Integrated Insulation Processing and Testing System

The Achilles heel in high voltage systems is with dielectric materials used for insulation. Liquid dielectrics offer advantages in self-healing and thermal management properties, but their dielectric strength is low. Liquid dielectrics also require ancillary devices for flowing and de-ionizing, and these systems are vulnerable to leaks in high-g environments. Solid dielectrics offer advantages in relatively high dielectric strengths and engineered properties of dielectric constants and thermal coefficients; however, their manufactured stock is limited and they most often require additional machining to "nearly" match the housing structure, which leads to voids, and ultimately, material failures (or mission failures). Furthermore, current testing methods for the solid dielectric materials is an antiquated process developed around the 60 Hz machine world and proves inadequate for pulse high voltage pulses ranging in frequency from 100 MHz to 12 GHz. Applied Physical Electronics, L.C. (APELC) proposes an Integrated Insulation Processing and Testing System (IIPTS) for engineering, testing, fabricating and verifying solid dielectric insulators for high voltage radar systems. The system proposes to test material properties at high voltages and with frequencies from 10 MHz to 12 GHz.