Management System Registered to INSULATION CONDITION ASSESSMENT

ISO 9001/14001

Insulation Condition Assessment of Generators and Motors

Powertech, as an independent testing organization with ISO9001 registration, provides high-
quality testing services and condition assessment of rotating machine insulation. Powertech
offers both laboratory tests and field tests to evaluate the stator insulation condition of
generators and motors.

• Laboratory tests have two functions: The first function is to evaluate the quality of coil
manufacturing to ensure that your machine can achieve expected service lifetime. The second
function is to examine any faults and defects of your stator coils to prevent catastrophic machine
failures.

• Field tests provide diagnostic tests and condition assessment of machine insulation at
your plant to help you to determine maintenance requirements to reduce maintenance cost.

1. Laboratory Diagnostic Tests of Stator Winding Insulation

Downtime at generating stations and industrial plants caused by failure of stator insulation can
be expensive. To minimize the risks of machine insulation failure, insulation must withstand the
stresses in high voltage generators and motors. If you purchase new stator windings or have
spare stator windings, how do you know that your stator windings meet the design specification
and perform as expected? How do you know the winding manufacturing quality that is relevant
to machine operation reliability and machine service lifetime? As an independent third-party
organization, Powertech provides a quality assurance program to check the quality of a machine
insulation system from start to finish of the winding production. We can provide a variety of
insulation tests and examinations to determine the nature and cause of the insulation defects and
failures.

Voltage Endurance Tests

A voltage endurance test is an accelerated insulation-aging test. The test is performed on stator
bars or coils at much higher than normal operation stress levels within a short period of time to
simulate insulation aging during machine operation. The test can predict the performance of the
overall insulation system and measure the manufacturing quality. A number of diagnostic tests
on stator insulation can be conducted before and after a voltage endurance test.

Manufacturers of stator insulation could change its design, type of materials, and the
manufacturing process. The voltage endurance test can be done at the prototype and production
stage to ensure the quality consistency during manufacturing. The test gives objective
assessment of the quality of stator insulation. If coils fail the test, a remedial action may be
taken by the manufacturer to improve the quality of coil manufacturing. Powertech performs
voltage endurance tests on stator bars or coils in accordance with IEEE Standard1043-1996 and
IEEE Standard 1553-2002.
Management System Registered to INSULATION CONDITION ASSESSMENT
ISO 9001/14001

Voltage endurance tests can be applied to both new coils and spare coils to check the quality and
performance of the insulation system. Spare coils have been stored for a long period of time and
need to be tested to check their performance.

A set-up of the voltage endurance testing

Insulation failure during a voltage endurance test at 280 hours

Management System Registered to INSULATION CONDITION ASSESSMENT
ISO 9001/14001

Thermal Cycling Tests and Multi-Factor Tests

Large motors are exposed to frequent start/stop operations. Pumped-storage generators and
hydro-generators have frequent load changes. All of those operations cause rapid heating and
cooling, i.e. thermal cycling effect on stator insulation. Thermal cycling can cause

• loss of bond between copper and insulation;

• delamination and degradation of groundwall insulation;
• insulation failure.

A set-up of thermal cycling testing on stator windings

To assess the insulation performance under thermal cycling stress as the machine experiences in
service, we perform thermal cycling tests on stator bars and coils according to IEEE Standard
1310 -1996 and IEC standards. The test insulation system is heated and cooled at a prescribed
rate for a number of cycles (e.g. 500 cycles). A number of diagnostic tests on stator insulation
can be performed during thermal cycling testing.

When a generator or motor is operating, a stator bar or coil is subject to electrical, mechanical,
and thermal stresses simultaneously. Powertech has the capability to test the stator winding
under multifactor (electrical, mechanical, and thermal stresses) stress aging simultaneously to
simulate normal service conditions or conditions as required.
Management System Registered to INSULATION CONDITION ASSESSMENT
ISO 9001/14001

Thermal cycling test result

Dissection of Coils and Failure Analysis

When your stator coils or bars failed in service, you want to know what actually caused
insulation failures to prevent future failures. You may need expert witness to prove the causes of
insulation failures.

Dissections of a bar or coil can determine the quality of coil manufacturing and the causes of
insulation failures. The failed coil or bar will be dissected and examined under a computer-
controlled microscope. The root causes of insulation failures are investigated.

The following chemical tests on the insulation system can be also conducted for insulation
failure analysis:

• Resin content analysis;

• Thermo-gravimetric analysis;
• Thermo-mechanical analysis;
• Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
Management System Registered to INSULATION CONDITION ASSESSMENT
ISO 9001/14001

Dissection examination to discover insulation defects

Detailed examination of the void size and number by dissection

Management System Registered to INSULATION CONDITION ASSESSMENT
ISO 9001/14001

Insulation failure of a 13.8 kV, 44 MW hydro-generator

PD activity caused the above insulation failure by dissection and microscopic

examination
Management System Registered to INSULATION CONDITION ASSESSMENT
ISO 9001/14001

Partial Discharge Measurements

Partial discharge (PD), corona inception and extinction measurements provide a non-intrusive
indication of the void content and other problems, which may be present in a stator bar or a coil.
Powertech uses partial discharge measurements to identify insulation defects which could be
caused by improper impregnation, inadequate resin, voids, or poor consolidation of the
insulation. These measurements are normally undertaken at the rated phase-to-ground voltage.
Our PD specialists can assess insulation condition based on PD test data.

Generator insulation damage due to partial discharge activity

Dissipation Factor Measurements

Dissipation factor is the net result of conductive losses and ionization of gaseous inclusions in a
composite insulation structure. These two phenomena contribute to a net increase in the
dissipation factor magnitudes as a function of voltage. The test can be performed in accordance
with IEEE Standard 286-2000. We provide tables and graphs of the guarded absolute dissipation
factor versus applied voltage, from which % tip-up values can be calculated.

Powertech Labs has a large database of PD tests and dissipation factor tests on stator coils and
bars, accumulated for the last 23 years from a variety of the winding manufacturers. We are able
to compare PD test data and dissipation factor test data of your coils with those of the similar
coils in the database to compare the quality of your coils.
Management System Registered to INSULATION CONDITION ASSESSMENT
ISO 9001/14001

Other Tests

• Insulation resistance and polarization index tests

• Surface resistance measurements
• AC voltage breakdown tests
• Turn-to-turn impulse tests
• LipaTEST measurement (DC insulation testing)
• Resin content analysis
• Multiple stress tests in an environmental chamber
• Lights-out tests

For more information, please contact:

Hugh Zhu (Ph. D., P. Eng.) Bruce Neilson (Ph. D., P. Eng.)
Specialist Engineer Acting Director
Electrical Technologies Electrical Technologies
Powertech Labs Inc. Powertech Labs Inc.
12388-88th Avenue Tel: (604) 590 7480
Surrey bruce.neilson@powertechlabs.com
British Columbia, V3W 7R7
Canada Website: www.powertechlabs.com
Tel: (604) 590 6641
Fax: (604) 597 6656
hugh.zhu@powertechlabs.com