Insulation deterioration detection by zero-sequence current analysis for induction motors

Insulation tests for the stator coil, which decides the motor life, are carried out once several years in power and industrial plant. In the case of high voltage (HV) motors, insulation failure may adversely affect plant operation. Hence, maintenance activities, including insulation tests, research on insulation deterioration, and online Partial Discharge (PD) monitoring, are actively pursued for HV motors. On the other hand, the maintenance of low voltage (LV) motors is restricted to breakdown maintenance (BDM) because (1) a large number of LV motors are in operation in plants and (2) maintenance activities are relatively more expensive than those for HV motors. In this paper, the results of a study on insulation deterioration detection for LV motors are presented. For the deterioration detection, the deference in Zero-Sequence current waveforms between normal conditions and fault conditions is analyzed. This method helps in decreasing the maintenance cost and in online insulation diagnosis for LV motors.