Operation of fault tolerant machines with winding failures

This paper examines winding faults in a demonstrator drive, based on a specification for an aircraft fuel pump. This drive has been designed with a degree of inherent fault tolerance and is capable of continued operation in the presence of a variety of faults. Some of the most severe faults arise from winding insulation failure within a phase of the machine. A method of detecting turn to turn short circuits which can result from winding insulation breakdown is presented, along with a strategy for continued post fault operation of the drive. The detection method operates in real time, requires no additional sensors and is sufficiently sensitive to detect even a single shorted turn.