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ABB Insulation System

for Rotating Electrical
Machines
Form-wound insulation system for
AC motors and generators up to 15 kV
3 AB B IN SU L ATIO N SYSTE M FO R ROTAT ING EL EC T R IC A L M AC HINES

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Product designed for the customer
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01 Historical Archives The design of high-quality, ABB’s commitment to meet or
ABB Switzerland,
N.1.1.135045, circa 1965 long-life motors and genera- exceed customer specifications
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02 Historical Archives tors starts with the electrical has resulted in machines that
ABB Switzerland,
N.1.1.135043, circa 1965
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insulation system that meets have demonstrated reliability
03 ABB insulation
system today
the application under the most in severe and standard duty
diverse electrical, thermal, me- applications. These include
chanical, environmental con- offshore and onshore installa-
ditions and stresses without tions, in converter and direct
compromise. online applications, in hazard-
ous and safe areas, in harsh
The MICADUR®-COMPACT and clean environments.
INDUSTRY (MCI) insulation
system has demonstrated its Products are designed and
industrial endurance with ma- tested to comply to the latest
chines that have been in oper- IEC, NEMA and IEEE interna-
ation for more than 30 years tional standards. Local country
and has achieved world-wide and industry standards can be
recognition for excellence with met as necessary. ABB is com-
thousands of units delivered mitted to safe manufacturing
every year. facilities while producing envi-
ronmentally sustainable prod-
First introduced in 1965, the ucts. The MCI insulation sys-
MCI insulation system is based tem is applied to the product
on form-wound technology, range of form wound low and
built on inorganic mica togeth- high voltage AC machines up
er with an epoxy-based resin. to 15 kV including:
The manufacturing process
has evolved to include high- • Induction and synchronous
ly automated manufacturing motors with outputs up to 75
equipment including state of MW
the art global Vacuum Pressure • Induction and synchronous
Impregnation (VPI) process. generators with outputs up to
The in process monitoring and 80 MVA
control systems provide the • Synchronous condensers with
high quality needed for reliable outputs up to 80 MVAr
operations and long life in all
service applications.
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Machine life cycle

The long service lifetime of the Thermal stress

insulation system of an electri- The thermal endurance capabil-
cal machine is dependent on ity of the MCI system has been
optimizing the interactions of service proven by machines
all insulation materials when which have been in operation
subjected to Thermal, Electri- for more than 30 years under
cal, Ambient and Mechanical extreme conditions.
(TEAM) stresses occurring in
actual operation. The thermal performance has
been determined by thermal
ABB has committed laborato- endurance testing of complete
ries that provide continuous formettes per IEC 60034-18-
improvements to maintain our 31. Based on these criteria, the
insulation system quality. Vali- MCI system exceeds the re-
dating materials and manufac- quirements for a Thermal Class
turing methods requires the F insulation system. The test
ability to test insulation perfor- system used in the certifying
mance under the TEAM stress- laboratory was also calibrated
es. ABB has the experience per IEEE and UL standards thus
and the laboratories to ensure providing a correlation of the
these factors have been evalu- IEC thermal rating to the other
ated to provide the long service standards.
life that our customers expect.
MCI insulated stators have
outstanding thermal expansion
characteristics throughout the
entire product line, which have
been confirmed in high thermal
gradient applications such as
artic and desert environments.

