Gain in performance by modifying the design of electrical equipment, thanks to insulation

Home " News " Gain in performance by modifying the design of electrical equipment, thanks to insulation

There are several reasons why you may want to replace the electrical insulation materials in your existing equipment:

Enhancing safety and endurance;
The search for better performance for the same size;
A need for miniaturization, with equivalent performance

Here are a few examples of performance or miniaturization requirements.

Reducing the size of a wind turbine transformer with Nomex®.

Wind turbines are particularly stressed and must be able to operate reliably for many years. Transformer manufacturer Pauwels has teamed up with DuPont to develop more compact transformers (SLIM® transformers), with the aim of integrating them inside the tower of the wind turbine.

Since reducing the size of the transformer would increase the temperature rise, the engineers had to replace the kraft paper insulation with a more efficient material. Following the expertise of ADDEV Materials, they chose Nomex® for the most thermally stressed areas.

Source : https://www.industrie-techno.com/article/pauwels-isole-ses-transformateurs-avec-un-plastique-de-du-pont.1456

Boost thermal conductivity to increase thermal dissipation with Kapton® MT+ film

Kapton® is an extremely high performance electrical insulating polyimide film, which resists extreme temperatures (-269°C to 400°C). Although very thin, its dielectric strength rivals that of much thicker materials.

As a polymer, standard Kapton® (Kapton® HN) is not a good thermal conductor. However, there is a range of Kapton® with improved thermal conductivity:

The thermal conductivity of Kapton® MT is twice as high as that of Kapton® HN ;
The thermal conductivity of Kapton® MT+ is 4 times higher;

A Kapton® MT+ based triplex laminate

Since the thermal conductivity of a laminated insulation is the sum of the conductivities of each of its layers, using Kapton® MT+ instead of Kapton® HN in a triplex laminate improves the overall thermal conductivity.

Heating blocks for HVAC systems in electric vehicles

In an internal combustion engine vehicle, the passenger compartment is heated by the heat emitted by the engine. In an electric vehicle, this heat must be provided by other means, for example by converting the electrical energy of the battery into thermal energy.

In this type of application, new functions may arise, where materials are needed that are able to provide a safety function (electrical insulation), while optimizing heat transfer (thermal conductivity). These two characteristics " electrical barrier " and " thermal conductor " are antinomic and that is why Kapton MT+ was developed.

To operate, this system using high voltages must have excellent electrical insulation between the electrodes and the aluminium part, while being compact. Kapton® MT+ is therefore the ideal material for this application, as it optimises heat transfer and is an excellent electrical insulator.