Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Winding insulation'

The conducting winding of an electrical machine is insulated in order to prevent any short circuits to occur within the machine. This insulation is during its lifetime exposed to several environmental stresses and therefore plays an important role in the life length of the machine. Accelerated stress tests are used to investigate what design and material is most suitable for a good endurance of a product. In this master thesis, new accelerated test methods for the insulation system in an electrical machine are developed and evaluated. The study resulted in four stress tests that simulate the thermal stress, the thermomechanical stress and the ambient stress from direct oil cooling. Three diagnosis tests and a material analysis were used in order to evaluate how these accelerated stress test methods affected the insulation. The diagnosis tests showed no clear sign of deterioration of the insulation in terms of change in electrical characteristics. However, the material analysis indicated deterioration of the insulation, such as cracks and oxidation of the material. These changes show that the test methods are capable to affect the insulation, but will need more time to cause a breakdown, since a stator of this kind is expected to have a very long life length. Therefore, in future work on this topic, these test methods should continue for a longer time and it would likely be interesting to look into other diagnosis tests.

Insulating sheets, impregnants and encapsulation materials commonly used for winding insulation offer low thermal conductivities. This leads to an increased heating of the winding of electrical machines and to the existence of hotspots. The electromagnetical utilization of the machine has to be reduced with respect to the allowed maximum winding temperature. In this paper, the development and experimental investigation of novel polysiloxane composites with ceramic fillers are presented. The materials are tested by means of impregnated and encapsulated samples of a round-wire winding as well as the main insulation of electrical steel sheets and laminated cores. Numerical models are implemented for determining the equivalent thermal conductivity of the winding compound comprising the enameled wire and the impregnant. Based on the example of a permanent-magnet synchronous machine with outer-rotor in modular construction, the potential for increasing the electromagnetical utilization is shown.

The typical construction of a stator coil includes the use of end corona protection (ECP)coating, which is made of semi-conductive materials like silicon carbide (SiC). Thepurpose of ECP is to smooth the electric stress distribution near the slot exit, limitingthe electric field and partial discharge (PD) activity within the insulation system. Thisthesis investigates how ECP affects the dielectric response of a stator coil in highvoltagemeasurements, both in the time-domain and frequency-domain. It also studieshow well time-domain results transformed to the frequency-domain correspond to directmeasurements. As a further point, the effect of the ECP on PD activity was demonstrated.Measurements of dielectric response and PD were made on new coil-halves producedin the usual way in a production run for a motor. The results show that applying theECP design significantly reduces the PD activity and increases the inception voltage. Inaddition, the dielectric response of the coil with ECP tape has shown to have a nonlinearvoltage dependent characteristic due to the presence of ECP. As the voltage goes higher,this causes a shift of the loss peak toward higher frequency. A distributed-element modelof the end section of a stator coil was used to model the nonlinear effect due to ECP, andits results are compared to the measured results. Lastly, FEM simulation of a stator coilend section is presented, showing the contribution of ECP tape in evenly distributing theelectric stress near the slot exit.
Den typiska konstruktionen av en statorhärva använder ändglimmskydd (ECP), somär tillverkad av halvledande material som kiselkarbid (SiC). Syftet med ECP är attjämna ut det elektriska fältet vidövergången från spåret tilländlindningen, för attundvika högpåkänning och partiell urladdningsaktivitet (PD). Arbetet som presenteras här undersöker hur ECP påverkar den dielektriska responsen hos en statorspole, vid tidsdomänoch frekvensdomänmätningar vid höga spänningar. Den studerar också hur väl tidsdomänresultat som omvandlas till frekvensdomänen motsvarar direkta mätningar. Som en annan punkt visades ECP:s inverkan på PD-aktivitet. Mätningar av dielektrisk respons och PD gjordes på nya statorhärvor som tillverkades för en stor motor. Resultaten visar att tillämpningen av ECP-konstruktionen avsevärt minskar PD-aktiviteten och ökar inceptionsspänningen. Dessutom har spolens dielektriska respons med ECP-tejp visat sig ha en ickelinjär spänningsberoende egenskap på grund av närvaron av ECP. Ö kad spänning orsakar en förskjutning av förlusttoppen mot högre frekvens. En modell för ECP användeseteendet, och dess resultat jämförs med mätningarna.utligen presenteras FEM-simulering som visar hur ECP gör fältet jämnare.

L’isolation des bobinages des moteurs alimentés par des convertisseurs statiques basés sur la modulation de largeur d'impulsion est soumise à des contraintes électriques provenant de la forme d'onde de la tension d'alimentation. Les phénomènes de nuisances électromagnétiques sur l’ensemble de la chaîne de conversion, les ondes réfléchies dans le câble d’alimentation, ainsi que la non adaptation des impédances du câble et de l’enroulement de la machine peuvent conduire à l’apparition de surtensions aux bornes de la machine suffisamment élevées pour dépasser la tension d’apparition des décharges partielles. Il en résulte une dégradation de l’isolation entre les spires qui, à terme, peut engendrer la défaillance de la machine. La mise en œuvre de composants à semi-conducteurs grand gap, tel que le Carbure de Silicium, permet la réalisation de convertisseurs de forte densité de puissance pour les systèmes d’entraînement à vitesse variable des machines électriques. Les vitesses et les fréquence de commutation élevées de ces composants conduisent à des contraintes électriques en dV/dt plus sévères sur l'isolation des enroulements des moteurs alimentés par de tels convertisseurs. L’étude expérimentale et les simulations numériques réalisées dans le cadre de cette thèse se concentrent essentiellement sur les effets des ondes de tension à forts dV/dt et de la fréquence de commutation élevée sur la robustesse de l’isolation du bobinage des machines électriques alimentées par des onduleurs. Par conséquent, les travaux touchent un certain nombre de questions liées à l’entraînement à vitesse variable, à l’électronique de puissance, aux machines électriques, aux matériaux diélectriques et aux décharges partielles
The insulation of electrical machines driven by power converters with pulse width modulation are subjected to repetitive surges due to fast changing voltage pulses and reflection phenomena in supply cable, as well as non-uniform voltage distribution in the stator winding. The overvoltage at motor terminals may lead to partial discharge inception accelerating winding insulation degradation and causing its premature failure. The implementation of wide bandgap power semiconductors as Silicon Carbide allows to create converters with high power density for variable frequency drive applications. The fast and high frequency switching of electronic devices based on wide bandgap semiconductors increase electrical stresses caused by steep voltage changing rates in controlled electrical machine. It may increase a risk of partial discharges and accelerate insulation aging and destruction. The experimental investigation and numerical simulation study performed in this work is essentially focused on the effects of impulse voltage with high dV/dt and high switching frequency on winding insulation robustness of inverter-fed electrical machines. Therefore, the work covers a number of issues related to electric drives, power electronics, electrical machines, dielectric materials and partial discharges

Electrical machines have been widely used along the last decades with large life length under operating conditions. However, they will become more important in the upcoming years because of the emerging electric car industry. Thus, the maintenance cost of this technology can be reduced by extending the lifetime in the electrical machines. Despite the fact that existing numerous studies within the life length in these devices, only few study the effect of the thermomechanical stresses of insulation. The core of this master thesis is to study the influence of these stresses in the insulation material of a winding. The tested electrical machines were subjected to different test conditions, allowing to analyse multiple aging effects in the winding. To achieve these effects, power cycling tests were carried out on stators, where the windings were tested in cycles with different ΔT and two cooling methods: air cooling and oil cooling. The results showed large aging differences between the two cooling methods employed. The aging effect in the oil cooling method was higher than in the air cooling method for the same number of cycles. However, the aging effects regarding the same cooling process had not wide differences between the different test temperatures.

