Comparative Analysis of Dielectric Behavior under Temperature and UV Radiation Exposure of Insulating Paints for Electrical Equipment Protection—The Necessity of a New Standard?

This paper describes the behavior of some epoxy, acrylic and polyurethane paints used in the protection of electrical equipment under the action of different degradation factors. The degradation factors chosen were temperature and UV radiation. The behavior of the paints under the action of these factors was interpreted by the variation of the tangent of the dielectric loss angle (tg Delta) as well as by FTIR and TG DSC analyses. Tg Delta was considered the reference dielectric characteristic because it best simulates the functionality of the material. The results presented in this paper lead to the conclusion that exposure to thermal cycles and UV radiation is necessary for each paint to give indications about their possibility of use in these conditions. At the same time, the evaluation of thermal stability, even if the exposure is at lower temperatures (than those at which we performed the tests) and/or for shorter periods, is very important for placing the paint in an insulation class. The tests that were the subject of this work provide us with the following information about the three types of paints analyzed: the highest resistance to thermal cycles is presented by S3, followed by S2 and then S1; thermal endurance tests place the polyurethane paint (S3) in insulation class E and the epoxy paint (S1) in insulation class B; and the tests to determine resistance to UV radiation qualify the best paint as acrylic (S2) and the worst as polyurethane (S3). Thus, it can be said that in applications where it is necessary for the protective film to withstand high temperatures, the use of S3 paint (polyurethane) is recommended, and in applications where the films are kept under the influence of UV radiation for a longer time, it is recommended to use coded paint S2 (acrylic). The results presented in this paper lead to the conclusion that the exposure to thermal cycles simulating the use in outdoor conditions and the resilience of paints under UV radiation conditions must be performed for each paint according to its specific use, and the dielectric characteristics must be carefully evaluated because they can reach values under the accepted limit—e.g., thermal stability evaluation—even if the exposure is at lower temperatures and/or for shorter periods. The conclusions of the experimental work must be generalized at different types of electrical insulating paints, and maybe a new standard is necessary to assess the paints’ behavior under usage conditions, with the paints needing to be treated separately from the classical polymeric insulation systems.