4.4.

Induction Motor Testing

All induction motors are tested before shipment from the factory. This testing can be subdivided in two groups:

Routine tests Complete or prototype tests IEEE Std 1121996 applies to induction motor testing. 4.4.1. Routine tests The primary purpose of the routine test is to insure freedom from electrical and mechanical defects, and to demonstrate by means of key tests the similarity of the motor to a standard motor of the same design. The standard motor is an imaginary motor whose performance characteristics would agree exactly with the expected performance predictions. Depending on the size of the motor, some or all of the following tests could constitute routine tests:

Winding resistance measurement No-load running current and power High-potential test Locked-rotor test Air-gap measurement Direction of rotation and phase sequence Current balance Insulation resistance measurement Bearing temperature rise Magnetic center at no-load Shaft voltages Noise

Vibration NEMA MG1 includes the first three tests for all motors, and the fourth test for medium motors only. 4.4.2. Prototype tests The purpose of a prototype test is to evaluate all the performance characteristics of the motor. This test consists of the following tests in addition to the routine tests:

No-load saturation characteristic Locked rotor saturation characteristic Locked rotor torque and current Loss measurement including stray load loss Determination or measurement of efficiency Temperature rise determination Surge withstand test 4.4.2.1. NO-LOAD RUNNING CURRENT AND POWER. This is obtained by measuring volts, current and input power at rated voltage with motor unloaded. The no-load saturation curve is obtained by repeating this test at various voltages between 20% and 125% of rated voltage. 4.4.2.2. CURRENT BALANCE. With the motor running on no-load at rated voltage, the current in all three phases are measured and comparison can then be made between the highest and the lowest values for acceptability. 4.4.2.3. WINDING RESISTANCE. This is measured usually using a digital bridge, or a calibrated ohmmeter if the resistance is greater than one ohm. The value is then corrected to 25C for comparison with the expected value. 4.4.2.4. INSULATION RESISTANCE MEASUREMENT.

Insulation resistance is useful as a long-term maintenance tool. Measured during the life of the motor, it provides an indication of the quality and relative cleanliness of the stator winding insulation. The test made in the factory before the motor is shipped is a good benchmark for this purpose. For this test, all accessories with leads located at the machine terminals are disconnected from the motor, and their leads are connected together and to the frame of the machine. 4.4.2.5. HIGH POTENTIAL TEST. This test entails applying a test voltage between the windings and ground for one minute, the test voltage being equal to twice the line voltage plus 1000 volts. The voltage is applied successively between each phase and the frame, with the windings not under test and the other metal parts connected to the frame. All motor accessories that have leads located in the main terminal box are disconnected during this test, with the leads connected together to the frame or core. 4.4.2.6. VIBRATION TEST. The normal test entails reading vibration at the bearing housing with the motor running uncoupled and on no-load at rated voltage and frequency. The limits are established in NEMA MG1. See Table 4.5. The unit of measure is peak velocity in in/sec, and the permissible magnitude is a function of speed. 4.4.2.7. BEARING TEMPERATURE RISE. This test is made by operating the motor unloaded for at least two hours while monitoring the bearing temperature. The test is continued until the bearing temperature stabilizes. A good indication of this is when there is less than 1C rise between two consecutive readings taken half an hour apart. 4.4.2.8. SHAFT VOLTAGE CHECK. Any unbalances in the magnetic circuits can create flux linkages with the rotating systems which can produce a potential difference between the shaft ends. This is capable of driving circulating currents through the bearings resulting in premature bearing damage. See IEEE Std 1121996 for details of this test. 4.4.2.9. STRAY LOAD LOSS. The stray load loss is that part of the total loss that does not lend itself to easy calculation. It consists of two parts, viz., losses occurring at fundamental frequency, and losses occurring at high frequency.