Mica/Epoxy machine insulation is a composite material of the mineral mica, fibre-glass mesh and epoxy resin. The material is used in motors and generators rated for high voltage, where the material must withstand multiple stresses such as elevated temperatures, mechanical and electrical stresses. This is a novel investigation that focuses on the breakdown mechanisms related to electrical stress of the insulation. These include partial discharges and electrical treeing. The micro Computed Tomography (μCT) uses a series of X-ray images to visualise the interior. This provides a method for non-invasively examination of the insulation for any signs of material degradation caused by high electrical fields. The following thesis presents an initial study on how this material system interacts with the μCT, the production of 16 samples capable of being electrically aged and scanned in the μCT, with minimal interference, sample preparation and an analysis of the images produced from the μCT. The samples produced are electrically aged at different voltages after which they are scanned with the μCT. The images produced are then analysed for signs of material degradation using different software. Some of the samples did have a complete electrical breakdown and an attempt of correlating these breakdowns to the amount of folds in the insulation is done. It is found that samples with an aluminium core are suitable for μCT imaging. The visualisation of defects such as voids, resin rich parts or folds in insulation is also possible. The detection of material degradation due to electrical aging is not clear enough to draw any conclusions although some possible signs are found. For samples that had an electrical breakdown the result is much clearer. It shows the breakdown channels path inside the insulation, moving in between the mica tape layers. The samples with a complete breakdown also had tendencies that the breakdown channels followed the resin rich part in the sample. Even if no signs of electrical treeing can be seen in the samples during aging, the breakdown channels visualised still show what path the final treeing did take and how it did so by moving around the mica tape.

High voltage testing of the stator winding insulation is one of the most recognized methods used to determine the state of degradation in the insulation. HV tests performed at 0.1 Hz do have potential advantages compared to more traditional 50 Hz tests. This thesis therefore aims to perform and compare tan delta, capacitance and partial discharge measurements on stator windings when using a 0.1 Hz voltage source and a more traditional 50 Hz voltage supply. Several associated test parameters with considerable influence on the test results were varied during the tests. An associated data analysis followed that was focused on the differences and similarities of the analyzed parameters and the results due to the differences in frequency. The results show that there are substantial levels of noise present in the partial discharge measurements when utilizing the VLF voltage source. There are also more numerous partial discharges for VLF measurements than for regular power frequency measurements if the same amount of voltage cycles is considered. The generated patterns show similarities with those generated at 50 Hz, but a larger sample base is probably needed for more thorough conclusions. The tan delta/capacitance part of the test do indicate potential advantages compared to power frequency measurements regarding the sensitivity in the measurements.

This thesis describes properties of windings of electric rotating machines and their insulation systems. There are winding and insulation low voltage machines tests listed with their procedures and criteria. Further it deals with coordination methodology and the last part contains execution and results assessment of tests conducted on stator samples.

Grâce à leurs avancées techniques en termes de poids, performances et fiabilité, les machines synchrones sont de plus en plus utilisées dans le domaine de transport et en particuliers dans l’aéronautique. Les stratégies de maintenances de ces systèmes électriques sont alors indispensables afin d'éviter des surcouts liés à des temps d'arrêt non planifiés. Ce document propose une analyse des conséquences d'un défaut inter-spires intermittent naissant dans l'enroulement statorique d'une Machine Synchrone à Aimants Permanents (MSAP). Ce type de défaut correspond à l'état peu avancé d'un futur court-circuit permanent. Jusqu'à présent, les études menées se sont limitées à la détection de courts-circuits inter-spires permanents. L'objectif de cette analyse est de définir une méthode de détection de ce type de défaut qui soit facile à mettre en œuvre. A partir d'une étude analytique du courant statorique d'une MSAP contrôlée en courant en présence de court-circuit intermittent, nous avons étudié l'impact des différentes grandeurs influençant la perturbation du courant. Nous avons constaté que la forme de la perturbation créée par le défaut était toujours la même et qu'elle était la signature du défaut intermittent dans le courant. Par la suite cette étude analytique a été validée expérimentalement. Dans la partie suivante nous avons étudié la sensibilité des méthodes de détection des courts-circuits inter-spires permanents appliquées au cas du court-circuit intermittent. Ces méthodes se sont révélées inadaptées pour la détection du défaut étudié dans ce travail. Nous avons donc proposé une méthode dédiée qui est basée sur la détection de la signature du défaut et qui utilise une transformation en ondelette adaptée. Il s'agit d'une méthode de détection de forme qui permet non seulement de détecter le défaut intermittent mais aussi de le distinguer des autres types de défauts. La performance de la méthode a été validée par les résultats de simulation et de manipulation. Dans une dernière partie, une étude plus générale sur le suivi de vieillissement des enroulements est proposée. Elle est basée sur le suivi de l'évolution des courbes d'admittance hautes fréquences d'un bobinage au cours du temps en utilisant les fonctions de transfert de ce dernier
Thanks to technical advances in terms of weight, performance and reliability, synchronous machines are increasingly used in the transport field and especially in aeronautics. The maintenance strategies of these electrical systems are essential to avoid extra costs associated with unscheduled downtime. This document offers a study on the intermittent inter-turn fault occurring in the stator winding of a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machine (PMSM) and its consequences. This type of fault correspond to the emerging state for a future permanent short circuit condition. So far, studies have been limited to the detection of continuous inter-turn short circuits. The main purpose of this analysis is to define a detection method for this type of fault easy to implement. Based on the stator current analytical study of a PMSM current controlled in presence of intermittent short circuit, we had studied the impact of different variables influencing the current disturbance. We had found that the shape of the disturbance created by the fault was always the same and that it was the fault signature in the current signal. Later this analytical study was validated experimentally. In the next part we had studied the sensitivity of continuous short circuits detection methods applied in the case of intermittent short circuit. These methods have been proved unsuitable to detect the defect studied in this work. Therefore, we had proposed a dedicated method based on the fault signature identification using an adapted wavelet transform. It is a pattern detection method able to detect the intermittent fault and to distinguish it from other types of defects. The performance of the method was validated by simulation and experimental results. In the last part, a more general study concerning the winding health monitoring is proposed. It uses transfer functions and it is based on the monitoring over time of the winding high frequencies admittance curves evolution

