Minimizing Risk with High Voltage Rewinds

EASA Convention 2013

Mandalay Bay Resort
Las Vegas, NV
July 2, 2013

Presented by

Mike Howell
Technical Support Specialist
Electrical Apparatus Service Association
St. Louis, MO
 MINIMIZING RISK WITH HIGH VOLTAGE REWINDS
By Mike Howell
Technical Support Specialist
Electrical Apparatus Service Association
St. Louis, MO
Most service centers do not routinely rewind stators
in the voltage range of 11-13.8 kV (13.8 kV will be
used throughout the discussion for simplicity). These
machines represent a small percentage of machines
repaired and typically present significant financial
exposure in the event of an in-process or warranty
related failure. Organizational efforts to enter this
product line should be carefully planned to minimize
risk to the service center and to assure customer
requirements are met.
This session will present a generic product quality
planning process for industrial motor stator windings
rated 13.8 kV. Emphasis will be placed on analyzing
gaps between a 4 kV rewind and a 13.8 kV rewind as
they relate to stator winding design, insulation system
validation and process control. The process analysis
model will consider materials, equipment, people,
environment and methods.
Machines rated in the 6 kV class are excluded from
the discussion with exception to a short explanation
near the end of the paper providing rationale for the
exclusion.
ADVANCED PRODUCT QUALITY PLANNING
Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) was
developed in the late 1980s by an American
automotive industry commission. APQP is a proven
and effective method of reducing risk associated with
product launches. Aside from obvious risks associated
with poor quality and product failure, it is essential that
projects be executed properly with adherence to
scope, schedule and cost constraints. Service centers
interested in performing 13.8 kV rewinds will mitigate
much of the risk associated with expanding into this
scope of work through application of some of these
principles.
The service center leadership team should form a
cross-functional team of individuals responsible for
affected areas. Depending on the structure of the
service center organization, this team should include
individuals from functional areas such as production,
engineering, quality, purchasing and sales.
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The team should have an appointed team leader –
sometimes when everyone is responsible, no one is
responsible. Team members must understand their
defined roles and responsibilities in identifying
customer needs, expectations and requirements. Once
the team has been formed, their first objective is to
develop a timing plan based on the project phases.
The simplified APQP model presented here is broken
down into four phases: Plan, Develop, Validate and
Produce (see FIGURE 1).
Plan Phase
The Plan phase should include inputs such as
market research, customer inputs, team experience,
product/process assumptions and marketing strategy.
The outputs of this phase should include items such as
design goals, quality/reliability goals, a preliminary bill
of materials, a preliminary process flow, identification
of any known special product/process characteristics
and assurance of management support.
FIGURE 1: SIMPLIFIED APQP TIMING CHART
Prototype Launch
Initiation
Pilot
PLAN
DEVELOP
VALIDATE
PRODUCE
Develop Phase
The Develop phase should include all design and
development activities related to the stator winding
including the processes necessary for the rewind. The
extent of this phase depends heavily on the
experience of existing personnel, suitability of existing
processing equipment and utilization of existing
designs. It is strongly recommended that no changes
to the stator winding electrical design be made (e.g.
turns per coil, span, connection).
 Outputs of this phase may include design FIGURE 2: STATOR COIL END
verification, design reviews, prototype builds,
engineering drawings, specifications, special process
characteristics, test plans and resource requirements.
Consideration of resource requirements must include
process equipment, personnel and facilities.

Validate Phase
The Validate phase should include production trials
(prototypes), production validation testing and a
production control plan. As with the Develop phase,
the extent of this phase depends heavily on the
dependence by the service center on existing designs
(established insulation systems).
The Validate phase should conclude with a pilot
rewind of one stator including some predetermined
time in service before the service center agrees to
accept additional orders.
Produce Phase
The Produce phase should commence once the
service center is satisfied that the pilot rewind was
performed successfully. The time frame must be
determined on an individual service center basis
depending on the level of risk the organization is
willing to take. It could be after the pilot unit goes into
service or it could be at some point later related to the
covered warranty period.
Once this point is reached, the service center would
include rewinding 13.8 kV stators within the scope of
the pilot as a standard service.
Purpose of Insulation System
The stator winding insulation system is typically
described through four primary purpose areas (see
FIGURE 3). The thermal function is to conduct heat
from the stator conductors to the stator core. The
electrical function is to separate areas of high voltage
from ground areas, control electric fields and reduce
discharging.
The environmental function is to resist
environmental factors such as chemical attack,
corrosion, radiation, etc. depending on the application
of the machine. The mechanical function is to prevent
vibration, control mechanical forces and to prevent
deformation during electrical transients.
FIGURE 3: INSULATION SYSTEM STRESSES

