ANSI/IEEE Std 943-1986

IEEE Guide for Aging Mechanisms and

Diagnostic Procedures in Evaluating
Electrical Insulation Systems

Published by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc 345 East 47th Street, New York, N Y 10017, USA
Ailgust

22%1986

SH10629

ANSI/IEEE
Std 943-1986

An American National Standard

IEEE Guide for Aging Mechanisms and
Diagnostic Procedures in Evaluating
Electrical Insulation Systems

Sponsor

IEEE Standards Coordinating Committee 4,

Thermal Rating
Approved June 13,1985

IEEE Standards Board

Approved November 15, 1985
American National Standards Institute

Copyright 1986

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc

345 East 47th Street, New York,NY 10017, USA
No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form,
in an electronic retrieval system OT otherwise,
without priar written permission of th,e publisher.

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Foreword
(This Foreword is not a part of ANSVIEEE Std 943-1986, IEEE Guide for Aging Mechanisms and Diagnostic Procedures in
Evaluating Electrical Insulation Systems.)

This guide was developed to aid equipment committees standardize tests for use in evaluating
electrical insulation systems. In the development of this guide the IEC Publication 610 (1978), Principal
Aspects of Functional Evaluation of Electrical Insulation Systems: Aging Mechanisms and Diagnostic
Procedures, was followed closely. When this guide was approved the IEEE Standards Coordinating
Committee 4,Thermal Rating had the following membership:

E. A. Boulter, Chairman

P. E. Alexander, Vice Chairman

H. E. Reymers, Secretary

D. E. Armstrong
E. L. Brancato
L. W. Buchanan
C. deTourrei1
G. I. Duncan
R. J. Flaherty

M. Fort
H. N. Galpern
W. H. Gottung
T. B. Jenkins
c. Y. Lu

M. L. Manning
K. N. Mathes
H. Rosen
H. R. Sheppard
W. T. Starr
C. R. Willmore

When this guide was approved the members of the Electrical Insulation Systems Working Group were
as follows:

Robert Flaherty, Chairman

P. E. Alexander
D. E. Armstrong
A. C. Baker
J. C. Botts
E. A. Boulter
E. L. Brancato
L. W. Brotherton

L. W. Buchanan
G. I. Duncan
M. M. Epstein
E. M. Forte
H. N. Galpern
M. L. Manning

K. N. Mathes
W. B. Penn
H. I. Reymers
H. Rosen
H. R. Sheppard
W. T. Starr
C. R. Willmore

The following persons were designated by SCC4 as the balloting committee that approved this
document for submission to the IEEE Standards Board:
P. E. Alexander
B. F. Allen
D. E. Armstrong
A. C. Baker
J.C. Botts
E. A. Boulter
E. L. Brancato
L. W. Brotherton
L. W. Buchanan
*Nonvotingmember

V. Condello*
C. deTourreil
G. I. Duncan
M. M. Epstein
R. J. Flaherty
E. M. Forte
H. N. Galpern
J. Goetz

M. L. Manning
K. N. Mathes
W. B. Penn
N. Porter
H. I. Reymers
H. Rosen
H. R. Sheppard
W. T. Starr
;C. R. Willmore*

When the IEEE Standards Board approved this standard on J u n e 13, 1985, it had the following
membership:

John E. May, Chairman

James H. Beall
Fletcher J. Buckley
Rene Castenschiold
Edward Chelotti
Edward J. &hen
Paul G. Cummings
Donald C. Fleckenstein
*Member emeritus

John P. Riganati, Vice Chairman

Sava I. Sherr, Secretary
J a y Forster
Daniel L. Goldberg
Kenneth D. Hendrix
Irvin N. Howell
Jack Kinn
Joseph L. Koepfinger *
Irving Kolodny
R. F. Lawrence

Lawrence V. McCall
Donald T. Michael.
Frank L. Rose
Clifford 0. Swanson
J. Richard Weger
W. B. Wilkens
Charles J . Wylie

Contents
SECTION

PAGE

6
1. Purpose and Scope .......................................................................................
. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .... .. .. . . . ... . .. ... .. .... .. .. .. .... . .. .. .. . ... .. .. . .. 6
1.1 Purpose ... ... .. .. .... .. . . _..
1.2 Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2. References .. . ... ... . . .. .. ...... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .... .... ... .... .. . .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . ...... .... .. ... . 6
3. Aging Mechanisms and Their Verification . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 7
3.1 General .... .. .. .. .... . ...... .. .. .. .. ...... .. .. ............. .... ... .. ......... .... .. ..... ... . .. .. .. .. ... 7
3.2 Assessment of Insulation Condition After Test or Service . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .. .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