The stray load loss can be determined by the indirect method or by the direct method. By the indirect method, the stray load loss is obtained by measuring the total losses using the input-output method and subtracting from them the sum of stator and rotor I 2R losses, the core lose and the friction and windage loss. The method thus entails subtracting two relatively large quantities from each other and is, therefore, not very accurate. For greater accuracy, and for the determination of efficiency by the loss segregation method, the direct measurement techniques must be used. In this, the fundamental frequency and high frequency components are measured separately and require two tests: the rotor removed test, and the reverse rotation test. The fundamental frequency losses can be measured by the rotor removed test, in which consists of measuring the power input with the rotor removed from the motor. The high frequency component is measured by the reverse rotation test, which entails measuring the power input to the motor, with the rotor being driven in the reverse direction to the stator revolving field, and at synchronous speed. For details of this test, see IEEE 1121996. 4.4.3. Efficiency tests Efficiency is the ratio of the motor output power and the motor input power. Efficiency=(output)/(input) or=(output)/(output+losses) or=(inputlosses)/(input) It can thus be calculated by a knowledge of power input and power output, or of power output and losses, or power input and losses. The losses in the induction motor consist of the following:

Stator I 2R loss Rotor I 2R loss Core loss Friction and windage loss Stray load loss IEEE Std 112 gives 10 different methods for the measurement of efficiency. Only three of these methods will be described here, one each for fractional-horsepower,

medium and larger induction motors. For a more complete description, see IEEE Std 1121996. 4.4.3.1. METHOD AINPUT-OUTPUT METHOD. This method is suitable for fractional-horsepower motors. In this method, the motor is loaded by means of a brake or a dynamometer. Readings of electrical power input, voltage, current, frequency, slip, torque, ambient temperature and stator winding resistance are obtained at four load points, more-or-less equally spaced between 25% and 100% load, and two loads above the 100% point. Motor efficiency is then computed using the procedures laid out in Form A in IEEE Std 112. 4.4.3.2. METHOD BINPUT-OUTPUT WITH LOSS SEGREGATION. This method is the only method suitable for testing motors designated energy efficient through 250 horsepower size range. The method consists of several steps which need to be performed in a set order. By this method, the total loss (input minus output) is segregated into its various components with stray-load loss defined as the difference between the total loss and the sum of the conventional losses (stator and rotor I 2R losses, core loss, and friction and windage loss). Once the value of the stray load loss is determined, it is plotted against torque squared, and a linear regression is used to reduce the effect of random errors in the test measurements. The smoothed strayload loss data are used to calculate the final value of the total loss and the efficiency. The tests required to be performed to develop the loss information are described below.

Stator I 2R loss is calculated from a knowledge of the rated stator current and the resistance of the stator winding corrected to the operating temperature. Rotor I 2R loss is calculated from a knowledge of the input power at rated load, the stator I 2R loss, the core loss and the per unit slip. Rotor I 2R loss=(measured input powerstator I 2R losscore loss)per unit slip. The core loss and friction and windage losses are determined from the no-load running current and power test. The motor is run with no load at rated voltage and frequency. The friction and windage loss is obtained by plotting the input power minus the stator I 2R loss vs. voltage, and extending this curve to zero voltage. The intercept with zero voltage axis is the friction and windage loss.

