Nanocomposite Insulation for HTS Applications

High temperature superconducting (HTS) cable technology is rapidly developing for use in the areas of power generation and distribution. While significant progress has been made thus far in developing this technology, further effort is needed to improve the efficiency and cost of dielectric materials for use in these systems. These materials must be compatible with cryogenic operation, exhibit excellent dielectric properties at cryogenic temperatures, and provide a high level of reliability when in service. Moreover, the dielectric materials must be able to be produced into complex forms using cost-effective, industrially scalable processes. To improve upon current fiber-reinforced-polymer composite dielectric materials, the present study investigates the advantages of including nanomaterial reinforcement within the polymer resins. It was found that the nanomaterial additions did not greatly impact the polymer viscosity or increase the cure rate, which enables the nanomaterial-enhanced polymer to be used in fabricating fiber-reinforced composite dielectric materials. The nanomaterial-enhanced composite dielectric materials demonstrated greater than 60% higher AC dielectric breakdown strengths and improved consistency of performance compared to the current standard, G10. Similarly, shear and compression strengths of nanomaterial-enhanced composite dielectric materials compared well with those of G10.