3.3 Correlation of Aging Stresses in Test and Service . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3.4 Review and Evaluation of Test Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4. Diagnostic Techniques
.......................... ........ ......... ........ ...............
TABLE

Table 1 Diagnostic Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. .. .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

ANSI/IEEE
Std 943-1986

IEEE GUIDE FOR AGING MECHANISMS AND DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURES IN

An American National Standard

IEEE Guide for Aging Mechanisms and

Diagnostic Procedures in Evaluating
Electrical Insulation Systems

1. Purpose and Scope

Diagnostic methods, which are especially sensitive in ascertaining changes in the test specimen's condition, may have the advantage that
tests at relatively less intensified stresses can be
included to determine the changes of the system's characteristics or aging rate. Diagnostic
methods are reviewed in Section 4.
It must be recognized that functional test
procedures may require the selection of an arbitrary end-point criterion that does not correspond to equipment failure. This end-point, however, provides a relative measure of life
expectancy.

1.1 Purpose. The purpose of this guide is to

present background information necessary for
proper construction of aging mechanisms and
selection of diagnostic procedures when designing tests for functional evaluation of insulation
systems for electrical equipment.
This guide is primarily intended to aid committees to standardize tests within their scope of
responsibilities.
1.2 Scope. This guide briefly describes aging
mechanisms of insulation systems and methods
for ascertaining correlation of aging during testing and aging during actual service. Diagnostic
techniques for use in functional tests are also
listed.
When the performance of an insulation system
is evaluated by accelerated functional tests, misleading results may be obtained if the aging
mechanisms under the conditions of the test
differ from those experienced in actual service
applications. The risk of such errors increases as
the aging stresses are intensified in relation to
their normal levels in service.
The equivalence of the aging mechanisms in
the test and in service must be verified before a n
effective functional evaluation test can be performed. The importance of such verification procedures increases with the degree of stress intensification. considerations regarding the methodology of verification are given in Section 3.

2. References
This guide shall be used in conjunction with the
following publications:
[ l ] ANSI/IEEE Std 100-1984, IEEE Standard
Dictionary of Electrical and Electronics Terms.'

[2] IEEE Std 1-1986, IEEE Standard General

Principles for Temperature Limits in the Rating
of Electrical Equipment and for the Evaluation
of Electrical Insulation.z
'ANWIEEE publications are available from the Sales
Department American National Standards Institute, 1430
Broadway, New York, NY 10018.They are also available from
the IEEE Service Center, 445 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ
08854.
*IEEEpublications are available from IEEE Service Center,
445 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, N J 08854.

ANWIEEE
Std 943-1986

EVALUATING ELECTRICAL INSULATION SYSTEMS

3. Aging Mechanisms and Their

Verification

and at various times may yield pertinent information on the aging process.
Such properties are primarily electric or
mechanical, and concern the internal structure
of the specimens. For example, structural
changes can be detected by a change in elasticity
or hardness. Additionally, partial discharge intensity may sometimes be of value to aid in the
detection of changes in the structure of an insulation system.
When electrical aging is involved, particularly
at increased frequency, it is advisable t o determine dielectric loss as a function of frequency at
the test temperatures to avoid abnormally high
dielectric heating during aging tests. In some
cases, dielectric heating could lead to thermal
instability and make the aging process nonrepresentative of actual service conditions. This kind
of mechanism can occur even at the power frequency, usually at the higher levels of temperature, when excessive dielectric heating is
observed. Adjustment of the test frequencies or
introducing temperature control may therefore
be required in order to minimize the affects of
dielectric heating.
3.2.2 Chemical Investigations. Chemical
analysis of specimens can reveal much information pertaining to the aging process. For example, the polymerization of cellulose tracks the
percentage of life remaining in paper insulation
and analysis of degradation products gives information on the aging process. The rate of
increase of acidity or monitoring the consumption of antioxidants may permit comparison of
aging rates at different stress levels.
The rates of diffusion among adjacent components of an insulation system or changes in solubility among components may also give information pertinent to the aging process. An insulating
liquid or gas may be contaminated by the release
of compounds from other components of the
insulation system or from its container.
In the analysis of the gaseous degradation
products during aging, the most widely used
method of investigation is gas chromatography,
possibly in combination with mass spectroscopy.
Hydrogen, carbon oxides, and light hydrocarbons are to be found among gaseous products of
degradation that are formed from organic materials. The degradation products are dependent
upon the electrical and thermal stresses involved
and will differ from one another significantly as
conditions vary.
Monitoring of a liquid insulation can yield