The core loss is obtained by subtracting the sum of stator I 2R loss at no-load current and rated voltage, and the friction and windage loss from the no load power input at rated. 4.4.3.3. METHOD F (AND VARIATIONS)EQUIVALENT-CIRCUIT METHOD. This test is usually used for a motor whose size is greater than 250 hp, and its size is such that it is beyond the capabilities of the test equipment. This method uses the equivalent circuit of the induction motor to determine the performance from circuit parameters established from test measurements. The test provides acceptable accuracy for starting and running performance. It also yields the most accurate determination of the losses and hence the efficiency. This method uses two locked rotor tests: one at line frequency, and the other at reduced frequency (a maximum of 25% of rated frequency). These tests, in conjunction with the running saturation test, delineate the classical equivalent circuit parameters of the motor. From the no-load saturation test, the magnetizing reactance, the stator leakage reactance and the magnetizing conductance can be determined. The rated-frequency locked-rotor test measures the stator and rotor reactance and the rotor resistance under initial starting conditions. The low-frequency locked-rotor test measures the stator and rotor leakage reactance and rotor resistance at close to the running frequency. The stator and rotor leakage reactances for equivalent circuit are separated using the ratio of these parameters provided by design. Also calculated value of full-load slip, and either tested value of stray load loss, or loss assumed according to Table 4.6 are used. The machine performance is then calculated using the parameters established from the test. Losses as determined from no-load tests are introduced at appropriate places in the calculation to obtain overall performance. Table 4.5. Unfiltered Vibration Limits Speed, r/min 3600 1800 1200 900 720 Rotational frequency, Hz 60 30 20 15 12 Velocity in/sec, peak 0.15 0.15 0.15 0.12 0.09

Speed, r/min 600

Rotational frequency, Hz 10

Velocity in/sec, peak 0.08

?

Export Data
Export CSV Export XLS

Table 4.6. Stray Load Loss Allowances per IEEE 112 Motor rating, hp 1125 126500 5012499 2500 Stray-load Loss (percent of rated output) 1.8 1.5 1.2 0.9
?

Export Data
Export CSV
Export XLS

4.4.4. Temperature test The reason for doing temperature tests is to determine and verify the temperature rise of various parts and windings of the motor when operated at its design load, voltage and frequency, and to insure that unacceptably high temperatures do not exist in any part of the motor. Proper instrumentation of the motor by the installation of thermocouples, resistance temperature detectors, thermometers, together with prompt measurement of the winding temperature at shutdown is critical for this test. Also important is the need to ensure that the motor is shielded from conditions such as rapid change in ambient temperature and presence of air currents, since these will reduce the accuracy of the test. The motor can be loaded by coupling it to a dynamometer, or by the so-called dual frequency equivalent loading method. The test is continued until the motor is thermally stable. In the dual frequency test method, the test machine is operated at no-load at rated voltage and frequency, and a low frequency power at a different frequency is

superposed on the winding. For this test, the frequency of this auxiliary power is set at 10 Hz below the primary frequency, and the voltage is adjusted so that the stator winding current equals the rated load current. Since the motor is supplied with power at two different frequencies, it is subjected to oscillatory torques that will cause the motor vibration during the test to be higher than normal. The temperature rise determined by the dual frequency method is usually within a couple of degrees of that obtained by the direct loading method. It is important that the hot resistance of the winding after shutdown be measured promptly to preserve accuracy in the calculation of losses and in the determination of temperature rise by the resistance method. IEEE 112 requires that this reading be taken within the time after shutdown shown in Table 4.7. Title: Electric Motor Handbook Publisher: McGraw-Hill Book Company: New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Auckland, Bogot, Caracas, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Mexico City, Milan, Montreal, New Delhi, San Juan, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto Copyright / Pub. Date: 1998 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. ISBN: 9780070359710 Authors: James L. Kirtley, Jr. is Vice President at Satcom Technology Corporation and Professor (on leave) of Electrical Engineering at MIT. H. Wayne Beaty is the former managing editor of Electric Light & Power magazine, and coeditor of the Standard Handbook for Electrical Engineers Nirmal K Ghai is the author of this McGraw-Hill Professional publication. Steven B Leeb is the author of this McGraw-Hill Professional publication. Richard H. Lyon is the author of this McGraw-Hill Professional publication. Description: From portable CD drivers to heavy industry behemothsall the essential facts about electric motors in one comprehensive reference. It thoroughly covers updated traction applications, the latest on solid-state motor-drive controllers, electrical and mechanical parameters, specifications, shapes, performance, protection, and every size of motor madefrom those used in portable CDs to the motors required by heavy industry.