Application of IEC-61800-5 Insulation Coordination to Shipboard Equipment Scaling Studies

When it comes to understanding the creepage and clearance requirements for power electronic conversion and distribution equipment in the naval shipboard environment, appropriate guidance has always been limited. Design practices suitable to the shipboard environment have not kept pace with the comparable trends in terrestrial applications. The necessity of direct interfacing of power electronics, without intervening transformers, to Medium Voltage ac (MVac) and (MVdc) shipboard distribution systems introduces unique challenges to behavior of insulation systems due to mixed-mode electric field stresses that are currently being researched. In the interim, what is needed is a methodology that adapts present-day industry practices regarding insulation coordination to shipboard MVac and MVdc distribution system equipment. This paper discusses a conservative design practice that adapts the insulation coordination design to the PEC and power distribution equipment that will comprise an Integrated Power and Energy System (IPES) for shipboard electrification.