IN5ULA TION:

DEFINING CLA55 TEMFERA TUKE RA TING5

Insulation Cl ass Temperature Ratings
Close inspection of a typical motor nameplate
reveals that there is a designation for the
Insulation Class of the winding. Often
abbreviated "Ins. CI. ", the letter codes used
wi ll be A. B. E or H. These are the values
used on motors that conform to NEMA
(National Electrical Manufacturers
Association) standards.
A word of caution about tempe ratu re
designations on nameplates The maximum
ambient. i.e., surrounding air temperature, is
also indicated on the nameplate. Most often
the ma ximum ambient, typically designated
"Max. Amb" on the nameplate, will be 40"C.
As will be discussed later, the Max. Amb. has
a relationship to the insulation class rating;
but Max. Amb. is not an indicator of
temperature rise of a motor. It is an indicator
of the maximum temperature of the
surrounding ai r, or "room temperature", that
the motor should be operated in. The point
here is that this temperature is not a measure
of motor surface temperature, or motor
temperature rise.
The letter codes each relate to a numerical
tempera ture rat ing, A fo r 105C, B for 130C, F
fo r 155C. and H for 180C. NEMA still uses
the letter codes, but scientific/engineering
communities prefer the numerical
designations. Figure 1 belO'N illustrates the
relationship between time and temperature for
the four insulation classes.
Figure1: Winding temperature vs. hours
of life for el ectrical insulation cl asses.
What do these temperature designations
mean? They specify the thermal classi fication
of the insulation used in the stator windings of
a motor or generator. If the rotating element
of a motor or generator has insulated
windings, e.g., a wound rotor motor, the
designation also applies to the rotating
element. The temperature value associated
with the rating is the maximum continuous
temperature that the windings can operate at.
Temperatures in excess of the insulation class
designation will result in premature failure
due to reduced winding life. In extreme cases,
immediate winding failure may be the result.
Up until the 1960's most motors had Class A
winding systems. The advent of the Tframe
motor series in the mid 1960's resulted in
widespread use of Class B insulation. Some
manufacturers are now using Class F windings
in their more special ized motors; and in
exceptional cases, motors have been built
with Class H systems.
Many have been using Class H fo r decades.
The primary reason for Class H is rel iabili ty.
Most of the rewind cost is for labor, whi le
most of the material in the motor is reused,
e.g., the stator core and frame, rotor, and
end bells. While it makes economic sense for
a manufacturer to have multiple insulation
systems. the repair service center doesn't
perform rewinding en-mass as the
manufacturers do. By using Class H only, the
service center buys the highest temperature
rated winding materials at the best buying
level they are capable of. The net result is a
winding with the best achievable temperature
rating. That gives the service center added
Temperature vs. Life Curves for Insulation Systems
(per IEEE 117 & 101)

CI') 100000
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5
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53
....
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w



10000
1000
100
40 90 140 190 240
VVlNOING TEMPERATURE
confidence in the longevity of the rewind, and
assures the end user that the rewound motor
will outlive the original winding under the
same operating conditions. Figure 2 below
illustrates a winding that might have survived
an overload condition if it had been upgraded
to Class H from Class B.
Figure 2: An electri c motor winding that
has been thermally degraded by an
overl oad condition.
Insulation system thermal classifications are
important because they establish the different
temperature capabil ities associated with
winding materials. Insulation engineers
determined long ago that increased
temperature degrades a winding, and that the
ra te of degradation was measurable. For over
50 years designers have gone by the
scientifically based rule of thumb that a lOoC
decrease in temperature reduces winding
thermal life by 50%. If we consider the
difference between a motor asbuilt with a
Class B (130C) winding, and a Class H
(180C) rewind, the 50 degrees increase in
capability equates to 2 to the fifth power
(that's 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2J. or 32 times more
theoretical life. We say theoretical because in
the real world other factors, typically
mechanical in nature, wil l intervene such that
a 32-fold increase in motor (not just winding)
life is not to be expected.
Another consideration is the relat ionship
between insulation class, temperature rise,
and ambient temperature. The insulation
class rating designates the maximum
operating temperature for a winding. The
temperature rise is the difference between the
ambient and the operating temperatures.
To be continued in
the next
Longo Letter