The Hot Topic of Motor Temperature

by Chris Medinger, LEESON Electric Corporation

The chief enemy of an electric motor's insulation system is heat, so you want to be sure the
motor stays within limits for long winding life. But you'll never be able to judge by feeling the
motor's surface.

What will concerned parents do when their child says, "Mommy and Daddy, I think I am sick"?
Feel the little one's forehead, of course. It's a logical first step---followed, one hopes, by
measurement methods more precise than the human touch before making a final diagnosis.
Perhaps it is this common human scenario that causes people, even those who probably
know better, to attempt to judge an AC induction motor's condition by feeling its "forehead".
Here's a story from our archives at LEESON that illustrates the perils of making motor
diagnoses based on feel.
A motor user facing a humid environment in a part of his plant called for advice on what kind
of motor he might use for maximum durability. We recommended he try a washdown-duty
motor, which is designed to withstand not only humidity, but even frequent direct blasts from a
hose, as in a food processing area. He agreed that though his was not a food plant he would
not be hosing down the motor, the added moisture-resistance of the washdown motor made
sense. So he installed a one of our washdown motors, which have among other features a
white epoxy exterior finish.
Some time later, this same customer called to say that while the washdown motor was
holding up well and had no apparent performance problems, it appeared to be "running hot ."
The reason for his concern was that the motor's white surface was discoloring. Upon
investigation, we found that maintainance people had been feeling the motor's surface,
leaving the dirt, oil, and grease of their day's work behind on the white surface. This "hot
motor" problem was solved with spray cleaner and shop rag. And a check of the motor's
current draw, a much better way to gage performance, showed it to be operating properly.
You cannot tell by touching
Point is, you cannot accurately judge a motor by feeling its surface. Design temperature
ratings apply to the hottest spot within the motor's windings, not how much of that heat is
transferred to motors surface. The heat transfer will vary greatly from motor to motor based
on frame size and mass, whether the frame is smooth or ribbed, whether open or totally
enclosed, and other cooling factors. Even the efficiency of the motor may have little effect on
surface temperature. For example, a premium efficiency motor, though it's internal
temperature will be cooler as a result of lower loses, may not have lower surface
temperatures, because the ventilation fan is likely be smaller to reduce windage losses. Plus,
any motor's frame surface is a quilt of hot spots and cool spots related to internal air
circulation patterns.
Unless you have benchmark lab readings of heat runs that show "normal" surface
temperatures for that specific model in exact locations on the frame, a motor's skin
temperature provides little if any evidence of what is going on inside.
Another point: for safety's sake, no one should be touching most electric motors in the first
place, unless they are specially designed to have safe surface temperatures. Such motors
include those used on bench grinders, power saws and the like. For those applications,
Underwriters Laboratories sets maximum acceptable surface temperatures for a metal
"surface subject to casual contact" at 70 C(158 F) after 30 minutes of operation in a 25
C(77 F) room. Even at that temperature, however, you do not want to touch the surface for
long.

The surface temperature of continuously (and correctly)

