Synchronous generators and motors

This research line is focused on the development of advanced techniques that enhance the determination of the condition of the different components of synchronous generators and motors operating either in industries or power plants.

Electric generators are often critical machines in the applications where they operate. Their eventual faults can lead to huge losses or power supply interruptions with very negative repercussions for companies and power utilities. As a consequence of these facts, they are machines with are subjected to exhaustive maintenance protocols, that include the monitoring of many of its quantities.

In spite of this fact, sometimes, the proper predictive maintenance of some parts of these machines is not guaranteed, due to the lack of reliable techniques or methods to determine their condition. One of these parts is the damper cage, which is incorporated by many synchronous motors and generators and which has relevant functions, such as enabling the starting of the machine in an asynchronous manner, damping the mechanical oscillations due to load variations, limiting the magnetic field harmonics or enhancing the behaviour of the machine under short-circuit conditions. The determination of the condition of this element has been barely studied in the literature which yields a lack of reliable methods to determine its health.

One of the research topics of the team within this line is the development of reliable methods to determine the condition of the damper cage or damper winding in synchronous machines. The objective is to take advantage of the deep knowledge of the group in transient based methods to develop suitable tools that are suitable for determining the condition of this element with high reliability. Some very promising tools that include both online and offline methods have been developed in collaboration with other international groups.

Moreover, the group if expanding the line to determine the condition of the rotor in these machines. This includes both cylindrical rotor synchronous machines and salient pole synchronous machines. It has been proven that the developed methods are not only valid to determine the condition of the damper but also potential damages in the rotor itself. The group is work in the application of electrical monitoring to detect rotor damages.

Finally, the group is extrapolating the application of the developed methods to detect other possible faults in synchronous machines such as demagnetization or mechanical problems.