STATOR WINDING DESIGN

Although the principles discussed and most
information included could be applied to most formed
stator windings, the scope of this paper is limited to
traditional two-layer lap windings using coils that can
be described as one piece and multi-turn (see
FIGURE 2). This design encompasses the vast
majority of stator windings utilized in 4 kV through 13.8
kV industrial motors. The insulation system for this
type of coil is usually described as consisting of three
Strand Insulation
main components: strand insulation, turn insulation
Strand insulation isolates parallel conductors within
and ground insulation. Additionally, stress relief
the stator coil turn. The stator coil turns are usually
coatings are required for 13.8 kV windings to obtain a
laminated in larger machines for two reasons:
desirable product life.
manufacturability and to reduce parasitic losses which
In comparing the differences between a 4 kV
are typically only significant in large, form-wound
insulation system and a 13.8 kV insulation system, it is
machines. The strand insulation has to be
worthwhile to describe the purpose of the insulation
mechanically suitable to the bending stresses that
system and of each major component.
occur during manufacturing. It must also have

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excellent thermal properties since it is the insulation
component closest to the conductor and therefore
exposed to the highest temperatures.
The voltages developed between parallel strands in
multi-turn coils are usually very low and therefore the
insulation can be chosen accordingly. Typical strand
insulation consists of polyester / polyamide-imide
coating and/or one or more servings of polyester glass
or fiberglass yarn. However, many manufacturers
design coils where the strand insulation also serves as
the turn insulation and this requires additional
consideration.
FIGURE 4: STATOR COIL SECTION
Turn Insulation
Turn insulation prevents shorts between turns within
the coil. When a short occurs, the shorted turn will
function like the secondary winding of an
autotransformer. Very high current will flow through the
shorted turn and this will lead to premature failure. The
turn insulation is subjected to mechanical and thermal
stresses similar to those of the strand insulation.
The nominal voltage across two adjacent turns of
the multi-turn form wound coil can be calculated by
dividing the voltage across the phase by the series
turns per phase. For most 4 kV machines, this will be
approximately 10-60 volts per turn and 13.8 kV units
with the same output speed and power would see the
same operating turn to turn voltage. As output power
and terminal voltage increase, so will the nominal turn
to turn voltage and it is not uncommon to see 13.8 kV
designs at 120 volts per turn or greater.
Of greater concern than the nominal turn to turn
voltage is the winding’s ability to withstand fast rise-
time, high transient voltages impressed upon the
winding during events such as starting, switching and
lightning storms. To account for this, the windings are
typically designed to withstand steep front voltage
waves of approximately three times the terminal
voltage with rise times of 0.1 to 0.2 µs. Additionally,
the nature of the wave propagation can be nonlinear
causing a disproportionately high voltage across the
turns of the coils located near the line terminals.
For most 4 kV machines, the polyester film and
glass serving strand insulation materials can be
applied in some combination to satisfy this design
requirement. However, for 13.8 kV designs, it is
typically necessary to employ micaceous materials
similar to those used for ground insulation. These
materials may either be applied over the perimeter of
each turn (see FIGURE 4) or applied to each individual
strand (see FIGURE 5).
Although much more prevalent in large generator
windings, some multi-turn stator windings for motors
have transposed conductors. This is a method of
reducing circulating currents caused by induced
voltage across parallel strands within the coil turn. It is
accomplished by mechanically inverting the turn 180°
in either coil end turn (or by making the inversion
between coils in the end connection). The purpose of
discussing these here is only to point out that they
should be looked for during winding removal,
duplicated if present and well insulated. Roebel type
transpositions utilized in single turn half coils for
generators are beyond the scope of this paper.
Ground Insulation
The ground insulation is subjected to mechanical
forces and vibrations inherent to rotating machines.
These forces are proportional to the square of the
current and independent of voltage.
FIGURE 5: GROUND INSULATION APPLICATION