Le réseau électrique de bord des avions devient le principal vecteur de transmission de l'énergie utilisée en dehors de celle réservée à la propulsion. Le réseau électrique remplace progressivement les réseaux hydrauliques et aérauliques qui assurent respectivement les contrôles de vol et le confort dans la cabine des avions actuels. Pour transmettre une puissance électrique plus importante sans augmenter la masse des conducteurs, un nouveau standard a été défini, le réseau de bord des avions plus électriques sera continu et sa tension est fixée à 540V. En conséquence, les convertisseurs statiques seront systématiquement utilisés pour commander les actionneurs électriques. Des contraintes électriques nettement plus importantes seront appliquées aux bobinages des machines en plus de celles qui sont inhérente à l'aéronautique. Pour obtenir la sureté de fonctionnement requise, la surveillance du vieillissement de l'isolation des machines électriques embarquées devient indispensable. Le travail effectué dans cette thèse est centré sur la définition d’un nouvel indicateur de vieillissement de l’isolation des bobinages des machines électriques utilisées en aéronautique. Le nouvel indicateur delta-C est basé sur la corrélation entre l'augmentation de la capacité inter-spires du bobinage et la réduction des performances caractérisée principalement par la réduction du seuil d'apparition des décharges partielles. La partie expérimentale des travaux est importante; le mémoire donne les résultats des campagnes de vieillissement accéléré d'un grand nombre d'échantillons de fil émaillé standard. Ces résultats permettent de définir des seuils critiques des variations du nouvel indicateur delta-C en fonction du profil de mission de l'actionneur. Le nouvel indicateur delta-C est corrélé avec un paramètre facilement mesurable sur une machine électrique en fonctionnement qui est la fréquence de résonance du bobinage. Un outil numérique est développé pour déterminer les fréquences de résonances à surveiller en fonction de la géométrie et de la technologie du bobinage de la machine. Les prédictions des fréquences déterminées par l'outil numérique développé sont vérifiées par des mesures faites sur des bobines vieillies artificiellement. L'étude est étendue à l'influence du câble d'alimentation de la machine. Les limites de fonctionnement du système de surveillance proposé sont définies pour différentes distances entre la machine et le point de connexion des systèmes de mesure
For modern aircrafts, the onboard electrical grid becomes the main energy transmission system apart from energy reserved for propulsion. Electrical systems are gradually replacing hydraulic and air systems providing respectively flight controls and cabin comfort in current aircrafts. To transmit higher electrical power without increasing the conductors’ masses, a new standard has been set, the grid of more electrical aircrafts will be 540 VDC. As a result, static converters will systematically be used to drive the electrical actuators. Substantially higher electrical constraints will be applied to electrical machine windings, in addition to those inherent in aeronautics. To obtain the required operational safety, the monitoring of the insulation for onboard electrical embedded machines has become indispensable. This thesis work is focused on the definition of a new aging indicator for the electrical insulation of machine used in aeronautics. The new delta-C indicator is based on the correlation between the increase in the turn-to-turn winding capacitance and reduction of performance mainly characterized by the decrease of Partial Discharge Inception Voltage (PDIV). The experimental part of this work is considerable; the thesis gives the results of accelerated aging tests on a large number of enameled wire standard samples. These results make it possible to define critical threshold for the new delta-C indicator depending on the mission profile of the actuator. The new delta-C indicator is correlated with an easily measurable parameter on an operating electrical machine, i.e. the resonance frequencies of the winding. A numerical tool was developed to determine the resonance frequencies to be monitored according to the geometry and the technology of the winding machine. The prediction frequencies determined by the developed numerical tool have been verified by measurements on artificially aged coils. The study has been extended to the influence of the supply cable of the electrical machine. The operating limits of the proposed monitoring system are defined for various distances between the electrical machine and the connection point of the measurement systems

Le passage à un réseau électrique de tension continue plus élevée est la solution la plus adaptée pour répondre à la demande en puissance, continuellement croissante, transitant dans les réseaux. Le contrôle des actionneurs électriques embarqués passe aujourd'hui par l’utilisation massive de convertisseurs électroniques qui imposent des fronts de tension très raides et donc des contraintes très sévères aux enroulements des machines. Les oscillations pseudopériodiques qui suivent ces fronts raides sont à l’origine de champs électriques intenses qui peuvent dépasser le Seuil d’Apparition des Décharges Partielles (SADP). Le dépassement de ce seuil conduit à l’apparition de Décharges Partielles (DP) qui sont particulièrement nocives et qui sont responsables d'une dégradation très rapide du système d’isolation électrique (SIE). Ce phénomène physique est l’élément principal de la problématique sur laquelle ces travaux de recherche sont basés. Dans ce mémoire, un outil numérique qui, avant conception de la machine électrique, permet de prédire les contraintes électriques s’appliquant sur le système d’isolation de la machine a été développé. Cet outil doit permettre le développement de solutions nouvelles dans les différents axes de recherche sur la problématique de vieillissement des actionneurs électriques. Il est basé sur le développement et la simulation d’un modèle RLC à constantes localisées dont les paramètres constitutifs ont été déterminés via la méthode des éléments finis. Cet outil est ensuite utilisé pour analyser les contraintes électriques subies par l’isolation inter-spires des bobinages afin de localiser les zones critiques dans les bobinages électriques dans un premier temps. Une méthode basée sur une simulation de la distribution du champ électrique dans les bobines en fonction du temps a été mise au point. La visualisation et l’analyse de cartes de champ électrique sur un intervalle de temps défini permettent de déterminer et de localiser les contraintes électriques maximales s'appliquant sur l’isolation inter-spires. Dans un second temps, pour étudier le vieillissement du SIE et améliorer les méthodes de détection, un outil d’aide au diagnostic est proposé. Cet outil est basé sur un calcul des variations des fréquences de résonances les plus sensibles à un indicateur ΔC éprouvé au sein du laboratoire. Afin d’affiner les possibilités de diagnostic, de nouvelles corrélations ont été recherchées, analysées et mise en évidence
The transition to a higher DC voltage network is the most suitable solution to meet with the steady increase in the need/requirement for power flowing in the networks. Today, the control of embedded electric actuators involves the massive use of electronic converters that impose sudden voltage variations. The latter, when applied to an electrical machine windings, generates high electric field levels between the insulators, exceeding sometimes the partial discharge inception voltage (PDIV). Exceeding this threshold leads to the appearance of partial discharges, which are particularly harmful to the turn-to-turn insulation and are responsible for a very rapid deterioration of the electrical insulation system.This physical phenomenon is the main element of the problem on which these research works are based. In this thesis, a numerical tool was developed, which allows prior to the electrical machine design, to predict the electrical stresses applied to the machine's insulation system. This tool should allow the development of new solutions in the various research axes on the aging problem of electric actuators. It involves the development of an RLC lumped element equivalent circuit whose parameters were computed by means of a finite elements analysis considering both the geometry of turns and its location in the coil. Firstly, this tool is used to analyse the electrical stresses applied to the inter-turns insulation of the windings in order to localize the critical zones in the electrical windings. A method based on a simulation of the distribution of the electric field in the windings as a function of time has been developed. The visualization and analysis of electric field maps over a defined time interval allow to determine and to localize the maximum electrical stresses applied to the turn-to-turn insulation. Secondly, to study the aging of the electrical insulation system and to improve the detection methods, a diagnosis assistance tool is proposed. This tool is based on a calculation of the the resonance frequencies’ variations which are most sensitive to the ΔC indicator tested in the laboratory. In order to refine the possibilities of diagnosis, new correlations have been sought, analysed and highlighted

Electromagnetic transients impinging on electromagnetic power devices - such as electric machines, transformers and reactors - can stress the design severely. Thus the magnitudes of the transients are often decisive for the design of the devices. Further, the operation of a device can be transient in itself. This is the case for the explosive magnetic flux compression generator (EMG) and a ferromagnetic actuator.

Models are presented that are mainly intended for transients in the millisecond range and faster. Hence, eddy currents and the related skin and proximity effect become significant in windings, magnetic cores and in the armatures of the devices. These effects are important for, e.g., the damping of the transients. Further, the displacement current in the insulation of the winding is significant. It changes the response of the windings dramatically, as it manifests the finite velocity of propagation of the electromagnetic fields. Under such circumstances, reflections and excited resonances can make the transient voltage and current distribution highly irregular.

