UNDERSTANDING INSULATION

RESISTANCE TESTING
ONLINE SESSION
Webinar Training Date: January 10, 2023
PRESENTER: JOHN OLOBRI
Technical Trainer AEMC® Instruments
• Director of Sales and Marketing for AEMC® Instruments for
over twenty-five years.
• Degrees in both Electrical and Industrial Engineering.
• Worked in the design and marketing of instrumentation for
over 35 years.
• Held positions of Service Manager, Product Marketing
Manager and Director of Sales and Marketing for several
instrument manufacturers.
• Actively involved in the areas of Insulation Resistance,
Ground Resistance testing, Power Quality Testing, Data
Logging and Environmental testing.
• Conducts accredited seminars and webinars on ground
resistance testing and insulation resistance testing.
 AEMC Instruments Headquarters
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Home Office Facility

15 Faraday Drive
Dover, NH 03820

Tech Support
(800) 343 -1391 x351

3
Agenda
Opening remarks
• AEMC® Instruments overview
• What is Insulation Resistance
• Why Test
• What causes Insulation Failure
• Principles of Measurement
• Test Methods
• Testing Motors, Transformer and Cables
YouTube Videos
Q&A
4
5
 Insulation Resistance
IEEE 43-2000 defines insulation resistance as:

Insulation Resistance (IRt)

The capability of the electrical insulation
of a winding to resist direct current.

True Megohmmeter
Maintains test voltage at 1 mA test current

6
 Insulation Resistance Testing
An Insulation resistance tester a.k.a
Megohmmeter
is an instrument used to determine the
insulation resistance quality of a device
by applying a known voltage, measuring
the leakage current and calculating the
resistance. The device under test must
be de-energized.
 Why Test
Preventive and Diagnostic Maintenance
Safety:

• Minimize electric shock hazard

• Minimize possibility of electrically
induced fire hazard

8
 Why Test
Preventive and Diagnostic Maintenance
Cost:
• Capital equipment failure is expensive cost of
down-time/lost production cost of
repair/replacement
• Testing on a regular basis helps reduce
failures by identifying the possibility before it
happens and lowers repair costs

9
 Why Test
Helps Installers and Contractors locate
installation and start up problems
How:
• Find defects in insulation during wire
pulls - saves time and money and
avoids costly return visits
• Finds shorts and breaks in wiring before
walls are closed in on new construction
 How Often Should You Test
• Annually on less critical equipment
operating in a clean environment used on
an intermittent basis
• More frequently (every 3 to 6 months) on
equipment such as motors and pumps
that run continuously in hot, dusty oily
environments and subject to constant
vibration
Reasons For Motor Failure
5% 10%
12% 5%

Phase Failure
Deteriorating Insulation
Contamination
25% Overload
Bearing failure
43% Other

17% Moisture
20% Oil & Grease
1% Chemical
5% Chips & Dust
 What Causes Insulation Failure
Five basic initiators for insulation breakdown

• Electrical stress Mechanical stress Chemical stress

• Thermal stress Environmental contamination

13
 Principle of Measurement
Hipot vs. Megohmmeter
On first examination, these two tests appear very similar.

• Hipot testing is designed simply to detect gaps or clearances between

conductive parts and earth, pinholes in insulation, and other
degradation. It can often be a destructive test

• Megohmmeter testing is designed to provide an actual quantitative

measurement of the insulation quality. It is normally is a non-
destructive test

14
 Understanding The Numbers
Meg vs Gig vs Tera

Megohm (MΩ) = 1,000,000 Ω 1x106

Gigohm (G Ω) = 1,000,000,000 Ω 1x109

Teraohm (T Ω) = 1,000,000,000,000 Ω 1x1012

 Principle of Measurement v

Ohm’s law. R = V/I

Resistance (Megohms) = Voltage (Kv) / Current (mA)

