The Prospects of Nanotechnology in Electrical Power Engineering

Nanotechnology is one of the fastest growing fields in research and technology. The main interest of nanotechnology is not electrical power engineering but there were a lot of possible applications to improve electrical, mechanical, thermal or chemical properties of
electric power equipment. Often the economic aspect is pointed out, but also a higher efficiency or a reduction of losses predicts this new technology a successful appearance
in power engineering.
In this paper the state of the art in nanotechnology, the possibilities and applications in electric power engineering were investigated. On the one hand new materials for
conductors and on the other hand new insulants and coatings for insulators were taken into account. The aim for high voltage insulation systems were to extend the lifetime,
to optimize the life cycle costs, to reduce the maintenance expenses, to decrease the size or weight and to increase the efficiency.
As an example of a practical application of nanotechnology the results of a test series with nano-coated porcelain insulators were presented. The nano-coating was applied
on the ceramic surface and the long term stability was tested under a thermal and humid cycling procedure in a climate chamber and under natural conditions. As objective
criterion for the long term stability the contact angle was observed by optical measurements in defined time intervals.
The evaluations of the first test results look very successful, the contact angles of the coated insulators were constantly higher for more than 30 degrees over the whole test period.