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Nanotechnology in high voltage insulation systems for large electrical

machinery -First results

Conference Paper · August 2012

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Nanotechnology in high voltage insulation systems for large

electrical machinery - First results
1) 2) 1) 1)
P. Gröpper ; T. Hildinger ; F. Pohlmann ; J.R. Weidner
1) Siemens AG ; 2) Voith Hydro GmbH
GERMANY

SUMMARY

In the electrical power industry one of the first applications of nanotechnology led to a new
corona resistance enamel wire for inverter fed motors. In 2006 a research program had been
started to improve the electrical properties of high voltage insulation systems for turbine and
hydro generators. The erosion and treeing behaviour of hv generator insulation systems
loaded with inorganic particles with the scale of some ten to fifty nano-meters had been
studied. The outcome of this fundamental research work is a new, more efficient nano particle
based ground wall insulation for large generators with a combination of improvements in
electrical, mechanical and thermal characteristics.

This paper shows that with the application of specially treated spherical SiO2 nano particles
as part of a well approved epoxy-mica ground wall insulation, the properties of the insulation
systems can be improved significantly. Resistivity to partial discharge erosion and electrical
treeing is greatly increased and results in longer lifetime until electrical breakdown. Also, the
mechanical and thermal properties, which are important for stator windings of large
generators, show increased values due to the influence of nanocomposites.

As a first step, basic investigations on epoxy-mica nanocomposites were carried out on plate
shaped specimens with standardized electrode configuration for screening tests on material
properties. In the second step of development, the new nanocomposite insulation system was
tested at small stator winding bars prepared by the same manufacturing process as the original
stator winding coils. In the third step, the electrical and thermal tests are transferred to full-
size generator stator bars. Compared to the established reference system, the new nano
particle based high voltage insulation system shows a tremendous improvement in the
electrical lifetime.

KEYWORDS

Insulation System; Nanotechnology; Electrical Machinery; Corona Resistance; Epoxy-Mica

Nanocomposites.

Juergen.r.weidner@siemens.com / thomas.hildinger@voith.com
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1 INTRODUCTION

High voltage rotating machines play a significant role in generating electrical energy as they
are the key component in converting mechanical energy (wind propeller, gas, steam or water
turbines) into electric power. The demand for new power stations, or for upgrading and
refurbishment of existing units, continues to increase due to the global growth in electric
power consumption. On the other hand, the deregulated and liberalized energy market leads
to cost pressure and high operation reliability on the power plant assets of the utilities.
This forces the manufacturers to develop new generator designs with higher efficiency,
longer maintenance intervals and much lower lifetime operation costs.

The changed market situation creates a challenge to improve and optimise the winding
insulation system of high voltage rotating machines. The generator manufacturers are
requesting winding insulations that can withstand a higher electrical field strength than 2 – 3
kV/mm, which is common today, while keeping low production costs, high performance and
long lifetime. A fundamental research program has been started to improve the electrical
properties of high voltage insulation by using nano particle.

In combination with the different thermal, mechanical and ambient ageing stresses
during operation, the electrical treeing mechanism is the main propagation process that
finally leads to a breakdown of high voltage winding insulation [1].

Due to a significantly enhanced electrical field at the copper strands of the inner conductor
or at the outer ground wall coating, the time interval for first tree initiation in the bars is not
very long. After electrical treeing inception at unavoidable local field enhancements or at
small delamination/voids, the electrical tree propagates through the epoxy- mica insulation
system along the resin path at mica tapes as drawn in Figure 1.

Electrical breakdown tests at stator bars with vacuum impregnated epoxy-mica insulation
system showed that the dielectric strength increases with mica content up to an optimum [2].
These old results demonstrated that the treeing path at the resin to mica interface should be as
long and narrow as possible to get high electrical strength. Therefore, to slow down tree
propagation, the mica content and the number of tape layers of the main wall insulation has be
as high as the resin impregnation and curing process can allow [1, 3].

In addition to these well-understood measures, a significant delay and lengthening of

electrical tree propagation through the main wall insulation could be reached by using
specially treated inorganic SiO2 nano particles within the resin matrix as shown in Figure 1.
The promising results of the influence of nano particles on the performance of improved
high voltage (hv) generator stator insulation are presented.