Induced voltages are modelled with self and mutual inductances or reluctances combined with winding templates. The displacement currents are modelled with capacitances or coefficients of potential. Cauer circuits and their dual form are used to model eddy currents in laminated cores and in conductors. The Cauer circuit enables one to consider hysteresis and the non-linear response of a magnetic core. It is also used to model the eddy currents in the moving armature of an EMG.

A set-up is presented that can be used to study the transient voltage and the current distribution along a coil.

The transient response of coaxially insulated windings is analysed and modelled in detail. A lumped circuit model is developed for a coil, Dryformer^TM - the new high-voltage transformer - and Powerformer^TM, the new high-voltage generator. An alternative model, a combined lumped circuit and FEM model, is presented for a coaxially insulated winding in two slot cores.

The thesis Diagnostics of rotating electric machines deals with the theory of diagnostics of rotating machines, focusing especially on the diagnosis of asynchronous motors of high power. Due to the importance of maintaining the trouble-free condition of these machines with regard to serviceability, the importance of their diagnosis is growing. Due to inappropriate working conditions or for many other reasons, different types of malfunctions may occur in the machine. The list and the way of occurrence of possible failures are included and explained in this thesis. With the growing age of the machine, it is important to check the insulation status through insulation testing. These tests are performed in the practical part of the thesis and the results are presented. In the case of asynchronous machines, each anomaly leaves a signature in the form of an electrical, magnetic or vibrational signal. These signals are analyzed and evaluated using a specific measuring equipment with the intention of deciding on the current state of the machine. Motor current signature analysis (MCSA) is considered to be the main diagnostic method of asynchronous machines in this thesis. This method is described in detail in this paper and is being applied in electrical engineering.

Electrical machines in electrified heavy-duty vehicles are subjected to dynamic temperature loadings during normal operation due to the different driving conditions. The Electrical Insulation System (EIS) in a stator winding is aged as an effect of these dynamic thermal loads. The thermal loads are usually high constant temperatures and thermal cycling. The high average constant thermal load is well-known in the electrical machine industry but little is known about the effect of temperature cycling. In this project, the ageing of the EIS in stator windings due to temperature cycling is examined. In this project, computational simulations of different simplified models that represent the electrical insulation system are made to analyse the thermo-mechanical stresses that is induced due to thermal cycling. Furthermore, a test object was designed and simulated to replicate the stress levels obtained from the simulations. The test object is to ease the physical testing of electrical insulation system. Testing a complete stator takes time and has the disadvantage of having a high mass, therefore a test object is designed and a test method is provided. The results from the finite element analysis indicate that the mechanical stresses induced will affect the lifetime of the electrical insulation system. A sensitivity study of several thermal cycling parameters was performed, the stator core length, the cycle rate and the temperature cycle amplitude. The results obtained indicate that the stator core length is too short to have a significant effect on the thermo-mechanical stresses induced. The results of the sensitivity study of the temperature cycle rate and the temperature cycle amplitude showed that these parameters increase the thermo-mechanical stresses induced. The results from the simulations of the test object is similar to the results from the simulations of the stator windings, which means that the tests object is valid for testing. The test method that is most appropriate is the power cycling test method, because it replicates the actual application of stator windings. The thermally induced stresses exposing the slot insulation exceeds the yield strength of the material, therefore plastic deformation may occur only after one thermal cycle. The other components in the stator are exposed to stresses below the yield strength. The thermally induced stresses exposing the slot insulation are high enough to low cycle fatigue the electrical insulation system, thus thermo-mechanical fatigue is an ageing factor of the electrical insulation system.

AC motors are largely used in a wide range of modern systems, from household appliances to automated industry applications such as: ventilations systems, fans, pumps, conveyors and machine tool drives. Inverters are widely used in industrial and commercial applications due to the growing need for speed control in ASD systems. Fast switching transients and the common mode voltage, in interaction with parasitic capacitive couplings, may cause many unwanted problems in the ASD applications. These include shaft voltage and leakage currents. One of the inherent characteristics of Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) techniques is the generation of the common mode voltage, which is defined as the voltage between the electrical neutral of the inverter output and the ground. Shaft voltage can cause bearing currents when it exceeds the amount of breakdown voltage level of the thin lubricant film between the inner and outer rings of the bearing. This phenomenon is the main reason for early bearing failures. A rapid development in power switches technology has lead to a drastic decrement of switching rise and fall times. Because there is considerable capacitance between the stator windings and the frame, there can be a significant capacitive current (ground current escaping to earth through stray capacitors inside a motor) if the common mode voltage has high frequency components. This current leads to noises and Electromagnetic Interferences (EMI) issues in motor drive systems. These problems have been dealt with using a variety of methods which have been reported in the literature. However, cost and maintenance issues have prevented these methods from being widely accepted. Extra cost or rating of the inverter switches is usually the price to pay for such approaches. Thus, the determination of cost-effective techniques for shaft and common mode voltage reduction in ASD systems, with the focus on the first step of the design process, is the targeted scope of this thesis. An introduction to this research – including a description of the research problem, the literature review and an account of the research progress linking the research papers – is presented in Chapter 1. Electrical power generation from renewable energy sources, such as wind energy systems, has become a crucial issue because of environmental problems and a predicted future shortage of traditional energy sources. Thus, Chapter 2 focuses on the shaft voltage analysis of stator-fed induction generators (IG) and Doubly Fed Induction Generators DFIGs in wind turbine applications. This shaft voltage analysis includes: topologies, high frequency modelling, calculation and mitigation techniques. A back-to-back AC-DC-AC converter is investigated in terms of shaft voltage generation in a DFIG. Different topologies of LC filter placement are analysed in an effort to eliminate the shaft voltage. Different capacitive couplings exist in the motor/generator structure and any change in design parameters affects the capacitive couplings. Thus, an appropriate design for AC motors should lead to the smallest possible shaft voltage. Calculation of the shaft voltage based on different capacitive couplings, and an investigation of the effects of different design parameters are discussed in Chapter 3. This is achieved through 2-D and 3-D finite element simulation and experimental analysis. End-winding parameters of the motor are also effective factors in the calculation of the shaft voltage and have not been taken into account in previous reported studies. Calculation of the end-winding capacitances is rather complex because of the diversity of end winding shapes and the complexity of their geometry. A comprehensive analysis of these capacitances has been carried out with 3-D finite element simulations and experimental studies to determine their effective design parameters. These are documented in Chapter 4. Results of this analysis show that, by choosing appropriate design parameters, it is possible to decrease the shaft voltage and resultant bearing current in the primary stage of generator/motor design without using any additional active and passive filter-based techniques. The common mode voltage is defined by a switching pattern and, by using the appropriate pattern; the common mode voltage level can be controlled. Therefore, any PWM pattern which eliminates or minimizes the common mode voltage will be an effective shaft voltage reduction technique. Thus, common mode voltage reduction of a three-phase AC motor supplied with a single-phase diode rectifier is the focus of Chapter 5. The proposed strategy is mainly based on proper utilization of the zero vectors. Multilevel inverters are also used in ASD systems which have more voltage levels and switching states, and can provide more possibilities to reduce common mode voltage. A description of common mode voltage of multilevel inverters is investigated in Chapter 6. Chapter 7 investigates the elimination techniques of the shaft voltage in a DFIG based on the methods presented in the literature by the use of simulation results. However, it could be shown that every solution to reduce the shaft voltage in DFIG systems has its own characteristics, and these have to be taken into account in determining the most effective strategy. Calculation of the capacitive coupling and electric fields between the outer and inner races and the balls at different motor speeds in symmetrical and asymmetrical shaft and balls positions is discussed in Chapter 8. The analysis is carried out using finite element simulations to determine the conditions which will increase the probability of high rates of bearing failure due to current discharges through the balls and races.