1. Inject a known voltage

2. Measure the leakage current

3. Calculate insulation resistance

16
 Conducting Insulation Resistance Tests
What equipment is necessary

• Megohmmeter with a timed test function

• Temperature indicator

• Humidity meter (not necessary if

equipment is above the dew point)

Note: When air cools to its dew point through

contact with a surface that is colder than the
air, water will condense on the surface.
17
 Safety Note
Test must be performed on de-energized equipment

• Meter should have a voltmeter function

• Capacitance circuits requiring discharging

18
 Test Currents in Insulation
Total current in the body of the insulation is the sum of three
components

• Capacitance Charging Current

• Absorption Current

• Leakage or Conduction Current

19
 Test Currents in Insulation
C – Represents charging current

RA – Represents absorption current

RL- Represents leakage current (dielectric loss)

20
 Insulation Resistance Readings
Readings are time dependent
Inject a test current

• at the start, capacitance current is what you see first

• at or about one minute, absorption current
• at ten minutes, reading is mainly leakage current

These changing readings are best seen on digital instruments that have
analog bargraphs or watching the needle movement on analog instruments.

21
Test Currents in Insulation
Capacitance Charging
Current

Plot of currents Leakage current

associated with
the test

22
 Temperature Correction
Temperature Correction Factors *
Cables

Rotating
Equip. Heat Ozone
Temp. Class Transformers Heat Resist. & Resist.
Oil - Dry Code Code Perf. Resist. Perf. Natural Varnished Impreg-
°C °F A B filled Type Natural GR-S Natural Natural GR-S GR-S Cambric nated paper

0 32 0.21 0.40 0.25 0.40 0.25 0.12 0.47 0.42 0.22 0.14 0.10 0.28
5 41 0.31 0.50 0.36 0.45 0.40 0.23 0.60 0.56 0.37 0.26 0.20 0.43
10 50 0.45 0.63 0.50 0.50 0.61 0.46 0.76 0.73 0.58 0.49 0.43 0.64
15.6 60 0.71 0.81 0.74 0.75 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00
20 68 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.47 1.83 1.24 1.28 1.53 1.75 1.94 1.43
25 77 1.48 1.25 1.40 1.30 2.27 3.67 1.58 1.68 2.48 3.29 4.08 2.17
30 86 2.2 1.58 1.98 1.6 3.52 7.32 2 2.24 4.03 6.2 8.62 3.2
35 95 3.24 2.00 2.80 2.05 5.45 14.60 2.55 2.93 6.53 11.65 18.20 4.77
40 104 4.8 2.5 3.95 2.5 8.45 29.2 3.26 3.85 10.7 25 38.5 7.15
45 113 7.10 3.15 5.60 3.25 13.10 54.00 4.15 5.08 17.10 41.40 81.00 10.70
50 122 10.45 3.98 7.85 4.00 20.00 116.00 5.29 6.72 27.85 78.00 170.00 16.00
55 131 15.50 5.00 11.20 5.20 6.72 8.83 45.00 345.00 24.00
60 140 22.80 6.30 15.85 5.40 8.58 11.62 73.00 775.00 36.00
65 149 34.00 7.90 22.40 8.70 15.40 118.00
70 158 50.00 10.00 31.75 10.00 20.30 193.00
75 167 74.00 12.60 44.70 13.00 26.60 313.00

* Corrected to 20°C for rotating equipment and transformers: 15.6°C for cable.

Rule of thumb
• For every 10 degree increase in temperature, the current doubles (resistance halves)
23
 Temperature Correction
Temperature Correction Factors *
Cables

Rotating
Equip. Heat Ozone
Temp. Class Transformers Heat Resist. & Resist.
Oil - Dry Code Code Perf. Resist. Perf. Natural Varnished Impreg-
°C °F A B filled Type Natural GR-S Natural Natural GR-S GR-S Cambric nated paper

