Performance of a six-phase induction motor fed from a Z-source inverter under faulty conditions

Multi-phase machines are becoming a main contender compared to the conventional three-phase due to their advantages especially in high-reliability systems. In particular, six-phase machine is the most frequently considered multiphase machines especially for high power applications. So, it has attracted many research works. Moreover, it has lower difficulties at the industry because it represents an extension of the three-phase technology. There are different configurations of the six-phase machines based on the spatial shifting of its three-phase windings. Among the different configuration, the asymmetrical type with a spatial displacement of 30° is the most popular one. In this paper, the performance of asymmetrical six-phase induction motor supplied from a six-phase Z-source inverter under healthy and faulty conditions is investigated. This study concerns with different failure in the semiconductor devices in the inverter power circuit. The effects on the machine performance during faults are studied and compared with the healthy operation. The laboratory setup including the inverter circuit and the adopted machine are designed and implemented. Simulation and experimental results are obtained to investigate the system's performance.