Le développement d’avions plus électriques se traduit par une plus grande utilisation d'actionneurs électriques qui remplacent des systèmes hydrauliques et pneumatiques existants ou répondent à de nouveaux besoins. La distribution de l'énergie à bord est basée sur un réseau continu 540V connecté à des convertisseurs électroniques de puissance. Les composants électroniques de puissance à grands gaps (SiC, GaN) améliorent les performances des convertisseurs mais les fronts de tension très raides sont imposés aux bobinages des actionneurs électriques. Chaque front excite un régime transitoire comportant une surtension importante et donc des champs électriques intenses dans l’isolation inter-spires des bobines. Lorsque cette contrainte électrique répétitive dépasse le seuil d'apparition des décharges partielles (PDIV), la durée de vie des couches organiques qui isolent les spires est fortement réduite. L'étude détaillée des décharges partielles (DP) dans l'espace qui sépare les fils émaillés des bobinages permet de situer les zones dans lesquelles les DP se produisent. Elle montre que le thermocollage, avec des surépaisseurs adaptées de thermocolle, permet d'élever le PDIV au-delà des pointes répétitives de tension pour les actionneurs qui fonctionnent dans les parties pressurisées des avions. Des solutions ordonnées de bobinages ont été expérimentées sur des bobines cylindriques imprégnées. Cette analyse montre que l'imprégnation augmente légèrement le PDIV de l'isolation inter-spires dans des proportions qui ne correspondent pas totalement aux caractéristiques intrinsèques du vernis utilisé. Par conséquent, les bobines imprégnées doivent être conçues sur la base des performances de l'isolation primaire du fil émaillé. L’arrangement des spires dans une bobine ordonnée permet de répartir les contraintes et donc de concevoir des bobines qui résistent aux pointes de tension répétitives imposées par l'onduleur aux basses pressions correspondant aux zones non pressurisées d'un avion en vol. Un modèle, basé sur un schéma équivalent HF prenant en considération les deux premières résonances des bobines élémentaires, permet d'analyser la répartition des contraintes entre les bobines connectées en série d'une phase
The More Electric Aircraft development is reflected by a bigger use of the electrical actuators, which replace the hydraulic or pneumatic system existing or they can also answer to new needs. The energy distribution on board is based on a high voltage continuous bus of 540V connected to electrical power converter. The electric power wide band gap components (SiC, GaN) improve the converters performances but very steep of voltage edge is imposed on the windings of the electric actuators. Each edge excites a transitory regime including an important surge which corresponds to intense electric fields in the inter-turns insulation of coils. When this repetitive electrical constraint exceeds the partial discharges inception voltage (PDIV), the life time of the organic layer between the turns is strongly reduced. The detailed study of the partial discharges (PD) in the area which separate the enamel wire of the windings allows to locate the area where the PD appears. The use of thermo-bonding, with a bonding thickness adapted, allows to raise PDIV beyond the repetitive edge of voltage for the actuators which work in the pressurized parts of the planes. The orderly windings solutions were tested on impregnated cylindrical coils. This analysis shows that the impregnation increases slightly the PDIV from the inter-turns insulation in proportions that do not totally correspond to the intrinsic characteristics of the used varnish. Therefore, the impregnated coils must be conceived on the basis of the primary insulation performance of the enamelled wire. The turn’s arrangement in an orderly coil allows to distribute the constraints and so to conceive the windings which can resist the compulsory repetitive of voltage spikes by the inverter in low pressures corresponding to not pressurized zones in a plane during the flight. A model, based on HF equivalent schema taking in consideration the first two resonances of the elementary coils, allows to analyse the constraints distribution between the coils connected in series of a machine phase

The aim of this master thesis is the construction of a single-purpose machine used for reeling of composite insulator. In the first part is described the technology of reeling completed by the analysis of used components. Based on the findings, the final constructional version with necessary calculations is stated. The result of this thesis is a 3D model of the chosen design together with drawings and calculations of given parts.

M.Tech. (Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technology)
World-wide, financial and environmental factors are necessitating the life management and life extension of power generating facilities. A crucial part of the power generating equipment prone to failure towards the end of design life is the stator winding insulation of generators. Due to this, Eskom is developing a life management system for stator winding insulation systems for the generators in coal fired power stations. Eskom has leased condition monitoring equipment from Electricite de France (EdF), which monitors the partial discharge activity within the insulation of the stator windings. EdF uses the quadratic rate partial discharge test method, contrary to the conventional amplitude measurement of charge as released from partial discharges. This thesis will evaluate the EdF equipment and its claimed ability to quantify the difference in insulation system condition between old and new stator winding. An evaluation of the equipment will be performed on individual stator bars with simulated faults experienced by stator winding insulation, followed by on-site tests at various power stations.

碩士
國立臺灣科技大學
電機工程系
103
In this study, a defects identifications system of high-voltage motor stator's winding insulation using partial discharge measurement was developed. First, the methods used to measurement PD signal were examined and a high frequency current transformer was employed to measure the PD signals. Then, five custom-made defects on the stator winding insulation of high-voltage motor were made as the experimental models. Subsequently, PD tests were conducted on the target model by using the pressurization process in accordance with the IEC 60034-27. The PD analyzer developed in this study can receive the voltage signals of different sensors and transform the voltage signals to 3D patterns. Furthermore, this study adopted fractal theory and statistical energy analysis to extract relevant features from the various spectra. Finally, extension theory was applied in the defects identifications system of high-voltage motor stator's winding insulation with rather promising results. Keywords：partial discharge, Stator winding insulation of high-voltage motor, 3D PD pattern transform, fractal theory, extension theory

碩士
國立臺灣科技大學
電機工程系
104
As the power system voltage class is upgraded, the partial discharge may cause insulation deterioration of high voltage power equipments. In recent years, the detection of partial discharge and pattern recognition have become the latest development trend of preventive equipment fault diagnosis. Therefore, if the partial discharge detection can be combined with signal analysis to master the state of insulation of power equipments, the shutdown of power equipments without early warning is supposed to be prevented in time, so as to enhance the reliability of power quality. This thesis aims to use artificial neural network for recognition of partial discharge pattern of high-voltage motor stator insulation coil bar. First, the partial discharge signal of the test object is measured by using high-frequency current sensor, and the received partial discharge signal is changed into energy spectrum, so as to suppress the external noise. Secondly, the fractal dimension and lacunarity features are extracted from the spectrum by using fractal theory, so as to reduce the dimension for subsequent operation. Finally, the artificial neural network is used for partial discharge pattern recognition. The extracted features vector is used as input and the optimum Artificial Neural Network is determined, so as to obtain the optimum recognition capability. This study uses common high voltage motor stator fault types to experimentally produce four kinds of stator test models with insulation defect, which are compared with healthy motor model. The experimental results show that the artificial neural network-based stator fault diagnosis system proposed in thesis has a recognition rate as high as 90 % when the conjugate gradient algorithm is used and there are 20 neurons on hidden layer.

