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Stator winding failures: Contamination, surface discharge, tracking

Article  in  IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications · April 2002

DOI: 10.1109/28.993182 · Source: IEEE Xplore

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 STATOR WINDING FAILURES: CONTAMINATION,
SURFACE DISCHARGE, TRACKING
Copyright Material IEEE
Paper No. PCIC-99-32

J.H. Dymond N. Stranges K. Younsi

Senior Member Member Member
GE Canada Inc. GE Canada Inc. GE Canada Inc.
GE Industrial System GE Industrial Systems GE Power Systems
107 Park Street North 107 Park Street North 107 Park Street North
Peterborough, Ontario Peterborough, Ontario Peterborough, Ontario
Canada K9J 785 Canada K9J 785 Canada K9J 7B5

Abstract - Stator winding failures are generally attributed to
groundwall or turn insulation failures. The failure mechanism
involves the gradual development of a weakness in the
insulation. This weakness is usually caused by a trapped
void that is continuously enlarging due to ever increasing
corona or partial discharge activity. The failure mode is from
the inside out. Recent studies of failures in actual machines,
and of coils on voltage endurance testing, indicate that
failures can occur from the outside inward. Surface
contamination leads to intense surface discharge and
tracking. This surface discharge can lead to rapid winding
failure following the inward motion of the corona activity.
This paper looks at tracking as one failure mechanism
and describes a series of tests on standard insulation
materials aimed at comparing the anti-tracking capability of
the materials. The tests show that combinations of insulation
materials can reduce the anti-tracking capacity of a rather
robust insulation system and predispose it to failure.
Index Terms - Surface discharge, tracking, partial discharge,
insulation, winding failure.
1. INTRODUCTION
line) faults. The turn-to-turn failure can result from, switching
surges, lightning strikes, strand vibration, internal corona or
partial discharge, chemical reaction at the turn insulation,
thermal degradation or poor strand and turn insulating
materials. Phase-to-ground failures usually result from the
combined effects of chemical reactions and tracking along a
contaminated surface. Fig. 1 shows an example of surface
tracking leading to a phase-to-ground type failure. The line-
to-line failure generally depends upon a combination of
factors. These factors include surface tracking, chemical
reaction, abrasion of the insulation either by coil movement or
airborne particles, mechanical damage, and improper
cleaning and drying of windings.
Manufacturers, service shops, users, consultants and
specifiers either require the addition of coatings or apply
protective finishes to stator windings using a variety of
substances. Paints are used to give a smooth finish to help
shed dirt and lint. Other coatings are used to seal windings,
provide anti-abrasive protection, protect against fungus
growth, or just for aesthetic reasons. Windings may also
become covered by oil mist, moisture borne contamination,
cleaning solvents, condensation, process contaminants and

Stator winding failures are an infrequent occurrence with

the vacuum pressure impregnation (VPI) systems introduced
in the 1960's. Many changes have been made to both the
insulation materials and the epoxies used in these systems
since their original introduction. In recent years, emphasis
has been placed on the reduction of the total insulation build
and the use of corona resistant materials. Reductions in the
thickness of the groundwall insulation help to reduce the
machine size, increase electrical and thermal efficiencies,
and improve power factor. Corona resistant materials in wire
enamels [1,2] reduce the impact of fast rise time surges on
the insulation systems. These fast rise time surges originate
from two sources, a) power system switching; b) solid state
switching devices such as GTOs, IGBTs and IGCTs currently
used in many variable speed drives.
Many stator end winding failures are traced to turn-to-turn, Fig. 1 - Typical phase-to-ground surface tracking.
phase-to-ground (line-to-ground), or phase-to-phase (line-to-

