Investigation of induction generator wide band vibration monitoring using fibre Bragg grating accelerometers

This paper investigates the use of fibre Bragg grating (FBG) accelerometers for wide band vibration monitoring in wound rotor induction generators. The sensor performance is assessed in a series of experiments on a laboratory test rig comprising a 30 kW induction machine operating in healthy conditions and with electrical or mechanical fault. Vibration measurements are processed and analyzed in the frequency domain for fault feature extraction. The fibre optic sensor effectiveness in measurement of wide band fault signatures in the vibration signal is compared with that of a commercial piezoelectric based solution. The potential and limitations of the investigated FBG accelerometer design are evaluated for use in condition monitoring applications.