3.1 General
3.1.1 Verification of Service-Related Aging
Mechanisms. Possible approaches to verification
of service-related aging mechanisms include
( 1 ) Assessment of the insulation system condition after service
(2) Correlation of aging stresses in test and in
service
(3) Review and evaluation of test results
3.1.2 Diagnostic Methods. Changes in the
specimen and its degradation products are monitored by suitable diagnostic methods. These
methods are selected (see Table 1) based on the
knowledge of or by making assumptions pertaining to the physical and chemical processes
resulting from the aging factors. Such changes in
the specimen may affect
(1) The structure of the insulation
(2) Electrical properties
(3) Mechanical properties
(4) Chemical composition of the specimen
(5) Liberation of constituents and degradation products
(6) Visual appearance or optical properties
Suitable determinations should be made to
verify that the aging stresses acting on the test
specimen are sufficiently representative of the
service conditions. This rule applies to all kinds
of aging factors used during evaluation tests
(thermal, electrical, environmental, and mechanical), whether they are used alone, in sequence,
or in combination.

3.1.3 Information Regarding Aging Mechanisms. Useful information regarding aging

mechanisms may be derived from the test results.
Suitable approaches include
(1) Analyzing the stress-time relationships
(2) Checking the distribution of the times to
end point within a batch of specimens
(3) Comparing the failure locations at various
stress levels and observing whether failures
occur under the action of aging stresses or when
a diagnostic factor is applied

3.2 Assessment of Insulation Condition After

Test or Service
3.2.1 Physical Investigations. During aging
the determination of some physical state or
measurement of some property and the comparison of results obtained at various stress levels
7

ANSI/IEEE
Std 943-1986

IEEE GUIDE FOR AGING MECHANISMSAND DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURES IN

measurements may produce characteristics that

permit an overall judgement of degradation
resulting from partial discharges.
Electrolytic degradation is affected by temperature and humidity. Such degradation has
been observed even with alternating current.
3.3.3 Environmental Aging. It should be noted
that in many types of equipment gases or liquids
are part of the insulation system.
Care should be taken to prevent products of
degradation, including water, from accumulating on or around the test specimens in quantities
considerably in excess of those that may occur
under service conditions.
When an insulation system is designed to be
used in a particular environment (gas or liquid),
test procedures should take the environment
into account. Changes of the environment often
produce changes in the degradation mechanism,
and such changes should be avoided. For example, changing the gaseous environment may
affect both the intensity and the chemical degrading mechanism or partial discharges.
3.3.4 Mechanical Aging. In mechanical aging,
when vibration is applied, it should be verified
that the stress distribution is sufficiently representative and that resonances do not occur
unless explicitly desired.
If transient thermomechanical stresses are
involved, t h e rate of change of the applied
temperature should be considered along with
temperature distribution and its rate of change.
Intensification of thermal or mechanical test
may cause relative motion between components.
Care should be taken to ensure that typical service conditions are represented.

information regarding the aging process of the

system. Liquid chromatography or infrared spectrophotometry can identlfy chemical changes in
the liquid, the presence of contaminating materials, or the change in amount of antioxidant
present. Changes in acidity can indicate oxidation as can color change.
Other techniques available to evaluate aging
include
(1) Degree of crystallinity of a polymer
(2) Differential thermal analysis (DTA)
(3) Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)
(4) Optical microscopy
(5) Scanning electron microscopy

3.3 Correlation of Aging Stresses in Test and

Service. Most standard test methods for evaluation of insulation systems are primarily concerned with single aging factors. Complications
arise when simultaneous applications are made
of more than one factor, even if only one of the
factors is intensified.
3.3.1 Thermal Aging. When temperature is the
principal aging factor, the heating method
should provide for an appropriate temperature
distribution within the specimen. When temperature gradients are an important aging factor,
internal heating may have to be provided instead
of the typical method of aging in an oven.
Temperature gradients influence diffusion
and they may be affected by dielectric heating.
These effects should be taken into consideration
when designing the test. The test specimen may
require cooling to minimize the effects of dielectric heating.
The temperature distribution in the test specimen should be as designed. Specimens are
commonly aged in an oven where temperatures
are intended to be uniform. Correlation of aging
temperature with expected operating temperature distributions may be an important consideration.
3.3.2 Electrical Aging. Various measurement
methods are available to check the electrical
state of a test specimen.
The recording of amplitude and time distributions of partial discharges may be a useful tool.
Comparison of such distributions at test and
service levels of the electrical stress may provide
a verification of the validity of the intensification
both in level and in frequency.
Evaluation of data, such as dielectric losses as
a function of voltage, the maximum discharge
per cycle, discharge repetition rate and similar

