Electrical Characterization of Partial Discharge Resistant Enamel Insulation

Adjustable speed drives for rotating machines have become increasingly popular as they provide possibilities of smooth and accurate process control as well as for energy savings. In such systems, due to the fact that the voltage applied at terminals of motor windings is no longer purely sinusoidal but characterized by a high content of harmonics, the appearing electrical and thermal stresses yield premature failures of the winding insulation, mainly because of an increased partial discharge (PD) activity. To tackle the problem effectively, PD-resistant enamels have been developed, by introducing various inorganic fillers into the base polymer of the wire insulation, that exhibit an increased resistance to PD activity. The effect seems, in most of the cases, to be strongly dependent on the dielectric properties of the filler used and the degree of interactions with the host materials. In this respect, a recently developed enamel insulation, in which the top layer of the multilayered coating is filled with micro-particles of chromium (III) oxide (Cr2O3), has demonstrated exceptional properties. To elucidate the effect of material properties on the PD behavior, the presented in this thesis study concentrates on electrical characterizations of th