0-7803-5601-2/99/$10.00 0 1999 IEEE 99CH37000

- 337 -

Fig. 2 - Surface tracking on section of coil and insulation
contaminated with metallic oxides.
even frost. Routine insulation tests would indicate that these
coatings have little effect on the original insulation system.
One long term effect that appears to be overlooked is the
impact that these coatings, finishes and contaminates have
on the ability of a stator winding to resist surface discharge
and surface tracking and thereby minimize the potential for
line-to-groundand line-to-line type winding failures.
It. TYPICAL CASE STUDIES
In high voltage machines, conductive tapes or paints are
used to suppress surface discharge activity in the slot portion
of the winding [3]. At lower voltages, where some
manufacturers rely on glass armour rather than conducting
armour, the situation may be somewhat different. Tetreault et
al [4] discussed the rather rapid failure of a 4kV insulation
system such that normal periodic PD monitoring was not able
to give ample warning of failure. Laboratory testing shows
that the failure of the insulation system can be accelerated by
the deterioration of the insulating characteristics of materials
such as the tapes. This is due to the presence of moisture
and the acidic by-products generated by the discharge in the
surrounding air. These acidic by-products deteriorate the
surface of the insulation, creating a weak spot and further
increasing discharge activity. For 4 kV insulation systems
(with the associated thinner insulation build), this may be a
fast failure mode.
The voltage stress at the surface of a 4 kV machine coil
can be high as it exits the core where there is often no
conductive tape or paint to minimize the impact of the small
air clearances between the coils and flanges. Under normal
conditions, spacings are sufficient that corona does not occur
due to coil surface irregularities. Equipotential lines will be
parallel to the insulation surface. However, when the
machine becomes Contaminated, the conductivity and
electrical characteristics of the contaminate, particularly if it is
damp, will change the dielectric field patterns. The
equipotential lines become more perpendicular to the
insulation surface and the lines move closer together,
resulting in a higher electric stress. The contaminating layer
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acts very much like the termination of the shield on a shielded
cable except in this case there are no stress cones to move
the equipotential lines further apart. The change in the
dielectric field patterns increases the electrical stress and
causes a discharge that bores a hole in the insulation.
Surface tracking failures may occur rapidly. On low voltage
systems, this may explain the difficulty with using partial
discharge (PD) trend data as a means of failure prediction.
With high voltage systems, the insulation builds are thicker
and failures take longer to occur. This allows failure
prediction from trend data. On low voltage systems, the
surface tracking could cause a failure before a trend can be
established.
Instances of failures due to surface tracking are illustrated
by the following case histories.
A weather protected machine, with a high voltage (13.8
kV) winding, suffered a failure in the circuit ring connections
while starting during a thunderstorm. When the winding was
returned for inspection and testing, it was so contaminated
with a conducting material, that the leakage current protection
on the hi-pot set would trip at less than 4 kV. Furthermore,
the contamination would cause the winding to smoke and
burn if the voltage was maintained for any period of time.
Once steam cleaned and baked, the winding could not be
broken down even with hi-pot levels up to 40 kV.
Examination of the winding after removal from the stator core
showed that extensive surface discharge had been taking
place. Fig. 2 illustrates the type of surface tracking
encountered along the top edge (upper arrow) and sides of
the coils. The photograph shows some insulation that has
been split open (lower arrow) to clearly show the tracking
along the sides of the coil.
A finite element analysis of the circuit ring section was
undertaken. The analysis showed that the uneven
distribution of the contaminant over the surface of the circuit
rings and the connection bundle increased the maximum
electrical stress in the insulation. A detailed discussion of this
phenomenon is covered by Weeber et al in [5].This paper
can be briefly summarized by saying that one result of
uneven contamination on the stator winding is an increase in
the voltage stress on the insulation to over 350 volts per mil