operating general purpose industrial electirc motor will
easily be 80 C (176 F) and perhaps as high as 100 C
(212 F). You cannot keep your hand on a surface that
hot long enough to discern differences, and if you try,
you could get a nasty burn.
There are no published standards regarding surface
temperatures of general purpose motors, though UL
does set such standards for explosion-proof motors.
Also machinery manufacturers sometimes specify
unusually low maximum surface temperatures for
certain applications. Your motor manufacturer can help
you work through the specifics.
Heating, a valid concern
Even if feeling a motor's surface is not the way to judge
operating temperature, a motor's winding temperature is
important . The concern, of course, is for the integrity of
the motor stator's insulation system. Its function is to
separate electrical components from each other,
preventing short circuits and, thus, winding burnout and
failure. In most NEMA frame motors, the key insulation components include magnet wire
coating, which insulates wires within a coil from each other; slot cell and phase insulation,
typically high strength polyester sheets that are installed in stator slots to provide phase-toground protection; and insulating varnish into which the wound stator is dipped to provide
moisture resistance and overall better insulating performance.
Most people who work with motors have heard the common rule of thumb that a 10 C rise
cuts the insulation's useful life in half and a 10 C decrease doubles the insulation's life. That
rule of thumb does not mean that if you can keep a motor cool enough, it will last forever,
because there is more to a motor than just its windings. Also, insulation can have other
enemies such as moisture, vibration, chemicals and abrasives in the air that might shorten its
life.
The more pertinent issue is the temperature at which the motor windings are designed to
operate so they give a long and predictable insulation life of 20,000 hours or more. The
National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) sets specific temperature standards for
motors of various enclosures and having various service factors. These standards are based
on thermal insulation classes---the most common being A,B,F and H.The table summarizes
these standards into maximum winding temperatures a motor can attain and still have long
insulation life. These are total temperatures, based on maximum ambient of 40 C (104 F),
plus additional heat (temperature rise ) generated by motor operation. Greater than 40 C
ambient may require special application considerations or special motor designs.
The temperatures shown are for motors having a 1.0 service factor. Many industrial motors
have 1.15 or higher service factors, indicating a higher overload tolerance, and meaning they
could operate safely at higher temperatures. But why push it ? Use these maximums, and you
won't go wrong.

Thermal ratings of insulation classes

These are the highest allowable stator winding temperatures for long
insulation life. Temperatures are total, starting with a maximum ambient of
40 C
Insulation class

Maximum winding temperature, C

A
B*
F*
H

105
130
155
180

* Most common classes for industrial-duty motors.

Class B or Class F insulation systems are most common in today's industrial-duty motors.
Smaller sizes, say up to 5 hp, are typically class B. From 5 to 10 hp, many ratings move
toward class F.That's also true of premium efficiency and inverter duty motors . Larger than 10
hp , Class F becomes most common. Beyond that, many manufacturers design their motors
to operate cooler than their thermal class might allow. For example, a motor might have Class
F insulation but a class B temperature rise. This gives an extra thermal margin. Class H
insulation systems are seldom found in general purpose motors, but rather in special designs
for very heavy use, high ambient temperature, or high altitude conditions. Class A insulation is
not used on today's industrial duty motors, though it can be found on some small appliance
motors.

Class A insulation was, however, standard on industrial motors built in the 1960s and earlier
---the so called NEMA-U frame motors, as opposed to todays NEMA-T frame designs.
Because Class A insulation has such a low temperature rating, these older motors were
required to have far lower maximum temperatures than today's class B and Class F insulated
motors. This accounts for the perception among many long time motor users that modern
motors "run hot." In fact, they do compared with older motors, but their insulation systems are
so much better that the reliability and durability of new motors are equal to or better than older
design motors. Plus, older motors achieved cooler operation through the expense of larger
frames and more material. Better insulation systems have allowed motor manufacturers to put
more horsepower in a smaller package for maximum cost effectiveness.

