Abstract
The evolution of power electronics in aerospace and, in general, electrified transportation assets, is centered on the development of MV power electronics converters, which maximizes power density and efficiency. This turns into high-field and temperature design, ultra-fast switching, and high frequency modulation. Such conditions may pose significant and unpreceded electrothermal stresses on insulation systems of electrical asset components, such as printed circuit boards. Magnitude, profile and time behavior of stresses, as well as their effect on intrinsic and extrinsic aging mechanisms, have to be known, being the basis of a highly-reliable electrothermal insulation design able to provide a specified life at specified failure probability. This paper introduces innovative criteria to optimize the design of insulation system of MV PCB, according to the new “three-leg” approach that consists of interlacing electric field simulation, life and discharge modelling, and partial discharge testing. The essence of such an approach is to design an insulation system, as regards bulk and surface sub-components, by a global view, where aging processes rule design rather than macroscopic failure risk. Accordingly, life and reliability are determined by appropriate models, accounting for intrinsic aging and, in addition, design ensures that operation stresses do not trigger extrinsic accelerated aging mechanisms, as those associated to partial discharges. It is shown in the paper that the proposed approach can lead to an innovative and effective design, delivering the specified life and ensuring that the electrical field on the surface (and in the bulk) is limited to values below the threshold for partial discharge inception. This can question, in principle, the use of creepage and clearance tools, since the new design procedure will be related to the minimization of likelihood of partial discharge inception, rather than to avoid the risk of macroscopic surface discharges.
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