(13.8 kV/mm) whereas present day insulation design
practices dictate voltage stresses somewhere between 50 to
100 volts per mil (1.97 to 3.94 kV/mm). Stress levels at 350
volts per mil cause coils on voltage endurance testing to fail
within hours. Modifications to the enclosure to reduce the
possibility of the conducting contaminate entering the
machine, combined with more frequent contamination
removal, appear to have solved the problem on this unit.
Two years later in a general discussion with an insulation
specialist from Europe, we learned that one European
manufacturer had experienced a similar failure. This
manufacturer had shown their customer that the problem
was related to the uneven contaminate on the end windings
of the machine. The manufacturer accomplished this by
actually testing a winding when completely submerged in the
contaminate showing no problem when subjected to a given
voltage and current load. When the winding was
unsubmerged and some contaminate was removed, the
winding failed when subjected to the same voltage and
Fig. 3- Surface tracking in area of repair and overcoat of
varnish
current. The explanation offered is that when the stator was
submerged, the entire endwinding was subjected to a uniform
electrical stress. However, when. the endwinding was
removed from the solution, the electrical stress distribution in
the winding was no longer uniform. The nonuniform
distribution of the field created areas of high electrical stress
and caused the winding failure.
Immersion or spray tests are used to confirm the integrity
of a sealed insulation system but they offer another example
of the potential to induce a failure. The spray test alternate
(NEMA MG-1) to the immersion test requires spraying a
stator using water treated with a wetting agent. After the
spraying is stopped, a hi-pot test is performed. The spray test
results in a non-uniform contamination of the winding due to
the spray action and random draining away of the treated
water solution. Because of this, hi-potting after the spray test
can result in higher stresses.
The next year a call from a North American consultant
revealed that units that he had purchased from an
unspecified supplier were failing. He asked if it would be
possible to discuss mechanisms that would help him
determine the cause of the failures. His units were vertical
-
Fig. 4 Surface tracking on repaired cable connection to
circuit ring that had been dipped in varnish.
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Fig. 5 - Surface tracking in area of cable connection.
weather protected machines operating under 7 kV on a
peninsula in the Philippines. The units were downwind, in an
area of high sea water spray and high humidity and rain. The
windings were covered with salt and failing. He had similar
units in North America but they were not failing. The North
American units were operating at under 5 kV. It was felt that
the salt contamination was shorting out, the grading and
ground tapes causing tracking and failure.
Approximately 5 years after the first high voltage winding
failure discussed previously, we were notified of a failure on a
second unit. Unfortunately, the unit had been sent out and
rewound before we were notified. The service shop report
and accompanying photos showed the failure on this unit was
again in the circuit ring connection area. The unit was not in
a highly contaminated area but the machine had been in the
same service shop within the previous year for the
replacement of some cables that had been damaged. Figs.
3, 4 and 5 show the area of the cable repair and failure.
Note the high degree of surface tracking especially on the
connection to the cable.
Investigation of the cable repair indicated that after the
cables had been replaced, the endwinding had been dipped
in a commercially available insulating varnish and baked.
This lead to the theory that the original epoxy system and the
insulation varnish were not really compatible although a
comparison of the data sheets indicated that chemically they
were. A program was initiated to look at the compatibility of
the two insulating materials and to determine if the anti-
tracking characteristics of the different materials and
combinations of materials were affected. The findings for the
insulating varnish were so poor that the program was
expanded to look at all the different coatings that might be
used on the insulation and on other systems that might be
used in the future. This paper covers the initial portion of this
ongoing investigation into the impact of a number of coatings
applied to the original insulation system used by an
equipment manufacturer.

