Development of a Test Method for Validation of Creepage Distances in High Voltage Aerospace Power Systems

More Electric Aircraft use increased amounts of electrical energy to replace hydraulic and pneumatic systems with electrical alternatives. Hence, the amount of electrical power used onboard is forecast to increase. Increasing the current to meet power requirements would lead to an unacceptable increase in conductor mass. As a result, a higher operating voltage is required. When systems are operated in the aerospace environment, the ambient temperature, relative humidity and air pressure all vary with altitude. Therefore, there is a risk of condensation on the insulating material surfaces potentially leading to tracking. However, there is little guidance dimensioning on creepage distances to present tacking for aircraft high voltage system. We describe the design of a custom environment chamber for the testing of tracking phenomena and creepage distances in an aerospace environment. The measurements of leakage current, voltages, relative humidity, temperatures and air pressure, can be recorded by LabView. The value of this approach is that it allows the effects of air pressure and resulting tracking damage to be understood. The results of this investigation have the potential to support the development of guidelines for dimensioning of creepage distances in high voltage aerospace systems.