Juergen.r.weidner@siemens.com / thomas.hildinger@voith.com
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Figure 1: Delay of tree propagation through main wall insulation by using specially treated
inorganic SiO2 nano particles within the resin

2 INVESTIGATION ON MATERIAL PROPERTIES (SCREENING TESTS)

To achieve a more efficient nano particle based hv ground wall insulation system, as a first
step fundamental research work on different epoxy resin systems filled with a variety of
special treated SiO2 components was carried out [4, 5]. For these screening tests a
standardized type of sample was used, which is easy to produce and to handle, and which
generates reliable and comparable results.

Depending on type, amount and preparation process of the nanocomposites the characteristic
properties of the nano resin system, such as partial discharge resistivity, electrical treeing
behaviour, and also mechanical or thermal strength are strongly influenced.

2.1 Partial Discharge Resistivity

To investigate the partial discharge (PD) erosion behaviour of specially treated inorganic
SiO2 components in comparison to pure epoxy resin, a cylindrical electrode alignment
according to International Standard IEC 60343 [6] has been used. The IEC (b) electrode
arrangement is given in Figure 2. At the gore between the well defined radius R1 of the hv

Juergen.r.weidner@siemens.com / thomas.hildinger@voith.com
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rod electrode and the sample surface, the electric field enhancement generates partial
discharges which stress the surface of the insulation material. By applying a constant voltage
level the amount and depth of material erosion is a measure for surface PD resistivity of the
material. To minimise the influence of uncontrolled ventilation of air, humidity and by-
products, and to prevent electrical flashover, the active test region is encapsulated by a casing
with a PMMA ring.

Figure 2: Test set-up acc. IEC 60343 [6] with rod-plane electrode configuration
to investigate material resistivity to surface partial discharges

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All tests were carried out with thin plane-type samples of 70 mm x 70 mm and the same
thickness of 2 mm. To generate a defined PD surface stress a constant AC voltage of 13 kV
was used. Samples of pure epoxy resin were compared to samples with different degrees
of nano silica filler content, which is distributed uniformly in the epoxy matrix [5]. For all
tested specimens the same type of epoxy resin was used independent of the mixture of the
compound. All samples were prepared in the same way with a standard surface roughness of
2...3 µm.

The depth of material erosion was scanned with a high resolution of 20 µm in both surface
directions with a laser triangulation instrument. In Figure 3 the different amounts of
material erosion at pure resin and at resin with 26 wt.% nano particles after the influence of
PD activity is shown. The longer the sample of pure epoxy is affected by PD the more
volume of resin is eroded near the rod electrode. Also a rougher surface appears and at
distinctive locations deep craters are developing. The craters with conductive erosion by-
products form pits of higher electrical field strength and the PD activity concentrates on those
spots. This results in constituting treeing channels which finally lead to electrical breakdown.

The profile of erosion depth in Figure 3 demonstrates that after PD stress of about 720 h,
critical eroded channels with more than 300 µm can be identified at pure epoxy resin
samples.

Even 240 hrs of stress are enough to achieve craters of about 200 µm at non-filled epoxy
resin, whereas the nano filled system consisting of the same epoxy resin matrix shows a
uniform erosion of 50 µm, reaching 100 µm only after 720 h stress.

Figure 3: Depth of material erosion due to surface PD - Comparison of pure epoxy resin
(non-filled) and nano sized silica filled epoxy resin shows better PD resistance of the
filled system [4]

The most important advantage of the new nano composite system appears in the smooth
erosion profile compared to the non-filled epoxy. Deep pits with high local field strength that
Juergen.r.weidner@siemens.com / thomas.hildinger@voith.com
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would be the starting point of electrical treeing degradation are well suppressed by the nano
particles within the resin matrix.

Further investigation on different parameters of erosion degradation such as, Surface

Roughness, Depth of Erosion, Eroded Volume, PD Energy and also a description of the
observed process of degradation are described in [5, 9]. In coincidence with other research [7,
8] it can be concluded that due to the nano sized particles mixed into the resin matrix, the
erosion process is inhibited efficiently with strong dependence on the amount and type of
nano sized filler material.

2.2 Treeing Process

The treeing behaviour of epoxy resin specimens with specially treated nano scaled SiO2
components were investigated by several researchers [10 - 12]. Typical needle-plane test
configurations which are used to obtain an extreme electrical high field enhancement to
start the treeing process are given in Figure 4. The metal needle electrode with a small
tip radius rs is moulded in a cured resin block, which is fixed on a grounded metal plate.
For the distance s between the needle and plane electrodes s = 3.5 mm resp. 3.0 mm are
used. Together with the needle radius this results in an electrical field enhancement factor p =
(s + rs)/ rs of 500 resp. 600 at the needle tip.