Ill. Tracking
A. Description of the Tracking Phenomenon

Electrical insulation tracking is described in detail by

Mathes and McGowan [6]. Tracking is a surface failure
phenomenon that occurs when contaminants collect on the
surface of an insulating material. Humid conditions worsen
the situation. A moisture film on the polluted surface will
conduct a leakage current. The type and extent of the
pollution determines the magnitude of the leakage current. Fig. 6- Three samples in the incline plane test apparatus.
As a result of the leakage current, the conductive film will
heat nonuniformly. This heating causes nonuniform
evaporation and distorts the voltage distribution over the C. Resulfs of Tracking Tests
surface. Dry bands will form, resulting in regions of very high
resistivity between the edges of the remaining wet film. Experimental results are presented in Table I and Figs 7
Nearly the entire surface voltage will appear across this dry to 9. Identical tests were performed using two grades of
band, causing flashover of the gap. The temperature of the epoxy resins. Resin I is a viscous resin which contains
arc is sufficient to decompose and carbonize the material some cycloaliphatic materials while Resin II is a less viscous
locally. Dry banding, arcing and the formation of conductive non-cycloaliphatic resin. A cycloaliphatic molecule is a
carbon will proceed in a relatively random manner somewhat saturated hydrocarbon molecule in cyclic form. Cycloaliphatic
like the branches of a tree. Results of insulation tracking are resins are inherently track resistant materials because their
illustrated in Figs. 1 through 5. The arc will then tend to prefer surfaces degrade and carbonize at a much lower rate. Tests
previously carbonized spots. Eventually a continuous were also performed on combinations of materials including a
conducting path forms between the live parts or a flashover commercially available polyurethane paint used to coat the
hulls of boats, an anti-abrasive coating, various commercially
occurs.
available alkyd, iron oxide, epoxy and water based paints,
-
B. Tracking Tests Experimental Procedure anti-fungus coatings, commercially available epoxy filler
materials, one polyester resin and one commercially
available insulating varnish.
Tracking tests were performed using a liquid contaminant,
inclined plane, tracking test apparatus in accordance with [7].
Fig. 6 shows three samples in the incline plane test
apparatus. This test evaluates relative ability of materials to
withstand electrical discharges. Test results are only useful
for comparing the performance of one material or combination
of materials to the standard VPI epoxy. To perform the test, I
we measured the tracking distance over a period of 2 hours. E 180
179.3

If samples failed before the 2 hour time allotment (by tracking 150
the entire distance on the specimen) an equivalent distance ”
was determined by extrapolation of the tracking distance at @, 120
time of failure. A 5.08 cm by 12.7 cm glass fiber with h

polyester laminate substrate was used as a base material. 5 90

The contaminant used in this application was a 0.1% NH&I .-0
(ammonium chloride) solution. A minimum of three E 60
specimens were used for each test and the results were very w
repeatable even when going back to establish the benchmark 30
for mother series of tests.
0
The substrate was first covered with the base epoxy and
A B C D E
baked. Alternate materials were then applied to the epoxy
surface and baked or air cured as required in the standard Build Confgumtion
procedures. If multiple layers of materials required testing,
each material was applied in the standard manufacturing Fig. 7 - ‘Comparison of erosion for various build
sequence. All the normal procedures regarding application, configurations. (A) Resin (B) Resin + Paint A (C) Resin
baking or curing were adhered to. + Paint A + Polyurethane (D) Paint A (E)Resin + Anti-
abrasive

- 340 -
 TABLE I RESULTS OF TRACKING TESTS

Type of Material Track Material Track 386.54

Build cm Q cm Q
120 120
min. min.
A Resin I 0.38 Resin II 153.2
B Resin I + 0.50 Resin II + 107.8
Paint A Paint A
C Resin I + 1.45 Resin II + 45.0
Paint A + Paint A +
Polyurethane Polyurethane
D Paint A 1.97 Paint B 179.3
E Resin 1 + Anti- 4.39 Resin II + Anti- 0.74
abrasive abrasive
F Resin I + 7.06 Resin II + 386.5
Paint A + Paint A +
Resin I Resin II
G Resin I + 7.34 Resin II + 21.69 F G H 1 J
Paint A + Anti- Paint A + Anti-
fungus fungus Build ConfEuration
H Resin I + 7.62 Resin II + 13.56
Paint A + Anti- Paint A + Anti- Fig. 8 - Comparison of erosion for various build
abrasive abrasive configurations. (F) Resin + Paint A + Resin (G) Resin +
I Resin I + Anti- 8.94 Resin II +Anti- 19.10 Paint A + Anti-fungus (H) Resin + Paint A + Anti-abrasive (I)
fungus fungus Resin + Anti-fungus (J) Resin + Polyurethane.
J Resin I + 16.10 Resin II + 78.64
Polyurethane Polyurethane
K Resin I + 154.2 Resin II + 137.6 Paint A is a two part epoxy paint which contains some
Filler +, Paint Filler + Paint metal pigment and is used for a number of reasons. It gives
A A
the winding a clean appearance and any dark contaminants
L Resin I + 1075.9 Resin II + 181.3
Paint A + Paint A + Filler show up easily on its surface. The paint also helps the
Filler winding shed dirt. Contaminants do not adhere to the painted
M Resin I + filler 3482.3 Resin II + filler 507.6 surface very easily. Initial PD tests also show that paint A
N Resin I + 4005.6 Resin II + 30.8 may be useful in reducing end winding partial discharge
Commercial Commercial activity. Windings tested without paint A showed as much as
Varnish Varnish 2.5 times the PD level they had when tested after the
0 Resin I + 264.9 Resin II + NA
Paint A + Paint A +
Commercial Commercial
Varnish Varnish

