PAGE CONTENTS
Objectives
The objective of this contract was to study the possible improvements in terms of materials, mass, cost and voltage required for the future development of the next generation of the high voltage modules of the EPC.
Our objective was to start the development of a new insulation technology and to test it in order to be used for future high voltage architecture/design in next generations of EPC.
The first phase of this project has allowed identifying a suitable alternative to our current insulation material and process with a special focus on European products and processes. During this phase, studies have been realized at materials levels in order to validate our choice. A trade-off with a dedicated feasibility study of the adapted process has also be done with the main goal to increase our profitability and performances regarding the current global molding performed during the manufacturing of the high
voltage modules by TAS-Belgium up to now.
The second phase of the study has led to identify an industrial process adapted to the implementation of the technology studied during the phase 1. After the identification and the validation of the better industrial process of deposition; thermal, electrical, mechanical and thermo mechanical analysis were done in order to start the design of a new architecture adapted for the manufacturing and the test of a new high voltage module able to sustain higher electrical fields for the voltages up to 15kVDC. This module has then been tested in a representative EPC environment in order to validate the behaviour of this new architecture/material/process regarding space environmental constraints; mechanical, thermo mechanical and high voltage life test have been realized.
Challenges
The main achievements of the activity were the following:
- To identify of new insulation materials able to sustain high electrical field.
- To prove the compatibility of the materials with an industrial process which allows us to perform a local moulding around HV components.
- To check the compatibility of the technology with EPC space environment/constraints.
Plan
The overall activities of this project have been split into two phases (Phase 1 and Phase 2).
- Phase 1 : this phase consisted in the upstream analysis and test in order to make the formal selection of the more adapted material/process couple.
- Phase 2 : this phase consisted in the trade-off of the equipment required to implement the technology identified at the end of the Phase 1. Technology has also been tested regarding true EPC environment aspects in a representative architecture.
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Current Status
Project status : COMPLETED
All the activities foreseen for Phase 1 of the contract have been carried out.
All the activities foreseen for Phase 2 of the contract have been mainly
carried out, the HV life test is still running and must be continued in order to reach 10.000 hours of test ; up to now, the results are conform to the expectations.
The final review of the project has been done in January 2014.