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 Electrically, the ground insulation serves to separate
the copper conductors from the grounded stator core.
As such, the strand and turn insulation also serve as
ground insulation. For manufacturing purposes, the
ground insulation is usually discussed only in the
context of the materials applied over the entire formed
coil perimeter.
The primary difference between the ground
insulation for a 4 kV machine and a 13.8 kV machine
is ground wall thickness. While different material
manufacturing techniques have been used, the
majority of these machines have ground walls built
from multiple layers of tape consisting of mica dust, a
carrier and a binding agent. Manufacturing and type
test results have led most manufacturers to use tapes
with a thickness range of 5-7 mils (0.13-0.18 mm) and
those tapes are usually applied in multiple half lap
layers to achieve the desired thickness.
The ground insulation is generally dimensioned
according to the voltage that will appear across it to
ground and it is limited by the slot and conductor
dimensions. For example, a stator winding rated 4 kV
will have a maximum voltage of 2.3 kV (
between the copper conductors and the grounded
stator core. If the distance between the conductor and
the core is 50 mils (1.3 mm) then the ground stress is
(2300/50) = 46 V/mil or 1.8 kV/mm. It is typical for
higher voltage machines to be designed with higher
ground stress (see FIGURE 6).
FIGURE 6: TYPICAL DESIGN GROUND STRESS
13.8 kV
4 kV
design results in significant void content that would
lead to premature failure in a 13.8 kV machine.
Though it does not cause immediate failure, the PD
will repeat each time the voltage across the gap
exceeds its dielectric strength (see FIGURE 7)
degrading the insulation and eventually causing a
failure.
Machines with more conservative ground wall builds
and less internal voids have less partial discharge
within the insulation. However, economic and
efficiency requirements drive the designer towards
smaller machines with less losses meaning smaller
slots, more copper and thinner insulation.
FIGURE 7: GROUND WALL PARTIAL DISCHARGE
Stress Relief Coatings
Due to imperfections in coil and stator coil lamination
geometry, there will always be some extent of voids or
gaps between the coil and core surfaces throughout
the slot. While this usually is not an issue with 4 kV
machines, all 13.8 kV machines are designed to
address this problem. Similar to internal ground
insulation voids, if the voltage is high enough across
the gaps, PD will occur and over time this will damage
the insulation.
FIGURE 8: SLOT STRESS RELIEF COATING

45 50 55 60 65 70 V/mil
1.8 2.0 2.2 2.4 2.6 2.8 kV/mm

Under normal conditions (room temperature, low

humidity and one atmosphere pressure) a partial
discharge (PD) will occur across an air gap if the
electric field exceeds 76 V/mil (3.0 kV/mm). This
relationship is known as Paschen’s Law and it is a
much more significant design constraint for 13.8 kV
machines than for 4 kV machines. For example, some
4 kV replacement windings have ground insulation
constructed of flexible, fully cured mica tape which by

