The evolution of IEC 60034-18-41 from technical specification to standard: Perspectives for manufacturers and end users

The document IEC 60034-18-41 for inverter-fed rotating machines is undergoing a radical revolution: born as a technical specification, it is going to become a standard. One of the points that will influence most strikingly machine manufacturer-customer relations is the concept of impulse rated voltage (IRV): a quantity that will be printed on the machine nameplate and needs to be explained. Also, as wire-wound insulation systems are qualified or not depending on partial discharges measurements, it is vital to face the challenges of partial discharge detection under repetitive surge voltages. According to the above, this paper will first summarize the main features of the IEC 60034-18-41 document. After that, a short description of a system able to detect partial discharge under repetitive voltage surges and its applications will be presented.