Die Steigerung der elektromagnetischen Ausnutzung elektrischer Maschinen ist im Wesentlichen durch eine Erhöhung des Strombelages möglich. Die Belastungsgrenze resultiert u. a. aus der maximal zulässigen Temperatur der Wicklungsisolation. Aus der geringen spezifischen thermischen Leitfähigkeit herkömmlicher Isolierwerkstoffe resultieren große Temperaturgradienten im Wicklungsquerschnitt und es kommt zur Bildung von Hotspots z. B. in den Wicklungsköpfen. Im Beitrag werden die Entwicklung und die Charakterisierung von Polysiloxan-Kompositen mit keramischen Füllstoffen vorgestellt. Im Vergleich zu herkömmlichen Isoliermaterialen kann die spezifische thermische Leitfähigkeit damit etwa um den Faktor fünf gesteigert werden. Die Materialien werden für die Herstellung der Hauptisolation des Elektroblechpaketes in einem Tauchprozess sowie die Vakuum-Imprägnierung der Wicklung eingesetzt. Für einen elektrischen Radnabenantrieb werden die erwartete Wicklungstemperaturreduzierung und die daraus resultierende mögliche Leistungsdichtesteigerung diskutiert.
The increase of the electromagnetic utilisation of electrical machines is essentially achievable by increasing the electric load. The power limit results from the maximum permissible temperature of the winding insulation. The low specific thermal conductivity of conventional insulating materials results in large temperature gradients in the winding cross section and the appearance of hotspots in the end windings. The paper discusses the development and characterisation of polysiloxane composites with ceramic fillers. Compared to conventional insulating materials, therewith the specific thermal conductivity can be increased by a factor of five. The materials are used for the production of the main insulation of the laminated core in a dipping process and the vacuum impregnation of the winding. For an electric wheel hub motor, the expected winding temperature reduction and the possible power density increase are discussed.

High voltage rotating machines play a significant role in generation and use of electrical energy as the demand for power continues to increase. However, one of the main causes for down times in high voltage rotating machines is related to problems with the winding insulation. The utilities want to reduce costs through longer maintenance intervals and a higher lifetime of the machines. These demands create a challenge for the producers of winding insulations, the manufacturers of high voltage rotating machines and the utilities to develop new insulation materials which can improve the life of the equipment and reduce the maintenance cost. The advent of nanotechnology in recent times has heralded a new era in materials technology by creating opportunities to significantly enhance the properties of existing conventional materials. Polymer nanocomposites belong to one such class of materials that exhibit unique combinations of physical, mechanical and thermal properties which are advantageous as compared to the traditional polymers or their composites. Even though they show tremendous promise for dielectric/electrical insulation applications, there are no studies relating to the long term performance as well as life estimation of the nanocomposites. Considering this, an attempt is made to generate an understanding on the feasibility of these nanocomposites for electrical insulation applications. An epoxy based nanocomposite system is chosen for this study along with alumina (Al2O3) and silica (SiO2) as the nanofillers. The first and the foremost requirement for studies on polymer nanocomposites is to achieve a uniform dispersion of nanoparticles in the polymer matrix, as nanoparticles are known to agglomerate and form large particle sizes. A laboratory based direct dispersion method is used to process epoxy nanocomposites in order to get well dispersed samples. A detailed microscopy analysis of the filler dispersion using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) has been carried out to check the dispersion of the nanofiller in the polymer. An attempt is made to characterize and analyze the interaction dynamics at the interface regions in the epoxy nanocomposite by glass transition temperature (Tg) measurements and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy studies. The values of Tg for the nanocomposites studied decreases at 0.1 wt% filler loading and then starts to increase gradually with increase in filler loading. This Tg variation suggests that there is certainly an interaction between the epoxy chains and the nanoparticles. Also no new chemical bonds were observed in the spectra of epoxy nanocomposite as compared to unfilled epoxy. But changes were observed in the peak intensity and width of the –OH band in the spectrum of epoxy nanocomposite. This change was due to the formation of the hydrogen bonding between the epoxy and the nanofiller. The thermal conductivity of the epoxy alumina and the epoxy silica nanocomposites increased even with the addition of 0.1 wt% of the filler. This increase in thermal conductivity is one of the factors that make these nanocomposites a better option for electrical insulation applications. The dielectric properties of epoxy nanocomposites obtained in this investigation also reveal few interesting behaviors which are found to be unique and advantageous as compared to similar properties of unfilled materials. It is observed that the addition of fillers of certain loadings of nanoparticles to epoxy results in the nanocomposite permittivity value to be lower than that of the unfilled epoxy over the entire range of frequencies [10-2-106 Hz] considered in this study. This reduction has been attributed to the inhibition of polymer chain mobility caused by the addition of the nanoparticles. The tan 𝛿 values are almost the same or lower as compared to the unfilled epoxy for the different filler loadings considered. This behavior is probably due to the influence of the interface as the strong bonding at the interface will make the interface very stable with fewer defects apart from acting as charge trapping centres. From a practical application point of view, the surface discharge resistant characteristics of the materials are very important and this property has also been evaluated. The resistance to surface discharge is measured in the form of roughness on the surface of the material caused by the discharges. A significant enhancement in the discharge resistance has been observed for nanocomposites as compared to unfilled epoxy/ microcomposites, especially at longer exposure durations. The partial discharge (PD) measurements were carried out at regular intervals of time and it is observed that the PD magnitude reduced with discharge duration in the case of epoxy alumina nanocomposites. An attempt was made to understand the chemical changes on the surface by conducting the FTIR studies on the aged surface. For all electrical insulation applications, materials having higher values of dielectric strengths are always desired and necessary. So AC breakdown studies have also been conducted. The AC breakdown strength shows a decreasing trend up to a certain filler loading and then an increase at 5 wt% filler loading for epoxy alumina nanocomposites. It has been also observed that the type of filler as well as the thickness of the filler influences the breakdown strength. The AC dielectric strength of microcomposites are observed to be lower than the nanocomposites. Extensive research by long term aging studies and life estimation are needed before these new nanocomposites can be put into useful service. So long term aging studies under combined electrical and thermal stresses have been carried out on unfilled epoxy and epoxy alumina nanocomposite samples of filler loading 5 wt%. The important dielectric parameters like pemittivity, tan  and volume resistivity were measured before and after aging to understand the performance of the material under study. The leakage current was measured at regular intervals and tan  values were calculated with duration of aging. It was observed that the tan  values increased drastically for unfilled epoxy for the aging duration considered as compared to epoxy alumina nanocomposites. The life estimation of unfilled epoxy as well as epoxy nanocomposites were also performed by subjecting the samples to different stress levels of 6 kV/mm, 7 kV/mm and 8 kV/mm at 60 oC. It is observed that the epoxy alumina nanocomposite has an enhanced life which is nine times the life of the unfilled epoxy. These results obtained for the nanocomposites enable us to design a better material with improved dielectric strength, dielectric properties, thermal conductivity, resistance to surface discharge degradation and enhanced life without sacrificing the flexibility in the end product and the ease of processing. Dry type transformers and stator winding insulation need to be cast with the above material developed and tested before practically implementing these in the actual application.