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 To prevent this PD, semi-conductive material is
applied to the straight portion of the coils. This material
is usually a black carbon graphite loaded tape (see
FIGURE 8) approximately 4 mils (0.1 mm) thick with a
low surface resistivity (low enough to prevent PD but
high enough not to short the stator core laminations).
As long as an appropriate number of contact points
are made between the coil and core per unit length,
PD between the coil and core will be prevented
because the semi-conductive coating shunts the air
gaps. As the insulation thickness becomes thinner, the
minimum allowable distance between contact points is
decreased.
FIGURE 9: STRESS RELIEF COATINGS
The slot semi-conductive material is terminated just
beyond the stator core with a typical extension of 1.5
inches (38 mm). This gives rise to a high voltage
gradient at the edge of the semi-conductive coating.
The electric field there will exceed 76 V/mil (3.0
kV/mm) and PD will occur (see FIGURE 9). For this
reason, stress grading materials must be used that
interface (see FIGURE 10) with the slot semi-
conductive material and extend some calculated
distance from the core. Attempts to control the electric
field with materials of constant resistivity are usually
ineffective.
FIGURE 10: STRESS GRADING INTERFACE
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If the surface resistivity is too low (FIGURE 9, curve
1), there will still be a voltage gradient large enough to
cause PD at the interface. If too high (FIGURE 9,
curve 3), there will be an excessively large gradient at
the end of the stress grading material and PD will
occur there.
The best materials for this application are silicon
carbide loaded tapes because silicon carbide has a
voltage dependent resistivity (FIGURE 9, curve 2)
such that the electric field along the length of the
material is controlled and may be kept below the point
of PD inception.
The application length of the stress grading material
(see FIGURE 11) is usually a function of the highest
test voltage the winding will be subjected to. As such,
much of the active length remains effectively unused in
service.
FIGURE 11: STRESS GRADING APPLICATION
INSULATION SYSTEM VALIDATION
The Validate phase described earlier is very
important to 13.8 kV insulation systems. Most large
service centers utilize global vacuum pressure
impregnation (VPI) to process 4 kV stators. In many
cases, the service centers do not control the bill of
materials utilized to manufacture the stator coils and
while third party coil manufacturers make every effort
to use generally compatible materials, they may not
even know the specific resin that will be used for an
order – the coils are just ordered for VPI. This is not a
recommended approach for a 13.8 kV rewind.
There are two approaches to development and
validation of an insulation system for performing 13.8
kV rewinds. The first is to develop an insulation system
based on your needs and then to go through an
extensive array of qualification tests to assure the
thermal, electrical, environmental and mechanical
properties are acceptable.
The second and recommended approach is to select
qualified, partner suppliers who have done this work
and have proven insulation systems in service. If this
approach is taken, the amount of validation work
required by the service center will depend on the type
of insulation system employed. For machines covered
under the scope of this paper, the two most common
choices are either global VPI processing or utilization
of press-cured hard coils constructed with resin-rich
mica tapes. Either system is acceptable but the extent
of validation suggested for the service center differs.
Global VPI
The vast majority of form wound stators
manufactured today employ the global VPI process.
Using this method, coils are manufactured using high
porosity insulating materials. During the winding
process, testing is limited by the semi-finished state of
the insulating materials. The wound stator is usually
preheated and then vacuum dried inside the
processing chamber to remove moisture. Next, the
chamber is flooded with the impregnating resin which
is pressurized for some time to drive the resin into the
insulating materials. The unused resin is then
transferred back to a holding tank and the stator is
drained and oven cured.
FIGURE 12: STATOR FORMETTE MODEL
The parameters associated with this process for
13.8 kV rewinds must be controlled to a much greater
extent than for 4 kV rewinds. If the service center’s
existing VPI resin is suitable for 13.8 kV rewinds, the
manufacturer of the resin will most likely have
performed qualification testing for a complete
insulation system and documented the procedure used
for processing.
If this information is available, it is recommended
that the service center utilize it for production of
sample coils for comparison testing with the resin
manufacturer’s system qualification tests. The resin
manufacturer should also be able to provide
instructions for preparing the samples, whether a
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formette (see FIGURE 12) is constructed or the coil
sides are enclosed in individual slot simulators.
A conservative approach is to use coils with thicker
ground insulation (e.g. 55 V/mil, 2.2 kV/mm) to validate
the impregnation process range and coils with thinner
ground insulation (e.g. 65 V/mil, 2.6 kV/mm) to validate
the electrical performance.
The thermal, mechanical and environmental
characteristics of the insulation will typically fall within
the specifications of the manufacturer if processed
correctly. The service center should work with the
resin manufacturer to establish an electrical testing
regimen but a typical approach may be something
similar to that of TABLE 1.
TABLE 1: SAMPLE STATOR WINDING
INSULATION SYSTEM QUALIFICATION TESTS
PF Tip-up Test The Power Factor (PF) Tip-up Test
utilizes the fact that insulation PF will
increase with voltage as PD occurs
across voids within the ground
insulation. Typically, good insulation
will have a PF < 1.2% at 25% L-G