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04 Corona camera Electrical stress
Electrical stress occurs as both
steady state operation and
under transient conditions.
The electrical performance of
the MCI system has been con-
firmed by electrical endurance
testing per IEC 60034-18-32
and impulse voltage testing
per IEC 60034-15.
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The construction of the MCI
turn and mainwall insulation
makes it suitable for convert-
er applications and has been
qualified per IEC 60034-18-42.
The MCI system uses the VPI
process to minimize the oc-
currence of microscopic voids
and employs partial discharge
(PD) resistant materials to
withstand the rapid rise voltag-
es found in converter fed ma-
chines.
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05 Sealed wind- Ambient stress
ing spray test
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06 Mechanical stress
test of materials Moisture
The precision manufacturing
of the stator winding coupled
with the global VPI process
produces a stator which is
resistant to severe ambient
conditions. As an option, MCI
stators can be provided with
sealed windings according to
NEMA MG1.
Chemical Resistance
The materials used in the MCI
system are resistant to acids
and alkalines found in typical
industrial applications. In high- been designed and evaluated
ly aggressive environments ABB through analytical and simula-
offers appropriate protection
by enclosure.
Flammability
The MCI system meets UL 94
for flame retardance.
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Mechanical stress
The excellent mechanical
strength of the MCI coil over-
hang bracing enables the
system to withstand electro-
magnetic forces such as short
circuits, high out of phase cur-
rents, and repetitive dynamic
stresses without damaging
effects.
The winding bracing system is
designed to control the struc-
tural dynamics and vibration
levels of the winding. The coil
end mechanical support has
tion models.
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9 AB B IN SU L ATIO N SYSTE M FO R ROTAT ING EL EC T R IC A L M AC HINES

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Insulation system design and
construction

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07 Typical insulation Insulation of complete wind- Depending on the design cri-
system in high voltage
stator winding ings teria, a conducting corona
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08 Computer controlled The winding insulation is based protection tape layer is applied
taping machine
on the use of inorganic materi- to the slot portion of the coil
als. Mica is used in form-wound to control the surface poten-
coils because of its superior tial. At higher voltages a stress
resistance to partial discharge. grading layer is applied to the
Mica tape layers and epoxy coil end winding to achieve uni-
based impregnating resin com- form distribution of the voltage
bine into a homogeneous ep- to ground. The flexibility of the
oxy mica insulation appropriate unimpregnated coils allows
for modern applications. for easy insertion of the coils
into the stator core. Precise
The copper conductor is in- tolerancing of coil dimensions
sulated with mica tape to ensures that mechanical fit is
withstand interturn electrical obtained between the coil and
stress. The mainwall insulation the slot surface.
consists of a porous mica tape
that is applied by computer
controlled taping machines to
meet the operational parame-
ters.
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Global vacuum pressure impregnation
process

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09 Control of the The fully assembled stator The VPI process consists of the
VPI process
— with completed support struc- following stages:
10 Vacuum pressure
impregnation tures and connections is Vacu-
um Pressure Impregnated with 1. The entire stator is dried to
low-viscosity epoxy based res- remove moisture from the insu-
in. The procedure is fully auto- lation
mated and monitored during 2. Under vacuum, air is removed
each phase of the impregna- from the winding
tion and curing process. 3. The winding is flooded with
resin
4. High pressure is applied to
force the resin to penetrate
through the insulation materi-
als
5. The stator is cured in an oven
at high temperature to produce
a homogenous, high quality
insulation system

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Manufacturing process quality
assurance

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11 In-process qual- Controlled manufacturing • High voltage testing of the
ity inspection
— procedures ensure that every winding is conducted at appro-
12 Quality inspec-
tion label MCI stator winding conforms priate levels per IEC 60034-1
to ABB quality standards and before VPI and after curing of
meets the international stan- the impregnated winding
dards. • Insulation resistance and po-
larization index tests are con-
Tests and inspections are con- ducted per IEC 60034-27-4
ducted throughout the pro- • Dissipation factor tests per
duction process to ensure high IEC 60034-27-3 are conducted
reliability: on stator designs that utilize
slot corona protection tapes
• Inspections are performed for • Customer and internal tests
material conformance and to include PD, sealed winding,
ensure precise fit and clearanc- sample coils, etc.
es
• Surge tests per IEC 60034-15 ABB’s quality assurance system
are conducted to validate the is used to document inspection
turn insulation on individual and test results throughout the
coils prior to VPI manufacturing process and en-
sures that all instructions and
standards have been met.

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Why ABB?
Service lifetime of a high volt-
age form-wound stator starts
with selecting a reputable man-
ufacturer who has the know-
how and test laboratories to
address the quality of the de-
sign, workmanship, and selec-
tion of materials. The essence
of the insulation system is not
only in the mica tapes, resin,
and equipment – but in the
detail of the total system. An
investment in the ABB MCI sys-
tem provides a balanced solu-
tion that considers all TEAM
aging mechanisms in operation
and provides the extended life-
time product that the customer
demands.
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