A processable high thermal conductivity epoxy composites with multi-scale particles for high-frequency electrical insulation

Abstract

The solid-state transformer (SST) in the renewable energy grid is developing in the way of high voltage and high frequency, which often results in a sharp increase in heat production of the equipment and accelerates the failure of the insulating materials. Epoxy resin (EPR) is commonly used as an insulation material for SST due to its excellent electrical insulating properties, processing performance (viscosity), and low price. However, the thermal conductivity of EPR is only about 0.2 W/(m·K), which leads to poor insulating performance under high frequency and temperature. To enhance thermal conductivity, a substantial quantity of highly thermally conductive particles is incorporated into the EPR, accompanied by a severe increase in electrical insulation defects and viscosity. This study utilized a multi-scale particle-filled approach to investigate the thermal conductivity, processing characteristics, and high-frequency electrical insulation performance of composites. The composite, filled with 25 µm BN and 5 µm SiO2 particles, enhances thermal conductivity to 0.732 W/(m·K) and demonstrates superior electrical insulating properties at both 10 kHz and 20 kHz bipolar square waves (with an increase of 131.76% and 163.97% in relative EPR, respectively), as well as good processability. Meanwhile, it is found that the dielectric loss, thermal conductivity, and electric field distribution of the composite are the main factors affecting the electrical insulating properties from 10 to 20 kHz under high voltage. Graphical Abstract