D. Discussion of Results

Results contained in Table I provide a method of testing the

relative merit of each insulating material and build r m
configuration. Time to failure in a wound machine cannot be
j 0b i n II
extrapolated from these results; however, we can ascertain
that one material or build performs better than the next. For
instance, VPI resin I offers the greatest track resistance
(shortest track for 120 min. period of time) of all the tested
materials. A stunning difference in tracking distance is seen
in Fig. 7 when comparing resin I to resin II. Resin II exhibited
a tracking distance 400 times longer than the tracking
distance for resin I equivalent to an anti-tracking resistance of K L M N
11400th that of resin I. Tracking resistance is only slightly Build Conferation
degraded by covering the resin I surface with paint A or paint
A and a polyurethane coating. Resin II when covered with a Fig. 9 - Comparison of erosion for various build
layer of the anti-abrasive coating also offers good track configurations. (K)Resin + Filler + Paint A (L) Resin + Paint
resistance. A + Filler (M) Resin + Filler (N) Resin + Commercial
Varnish.

- 341 -
 application of paint A. Paint B is a water based paint put
TABLE II
forward as an alternative to the standard epoxy paint A. The
OUTLINE OF FUTURE WORK
results are indicated in row D in Table I. Note that the
tracking resistance of paint A is over 90 times greater than
that of paint B. Paint B was removed from the list of possible
alternatives because of this result.
Water repellent polyurethane paint can be used to
improve surface sealing and surface finish. Comparing the
results in row C with those in row J of Table I, we can Resin I llaD
. , downarade)
“ I
ammonium chloride.
conclude that the polyurethane should be used only on top of Mica tape + Resin I + Paint A
Mica tape + Resin I + Paint A + Second Series with NaCl
paint A because its performance when applied directly to the
commekial varnish sodium chloride
resins is very poor. Also note that resin I offers better
tracking resistance for the build configurations in row C and J. Mica taDe + Resin I +
commercial varnish
The same results are illustrated graphically in Figs. 7 and 8.
Paint C on alass laminate
Anti-abrasive coatings are applied to machines in I
I

Resin I + Paint C on glass

cement or grinding mill applications. In these applications,
the ventilating air may contain fine particles of dust or grit. A
“sand blasting” effect will occur as the air passes over the coil
insulation. The anti-abrasive coating helps protect the coils
from this effect. Comparing the results in rows E and H in
Table 1, we can see that resin II offers better tracking
laminate

Mica tape + Resin I

I H2S0, sulphuric acid
resistance than resin I when used in conjunction with the anti- Mica tape + Resin I + Paint A
abrasive coating alone but resin I performs better when the
anti-abrasive is used in conjunction with paint A. These
results are shown graphically in Figs. 7 and 8.
Mica taoe + Resin I
Mica tape + Resin I + Paint A 1 ”.OH ammonium
hyiroxide

