Concurrent Detection and Classification of Faults in Matrix Converter Using Trans-Conductance

This paper presents a fault diagnostic algorithm for detecting and locating open-circuit and short-circiut faults in switching components of matrix converters (MCs) which can be effectively used to drive a permanent magnet synchronous motor for research in critical applications. The proposed method is based on monitoring the voltages and currents of the switches. These measurements are used to evaluate the forward trans-conductance of each transistor for different values of switch voltages. These trans-conductance values are then compared to the nominal values. Under healthy conditions, the values obtained for the fault signal is less than the tolerable value. Under the open/short-circuit conditions, the fault signal exceeds the threshold, hence enables the matrix converter drive to detect and exactly identify the location of the faulty IGBT. The main advantages of this diagnostic method include fast detection and locating of the faulty IGBT, easiness of implementation and independency of the modulation strategy of the converter.