New Insulation Techniques for High Voltage, High Frequency Motors

92 New Insulation Techniques for High Voltage, High Frequency Motors--SatCon Technology Corporation, 161 First Street, Cambridge, MA 02142-1221; (617) 661-0540 Mr. Christopher P. Brown, Principal Investigator Mr. David B. Eisenhaure, Business Official DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-97ER82473 Amount: $74,985 Insulation failure has been identified as one of the biggest technical problems facing the introduction of electric motors for electric vehicles. While most current insulation materials have enough intrinsic insulating strength to withstand very high voltages, poor manufacturing practices introduce imperfections in the insulation which lead directly to premature breakdown. This project will focus on the manufacturing and application of proper insulation materials. During Phase I, a new testing technique will be used to characterize several materials and to localize the defects which cause insulation failure. Some manufacturing concepts for improving the insulation application will also be tested and compared to the conventional methods. In Phase II, the most successful new insulation application technique will be used to fabricate a test stator which can be used to test the new insulation system under the full array of conditions found in actual practice. Commercial Application and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The development of satisfactory insulation techniques will enable electric motor manufacturers to increase the efficiency and power density of their machinery. Other applications for high power density electric motors are air processing and HVAC systems, high speed machine tool spindles, aircraft auxiliary power units, and a variety of other high speed drive applications.