This paper undertakes the thermal and electrical characterization of three commercial unsaturated polyester imide resins (UPIR) to identify which among them could better perform the insulation function of electric motors (high-power induction motors fed by pulse-wide modulation (PWM) inverters). The process foreseen for the motor insulation using these resins is Vacuum Pressure Impregnation (VPI). The resin formulations were specially selected because they are one-component systems; hence, before the VPI process, they do not require mixing steps with external hardeners to activate the curing process. Furthermore, they are characterized by low viscosity and a thermal class higher than 180 °C and are Volatile Organic Compound (VOC)-free. Thermal investigations using Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) techniques prove their excellent thermal resistance up to 320 °C. Moreover, impedance spectroscopy in the frequency range of 100 Hz-1 MHz was analyzed to compare the electromagnetic performance of the considered formulations. They manifest an electrical conductivity starting from 10-10 S/m, a relative permittivity around 3, and a loss tangent value lower than 0.02, which appears almost stable in the analyzed frequency range. These values confirm their usefulness as impregnating resins in secondary insulation material applications.
Keywords: PWM-fed motors; Vacuum Pressure Impregnation (VPI); insulating materials; polyester resins; thermal analyses.