Abstract
Since the introduction of mica paper and synthetic resin-based taping insulation for rotating-machines in 1950s, only evolutional improvements in their properties and processing have been made. Due to its challenging nature, much of recent insulation research has been focused on the aspect of reliability rather than performance enhancement. This paper presents the development and performance evaluation of a revolutionary nanostructured insulation in the manufacturing of large propulsion motors with game-changing torque density and payload efficiency for marine Next Generation Integrated Power System. It is demonstrated that nanostructured insulation based on 2D-platelet fillers could offer significant improvement over conventional insulation system in electrical, dielectric, thermal and mechanical properties. Optimal nanostructured insulation formation identified through a Design of Experiment study exhibits high thermal conductivity of >0.8 W/(m·K), high breakdown strength of >40 kV/mm, low dielectric constant of less than 5.5 and low dielectric loss factor of less than 2.5% at 155°C. Voltage endurance tests on coupons with optimal formulation, in accordance with IEC 60343 standard, demonstrate satisfactory endurance life. Furthermore, a multi-physics finite-element-analysis model of the winding in a medium-voltage electric motor is established to perform electromagnetic and thermal analyses in ANSYS under various temperature boundary conditions. The study indicates a remarkable increase of 14% in torque handling capacity of a motor wound with proposed nanostructured insulation material when compared to an identical motor wound with conventional micaceous insulation.
Highlights
As U.S Navy embraces All Electric Ship (AES) platform where electrical power for both propulsion and service loads is provided through the integrated power system (IPS), there are rapidly growing demands for power/torque density and payload efficiency for marine propulsion and power generation [1]
Offer high power dense propulsion, the Navy is interested in improving payload efficiency of advanced induction motors (AIMs), due to their high scalability, affordability, large industrial base, and full dynamic range of high efficiency operation [1]–[5]
Design of Experiment has been carried out to identify the optimal formulations with superior electrical discharge resistance and >2X combined improvement in electrical and heat transfer over the state-of-the-art micaceous insulation
Summary
As U.S Navy embraces All Electric Ship (AES) platform where electrical power for both propulsion and service loads is provided through the integrated power system (IPS), there are rapidly growing demands for power/torque density and payload efficiency for marine propulsion and power generation [1]. H. Nguyen et al.: Investigation of 2D Nano-Structured Winding Insulation for High Torque Density Medium-Voltage Motor phase-ground and to reduce corrosion of the copper conductors. It will be highly desirable to develop a water-free heat dissipation solution for propulsion motor with high torque density and efficiency. This could be achieved through forced air cooling of AIM machine to largely reduce the thermal resistance across winding insulation. Resin pockets between plys of tapes and nonimpregnated voids within mica paper lead to overall limited electrical, thermal, and mechanical performance for micaceous insulation system.
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