Anti-fungus coatings may be specified for applications in Mica tape + Resin I NaCl sodium chloride
tropical environments. Results of tracking tests involving the Mica tape + Resin I + Paint A
anti-fungus coating are shown in rows G and I of Table I and Mica tape + Resin I bearing oil IS0 VG 32
in Fig. 8. Resin I offers better tracking resistance when used Mica taoe + Resin I + Paint A
in conjunction with the anti-fungus coating. Note that the Mica tape + Resin I bearing oil I S 0 VG 68
effect of using paint A in conjunction with the anti-fungus Mica taDe + Resin I + Paint A
coating (with either resin I or resin 11) is small. Mica tape + Resin I metallic dust
Commercial filling compounds are used to eliminate any Mica tape + Resin I + Paint A
Mica taoe + Resin I sar,
- ,
voids between the winding and blocking or conformable
bracing in the end region of machines. The results of tracking Mica tape + Resin I + Paint A
Mica tape + Resin I black liquor
tests involving the commercial filler are shown in rows K and
Mica tape + Resin I + Paint A
L of Table I and in Fig. 9. The filler generally has a
detrimental effect on the tracking resistance of the insulation.
This effect is especially pronounced if the filler is not covered interface. Varlow and Auckland 181 discuss the effect of
by Paint A. barriers on the growth of electrica; tiees in solid insulation.
Insulating varnishes are often used in the service shops to They found that when a weak bond existed between the
cover and seal areas where a repair has been performed. barrier and the insulation, there was a tendency for tracking
The results of tracking tests are shown in Fig. 9 and in rows N to occur along the interface. We believe a similar mechanism
and 0 of Table I. The tracking resistance of resin I and resin may be involved in the present tests, but further investigation
I covered with paint A are severely degraded by applying an is required to confirm this hypothesis.
over coat of varnish. Resin II covered with paint A faired
somewhat better. IV. FUTURE WORK
Results shown in Figs. 7 and 8 suggest that resin I offers
better tracking resistance than resin 11. The material Initial results of tracking tests on laminate substrates have
combinations presented in these two figures represent the yielded interesting results; however, an insulated coil is
combinations most likely to be used in production machines. somewhat different than a rectangular sample of laminate
Fig. 9 shows that resin II offers better tracking resistance coated with the resin, paint or varnish. In the next stage of
when used in conjunction with commercial fillers and the work, tests will be carried out on a number of insulation
varnishes. However, the merits of resin I with the more samples cut from the surface of copper bars wound with
common combinations, still make resin I the material of standard insulating tapes. This will closely approximate the
choice. insulation system of a standard motor coil. These insulated
Initial work shows that complex interactions may occur bars will receive standard insulating processes consisting of a
between the various materials that make up a typical pre-bake, VPI cycles, and curing bake cycles. The insulation
insulation system. Bonding between materials must be will then be cut on the edges of the bars to form U shaped
strong otherwise failures may originate at the boundary