voltage increasing by less than 0.5%
at 100% L-G voltage. The difference
is the PF Tip-up (IEEE 286 or
IEC/TR 60894)
Impulse Test Impulse, or surge testing verifies the
integrity of the turn insulation by
applying a fast rise impulse across
the coil to stress the turn insulation.
Conservative designs are capable of
withstanding a 3.5 p.u. test level
where 1 p.u. is rated peak voltage to
ground. (IEEE 522 or IEC 60034-15).
VET Voltage endurance testing is an
accelerated aging test used to detect
insulation defects, poor processing
or overly aggressive design stress
and it is usually performed at an
elevated temperature. A typical test
may require 3 of 4 coil sides to
withstand 2.5 times rated voltage at
90°C for 250 hours without failure.
(IEEE 1043, written for large
generators but can be applied to
other applications)
It is not recommended to utilize resins for 13.8 kV
rewinds that were not designed and qualified for that
application. For example typical resins designed for
13.8 kV applications may have viscosity in the 250-900
cps (250-900 mPA·s) range where viscosity of resins
designed for lower voltages may be in the 800-5000
cps (800-5000 mPA·s) range. This is because it is
usually easier to minimize run-off with a higher
viscosity resin but the lower viscosity is required for
greater insulation thickness.
Resin-Rich Hard Coils
Service centers who are not properly equipped to
perform global VPI processing on 13.8 kV stators can
benefit greatly from the resin-rich hard coil design.
These coils are manufactured in much the same way
as those used for global VPI. However, the ground
insulation tapes (and sometimes turn insulation) are
pre-impregnated with electrical grade, thermosetting
epoxy resin. The resin is B-stage which means it
contains a low reactivity curing agent and the resin will
flow and cure with heat and pressure.
After the ground insulation is applied, the coil
straight portions are press-cured under controlled
conditions. The same type of system qualification tests
apply (see TABLE 1) as those used for global VPI
systems but the service center would no longer need
to produce sample coils to validate their site
processes. The qualification of the insulation system
by the coil manufacturer would be satisfactory
because the ground insulation is completely cured
prior to installation. The service center should review
the qualification documentation.
PROCESS CONTROL
The purpose of the Control Plan is simply to aid in
the manufacture of quality products according to the
customer’s requirements. The Control Plan does not
replace procedures or work instructions. Rather, it is a
high level written description of the system that will be
used for controlling materials and processes. The
three primary benefits of a Control Plan are quality,
customer satisfaction and communication.
The Control Plan will help the service center improve
quality by reducing waste and rework during all phases
of the rewind. Control Plans drive the service center to
identify critical process characteristics and their
sources of variation. Minimizing process input variation
will greatly reduce difficulties downstream.
Control Plans also force the organization to focus
resources on characteristics that are important to the
customer (e.g. reliable operation). Focusing resources
on the processes that most greatly affect customer
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requirements will lead to minimized risk, reduced costs
and customer satisfaction.
One of the greatest barriers to successful execution
of any project is effective communication. The Control
Plan identifies and communicates changes in product
and process characteristics, control methods and how
characteristics are measured.
Control Plan Contents
One effective tool for analyzing a process is a
Fishbone Diagram (see FIGURE 13). It can be used in
several ways but the concept depicted in the figure is
that in order to take a group of requirements through a
success path, the service center must analyze the
materials, equipment, people, environment and
methods related to the processes employed and
develop Control Plans accordingly. Specific Control
Plan format and contents vary by industry and product.
Aside from heading level identifiers and approvals,
there are common contents most any Control Plan row
would contain (see TABLE 2).
FIGURE 13: GENERIC FISHBONE DIAGRAM
Materials Equipment
Requirements Success
Environment
People Methods
Control Plan Development
Developing Control Plans is an involved and time
consuming process for individuals that have a good
working knowledge of the activities that must take
place for a given product or process. For a service
center lacking practical experience rewinding 13.8 kV
stators, one of the most difficult parts of this process is
recognizing that you may not know what you do not
know.
It is strongly recommended that the service center
leverage relationships with suppliers or other
organizations to borrow expertise until the Pilot phase
is complete (see FIGURE 1). For example, several coil
manufacturing firms will supply along with the coils a
winding supervisor with extensive experience winding
13.8 kV stators. Spend the extra time to utilize the
experience of these individuals to develop service
center winding personnel and develop thorough
documentation so that repeatable and reproducible
processes are implemented. In the presence of cost
and time constraints, it is often easier to do than to do
and document so it is essential that management
place documentation and documented training as work
scope deliverables.
When a global VPI system is used, the slot fill
process is generally the same for 4 kV and 13.8 kV
stators. The primary differences are that the slot
bottom and center spacers are semi-conductive in
13.8 kV stators and the middle spacer is usually
around 250 mils (6.4 mm) thick. For resin-rich hard coil
rewinds, there will be no VPI bond between the coil
surface and the stator core walls. However, it is still
essential to ensure that the coils fit tightly to the slots
to minimize partial discharge and vibration.
FIGURE 14: HARD COIL STATOR SLOT FILL

