Investigation of traction motor windings' insulation capacitance at switching frequencies under accelerated thermal stress

P. A. Panagiotou, K. N. Gyftakis, N. Lophitis, M. D. McCulloch, D. A. Howey

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference proceedingpeer-review

    5 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Machines in electric vehicles are driven by switching power electronic devices and undergo variable load cycling. In transient conditions high currents and temperatures develop, forcing the electric motor and particularly the insulation materials to undergo severe multi-stress. Insulation degradation will progressively lead to short-circuits which are harmful for the traction motor, vehicle safety and reliability. This paper focuses on the thermal assessment of insulation's capacitance at switching frequencies. For this, thin-film winding insulation samples were thermally aged at different temperatures and for various periods of time. Dielectric spectroscopy was applied and the capacitance information at different frequencies was extracted. The measurements were substituted to statistical analysis under three factors namely; ageing time, temperature and frequency. It is also evaluated how appropriate it is to use capacitance measurements as a means for reliable prognostics. The statistical analysis depicts that the capacitance does not follow predictable ageing patterns, mainly because the material's dielectric properties are affected by a number of different degradation mechanisms that occur concurrently.

    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationProceedings of the 2017 IEEE 11th International Symposium on Diagnostics for Electrical Machines, Power Electronics and Drives, SDEMPED 2017
    PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
    Pages537-543
    Number of pages7
    Volume2017-January
    ISBN (Electronic)9781509004096
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 6 Oct 2017
    Event11th IEEE International Symposium on Diagnostics for Electrical Machines, Power Electronics and Drives - Tinos, Greece
    Duration: 29 Aug 20171 Sept 2017
    Conference number: 11
    https://www.egr.msu.edu/sdemped2017/home

    Conference

    Conference11th IEEE International Symposium on Diagnostics for Electrical Machines, Power Electronics and Drives
    Abbreviated titleSDEMPED 2017
    Country/TerritoryGreece
    CityTinos
    Period29/08/171/09/17
    Internet address

    Keywords

    • capacitance
    • degradation
    • dielectric spectroscopy
    • insulation
    • thermal stress
    • traction motor

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Electrical and Electronic Engineering
    • Energy Engineering and Power Technology

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