The effect of surge testing on the voltage endurance life of stator coils

Surge tests with short rise times are used to ensure turn insulation integrity in form-wound vacuum-pressure impregnated (VPI) coils prior to resin treatment. Use of this test migrated from the evaluation of fully processed generator bars and random wound stators. The dielectric properties of the insulation in these systems are fully developed at the time of testing. This is not true of "green" (unimpregnated) VPI coils. Although surge testing is a valuable manufacturing quality test, an excessive transient electric field in uncured coils may cause irreversible changes to the insulation. These changes may affect the life of the insulation system after complete impregnation and cure. This paper describes laboratory tests and finite element simulations that examine the effect of applied surge test voltage and number of applied pulses on voltage endurance (VE) life. The sympathetic voltage response in a single coil as a function of its location within a winding is described for a stator undergoing green surge testing as part of a quality assurance program. Results of VE testing and sample dissection data are presented. Test voltage was identified a more significant factor on VE life than the number of pulses applied.