Variable frequency drive and methods for filter capacitor fault detection

1. A variable frequency drive, comprising:

a rectifier providing rectified DC electrical power at a DC output;

an intermediate DC circuit coupled with the DC output of the rectifier;

an inverter coupled with the intermediate DC circuit and operative to provide variable frequency AC electrical power to a load;

at least one filter circuit comprising a plurality of filter capacitors coupled to a neutral node;

a feedback circuit coupled with the neutral node and providing at least one neutral feedback signal or value based on a sensed condition of the neutral node; and

a capacitor fault detection circuit receiving the at least one neutral feedback signal or value from the feedback circuit and operative to extract a measured frequency component from the at least one neutral feedback signal or value, and to determine whether a fault condition is suspected in at least one of the filter capacitors based at least partially on the measured frequency component.

2. The variable frequency drive of claim 1 , where the capacitor fault detection circuit is operative to determine a component change value by subtracting the measured frequency component from a no-fault frequency component value and to determine whether a fault condition is suspected in at least one of the filter capacitors based at least partially on the component change value.

3. The variable frequency drive of claim 2 , where the capacitor fault detection circuit is operative to compare the component change value to a threshold value TH and to determine that a fault condition is suspected in at least one of the filter capacitors if the component change value is greater that the threshold value.

4. The variable frequency drive of claim 1 , where the capacitor fault detection circuit is operative to perform digital filtering on the at least one neutral feedback signal or value to extract the measured frequency component from the at least one neutral feedback signal or value at the frequency of the AC electrical input power.

5. The variable frequency drive of claim 1 , where the capacitor fault detection circuit is operative to perform a fast Fourier transform (FFT) on the at least one neutral feedback signal or value to extract the measured frequency component from the at least one neutral feedback signal or value at the frequency of the AC electrical input power.

6. The variable frequency drive of claim 1 , where the feedback circuit is operative to provide the at least one neutral feedback signal or value based on at least one sensed voltage associated with the neutral node.

7. The variable frequency drive of claim 1 , where the feedback circuit is operative to provide at least one neutral feedback signal or value based on at least one sensed current associated with the neutral node.

8. The variable frequency drive of claim 1 , where the at least one filter circuit includes an input filter circuit comprising a plurality of input filter capacitors coupled to an input neutral node.

9. The variable frequency drive of claim 1 , where the at least one filter circuit includes an output filter circuit comprising a plurality of output filter capacitors coupled to an output neutral node.

10. The variable frequency drive of claim 1 , where the rectifier, the intermediate DC circuit, and the inverter form a current source converter.

11. The variable frequency drive of claim 1 , where the rectifier is an active rectifier comprising a rectifier switching network including a plurality of rectifier switching devices individually coupled between one of a plurality of AC input nodes and one of a first DC output node and a second DC output node of the rectifier, the rectifier switching devices individually operable to selectively couple the corresponding AC input node with the corresponding DC output node according to a corresponding rectifier switching control signal; the variable frequency drive further comprising a rectifier controller operative to provide the rectifier switching control signals to cause the rectifier to convert AC electrical input power to provide regulated DC power to the intermediate DC circuit.

12. The variable frequency drive of claim 1 , where the capacitor fault detection circuit is operative to determine whether a fault condition is suspected in at least one of the filter capacitors based at least partially on at least one input current unbalance value associated with AC electrical input power received by the rectifier.

13. A method for detecting filter capacitor faults in a variable frequency drive, the method comprising:

measuring at least one condition of a neutral node coupled to a plurality of filter capacitors of at least one filter circuit of a variable frequency drive;

extracting a measured frequency component from the at least one measured neutral condition; and

determining whether a fault condition is suspected in at least one of the filter capacitors based at least partially on the measured frequency component.

14. The method of claim 13 , where determining whether a fault condition is suspected comprises:

subtracting the measured frequency component from a no-fault frequency component value to determine a component change value; and

determining whether a fault condition is suspected in at least one of the filter capacitors based at least partially on the component change value.

15. The method of claim 14 , where determining whether a fault condition is suspected comprises:

comparing the component change value to a threshold value; and

determining that a fault condition is suspected in at least one of the filter capacitors if the component change value is greater that the threshold value.

16. The method of claim 13 , where determining whether a fault condition is suspected comprises determining whether a fault condition is suspected based at least partially on an input current unbalance value or values associated with the AC electrical input power.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium with computer executable instructions for detecting filter capacitor faults in a variable frequency drive, the computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for:

measuring at least one condition of a neutral node coupled to a plurality of filter capacitors of at least one filter circuit of a variable frequency drive;

extracting a measured frequency component from the at least one measured neutral condition; and

determining whether a fault condition is suspected in at least one of the filter capacitors based at least partially on the measured frequency component.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 , comprising computer executable instructions for:

subtracting the measured frequency component from a no-fault frequency component value to determine a component change value; and

determining whether a fault condition is suspected in at least one of the filter capacitors based at least partially on the component change value.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18 , comprising computer executable instructions for:

comparing the component change value to a threshold value; and

determining that a fault condition is suspected in at least one of the filter capacitors if the component change value is greater that the threshold value.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 , comprising computer executable instructions for:

performing digital filtering on the at least one measured neutral condition to extract the measured frequency component.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 , comprising computer executable instructions for:

performing a fast Fourier transform (FFT) on the at least one measured neutral condition to extract the measured frequency component.

22. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 , comprising computer executable instructions for:

measuring the at least one condition of the neutral node by measuring at least one sensed voltage associated with the neutral node.

23. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 , comprising computer executable instructions for:

measuring the at least one condition of the neutral node by measuring at least one sensed current associated with the neutral node.

24. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 , comprising computer executable instructions for:

determining whether a fault condition is suspected in at least one of the filter capacitors based at least partially on at least one input current unbalance value associated with AC electrical input power received by the variable frequency drive.