Using a treeing test setup with an electrode configuration according to Figure 4 (a) non-filled
(oEP) and nano sized 26 wt.% silica filled (n26) epoxy resin samples were exposed to an AC
voltage of U = 16 kV until breakdown. Because the maximum electrical field strength at the
needle tip was in the high range of Emax ≈ 800 kV/mm first electrical trees started after a
short inception delay time only.

The lifetime tL of all samples until electrical breakdown was measured and plotted in a
Weibull distribution probability diagram (Figure 5). It can be seen that the lifetime tL of the
set of specimens with nano particles (n26) is more than one decade longer than for the set of
specimens with pure epoxy resin (oEP). The mean value (Weibull 63%) for the collective of
pure epoxy resin (oEP) reaches 272 min while the mean of the collective with nano particles
(n26) has a value of 5663 min, which is a more than 20 times longer lifetime for the insulation
system with spherical SiO2 nanocomposites.

The comparison of the treeing structure of samples with pure epoxy resin and samples with 26
wt.% nano sized silica filled epoxy show an increase of a number of tiny tree channels at
samples with nano particles, but a significant decrease of tree size and long direct path to
ground electrode. More details of investigation and interpretation of the treeing phenomena
are given in [10] and [11].

Both the electrical lifetime tests as well as the treeing structure investigations came to the
result that nano particles, when properly mixed and dispersed in the resin matrix, increase
breakdown strength and retard the growth of treeing. The nano sized particles act as a kind of
Juergen.r.weidner@siemens.com / thomas.hildinger@voith.com
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barrier to the treeing process and hold up the propagation of tiny erosion channels at the
particle-matrix interface. Obstructing the tree growth results in significant longer lifetime
until breakdown and higher electrical strength of the insulation system.

As treeing and breakdown is efficiently inhibited by mixing nano particles into epoxy resin it
might be possible to design a thinner and more powerful insulation system for generator
stator windings.

Figure 4: Test setup of two typical needle-plane arrangements used for

treeing process research with nanocomposites

2.3 Thermal Conductivity

The thermal conductivity of the nanocomposite was measured dependant of the filler content
with the stationary thermal flow method according to ISO 8301. Figure 6 shows that with the
increase of the filler content, the thermal conductivity also increases. With an amount of 26
wt.-% nano particles in the resin the thermal conductivity increases by 15% in comparison to
pure resin.

Juergen.r.weidner@siemens.com / thomas.hildinger@voith.com
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Figure 5: Lifetime tL of non-filled (oEP) and nano sized silica 26 wt.% filled (n26)
epoxy resin stressed with 16 kV AC in config. (a) of Fig. 4

Figure 6: Influence of silica nano filler content (0 –60 wt.%) in epoxy resin specimen on
thermal conductivity in relation to temperature
Juergen.r.weidner@siemens.com / thomas.hildinger@voith.com
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 3 EPOXY-MICA GROUND WALL INSULATION WITH NANO PARTICLES

The fundamental investigation on nanocomposites performed in several laboratories

worldwide came to the result that important insulation system characteristics like partial
discharge resistivity, electrical erosion structure, treeing process and the mechanical and
thermal properties could be improved significantly by using specially treated inorganic nano
sized components like spherical SiO2 particles [13].

To check whether these insulation system improvements by using nanocomposites could also
upgrade the performance of the well approved epoxy-mica ground wall insulation of stator
winding coils, further research work is needed which has to be focused on the original
generator insulation system. Therefore different stator winding bars with the new inorganic
SiO2 nanocomposite as part of the established taped epoxy-mica system were fabricated and
tested.

3.1 Investigation on small stator winding bars

3.1.1 Test Specimen

All small stator winding bars were taped with the same standard mica tape which is also
used for original stator coils of Ur = 6.6 kV rated voltage. They were vacuum impregnated
with epoxy resin and cured according to the original manufacturing process. Table 1
summarizes the design featuresof the small test bars with pure epoxy and with SiO2 nano
particle loaded epoxy resin.

Table 1: Design features of small stator winding bars as test samples

Juergen.r.weidner@siemens.com / thomas.hildinger@voith.com
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After impregnation and curing of the bars they were fixed at the outer corona protection
(OCP) section with metal plates to ground the insulation system as in the stator core slots
(Figure 7).

