Intial Developmental Testing of High Voltage Insulation for Rotating Machines

Insulation systems are a necessary component in the motor design world. While development can typically run smoothly from start to finish, there are often setbacks and struggles that can delay the creation of an insulation system. Various components which may seem ideal for pairing may not work in a practical or testing environment. Typical industry tests used to evaluate insulation systems include voltage endurance, dissipation factor and processing tap test. A novel, environmentally friendly, low VOC resin system designed for medium voltage (up to 7.2 kV) was investigated and compared with a classical system. Further testing was performed for high voltage applications (13.8 kV) as well. This paper explores the different aspects of medium and high voltage insulation systems development. For example, while we achieved much greater voltage endurance results than that of existing, proven high voltage systems; mixed dissipation factor tests and visible puffing of the main wall insulation suggested limitations of the system for high voltage applications.