Electret: A Solution to Partial Discharge in Power Electronics Applications

Abstract

Wide bandgap (WBG) power electronics converters (PEC) that enable high voltage, high dv/dt, and high-power density inevitably contain sharp edges, triple points, and cavities in their design, which result in local electric field enhancements. The intensified local electric stresses cause partial discharge (PD) that erodes electrical insulators and causes accelerated device failure. In this study, a new approach that utilizes electrets for PD mitigation is presented. We experimentally show that incorporating electret fabricated from polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) film based on widely used triode-corona charging method neutralizes local electric fields and mitigates PD that occurs in and around triple points and cavities.