TABLE 2: GENERIC CONTROL PLAN CONTENTS

Part/Process ID Reference by number/name back to
an applicable process flowchart,
work instruction or equivalent

Equipment Processing equipment (e.g.

machine, device, jig) required for
this process step

Characteristic A distinguishing feature, dimension

or property (of product or process)

Specification / Acceptance range or criteria for the

Tolerance characteristic

Evaluation / Identifies the measurement system

Measurement being used (e.g. gages, fixtures,
Technique tools and test equipment)
Sampling Plan Identifies sample size and frequency
where 100% inspection is not
performed
Control Method Identifies how the operation or
process is controlled and may
reference a procedure, instruction,
SPC tool, etc.
Reaction Plan Instructs the operator what to do in
the event of a failure, e.g. segregate
bad part and continue or stop
process and notify supervisor, etc.
There are several ways to accomplish this with one
effective method being use of resilient spacers (top
and side ripple springs) as shown in FIGURE 14.
These products allow for a generous tolerance
variation in coil and slot width.
For larger rewinds, some of the slot wedges usually
have inspection holes where the distance from the top
of the wedge to the ripple spring over a certain
distance allows the inspector to verify an appropriate
compression range.
FIGURE 15: 4kV STATOR IN PROCESS

There are requirement differences between 4 kV

and 13.8 kV windings that a good winder can learn
quickly but these projects are not good candidates for
trial and error. For example, spacer materials,
dimensions and end turn configurations that are
acceptable for 4 kV machines would lead to premature
failure on 13.8 kV machines.

