Sprayable Multilayer Insulation for High-Voltage Electrical Machines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current insulation systems for high-voltage electrical machines, such as generators, face challenges in automation, quality assurance, and cost due to the manual application of tapes, which can lead to trapped air and reduced lifespan caused by partial discharges resulting in local heating and material breakdown.
Innovation Solution
A multilayer insulation system using sprayable lacquer formulations with alternating mechanically supporting and partial discharge-resistant layers, composed of silicon oxide, siloxane, and carbon-based compounds, applied via electrostatic powder coating or liquid spraying, eliminating the need for mica platelets and enabling automated production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual tape winding is used for insulation application, then insulation quality can be maintained through careful hand work, but production cost increases and automation is impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical manual tape winding system with an automated spray application system. The spray device applies insulation material directly onto the conductor through fluid dynamics and atomization, eliminating the need for manual tape winding operations while maintaining insulation quality and enabling automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and application parameters of the insulation material from solid tape to sprayable formulation. This parameter change enables automated application through spray devices while maintaining the protective function of the insulation layer.
2Reliability
If manual tape winding is used for insulation application, then insulation layers can be applied with control, but productivity decreases and automation is not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the slow manual tape winding mechanical system with a rapid spray application system. The spray device can cover large surface areas quickly through雾化 and deposition processes, dramatically increasing productivity while maintaining insulation application control through automated positioning and spray parameter control.
Solution Approach 2:
The spray application process enables continuous insulation coverage without the interruptions inherent in manual tape winding. The spray device can continuously deposit insulation material as it moves along the conductor, eliminating the stop-start nature of manual tape application and thereby increasing production speed.
3Reliability
If mica tape insulation is used, then partial discharge resistance is maintained through bonded mica platelets, but material cost increases and automation remains difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the formulation of the insulation material to include partial discharge-resistant components in sprayable form. This allows the achievement of partial discharge resistance without using expensive mica tape, as the sprayable formulation can incorporate functional additives at lower cost while maintaining the desired electrical properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite sprayable formulations that combine binders, functional additives, and partial discharge-resistant components. This composite approach replaces expensive natural mica tape with engineered synthetic materials that achieve similar or superior performance at lower cost and enable automated application.
4Reliability
If thicker insulation layers are applied to prevent partial discharges, then electrical lifetime is improved, but power density decreases due to increased insulation volume
Solution Approach 1:
The spray application method enables varying insulation thickness locally according to specific requirements. Critical areas prone to partial discharges can receive thicker coating, while less critical areas receive thinner coating, optimizing the balance between electrical lifetime and power density without uniformly increasing overall insulation volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The spray application system provides superior control over insulation layer thickness compared to manual tape winding. Through controlled spray parameters, distance, and movement speed, the system can apply precisely controlled thin layers that provide adequate protection without excessive thickness, thereby maintaining higher power density while ensuring electrical lifetime.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a cost-effective, automatable insulation system with enhanced partial discharge resistance and improved mechanical properties, reducing material costs and increasing power density while maintaining electrical lifetime, by preventing treeing channels and erosion pathways through strategic layering and composition.
Implementation Method 1
applied via electrostatic powder coating or liquid spraying
Implementation Method 2
a partial discharge-resistant lacquer layer together with a mechanically supporting lacquer layer form adjoining layers of the insulation
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments include a sprayable formulation for production of a multilayer insulation for an electrical machine, especially a rotating electrical machine in the high-voltage or mid-voltage sector, for example a generator, transformer, which is subjected to higher rated voltages at operating voltages, i.e., for example, over and above 1 kV or more. The invention also relates to an electrical machine comprising such an insulation; the invention finally relates to a method of producing the multilayer insulation. This comprises spraying of various formulations with or without intermediate, especially metallic, interfaces and is automatable.