On-line capacitance and dissipation factor monitoring of AC stator insulation

A new on-line technique for monitoring the insulation condition of ac motor and generator stator windings is proposed. The approach uses a newly developed High-Sensitivity Current Transformer (HSCT) to precisely and non-invasively measure the differential current (e.g., the insulation current) of each phase winding from the motor junction box. Conventional differential current transformers (CT) used for fault protection can be replaced with the new HSCT to measure the winding insulation current with higher sensitivity and accuracy. The HSCT can serve both motor health monitoring and motor protection functions. Presently, indicators for insulation condition such as capacitance (C), dissipation factor (DF), or insulation power factor (PF) are only obtainable off-line. The new approach can provide a low-cost solution for on-line motor insulation condition assessment. Validation of the new HSCT technology was carried out during an accelerated life testing of a 460 V, 100 HP, 1200 RPM form wound induction motor. The motor discussed in this paper was aged at high temperature (255 °C) as the load cycled between 0 % and 200 % every 5 minutes. Although this highly accelerated life test does not represent how a motor ages in service under real operating conditions precisely, the principal goal was to prove the capability of the new HSCT to accurately detect the insulation current and quantitatively monitor motor insulation gradual aging and health. On-line data from the HSCT correlated well with off-line data from a commercial capacitance and DF bridge. It is hoped that the benefits of the on-line motor health monitoring are fully realized and the method extended to other electrical assets as well.