0 32 0.21 0.40 0.25 0.40 0.25 0.12 0.47 0.42 0.22 0.14 0.10 0.28
5 41 0.31 0.50 0.36 0.45 0.40 0.23 0.60 0.56 0.37 0.26 0.20 0.43
10 50 0.45 0.63 0.50 0.50 0.61 0.46 0.76 0.73 0.58 0.49 0.43 0.64
15.6 60 0.71 0.81 0.74 0.75 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00
20 68 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.47 1.83 1.24 1.28 1.53 1.75 1.94 1.43
25 77 1.48 1.25 1.40 1.30 2.27 3.67 1.58 1.68 2.48 3.29 4.08 2.17
30 86 2.2 1.58 1.98 1.6 3.52 7.32 2 2.24 4.03 6.2 8.62 3.2
35 95 3.24 2.00 2.80 2.05 5.45 14.60 2.55 2.93 6.53 11.65 18.20 4.77
40 104 4.8 2.5 3.95 2.5 8.45 29.2 3.26 3.85 10.7 25 38.5 7.15
45 113 7.10 3.15 5.60 3.25 13.10 54.00 4.15 5.08 17.10 41.40 81.00 10.70
50 122 10.45 3.98 7.85 4.00 20.00 116.00 5.29 6.72 27.85 78.00 170.00 16.00
55 131 15.50 5.00 11.20 5.20 6.72 8.83 45.00 345.00 24.00
60 140 22.80 6.30 15.85 5.40 8.58 11.62 73.00 775.00 36.00
65 149 34.00 7.90 22.40 8.70 15.40 118.00
70 158 50.00 10.00 31.75 10.00 20.30 193.00
75 167 74.00 12.60 44.70 13.00 26.60 313.00

* Corrected to 20°C for rotating equipment and transformers: 15.6°C for cable.

Rule of thumb
• For every 10 degree increase in temperature, the current doubles (resistance halves)
24
 Test Methods
• Spot Test

• Timed Test

• PI Ratio Test

• DAR Ratio Test

• Step Voltage Test

• Ramp Voltage Test

25
 Short-time or Spot Reading Test
• Short duration 30 or 60 seconds

• Comparison results required

• Normalized reading to 20°C with humidity effects considered

• Plot graph for history of insulation condition

26
Short-time or Spot Reading Test

At point A, the effect of aging and dust accumulation

is shown by decreasing values.

At point B, the sharp drop indicates an insulation

failure.

At point C, the insulation resistance value improved

after the motor had been rewound and remained
stable for the next 2 years

27
 Time-Resistance Tests
• Test duration of at least 10 minutes

• Good insulation shows a continual increase in resistance over time

• Fairly independent of temperature

• Can give conclusive information without records of past tests

28
 Polarization Index Test (PI)
IEEE 43-2013 defines Polarization Index as:

Polarization Absorption Current (IA)

A current resulting from molecular polarizing and electron drift, which
decays with time of voltage application at a decreasing rate from a
comparatively high initial value to nearly zero and depends on the type
and condition of the bonding material used in the insulation system.

29
 Polarization Index Test (PI)
• Specific (and most popular) time resistance test
• Reading taken at 1 minute(R1) and 10 minutes (R2)

PI = R2 /R1
Healthy insulation should show a ratio of 2 or higher

Note: Newer insulation materials stabilize much quick and can yield a ratio of 1

30
 Polarization Index Test (PI)
The IEEE Std 43-2000 lists the following minimum values for
the polarization index for AC and DC rotating machines based
on their thermal rating insulation class:
• Class A (105°C 221°F) : 1.5
• Class B (130°C 266°F) : 2.0
• Class F (155°C 311°F) : 2.0
• Class H (180°C 357°F) : 2.0

31
 Polarization Index Test (PI)

Curve A = 900 MΩ/180 MΩ = 5

Curve B = 140 MΩ/95 MΩ = 1.47

Absorption curve of test conducted on 350 HP Motor: Curve A indicates

a good insulation with an excellent polarization index of 5.

Curve B indicates a potential problem. The polarization index is only

1.47.
32
 Dielectric Absorption Ratio (DAR)
The dielectric absorption ratio test is typically accomplished by measuring the
insulation resistance taken at the 30 second time interval and comparing it to
the insulation resistance measurement at the 60 second time interval.