High voltage rotating machines play a significant role in generation and use of electrical energy as the demand for power continues to increase. However, one of the main causes for down times in high voltage rotating machines is related to problems with the winding insulation. The utilities want to reduce costs through longer maintenance intervals and a higher lifetime of the machines. These demands create a challenge for the producers of winding insulations, the manufacturers of high voltage rotating machines and the utilities to develop new insulation materials which can improve the life of the equipment and reduce the maintenance cost. The advent of nanotechnology in recent times has heralded a new era in materials technology by creating opportunities to significantly enhance the properties of existing conventional materials. Polymer nanocomposites belong to one such class of materials that exhibit unique combinations of physical, mechanical and thermal properties which are advantageous as compared to the traditional polymers or their composites. Even though they show tremendous promise for dielectric/electrical insulation applications, there are no studies relating to the long term performance as well as life estimation of the nanocomposites. Considering this, an attempt is made to generate an understanding on the feasibility of these nanocomposites for electrical insulation applications. An epoxy based nanocomposite system is chosen for this study along with alumina (Al2O3) and silica (SiO2) as the nanofillers. The first and the foremost requirement for studies on polymer nanocomposites is to achieve a uniform dispersion of nanoparticles in the polymer matrix, as nanoparticles are known to agglomerate and form large particle sizes. A laboratory based direct dispersion method is used to process epoxy nanocomposites in order to get well dispersed samples. A detailed microscopy analysis of the filler dispersion using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) has been carried out to check the dispersion of the nanofiller in the polymer. An attempt is made to characterize and analyze the interaction dynamics at the interface regions in the epoxy nanocomposite by glass transition temperature (Tg) measurements and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy studies. The values of Tg for the nanocomposites studied decreases at 0.1 wt% filler loading and then starts to increase gradually with increase in filler loading. This Tg variation suggests that there is certainly an interaction between the epoxy chains and the nanoparticles. Also no new chemical bonds were observed in the spectra of epoxy nanocomposite as compared to unfilled epoxy. But changes were observed in the peak intensity and width of the –OH band in the spectrum of epoxy nanocomposite. This change was due to the formation of the hydrogen bonding between the epoxy and the nanofiller. The thermal conductivity of the epoxy alumina and the epoxy silica nanocomposites increased even with the addition of 0.1 wt% of the filler. This increase in thermal conductivity is one of the factors that make these nanocomposites a better option for electrical insulation applications. The dielectric properties of epoxy nanocomposites obtained in this investigation also reveal few interesting behaviors which are found to be unique and advantageous as compared to similar properties of unfilled materials. It is observed that the addition of fillers of certain loadings of nanoparticles to epoxy results in the nanocomposite permittivity value to be lower than that of the unfilled epoxy over the entire range of frequencies [10-2-106 Hz] considered in this study. This reduction has been attributed to the inhibition of polymer chain mobility caused by the addition of the nanoparticles. The tan values are almost the same or lower as compared to the unfilled epoxy for the different filler loadings considered. This behavior is probably due to the influence of the interface as the strong bonding at the interface will make the interface very stable with fewer defects apart from acting as charge trapping centres. From a practical application point of view, the surface discharge resistant characteristics of the materials are very important and this property has also been evaluated. The resistance to surface discharge is measured in the form of roughness on the surface of the material caused by the discharges. A significant enhancement in the discharge resistance has been observed for nanocomposites as compared to unfilled epoxy/ microcomposites, especially at longer exposure durations. The partial discharge (PD) measurements were carried out at regular intervals of time and it is observed that the PD magnitude reduced with discharge duration in the case of epoxy alumina nanocomposites. An attempt was made to understand the chemical changes on the surface by conducting the FTIR studies on the aged surface. For all electrical insulation applications, materials having higher values of dielectric strengths are always desired and necessary. So AC breakdown studies have also been conducted. The AC breakdown strength shows a decreasing trend up to a certain filler loading and then an increase at 5 wt% filler loading for epoxy alumina nanocomposites. It has been also observed that the type of filler as well as the thickness of the filler influences the breakdown strength. The AC dielectric strength of microcomposites are observed to be lower than the nanocomposites. Extensive research by long term aging studies and life estimation are needed before these new nanocomposites can be put into useful service. So long term aging studies under combined electrical and thermal stresses have been carried out on unfilled epoxy and epoxy alumina nanocomposite samples of filler loading 5 wt%. The important dielectric parameters like pemittivity, tan  and volume resistivity were measured before and after aging to understand the performance of the material under study. The leakage current was measured at regular intervals and tan  values were calculated with duration of aging. It was observed that the tan  values increased drastically for unfilled epoxy for the aging duration considered as compared to epoxy alumina nanocomposites. The life estimation of unfilled epoxy as well as epoxy nanocomposites were also performed by subjecting the samples to different stress levels of 6 kV/mm, 7 kV/mm and 8 kV/mm at 60 oC. It is observed that the epoxy alumina nanocomposite has an enhanced life which is nine times the life of the unfilled epoxy. These results obtained for the nanocomposites enable us to design a better material with improved dielectric strength, dielectric properties, thermal conductivity, resistance to surface discharge degradation and enhanced life without sacrificing the flexibility in the end product and the ease of processing. Dry type transformers and stator winding insulation need to be cast with the above material developed and tested before practically implementing these in the actual application.

