Experimental Evaluation of Conductor Insulations Used in E-mobility Traction Motors

Application of high switching frequency converters providing signals with a high level of dv/dt has resulted in an increased stress on the traction motors insulation system. This paper presents an investigation done on the insulation materials developed for traction motors used in E-mobility applications and built using form or hairpin windings. Since the high dv/dt results in a high voltage difference between the conductors, focus in this paper is placed on the conductor insulation referred as `primary insulation'. An experimental setup is developed and test samples using different insulation materials are made. A comparison between the life-time of the non-corona resistant and corona-resistant materials are made. Additionally, influence of the temperature, voltage and thickness on the insulation system life-time is evaluated. The test results show that corona resistant Kapton® ECRC materials with different thicknesses may be considered as proper candidates for traction motors designed and produced for electrification market fed by high switching frequency converters.