DAR measurements are useful when the PI is 2 or less even for new objects
under test. In such cases, a min DAR value of 1.25 is normally required to
consider the insulation good.

33
 Dielectric Absorption Ratio (DAR)
• The ratio of 60 seconds/30 seconds
• less than 1 = failed
• 1.0 to 1.25 = OK
• 1.4 to 1.6 = Good
• above 1.6 = Excellent
Less commonly used today

Mostly used with fractional

horsepower motors

34
 Step Voltage Test
Apply test voltages in steps

• The established industry standard is 5 voltage steps

• Typical dwell time at each step is usually 60 seconds

• Resistance should remain fairly constant through all the steps

• In this test you are concerned with the change in resistance

more than the actual resistance

Sometimes used to dry out water damaged cables and motors

35
 Step Voltage Test

Before and after repair: Curve A shows a downward trend of insulation resistance values
as the test voltage is increased. This indicates a potential problem with the insulation. Curve
B shows the same equipment after it has been repaired with a flat to increasing resistance
as the test voltage increases.

36
 Ramp Voltage Test
IEEE-92-2002 recommends this test method for AC powered
machinery operating at 2300 V and above
The recommended rate of voltage rise is 1 kV per minute.
Defects like cracks, voids, delamination, moisture ingress,
surface contamination and uncured resin may all be detected.

The IEEE has recommended the method especially for epoxy-

mica, polyester, and asphalt materials.

The equipment under test should first be subjected to an

insulation resistance or Polarization Index test according to IEEE
43-2000 to assure that the equipment is suitable for higher
voltage testing.

37
 Ramp Voltage Test
The evaluation of test results on insulation in good condition should produce a
smooth, virtually linear rising current curve as the voltage ramps up. Any deviation is
a warning that the test could be approaching a possible breakdown. A sudden
increase in current usually indicates imminent breakdown.

Healthy Insulation Moisture Contamination

38
 Discharging
Experience suggests that typically the device under test
should discharge for 5 times longer than it was charged.

1 Time Constant (TC)= R x C

5 Time constants = 5 TC

Example:
R =981 Megohms ( 981 x106 Ohms)
C = 100 nanofarads (100x10-9 f)
1 TC = (981 x106) x (100x10-9) = 98.1 seconds
5 TC = 5(98.1 sec) = 490.5 seconds= 8.1 minutes

39
 IEEE-43 Statement on Discharge Voltage
After the applied direct voltage is removed, a suitable discharge circuit
should be provided.
The discharge current manifests itself in the following two components:

a) A capacitive discharge current component, which decays nearly instantaneously,

depending upon the discharge resistance.

b) The absorption discharge current, which will decay from a high initial value to
nearly zero with the same characteristics as the initial charging current but with
the opposite polarity. This decay may take more than 30 min depending on the
insulation type and size of the test specimen
Time Constant
Typical discharge curve
160

140

120

100
Voltage

80

60

40

20

0
1 2 3 4 5 6

Time
41
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 Utilizing the Guard Terminal
The guard terminal is useful when measuring
very high resistance values.

53
Utilizing the Guard Terminal

No Guard Terminal Used Guard Terminal Used

54
 Recommended DC Test Voltages
Equipment/Cable Rating DC Test Voltage
24 to 50 V 50 to 100 VDC
50 to 100 V 100 to 250 VDC
100 to 240 V 250 to 500 VDC
440 to 550 V 500 to 1000 VDC
2400 V 1000 to 2500 VDC
4100 V 1000 to 5000 VDC
5000 – 12,000 V 2500 to 5000 VDC
>12,000 V 5000 to 15,000 VDC

It is always advisable to contact the original equipment manufacturer to get their

recommendation for the proper voltage to use when testing their equipment.