3.4 Review and Evaluation of Test Results

3.4.1 Stress-TimeRelationships. If test results
at different stress levels are evaluated to develop
a life curve, and if the curve deviates from the
form expected on the basis of a theory or experience with the aging mechanism, then a change of
aging mechanism is suggested.
A change of slope at higher stress levels is
clearly indicative of a change in the aging mechanism. When the slope of the curve changes substantially at higher stress levels, the results at
these levels should be disregarded in the final
evaluation of the insulation system.
3.4.2 Statistical Distributions. It may occur
that the distribution of the individual times-tofailure within a batch can be clearly interpreted
as belonging to two or more different distribu8

ANSI/IEEE
Std 943-1986

EVALUATING ELECTRICAL INSULATION SYSTEMS

tions. In such cases, suspect specimens should be

examined for possible defects. If physical differences among the specimens are not revealed, the
whole batch shall be considered together. This
may affect the decision concerning the appropriate type of statistical analysis to be employed.
The criterion t o be used for deletion of test
values is the identification of abnormalities in
the specimens.
3.4.3 Location of Failures. Inspection of the
specimens after the test may provide pertinent
information. If the end of life consists of an
observable weakening or rupture of the test
specimen, failure location may be indicative of a
change in the aging mechanism. Conclusions
may sometimes be drawn concerning the dielectric strength of specimens if the location of the
failures is known with respect t o the spatial distribution of the aging stresses. Failure may occur
either under the actual aging stress or during
application of a diagnostic stress.
This inspection for defects applies primarily
when a failure occurs under an electric or
mechanical stress.

If at higher levels of voltage stress, during voltage endurance tests, most failures occur at the
edge of an electrode and the distribution of
puncture locations at lower stresses is random, a
change in aging mechanism may be indicated.

4. Diagnostic Techniques
All methods for the assessment of the state of
specimens or for the detection of aging mechanisms should introduce negligible aging in the
test. Diagnostic procedures for monitoring properties of insulation systems during service or
aging tests may be nondestructive, possibly destructive, or destructive.
In nondestructive tests, the stress has no
measurable effect on aging.
Possibly destructive tests are those with low
influence on aging if used as short-time tests for
periodic application. If any stress of possiblydestructive character is used for continued mon-

Table 1
Diagnostic Techniques
1. Nondestructive Measurement of Properties
( a ) Dielectric Properties of the System
(i) Insulation resistance
(ii) Dielectric polarization or depolarization current versus time
(iii) Dielectric constant
(iv) Dielectric losses
(v) Surface resistivity
(vi) Partial discharge, inception and extinction voltage,
amplitude, number, quadratic rate
(vii) Dielectric properties as a function of temperature
(b) Physical-Mechanical Properties of the System
(i) Hardness
(ii) Elasticity
(iii) Weight loss
(iv) Stiffness
(v) Resonance frequency and damping
(c) Chemical Analysis
(i) Analysis of products of degradation (gas chromatography, mass spectrometry)
( d ) Visual Inspection
(i) Evaluation of color and color changes
(ii) Surface condition (smooth or rough)
(iii) Deposition of dust, oil, humidity, or other contaminants
(iv) Location of failure
(v) Dimension, size
2. Possibly Destructive Tests for Periodic Application
( a ) Electrical
(i) Proof test with increased voltage (dc, ac, impulse)
(ii) Proof test (overvoltage, independent of the type of
service voltage):
DC
Low frequency (0.1 Hz)
AC (50/60 Hz and higher test frequencies)

Half wave test (50/60 Hz and h g h e r test frequencies)

Impulse test, steep front wave
High frequency test with damped oscillations
(iii) Tracking resistance
(b) Physical-Mechanical
(i) Tension
(U) Bending
(iii) Torsion
(iv) Elongation
(v) Vibration
(vi) Compression
(c) Chemical
(i) Ambient influence (humidity, dust)
3. Destructive Determination of Properties (Including Sample
Taking)
( a ) Electrical
(i) Overvoltage test increased or maintained until
breakdown
(ii) Tracking resistance
(b) Physical-Mechanical
(i) Tension
(ii) Bending.
(iii) Torsion
(iv)Elongation
(v) Pressure
(vi) Vibration
(vii) Compression
(viii) Weight loss
(ix) Bond strength
(x) Determination of internal stress
(c) Visual Inspection
(i) Dissection
(ii) Macroscopic inspection
(iii) Microscopic insRection

ANSI/IEEE
Std 943-1986

itoring of aging, it has to be demonstrated that

its influence on aging is negligible compared with
the aging by other factors.
Destructive diagnostic tests are to be used to
determine end points or as a means of determining the trend of a characteristic with respect to
time of aging.

If destructive diagnostic tests are to be used

and the test results are to be statistically evaluated, then a sufficient number of specimens
should be tested.
A list of some possible diagnostic procedures is
provided in Table 1.

10