adjusted using a reference, and wherein fault points are identified automatically.