Determining correct operation

Provided you have purchased a motor from a
reputable manufacturer, correctly sized, applied and
installed it and are operating it under the conditions
for which it was built, you have very little reason to
be concerned about it overheating. However,
unanticipitated changes in environment, aging of
equipment, misuse and other factors can subject
the motor to stresses for which it was not intended.
Specifying motors with inherent overload protectors ---such as thermostats, thermocouples, or
resistive temperature devices(RTDs)-- or installing motor protective devices in motor controls,
can help ensure that a motor is taken off-line before winding damages occurs. Since
protectors and thermostats are typically very reliable devices, if a motor is constantly "tripping
out," it usually means it is overheating. Motor protection of one sort or another is advisable in
almost any application. Your motor supplier can help sort out the details.
A good field test is to check the motor's current draw using a clamp-style ammeter. If current
draw is less than or equal to the nameplate rating, you can be confident all's well with the
windings, including their temperature, if the motor is operating in an application it is designed
for.
Resistance method. A more precise test for detemining winding temperature is the
resistance method. This test requires an ohm meter capable of measuring very low
resistance. For motors up to about 2 hp, the meter should be accurate to 0.1 ohm; from 2
through 20 hp, 0.01 ohm; and for larger motors, 0.001 or better yet to .000001 ohm.
With the motor disconnected from power lines, first use the ohm meter to determine
resistance across the motor leads on a cold motor. Then connect the motor and operate it
under normal load conditions until the running temperature stablizes.This usually takes 3 or 4
hours, possibly longer depending on motor size. Disconnect the motor from power source
and, as quickly as possible, make another resistance check. Then enter these cold and hot
resistance readings into the following formula to determine the winding temperature.
Tt = Tc + (Rh - Rc)/Rc x (Tc + 234.5)
Where:
T(t)=total winding temperature
T(c)=Cold motor (ambient) temperature, C (The motor should be in the ambient environment
long enough to reach that temperature.)
R(h)=Hot motor resistance
R(c) =cold motor resistance
234.5 = constant for copper windings
In the laboratory environment, such as a motor manufacturer uses, resistance testing is often
done in conjunction with correlating tests involving thermocouples placed in the windings and
at specific locations on the motor's surface. This testing produces a heat run profile for a
particular motor model. Only by referring to such design, specific data can any correlation be
made between surface and winding temperatures.
Guarding against overheating
Motor manufacturers are not perfect. Sometimes a motor overheats because of a
manufacturing or design defect. But far more often, motor overheating problems can be
traced to misapplication. Overloading is a leading cause. This involves using an undersized
motor, a situation that may become more common as concern for energy efficiency puts the
emphasis on eliminating oversized motors. Use 80% loading as your guide . Most electric

motors reach their peak efficiency at that load, and a comfortable overload margin remains.
Other common causes of overloading include a load seizing up, causing a locked rotor
condition on the motor, misalignment of power transmission linkages, and increased torque
requirements of the driven load.
Environmental conditions that can result in motor overheating include high ambient
temperatures (look especially at motor surroundings; is the motor near a heat-generating
device?) and high altitudes. Above 3,300 feet, the thin air has less cooling capability. You may
have to derate a motor under these conditions, probably choosing the next size up. Another
environmental concern is the dirt and fibers, which can clog ventilation openings, coat heat
dissipating surfaces and cause a variety of mechanical problems. If it's dirty, use a totally
enclosed motor versus an open one.

Power supply problems are another overheating cause. Low voltage will cause the motor to
draw higher current to deliver the same horsepower and the higher current means higher
winding temperatures. Figure that a 10% drop in voltage could cause nearly that much
temperature rise.
Excessive or sustained high voltage will saturate a motor's core and lead to overheating as
well. In three-phase motors, phase imbalances can cause high currents and excessive heat,
the extreme being the complete loss of voltage in one phase(called single phasing), which if
correct protection is not in place, will burn out the motor.
Often overlooked as a cause of overheating is the number of start-stop cycles per hour. While
starting, a typical motor draws five to six times the rated running current. This starting current
accelerates heating dramatically. Most continuous-duty motor designs are intended to do just
that--- operate continuously. Though various provisions are made relative to loading and offtime, NEMA essentially limits a three phase continuous-duty motor to two starts in succession
before allowing sufficient time for motor to stablize to its maximum continuous operating
temperature. This is highly application-dependent, so its best to check with your motor
manufacturer if you face a high cycle application. A custom design may be required.
Finally, pay special attention when applying adjustable-speed inverter drives, especially if you
are connecting an inverter to an older motor. The inverter's "synthesized" ac wave form
increases motor heating. However, technological advances continue to improve the wave
form to more closely approximate an ac sine wave . More importantly, be especilly careful
when operating an inverter-powered motor at low motor speed (less than 50% of base speed)
for extended periods, unless the motor has a separately powered cooling fan, which delivers
a constant volume of cooling air over the motor regardless of motor speed.
Modern inverter-duty motors have higher insulation ratings to help alleviate this concern, and
the robust insulation systems used in most of today's general purpose industrial motors are

adequate for many applications. In extreme cases, however, a secondary cooling source may
be required.