How to Test and Assess Stator Core Condition April 22, 2020

Using a Loop Test

How to Test and Assess Stator Core Condition

Using a Loop Test

Carlos Ramirez - Technical Support Specialist

Electrical Apparatus Service Association, Inc.
+1 314 993 2220 | [email protected]

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EASA © 2020 1
How to Test and Assess Stator Core Condition April 22, 2020
Using a Loop Test

Core Testing Introduction

• Countries globally are working to increase
energy system efficiency
• Electric motors are some of the largest
consumers of energy
• Electric motors are used in industrial,
commercial, transportation and agricultural
sectors

Repair/Rewinding and Efficiency

• In 2003, EASA and AEMT conducted a
study and published The Effect of
Repair/Rewinding on Motor Efficency and
Good Practice Guide
• This study was produced in response to
the need of increased efficiency globally
• EASA is working on an update of this
topic

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Using a Loop Test

Repair/Rewinding and Efficiency

• Study is available in https://easa.com/

Repair/Rewinding and Efficiency

EASA/AEMT study:
• Shows that the efficiency of motors
repaired/rewound using good practices is not
degraded, and in some cases can be improved
• Provides “Recommended Practices” and
considerations for repairing motors excluding
hazardous location and explosion-proof
applications

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Using a Loop Test

Efficiency
• Efficiency of any machine can be expressed as
Output power/Input power
• Motor output power is the power delivered in
the shaft (T x RPM)
• Input power is expressed in watts or kW and
always exceeds the output power
• In order to express the two powers in same
units, a conversion factor is used: kW =
hp*0.746 (NEMA Motors)

Efficiency Cont.
• In service, simply dividing the rated output
power by the input power is not exact in
determining efficiency as motor loading
constantly changes
• Precise and accurate measurement of input
and output power with calibrated equipment
is required to measure motor efficiency

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Using a Loop Test

Energy Losses in Induction Motors

• They are 5 types of losses in an induction motor:
- Stator I2R loss
- Rotor I2R loss
- Stray loss
- Core loss
- Friction + windage loss

• Stator I2R loss , Rotor I2R loss and Stray loss are
directly dependent and vary closely with the
square of the load, or with the load

Energy Losses in Induction Motors Cont.

• Table below shows estimated losses of typical

medium 4- pole three-phase motors

Loss type % Total Losses

2
Stator I R loss 35

Rotor I2R loss 25

Core loss 20

Stray loss 10

Friction + Windage 10

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Using a Loop Test

Stator Core
• Normally manufactured with large number of
laminations insulated from each other
• Materials: Low-carbon, silicon-iron, or silicon-
aluminum iron

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Core Loss
• Depends on ferromagnetic properties of
materials:
– Lamination quality
– Grade
– Thickness
– Processing
• Insulating coatings for electrical steels are
specified in ASTM A976-13
• Core loss for different lamination thickness are
specified in ASTM A677-12

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Using a Loop Test

Interlaminar Insulation Coatings

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Electrical Steel Core Loss Properties

Thickness Inches (mm) Max Core Loss at 1.5 T and 60 Hz

W/lb (W/kg)
0.0140 (0.36) 1.45 (3.20) to 2.05 (4.52)
0.0185 (0.47) 1.65 (3.64) to 4.50 (9.92)
0.0250 (0.64) 2.00 (4.41) to 5.50 (12.13)
Ref. ASTM A677-12

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Using a Loop Test

Hysteresis Loop

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Eddy Currents

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Using a Loop Test

Effect of Shorted Laminations

• Eddy-current losses vary as the square of the

lamination thickness
– Two shorted laminations = 4 times the heat in that area
• 5 shorted laminations = 25 times the heat

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Eddy-Current Losses

• Flux density, frequency and lamination

thickness are key contributors to eddy
current losses

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Using a Loop Test

Loop Test Background

1952-AIEE paper: Interlaminar Test For

Synchronous Machine Stator by H.R. Tomlinson

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Stator Core Loop Test - Why?

• Verify that the stator core is acceptable for

continued use
• Verify that the repair process has not
degraded the stator core plate condition
• Test can be performed using a commercial
core loss tester or manually using an AC
source, cables and calibrated meters

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Using a Loop Test

Stator Core Loop Test - EASA

• If a commercial core loss tester is not available, or
the test cannot be carried out using such
equipment, EASA Technical Manual provides a
step-by-step procedure
• To avoid manual calculations, EASA also has
included a Loop Test Calculator on its website
• It is advisable to verify the actual back-iron
magnetic flux density using a search coil
• Most often the test is performed at 1.32 T
(85,000 lines/in2)

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Loop Test Calculator - EASA

https://easa.com/resources/software/loop-test-
calculator

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Using a Loop Test

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Stator Core Loop Test - Dimension and Calculation

Measure and record (inches – mm):