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 It is not uncommon for 4 kV stators to have as little
as 60 mils (1.5 mm) between coil arms (see FIGURE
15). This separation would lead to PD between phases
and potentially a phase to phase fault in a 13.8 kV
winding which usually has a minimum of 250 mils (6.4
mm) separation between phases (see FIGURE 16).
FIGURE 16: 13.8 kV STATOR IN PROCESS
Additionally, though the materials and dimensioning
of spacing materials are different in 13.8 kV machines,
installation of global VPI coils does not differ too much
across the voltage classes. However, when resin-rich
hard coils are used, it is easy for a winder
inexperienced with this product to damage coils during
installation. Depending on the geometry of the stator,
special tools may be required, heating of the coils to
improve flexibility may be employed or flexible end turn
insulation may be used.
Acceptance Testing of New 13.8 kV Windings
Regardless of the insulation system processing
method used, most completed 13.8 kV stators are
usually subjected to similar electrical tests. These
tests, the equipment necessary to perform them, their
acceptance criteria and reaction plans should be
documented in Control Plans. While all possible tests
are not discussed here, the most common tests are
described along with the required equipment capacity
for common test levels.
Insulation resistance and polarization index testing is
performed per IEEE 43 just as it is for lower voltage
stators. This test is usually performed in-process for
global VPI and (at potentially at different stages of
assembly) for all finished windings. For 13.8 kV
windings, the test voltage range is usually 5-10 kV.
Impulse (surge testing) is performed per IEEE 522
(also see IEC 60034-15) and should be performed on
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all individual coils by the coil manufacturer.
Subsequent tests are usually performed by the service
center on each coil after installation, wedging and
bracing. Once connections are made, a low voltage
surge test is a good tool to identify connection errors.
Some customers require a full voltage surge test of
finished windings and with this test only turns of the
line end coils are stressed. A 3.5 per unit test requires
a test set capable of 39.4 kV.
Power factor tip-up testing is performed per IEEE
286 (also IEC/TR 60894) and should be performed on
resin-rich hard coils by the coil manufacturer. Some
manufacturers use sampling tests when performing
this test but 100% testing is recommended. The coil
manufacturer would normally record the power factor
at 8 kV and 2 kV with the difference being the tip-up.
Coils designed with conservative ground wall
thickness and properly manufactured will usually have
a PF tip-up of less than 0.5%. The results of this test
on completed windings are much more subjective and
usually used as a trending tool over time. For this
reason, the assurance achieved by performing this test
cannot be obtained when using global VPI processing.
FIGURE 17: AC HIPOT OF RESIN-RICH HARD COIL
AC and DC high potential tests are performed at
various stages of the rewind process. Resin-rich hard
coils are usually 100% tested with alternating voltage
and the typical test voltage range is 28.6 – 37.2 kV
(see FIGURE 17). Coils manufactured for global VPI
are usually tested individually at a reduced voltage
(AC or DC) as determined by the coil manufacturer
based on the construction of the insulation materials.
For completed windings, the test level is specified by
NEMA MG-1 (also see IEC 60034-1).
 Alternating voltage is preferred for 13.8 kV windings
and the final test voltage applied for one minute is
2E+1 kV or 28.6 kV. If a DC test is used, the test value
is 48.6 kV (1.7 DC:AC ratio). Sizing of the transformer
necessary for performing the AC test at power
frequency can be calculated once the stator winding
geometry and test voltage are known.
When sealed windings are required for harsh
applications, the customer may require a water
immersion test. This test is also specified in NEMA
MG-1. This test includes an AC high potential test at
115% of rated line to line voltage for one minute. If this
test is required, the coil manufacturer should be made
aware as adjustments are sometimes made to the coil
end insulation.
Partial discharge testing, if performed, is usually
performed on completed stators. Testing guidance is
provided in IEEE 1434 (also see IEC 60034-27). The
magnitude of the partial discharge measurements
depends on the equipment and sensors used. For this
reason, the test is relative. However, as the sample
data sets of similar machines are compiled, expected
values can be determined that can assist in the
identification of defects. The service center is at risk if
accepting procurement documents requiring specific
acceptance criteria without a good understanding of
their specific insulation system characteristics. Typical
values recorded include the discharge inception
voltage (DIV), peak PD magnitude (Qm) and discharge
extinction voltage (DEV). Additionally, the polarity of
the pulses may assist with identifying the source of the
PD. This test may not be required for all rewinds but it
is very useful in the case of a global VPI where the
individual coils have not been subjected to PF Tip-up
testing. If assistance is needed, specialty firms can be
subcontracted to perform the test at the service center
without the need for capital equipment investment.
Of great importance is recognition by service center
leadership that properly selected suppliers can be
instrumental in providing training to service center
personnel for future rewinds and helping to ensure the
pilot rewind is a success. If this type of approach is
taken, the service center can expand their scope of
work and will be in a better position to serve the
customer.
BUT WHAT ABOUT 6 KV STATORS?
Stator windings rated 6 kV were excluded from the
scope of this discussion because there are difficulties
and manufacturing practices used with some of them
that cloud the differences of focus throughout the
paper. For example, 6 kV windings utilizing resin-rich
hard coils can actually be much more difficult to wind
than 13.8 kV stators because the thinner ground
insulation is easier to crack.
Additionally, although most manufacturers apply
stress relief coatings to 6 kV stator windings, there are
some that eliminate the stress grading materials and
others do not use stress relief coatings at all but this
requires a very good global VPI and a conservative
ground wall thickness.
Mike Howell
Electrical Apparatus Service Association
1331 Baur Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63132
mhowell@easa.com
www.easa.com

CONCLUSION
Risk can be defined as the potential that a chosen
action or activity will lead to a loss or undesirable
outcome. Service centers wishing to enter into the
13.8 kV rewind market can minimize the risks
associated with unfamiliar processes and significant
financial exposure in the event of a warranty by taking
the time to learn the process constraints and carefully
planning and executing the project. Utilization of the
Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP)
methodology, even in part, can assist the service
center in accomplishing this.

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