Understanding electric motor insulation & temperature 

By on

Anyone specifying or using electric motors should have a basic understanding how the insulation is related to temperature. Three classes of insulation are in common use (with 'F' being the most common):

  • class B - with a maximum operating temperature of 130 oC
  • class F - with a maximum operating temperature of 155 oC
  • class H - with a maximum operating temperature of 180 oC

The image (which is form an ABB catalogue for their low voltage performance motors), shows how temperature rise is distributed across the insulation.

Typically motors are designed for a maximum ambient temperature of 40 oC.

The difference between the average winding temperature and any hot spot is limited and it is usual to allow a 10 oC margin for class 'B' and 'F' insulation and a 15 oC margin for class 'H'.

Considering the ambient temperature and hot spot allowance gives the maximum temperature rise within which the motor must be designed to operate (105 oC for class 'F' for example).

When specifying (buying) a motor there are a couple of options. An insulation class could be specified and the motor specified as designed to run within that class. Alternatively the motor could be specified for an insulation class, but be design to run at a low class (for example insulation class 'F', temperature rise 'B').

The advantage of the second method is that there is an inherent 25 oC safety margin - useful if you are in a region with high ambient temperatures or need to date the motor for some other reason. Running motors at a reduced temperature will also significantly extend the useful life.



Steven McFadyen's avatar Steven McFadyen

Steven has over twenty five years experience working on some of the largest construction projects. He has a deep technical understanding of electrical engineering and is keen to share this knowledge. About the author

myElectrical Engineering

comments powered by Disqus



Low Voltage Fault Tables

The following tables provide quick order of magnitude fault levels for a a range of typical low voltage situations.

Harmonised Cable Codes and Colours

Within Europe the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) has standardised the both the designation and colour of cables.   ...

Post Authorship

In 2011, with the introduction of it’s Panda search ranking algorithms, Google introduced tools for determining the original author of posts.  The intention...

Surface Treatment – Ladders, Trays and Baskets

Steel ladders, trays and baskets form the backbone of cable containment systems. Often these items need some form of surface treatment to prevent corrosion...

Battery Sizing

This article gives an introduction to IEEE 485 method for the selection and calculation of battery capacity.

ANSI (IEEE) Protective Device Numbering

The widely used United Sates standard ANSI/IEEE C37.2 'Electrical Power System Device Function Numbers, Acronyms, and Contact Designations' deals with...

International System of Units (SI System)

The International System of Units (abbreviated SI) is the world's most widely used system of units.  The system consists of a set of units and prefixes...

Michael Faraday (the father of electrical engineering)

Famed English chemist and physicist Michael Faraday was born on September 22, 1791, in Newington Butts, a suburb of Surrey just south of the London Bridge...

UPS Battery Sizing

Various techniques exist to enable the correct selection of batteries for UPS applications.  The procedure described below is one of the more common. ...

Voltage Levels – Confused?

I was having a conversation the other day about voltage levels.  While everyone was in agreement that low voltage was 1000 V and less, there was more confusion...

Have some knowledge to share

If you have some expert knowledge or experience, why not consider sharing this with our community.  

By writing an electrical note, you will be educating our users and at the same time promoting your expertise within the engineering community.

To get started and understand our policy, you can read our How to Write an Electrical Note