TEMPERATURE RISE AND CLASS OF INSULATION FOR AC MOTO

ISSUED BY C.J.HEWETSON
10/1/03

The correct class of insulation is essential in terms of a satisfactory operational life of AC motors, particularly
in high ambient operation. The motor operational life is dependant upon a number of factors
a) The winding insulation class.
b) The ambient temperature.
c) The motor efficiency.
d) The Copper/Iron mass of the stator and windings.
e) Voltage fluctuation & phase imbalance.
f) Winding temperature.
g) Bearing operating temperature and lubrication specification.
h) The load on the motor.
The winding operating temperature directly effects the life of winding insulation materials plus the bearings.
Winding temperature rise is directly related to the efficiency of the motor, which is the power output at the
shaft divided by the power input at the supply side. In general, motors are 85% efficient unless high efficiency
motors are requested, in which case the efficiency would be 90-95%. High efficiency motors have more
Copper/Iron by design, therefore the losses and the equivalent heat generation will be less. The difference
between power input and output is called the loss and this power loss is transformed into heat, which warms
up the motor windings and must be expelled from the motor to avoid excessive temperature rise. If the
efficiency of the motor is 85% then 15% of the kW input is generated in winding heat with an equivalent
winding temperature rise based upon the mass of Copper and Iron and the specific heat thereof. The hottest
part of the windings is in the centre of the slots where the heat is generated as a result of the losses.
The heat generated is dissipated to the ambient air through the external surfaces of the motor and assistance of
air forced over the surface in the case of TEFC or through the stator/rotor air gap in the case of ODP motors,
via a fan mounted on the rotor shaft end. For every 5.5°C winding temperature rise above the insulation rating
of the motor, the motor operating life will be reduced by 50%. Motor insulation temperature rise allowable for
each class of insulation is always based upon an ambient of 40°C which is the air on temperature to the motor
for cooling purposes. As motor insulation class is based on 40°C ambient in warm climates such as Asia and
Middle East design ambient maybe 50°C and therefore the winding temperature will be 10°C above the
allowable temperature rise and likely to exceed the maximum temperature for the windings. For TEAO or
TEFC motors the bearings provided will relate to the expected motor winding temperature. As most product
designs are based around American or European markets, the insulation class specified will generally be class
B and the bearings fitted will reflect this. For warm climates with higher ambients, the winding temperature is
likely to fall into class F or H and if you consider lubricants begin to break down and lose their lubricating
properties at 85-90°C, it can be readily understood that the bearings may well fail due to a reduction in grease
viscosity and leakage or vaporization before the motor windings. Indeed, as the bearing lubrication is
gradually lost, the bearing elements will pick up, resulting in higher current draw which in itself may cause the
motor windings to fail. Many motors supplied by American or European suppliers have no service factor or
thermal reserve as described by NEMA or IEC standards, which allows for overloading of the motor for short
or continuous periods without serious damage of overheating. The service factors that should be specified are
1.10, 1.15 or 1.2 which provides a 10,15 or 20% overload; sales people should not accept a service factor of
1.0. It is very easy to overload motors especially during pull down, increased air flow on AHU's due to lower
external static pressure, changes in air density/humidity or due to power supply voltage fluctuations or phase
imbalances. Under such conditions a thermal reserve will allow the motor to operate without exceeding their
class rating by using some or all of their thermal reserve. The temperature rise for motors with 1.0 service
factor is as follows.

INSULATION CLASS A E B F H F WITH CLASS B RISE

TEMPERATURE RISE OF WINDING 60 75 80 100 125 80

AMBIENT TEMPERATURE 40 40 40 40 40 40

ALLOWANCE FOR HOT SPOTS 5 5 10 15 15 15

THERMAL RESERVE 0 0 0 0 0 20

TOTAL WINDING TEMPERATURE 105 120 130 155 180 155

For all motors be they single or 3 phase, to ensure trouble free operation and a normally expected life of
25,000hrs the winding class should be class F with a service factor of 1.1 as a minimum especially in view of
the likelihood of voltage imbalances and voltage reductions experienced in many countries.