Figure 7: Seven small stator winding bars with grading system prepared for electrical testing

3.1.2 Dissipation factor measurement

The voltage dependent measurement of dielectric dissipation factor tanδ= f(U) is an approved
and sensitive measure to control full impregnation and well curing of all taped layers of the
high voltage main insulation. The low tip-up of tanδ = f(U) curve Figure 8 confirms the good
impregnation quality of all stator bars with standard MICALASTIC insulation system and
with new nanocomposite insulation.

Figure 8: Dielectric dissipation factor tanδ = f(U/Ur) of small stator bars with nanocomposite
insulation

Juergen.r.weidner@siemens.com / thomas.hildinger@voith.com
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The probability plot in Figure 9 demonstrates that the dissipation factor tip-up of the bars
with the new nanocomposite insulation achieved an even slightly better impregnation quality
(lower tip-up) than the standard MICALASTIC insulation system.

Figure 9: Distribution of tanδ tip-up of MICALASTIC insulation and new nanocomposite insulation

3.1.3 Voltage endurance test

As the lifetime of a generator stator winding is in most cases limited by the electrical
breakdown of the high voltage (hv) main insulation, the voltage endurance curve of a new
insulation system in comparison to the experienced reference system is one of the most
important measures to qualify the new insulation system.

To accelerate the voltage endurance tests, a constant test voltage in the range of 3 – 5 times of
normal operating voltage is applied to the stator bars. In Figure 10 the mean values (Weibull
63%) of the different breakdown test collectives, each of them has 7 or more samples, are
plotted in a diagram of field strength ED versus lifetime tL.

The lifetime curves clearly demonstrate that the improved erosion stability of new
insulation with SiO2 nano particles leads to significantly increased lifetime up to a factor of 5
– 10. As these results were achieved at small stator bars only, the next step to qualify new

Juergen.r.weidner@siemens.com / thomas.hildinger@voith.com
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nanocomposite insulation has to be an investigation on original generator bars.

Figure 10: Comparison of electrical lifetime curve of MICALASTIC insulation and new nano
insulation

3.2 Investigation on original generator stator winding bars

3.2.1 Test Specimen

Forty stator winding bars with the original cross section of an indirect cooled hydro generator
of 13.8 kV and 1.6 m length were manufactured with standard mica tapes and original VPI
impregnation and curing process. For comparison tests different sets of 8 bars with pure
epoxy resin and with nano particle loaded epoxy resin were produced. Figure 11 shows these
bars in an hv test cell connected to a voltage endurance test of 2.5 times rated voltage.

The dissipation factor measurement resulted in the same low tip-up values for the bars with
standard MICALASTIC insulation and with new nano particle loaded insulation system,
which demonstrates the good impregnation of the thicker insulation of original 13.8 kV stator
bars also. All tested bars had a maximum tip-up well below 1•10-3/0.2UN.

3.2.2 Voltage endurance test

The results of the first voltage endurance test at 2.5 times rated voltage are given in Figure 12.
The standard MICALASTIC insulation achieves a 63% mean value of 648 h while the nano
particle loaded bars reach 8,537 h. Tested on original bar sections, the new SiO2
Juergen.r.weidner@siemens.com / thomas.hildinger@voith.com
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nanocomposite insulation improves the lifetime of the hv insulation by a factor of 13.

Figure 11: Voltage endurance test at stator bars with the original cross section of an
indirect cooled hydro generator of 13.8 kV

Figure 12: Voltage endurance of original stator bars at 2.5 times rated voltage

Juergen.r.weidner@siemens.com / thomas.hildinger@voith.com
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 4 NEXT STEPS
In the next development step the electrical, thermal and mechanical qualification tests are
being transferred to full-size generator bars with a main insulation of 22 kV rated voltage and
length of 6 m. The functional qualification procedure of the new candidate insulation system
compared to the well proved and established high voltage insulation system is performed
according to international standard IEC 60034-18 series [14] dealing with functional
evaluation of insulation systems for rotating electrical machines. This qualification program
includes the following tests:
1. Thermal aging and classification tests at three different temperatures.
2. Electrical aging – voltage endurance tests at three different levels resulting in lifetime
curves.
3. Multifactor aging by applying thermal cycle and electrical stress in parallel to the main
insulation.
4. Thermo-mechanical bending endurance in parallel with electrical stress as a multifactor
aging test.
If the new candidate insulation system with nanocomposite shows better performance than the
established reference system, the final step of the R&D project will be started. An indirect
cooled generator will be equipped with a complete stator winding with the new and much
thinner high performance insulation with SiO2 nano particle.

