A holistic approach to materials for the next generation of electrical insulation

Date:
August 13, 2021
Source:
University of Texas at Austin
Summary:
Researchers are analyzing new materials for electrical insulation,
or packaging, that can remove heat more effectively compared
to today's insulation, amid a need to redesign our electrical
infrastructure for the next 100 years and beyond to match advanced
technology.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
Our electrical infrastructure has remained largely unchanged since
World War II, but advances in technology -- specifically materials --
opened doors we never would have thought possible in the past. These
advances have set the stage to redesign our electrical infrastructure
for the next 100 years and beyond.


==========================================================================
The redesign is critical because every day we put more stress on the
electrical grid, demand faster computer processing, and push toward
electrical transportation. The advanced and miniaturized semi-conductors powering these devices and infrastructure generate significant heat
that can cause them to fail. These devices also need to be electrically isolated and protected from the elements.

As devices and infrastructure continue to advance, new types of electrical insulation are being developed worldwide to meet ever-increasing
performance and reliability demands. Researchers from The University
of Texas at Austin in collaboration with the U.S. Army Research Lab
are analyzing new materials for electrical insulation, or packaging,
that can remove heat more effectively compared to today's insulation.

"An electrical grid caters to millions of homes and businesses
and handles thousands of amps of current," said Vaibhav Bahadur,
co-author of a new paper published in Proceedings of the IEEE and an
associate professor of thermal fluids systems in the Cockrell School
of Engineering's Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering. "We are
talking about pretty significant heat generation, high voltages and the
ability to survive extreme temperatures, which will only get worse in a changing climate." "The key problem we've identified is that improving
thermal conductivity alone is not good enough," Bahadur said. "You need
a more holistic understanding of materials and multifunctional materials
to meet electrical, thermal and mechanical requirements." Focusing on
one property alone, such as thermal conductivity, is not enough to get
the necessary performance and lifespan from electronic devices. You need
to ensure that materials have large electrical resistance, tolerance to
extreme temperatures, ability to handle mechanical stress and resistance
to moisture, among other things. The grand challenge for materials
developers is to improve all these properties simultaneously, instead
of the current one-at-a-time approach.

"A comprehensive assessment of these new nanomaterials has not been done before," said Robert Hebner, research professor at the Walker Department, director of UT's Center for Electromechanics and paper co-author. "This
article is a roadmap for the development of future materials. We provide
a critical review and perspectives to the materials community from
an engineering and reliability perspective." These new nanocomposite
materials are made of polymers with nanoparticles in them and seek to
reach thermal performance levels comparable to metals, while retaining
the advantages of polymers -- lightweight, not susceptible to corrosion,
easier fabrication. Some of the most promising materials have close to
100 times the thermal conductivity of conventional polymers.

If we can advance electrical insulation in a holistic way, as researchers suggest, we can see improvements in many aspects of our lives. A
dependable, renewables-based power grid. Faster laptop processors that
don't overheat.

Powerplant cooling using air instead of scarce water resources. Even
a transition to electric aviation with cables that can withstand the
extreme heat generated during takeoff.

Given the global interest in these materials for wide-ranging
applications, future progress can and should unfold quickly. Bahadur
suggests that practical deployment of such advanced, multifunctional
materials technology could happen as early as 2030.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Texas_at_Austin. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Manojkumar Lokanathan, Palash V. Acharya, Abdelhamid Ouroua,
Shannon M.

Strank, Robert E. Hebner, Vaibhav Bahadur. Review of Nanocomposite
Dielectric Materials With High Thermal Conductivity. Proceedings
of the IEEE, 2021; 109 (8): 1364 DOI: 10.1109/JPROC.2021.3085836 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210813105544.htm

--- up 14 weeks, 22 hours, 45 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)