55
 IEEE Recommended DC Test Voltages
For Motor Windings

It is always advisable to contact the original equipment manufacturer to get their

recommendation for the proper voltage to use when testing their equipment.
 Advantages of DC Testing
• Lighter Size and weight test equipment

• Non-destructive

• Migration of electrons through insulation

• Good repeatability of the test conditions

57
Video on Insulation Testing

58
 Testing Motors

• Test each phase to

the casing

• Short the phase

windings and test
each phase to the
other phases

59
Testing a single-phase transformer
The following five tests and corresponding wiring diagrams will
completely test a single-phase transformers. Allow at least 1 minute
for each test or until the reading stabilizes.

a. High voltage winding to low voltage winding and ground

b. Low voltage winding to high voltage winding and ground
c. High voltage to low voltage winding
d. High voltage winding to ground
e. Low voltage winding to ground

+ = Earth terminal
- = Line terminal
G = Guard terminal

60
Testing a three-phase transformer
• High voltage windings shorted
together

• Guard blue (G) lead connected to

high voltage windings

• Low voltage windings shorted

together and connected to ground

• Megohmmeter red + lead

connected to case
Low voltage winding to ground and high
• Megohmmeter black - lead
voltage winding to guard
connected to the low voltage
windings
Testing Cables
Transformers are tested at or above the rated voltage to be
certain there are no excessive leakage paths to ground or
between windings. These are conducted with the transformer
completely disconnected from the line and load. However, the
case ground should not be removed.
Single Conductor
a. Conductor to Line (-) terminal and sheath to Earth (+)
Multi-Conductor
a. Single conductor
b. One conductor to all
c. One conductor to earth
d. One conductor to others minus ground

62
Testing Breakers

Circuit breaker open

63
 Frequently Asked Questions
What voltage should I test my device at?
• Rule of thumb. Two times nameplate rating.
Up to 600 Volts (Operating). Approx.1:1>600 V

What is better hand-cranked, battery or rechargeable?

• Directly relates to your application and preference.

My reading is (X)megohms is this good?

• Question should be addressed by the manufacture of the equipment.
A past outdated standard was at least 1000Ω/volt

64
 Selecting A Megohmmeter
Voltage requirements
• Plan for the highest voltage you need
• Consider multiple range instruments
• Consider the voltage generation method
(hand-crank, battery operated, AC/DC powered)

Resistance measurement capability

• Many materials measure into the T Ohm range 1,000,000,000,000 Ω 1x1012

Test current (True Megohmmeter)

• IEEE requires 1 mA of test current at the test voltage Short circuit current should
be 2 to 3 times the test current

65
 Selecting A Megohmmeter
Power
• Consider AC/DC powered instruments for longer tests

Safety Conditions
• Should function as a voltmeter when not performing an insulation test
• Should automatically discharge the device under test
• Should inhibit the test if live voltage detected
• Test leads should be rated for the test voltage
• Output should be fused

66
 Selecting A Megohmmeter
Other Features
• Ability to do timed tests
• Automatic calculation of Polarization Index
• Automatic display of discharge voltage
• Display of capacitance and leakage current values
• Ability to automatically conduct step voltage testing
• Back lighting
• Ability to configure instrument, run tests and generate
reports from a PC

67
 500 &1000 Volt Models
Hand Crank

68
 1000 Volt Models
Handheld
Models 6526, 6534 and 6536

69
Typical Functional Layout

Hold
Dual Line LCD Display
Up Navigation Key

Timer
AC/DC Volts Set-Up Key
Buzzer On/Off
Right Navigation Key
Backlight/Lead
Compensation Key
Rotary Selection Switch
Test Button

Fused Input
Terminals

70
Typical Displays (Continuity Mode)

Continuity measurement and

 Indicates Pass Condition

Continuity measurement and

test current Red Backlight
and X indicates Alarm (Fail)
Condition

71
 1000 Volt Models
Bench top
Model 1060

72
 1000 Volt Models
Bench top
Models 5060 and 5070

73
 10 & 15 kV Graphical Megohmmeters
Models 6550 and 6555

74
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