5 CONCLUSIONS

Based on the very promising results of material investigations and insulation testing at
generator stator bars the following conclusions can be drawn:
(1) Plate shaped samples consisting of epoxy resin containing different degrees of nano sized
silica filler verified that the erosion is inhibited efficiently with strong dependence to the
amount of filler.
(2) The nano sized SiO2 particles act like a barrier to the treeing process and hold up the
propagation. Obstructing the tree growth results in a significant longer lifetime until
breakdown, and much higher electrical strength of the insulation system.
(3) With the application of SiO2 nano particle as part of well approved epoxy-mica
ground wall insulation, mechanical and thermal properties of the insulation can also be
improved significantly. A 15% to 30% higher thermal conductivity has been achieved
compared to the reference system.
(4) The voltage endurance tests carried out on original generator stator bars show a
tremendous improvement in the electrical lifetime of the new nano particle based high voltage
insulation system. In comparison with the approved reference system an increase of a factor
of 10 seems to be realistic.
The new insulation system allows a more efficient generator stator winding design and
sustainable power plants in the near future.
(5) The newly developed nanocomposite insulation system offers a more effective design of
stator windings. It results in less thickness of insulation, but more copper material instead and
Juergen.r.weidner@siemens.com / thomas.hildinger@voith.com
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 better heat transfer, due to reduced thickness and filler in particular. It opens new design
variations for generators in power increase and retrofit projects.

6 REFERENCES

[1] Vogelsang, R.; Time to breakdown of high voltage winding insulation with respect
to microscopic properties and manufacturing qualities. PhD Thesis, ETH Zurich, Hartung-
Gorre Verlag Konstanz, 2004
[2] Wichmann, A.: Reliability and Testing of High-Voltage Stator Insulation for Large
Rotating Machines, IEEE Winter Meeting 1972, New York
[3] Baumann, Th.; Hillmer Th.; Klee, P.; Stoll, D.: Optimized, Emission free Production
Process for Main Wall Insulation with Enhanced Lifetime Properties, EIC 2011, Annapolis,
USA
[4] Brockschmidt, M.; Groeppel, P.: Das Erosionsverhalten nanopartikulär gefüllter
Dielektrika unter elektr. Teilentladungen; RCC-Fachtagung, Berlin 2009
[5] Brockschmidt, M. ; Pohlmann, F. ; Kempen, S. ; Groeppel, P.: Testing of Nano-
Insulation Materials, EIC 2011, Annapolis
[6] IEC 60343: Recommended test methods for determining the relative resistance of
insulating materials to breakdown by surface discharges
[7] Anglhuber, M.; Rätzke, S. ; Kindersberger, J.: Koronabeständigkeit und
Füllstoffverteilung von Epoxidharzformstoffen mit nanoskaligem SiO2-Füllstoff, ETG-
Fachtagung „Grenzflächen in elektrischen Isoliersystemen“, Würzburg 2008, pp. 21 - 26
[8] Preetha, P.; Thomas, M. J.: Partial Discharge Resistant Characteristics of Epoxy
Nano-composites, IEEE Trans DEI Vol.18, No.1, Feb. 2011, pp.264 - 274
[9] Hoffmann, C.; Brockschmidt, M.; Peier, D. : Untersuchungen zur TE-Resistenz von
EP-Harzen mit nanoskaligen SiO2-Füllstoffen, ETG-Fachtagung “Grenzflächen in
Isoliersystemen”, Würzburg 2008
[10] Hoffmann, C.; Jenau, F. : Das teilentladungsbedingte Alterungsverhalten von SiO2-
Nanopartikeln in Modell-anordnungen bei Wechselspannung, TAE-Seminar, Esslingen, 2011
[11] Tanaka, T.; Matsunawa, A.; Ohki, Y.; Kozako, M.; Kohtoh, M.; Okabe, S.: Treeing
Phenomena in Epoxy/Alumina Nano-composites and Interpretation by a Multi-core Model,
IEEJ Trans. FM, Vol.126, No.11, 2006, pp. 1128 - 1135
[12] Danikas, M. G.; Tanaka, T.: Nanocomposites – A Review of Electrical Treeing and
Breakdown, IEEE Electr. Insul. Magazine Vol.25, No.4 July/Aug. 2009, pp. 19 - 25
[13] Tanaka, T.; et al.: Polymer Nanocomposites – Fundamentals and Possible
Applications to Power Sectors, Technical Brochure 451, Cigre WG D1.24, February 2011,
Cigre Paris
[14] IEC 60034-18: Rotating electrical machines - Functional evaluation of insulation
systems

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