This doctoral thesis represents the completion of a three-year research activity that has been carried out as part of the Ph.D. program in Electrical and Information Engineering, XXXII cycle, of the Polytechnic University of Bari, Italy. The work that is presented in this document addresses some specific aspects of the broader topic of reliability in high-frequency electric drives, which is the early failure of inverter-fed AC machine insulation systems due to the very high dv/dt’s of modern fast switching converters. A selection of the most important research works that have been published in the literature on this subject is reviewed here and can be found in the reference. These works have greatly contributed to the progression of the research and thesis. Hopefully, the content presented in this document will also add a modest contribution to this topic that is becoming more and more relevant in today's electric drive applications. The background of the thesis, the motivations, and ideas laying behind the research activity carried on the topic of insulation aging are presented. The role of electrification in many application areas and the benefits that the transition to cleaner energy forms can bring to the cause of environment and climate preservation are discussed. In this promising energy transition process, high-speed machines and high-frequency power electronics converters are key technologies to enable enormous energy-saving and to boost the penetration of more electrical systems in both industry and transportation sectors. The growing market diffusion of high-frequency electric drives is driven by the fast developments in the new generation of power switching devices, which are based on silicon carbide and gallium nitride composites, the so-called wide bandgap semiconductor materials. Thanks to these new materials, which present better properties than silicon with respect to breakdown electric field, electron mobility, and thermal stability, modern power switches can operate at higher commutation frequency, with lower losses and higher junction temperature than previous generations. Alongside the numerous advantages of high-frequency devices, new issues arise for their practical implementation because of their fast commutation transients at turn-on and turn-off. In fact, the very short rise and fall time of the applied voltage pulses, in the order of tens of nanoseconds, is source of increased electromagnetic interference that can negatively affect the surrounding low-power electronics, common-mode voltage can appear across the shaft of the machine leading to the circulation of currents along the bearings and subsequent mechanical deterioration, and increased stress on the motor turn insulation. The higher electrical stress on the insulation is the cause of partial discharges within the weak spots of the system, small sparks that delaminate the dielectric material, eventually leading to a turn short circuit and to the fault. The winding insulation system is a fundamental component of any electric machine, functionally required for the operation of the electromechanical conversion mechanism. The breakdown of the insulation inhibits the operation of the machine, which must be re-wound to be put in service again. Due to the high dv/dt’s in high-frequency power electronic converters, two phenomena occur that can threaten the life duration of motor insulation systems. Voltage waveform reflections along the cable that connects the inverter and the machine produce high overvoltage at the motor terminals when the rise time of the PWM voltage pulses is short. Furthermore, due to the parasitic capacitances of the winding insulation, the distribution of the voltage across the coil is such that, when the pulses are applied to the winding, the first turns are exposed to the higher share of the voltage. Consequently, within the defects of the insulation system, such as air pockets or small clearances, partial discharges are triggered by the electric field exceeding the dielectric strength of the air. Partial discharges are ionic discharge events that modify the physical and chemical properties of the material, making it weaker over time until it cannot sustain the normal field anymore. At this point, the irreversible fault occurs, and the machine must be put out of service. Many studies in the literature have investigated the role of partial discharge on shortening the life of winding insulation systems, and the main effects of PWM voltages on the partial discharge characteristics have been identified. The main approaches commonly adopted today for the mitigation of the electrical stress on the insulation are the use of inverter output filters, very effective but generally bulky and costly and that often reduce the dynamic performance of the drive, and the combined design of converter and machine to minimize the length of the cables, which has practical limitations in high-speed drives due to the different scaling of the two parts. Three are three main goals of the research activity presented in this doctoral thesis. The first objective is to achieve a better understanding of the effects of electrical aging on motor insulation, to develop a practical method for the estimation of the aging progression through the measure of electrical quantities such as voltage and current. The second goal is the development of an accurate and easy-to-tune model of the drive components in the high-frequency domain, to be used for both improving the drive design and performing advanced diagnosis features. The third objective is to investigate possible approaches for the mitigation of electrical aging in high-speed electrical machines. Two possibilities are taken into consideration to this purpose: the active regulation of the dv/dt to limit the overvoltage at the motor terminals, and the use of multilevel converters to reduce the voltage stress by increasing the number of voltage levels. To achieve a deep understanding of the aging phenomenon from a macroscopic point of view, i.e. by mean of easily measurable electrical quantities, a series of electrical aging test has been performed on a group of motors while their characteristics were cyclically measured. The data collected during this aging campaign, together with the experimental setup that has been developed, are presented in the thesis. The data are statistically used to build some indicators of the insulation condition that can be used as an estimation of the aging progression in the insulation system. The first indicator is obtained through the measure of the machine characteristic impedances at different aging steps, while the second and the third are calculated from the high-frequency response of the phase current when a voltage pulse is applied. Accurate models of the electric drive system in the high-frequency domain are required to both improve designs from a system point of view and to include advanced predictive diagnosis features in the drive control system. A series of high-frequency motor models are reviewed and analyzed in this thesis based on the findings from the electrical aging campaign performed. A first modeling approach is made using a lumped-parameter model of the machine and an automatic identification procedure. To improve both accuracy and model tuning time, a second model is proposed, which is based on the automatic identification of an analytical rational function with the measured data. The fitting algorithm that has been employed is described in the thesis, and results are shown about the achieved accuracy level. The experimental data collected during the electrical aging tests and the developed high-frequency models of the drive components are used to investigate some possible approaches for the mitigation of the electrical stress on the winding insulation system of electric machines. The first method that is considered is the idea of using the estimation of the winding insulation aging conditions as a feedback for an advanced control system for the active regulation of the dv/dt of the PWM pulses to the purpose of extending the life of the drive while optimizing efficiency and performance. Such a system requires different parts to properly function, an effective estimator, a controller based on an optimization algorithm, and a set of active gate drivers. In this thesis, the idea is explored by simulation with some simplifications. The second overvoltage mitigation approach is to have a multilevel voltage waveform applied to the motor instead of a train of PWM pulses. In this way, the level of the overvoltage applied to the motor is reduced, and so is the electrical stress on the insulation. To this purpose, in this thesis, a cascaded H-bridge multilevel converter is compared to a conventional 2-level inverter operating on the same load conditions and with the same overvoltage level at the motor terminals. A simulation model is used to compare the losses, the efficiency, and the thermal requirements in both cases.

The power generation, transmission and utilisation are necessarily being carried out at different voltage levels, and require transformers for performing the voltage level conversions. As a result, transformers form one of the most critical elements of the power system. Incidentally, they are also one of the costliest equipments in any electric power stations, with cost ranging up to millions of dollars. Their repair work also proves to be quite expensive and time consuming. Moreover, the revenue loss due to the consequential line outages can be intolerable. The electrical insulation in the transformers age under electrical, thermal, mechanical and synergy of these stresses. The electrical stresses are due to the continuous operating voltage, temporary overvoltages and the transient overvoltages. Classically, the surges generated by switching operation and natural lightning formed mainly the transient overvoltages. An adequate design of the transformer insulation requires a detailed knowledge on the electrical stress distribution all along the winding. Unlike that in simple airgaps found in the transmission lines, the transformer winding complicates the stress distribution by modulating its spatio-temporal distribution. This necessitated a detailed modelling of the winding, well beyond the normal two-port network model employed in power system studies. Both distributed and ladder network models have been proposed in the earlier literature to accurately depict the response of the simplified winding models for fast rising lightning and switching surges. Depending on the adopted model, varieties of theoretical approaches ranging from travelling and standing wave theory-based approaches to finite-difference-equation based approaches, have been proposed. With the advent of digital computers, ladder network models assumed priority and non-uniform winding could be modelled. There was also another experimental based approach in which the frequency or time domain response of the winding at its terminals (and taps if made available) were measured and various system identi fication approaches were attempted to either describe the terminal response for different surges or use it for possible identification of the physical (geometric) changes in the winding structure. However, as this approach cannot be employed for the winding that are yet to be fabricated and further cannot provide any insight into various interior stresses, they will not be considered hereafter. With the increase in power rating of the transformers, the size of the winding also became bigger. Then the adequacy of the above said modelling approaches for analysing the stress under the chopped lightning impulse was questioned. Meanwhile, the propagation of the Partial Discharge (PD) pulse, which can have rise time of the order of few nanoseconds, could not be e ectively analysed by the classical approaches. With the advent of Gas Insulated Substation (GIS), another overvoltage called the Very Fast Transient Overvoltage (VFTO), caused by the operation of mainly the disconnector switches became a matter of concern. These overvoltages have frequency spectrum ranging up to tens to hundreds of MHz. The higher frequency content of the above said entities have led to serious concern over the validity of the circuit-based modelling. To overcome the problem, transmission line modelling for the turns/coils of the winding were proposed and commonly employed. In this approach, both Single Transmission Line model (STL) and Multi-Conductor Transmission Line Model (MTL) were adopted to evaluate the surge distribution along the winding. The same was also employed for the modelling of the propagation of PD pulses. However, the transmission line modelling requires the existence of Transverse Electro Magnetic (TEM) mode of wave propagation, which is rather di cult to realise for the initial critical part of VFTO and for the entire PD waveforms. Incidentally, the laboratory validation provided in some of the literature were plagued by the electromagnetic scaling issues, which render the validation provided quite inadequate. In other words, it has become highly essential to trace the underlying dynamic electromagnetic fields, rather than resorting to convenient simplified modelling approaches. The present work was taken up to address this basic problem. Its scope is identified as: (i) Find a suitable numerical electromagnetic field calculation approach for the problem in hand, and (ii) Noting that the circuit-based modelling is the language of electrical engineers, provide an upper frequency bound to such modelling approaches for the transformer windings. Simplifications which are routinely made in evaluating the surge response of the windings like neglecting role of bushing, tank and other phases, are also made in this work. At the same time, it is worth noting here that the present work can be considered as a first step in finding the full-wave response of windings