- L = Length less air ducts
- D1 = Inside diameter
- S = Slot Depth
- B = Back iron depth
- Calculate mean diameter of core back iron D = D1 + (2 x S) + B
- Establish test voltage and frequency
- Calculate loop turns and round off as necessary; if you need
to round off the turns more than 3/10, adjust the voltage
instead
- Estimate the amperes and cable ampacity
- Calculate back iron weight and watts/pound or watts/kg
- Calculate the induced voltage in search coil

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How to Test and Assess Stator Core Condition April 22, 2020
Using a Loop Test

Stator Core Loop Test

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Stator Core Loop Test - Procedure

• Select single-phase power supply if posible,

with variable voltage and same frequency as
the motor rating (Ampacity higher than
estimated amperes)
• Also required: Ammeter, voltmeter,
wattmeter, thermometers, pyrometer, infrared
thermal scanner or similar

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How to Test and Assess Stator Core Condition April 22, 2020
Using a Loop Test

Stator Core Loop Test – Cont.

• Wind the loop and
search coil compactly
through stator frame;
use a larger cable if
possible
• Connect the wattmeter
as close to the loop
turns to avoid influence
of cable´s watt loss and
use an oversized cable
to reduce cable losses
• Record ambient
temperature and apply
power to the loop coil

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Stator Core Loop Test – Cont.

• Record meter readings
at the begining of the
test
• If current is other than
estimated, do not
adjust voltage or turns;
variation is expected
due to magnetizing
characteristics or core
damage

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Using a Loop Test

Stator Core Loop test – Cont.

• If measured current is higher than cable ampacity,
replace the cable with a larger cable
• If actual induced voltage varies more than
+/- 5% of calculated value, remeasure the dimensions,
especially backiron size and verify applied voltage or
adjust the voltage and current
– Low: Increase voltage or remove turns
– High: Reduce voltage or add turns
• Calculate watts/pound or watts/kg (represent back-iron
loss with error dependant of test cable losses)
• The larger the cable, the greater the portion of
calculated watt losses that can be attributed to the
core

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Temperature Reading
• Record ambient temperature at start of the
test
• Core will start to warm up and if laminations
are in good condition, the heating will be
uniform and the temperature will rise no more
than 5-10°C during 30 minutes
• Heating rate will vary with the size of backiron
• Core areas with damage will be detected as
hot spots

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Using a Loop Test

Temperature Reading - Hot Spots

Hot Spot: Any area with a temperature 15°C
above the ambient temperature.

Damaged spots heat up much faster than

healthy areas
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Temperature Reading Cont.

• Hot spots closer to the surface can be detected after a
few minutes, but in large 2-pole machines this can take
20 minutes or more
• During the test, frequent measurement of temperature
as necessary for a quick detection of hot spots
• Once the hot spots have been detected, end the test to
avoid further damage and mark the damaged areas
• Record the core’s temperature at the start and the end
of the test
• Calculate and record the core temperature rise
(ending temperature minus starting temperature)

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Using a Loop Test

Assessment Criteria - Core in Good Condition

Core will likely be in good condition if the test
results are as follows:
• Core temperature rise limit is ≤ 15°C
• Localized heat is not prevalent
• Watts/pound or Kg are favorable when
compared to published data or measurements
taken in similar cores
• In a good core, the losses will vary from 1 to 5
watts/lb (2-11 watts/kg) depending on
lamination material, grade, thickness and
processing

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Assessment Criteria - Core Damaged

Repair or replace the stator core if you detect any
of these conditions:
• The temperature of the core is high or increases
rapidly
• Localized heating (hot spots) is found
• Watts/pound (watts/kg) is high when compared
with reference data
Note: Watts/lb (watts/kg) represents only the
back iron losses

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How to Test and Assess Stator Core Condition April 22, 2020
Using a Loop Test

Loop Test in Stators That Are To Be Rewound

• Test before and after burning out the stator
• Windings should be burned out and stripped
properly
• Both tests should be done under the same
conditions using the same voltage, frequency
and turns using same cable and same
dimensions
• If W2 is below the maximum acceptable level
and W2/W1 ratio does not exceed 1.2, the core
is in good condition; a ratio > 1.2 means the
core should be repaired or replaced

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Guidelines for Obtaining Reliable Results

• Use RMS values and calibrated meters for the
test
• Connect the wattmeter as close to the loop
turns as possible
• Use the same voltage for the before and after
calculations
• Start the test with the cable and stator core at
ambient temperature and record volts, amps,
induced voltage and temperature

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Using a Loop Test

Guidelines for Obtaining Reliable Results

• If the measured current deviates from the
calculated current, do not adjust the voltage or
turns to match it
• Make sure both the before and after tests are
done under same conditions; use the same
voltage, turns and same dimensions

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Safety Rules
• Do not touch the loop coil or core surface while
the circuit is energized
• Do not use shielded cable as voltage will be
induced into the cable shield
• During the test, do not leave on place any
metallic objects in the stator bore

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How to Test and Assess Stator Core Condition April 22, 2020
Using a Loop Test

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Next Webinar

Leading Through Crisis

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

12:00pm – 1:00pm CT

Presented by Mike Weinberg

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How to Test and Assess Stator Core Condition April 22, 2020
Using a Loop Test

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