Assessing the lifetime of an insulation system is an essential step when delivering high voltage products. Failing to do so can mean the insulation system reaches end of life prematurely.
Voltage endurance testing is particularly important when designers seek to deliver partial discharge (PD) resistant systems – avoiding the increasingly large insulation thicknesses that may be required to be partial discharge free. Many manufacturers of insulation for electrical machines produce ‘corona resistant’ forms that are meant to have extended lifetimes.
However, corona resistant / PD resistant insulation will still fail given time – particularly in situations where the insulation is used in conjunction with high frequency power electronics. As such, it’s important that there is the ability to test and compare the performance of different insulation materials to understand the expected time to failure in operation.
At aHV, we’ve built up capability to ensure that insulation systems can be tested using a range of voltage types mimicking those found in power electronic systems with tests also being run in the appropriate environment. This allows us to deliver accurate data that can be used to confirm that the insulation system will survive in the application.