- 342 -

. .
Fig. 10 - Samples formed by taping bars, pre-baking,
applying VPI and bake cycles. Insulation has been slit and
separated from bar in top image. This forms two U shaped
samples that can be cut to length.
samples as illustrated in Fig.10. The U shaped samples will
be cut to 5 cm lengths for use in the tracking tests. Coils are
wound with overlapping layers of tape. Tracking tests will be
performed on a minimum of three samples with the lap
upgrade on the inclined plane test. A minimum of three other
samples will be tested with the lap downgrade. By comparing
the results, we will ascertain whether the orientation of the lap
has an impact on the tracking test results. Once the preferred
orientation has been determined, the remaining tests will be
performed with the lap in that direction.
Two additional paints will be tested using the glass
laminate samples. The plan is to also investigate the effects
of different contaminants. Sulphuric acid solutions will test
the track resistance under acid conditions that are found
down wind from smoke stacks or in petrochemical operations.
Static tests, in which an insulating material is exposed to a
chemical solution, are often performed to check if the material
is inert to chemical attack. These tests usually consist of
submerging some insulation in a chemical solution, and then
checking for deterioration after a specified time. Tracking
tests indicate that even if the winding is chemically inert, the
system can still fail due to tracking.
Ammonium hydroxide will show the suitability of
materials in basic environments. Stator windings are
sometimes contaminated due to bearing leaks; thus the tests
with bearing oils. Oily residues serve to bind the surface
contaminants together and increase local concentrations of
the materials. In ore mining applications, stator windings may
be contaminated with conductive dust. Tests simulating this
condition are also planned. Solutions simulating tree sap and
black liquor will also be investigated. Further studies are also
necessary to better understand the effect of surface
preparation of samples and the effect of bonding between the
materials. Table I1 summarizes the future work plan.
V. CONCLUSIONS
This work highlights the need to better understand
insulation systems with respect to their ability to resist
- 343 -
tracking. The work also shows that the track resistance of a
material can be severely degraded by covering it with
another material or combination of materials. Machine
manufacturers, maintenance personnel, service shop
operators, and specifiers, need to better understand the
impact on the performance of an insulation system when
using various combinations of insulating materials. For
instance, our work suggests that commercial varnishes
should not be applied during repair jobs to windings
especially if the machine is to operate in a contaminated
environment.
Materials that are usually track resistant can be
compromised by covering them with various materials.
Having said this, the authors wish to stress that the results of
experiments outlined in this paper are only preliminary. We
have performed the tests using a substrate material that is
very track resistant. The results may change when tests are
performed using insulating tapes impregnated with resin as
the substrate. The underlying mechanisms by which the track
resistance of a material is degraded when used in conjunction
with other materials is not very well understood and requires
further study. Further testing on actual samples of machine
insulation will be much more insightful.
The best way to avoid surface tracking in machines
operating in a contaminated atmosphere is to keep the
contaminated cooling air out of the machine. This requires
the use of a totally enclosed machine with a heat exchanger
or a purged air system. When this is not possible, the
designer must have a thorough understanding of how the
insulation system will perform in this contaminated
environment. The industry needs a method for evaluating the
ability of an insulation system to minimize the impact of
tracking along the surface of exposed insulation systems.
The method discussed here is not ideal but it does allow for
comparison of materials under the same conditions.
VI. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors wish to thank John E. Hayward of the
Engineering Laboratory for preparing the samples,
administering the tests and recording the data. They also
wish to thank Bob Rehder for offering many insightful
comments on the work. The authors also wish to thank Rob
Draper for his many helpful discussions on this topic.
VII. REFERENCES
[I] Johnston, M. Markovitz. US Patent 4760296, “Corona-
Resistant Insulation, Electrical Conductors Covered
Therewith and Dynamoelectric Machines and Transformers
Incorporating Components of such Insulated Conductors”,
July 26, 1988.
[2] W. Yin, “Dielectric Properties of an Improved Magnet Wire
for Inverter-FedMotors”, IEEE Electrical Insulation Magazine,
JUlyIAUgUSt 1997, Vol. 13, NO.4, pp. 17-23.
 [3] F.T. Emery, “The Application of Conductive and Stress
Grading Tapes to Vacuum Pressure Impregnated, High
Voltage Stator Coils”, IEEE Electrical Insulation Magazine,
JulytAUgUSt 1996, Vol. 12, NO.4, pp. 15-22.

[4] S. Tetreault, G. Stone, H.G. Sedding, “Monitoring Partial

Discharges on 4 kV Motor Windings”, IEEE/IAS PClC
Conference 1997.

[5] K. Weeber, M. Stutt, J. Dymond, R. Rehder, “Finite

Element Field Analysis Of Nonuniform Surface
Contaminations On High Voltage Windings Of Electric
Machines”, Proceedings of Conference on Electrical
Insulation and Dielectric Phenomena, October 20-23, 1996,
Millbrae, California, USA.

161 K.N. Mathes, E.J. McGowan, “Electrical Insulation

Tracking - A Design-Engineering Problem”, Electro-
Technology, April 1962, pp. 146-151.

[7] ASTM D2303 - “Standard Test- Methods for Liquid -

Contaminant, Inclined-Plane Tracking and Erosion of
Insulating Materials”, September 1990, pp. 503-512.

[8] B.R. Varlow, D.W. Auckland, ”Mechanical Aspects of

Electrical Treeing in Solid Insulation, IEEE Electrical
Insulation Magazine, MarchjApril 1996, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 21-
26.

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