Today, nanotechnology has added a new dimension to materials technology by creating opportunities to significantly enhance the properties of existing conventional materials. Polymer nanocomposites belong to one such class of materials and even though they show tremendous promise for dielectric/electrical insulation applications (“nanodielectrics” being the buzzword), the understanding related to these systems is very premature. Considering the desired research needs with respect to some of the dielectric properties of polymer nanocomposites, this study attempts to generate an understanding on some of the existing issues through a systematic and detailed experimental investigation coupled with a critical analysis of the data. An epoxy based nanocomposite system is chosen for this study along with four different choices of nano-fillers, viz. TiO2, Al2O3, ZnO and SiO2. The focus of this study is on the properties of nanocomposites at low filler loadings in the range of 0.1 - 5% by weight and the properties under investigation are the permittivity/tan delta behaviors, DC volume resistivity, AC dielectric strength and electrical discharge resistant characteristics. Significant efforts have also been directed towards addressing the interface interaction phenomena in epoxy nanocomposites and their subsequent influence on the dielectric properties of the material. The accurate characterization of the dielectric properties for polymer nanocomposites depends on the dispersion of nanoparticles in the polymer matrix and to achieve a good dispersion of nanoparticles in the epoxy matrix for the present study, a systematic design of experiments (DOE) is carried out involving two different processing methods. Consequently, a laboratory based epoxy nanocomposite processing methodology is proposed in this thesis and this process is found to be successful in dispersing nanoparticles effectively in the epoxy matrix, especially at filler concentrations lower than 5% by weight. Nanocomposite samples for the study are prepared using this method and a rigorous conditioning is performed before the dielectric measurements. The dielectric properties of epoxy nanocomposites obtained in the present study show interesting and intriguing characteristics when compared to those of unfilled epoxy and microcomposite systems and few of the results are unique and advantageous. In an unexpected observation, the addition of nanoparticles to epoxy is found to reduce the value of nanocomposite real permittivity below that of unfilled epoxy over a wide range of frequencies. Similarly, it has been observed that irrespective of the filler type, tan delta values in the case of nanocomposites are either same or lower than the value of unfilled epoxy up to a filler loading of 5% by weight, depending on the frequency and filler concentration. In fact, the nanocomposite real permittivities and tan delta values are also observed to be lower as compared to the corresponding microcomposites of the same constituent materials at the same filler loading. In another significant result, enhancements in the electrical discharge resistant characteristics of epoxy nanocomposites (with SiO2/Al2O3 nanoparticles) are observed when compared to unfilled epoxy, especially at longer durations of discharge exposures. Contrary to these encouragements observed for few of the dielectric properties, the trends of DC volume resistivity and AC dielectric breakdown strength characteristics in epoxy nanocomposites are found to be different. Irrespective of the type of filler in the epoxy matrix, it has been observed that the values of both AC dielectric strengths and DC volume resistivities are lower than that of unfilled epoxy for the filler loadings investigated. The results mentioned above seem to suggest that there has to be an interaction between the nanoparticles and the epoxy chains in the nanocomposite and therefore, glass transition temperature (Tg) measurements are performed to characterize the interaction phenomena, if any. The results of Tg for all the investigated nanocomposites also show interesting trends and they are observed to be lower than that of unfilled epoxy up to certain nanoparticle loadings. This lowering of the Tg in epoxy nanocomposites was not observed in the case of unfilled and microcomposite systems thereby strongly confirming the fact that there exists an interaction between the epoxy chains and nanoparticles in the nanocomposite. Considering the variations obtained for the nanocomposite real permittivity and Tg with respect to filler loading, a dual nanolayer interface model is utilized to explain the interaction dynamics and according to the model, interactions between epoxy chains and nanoparticles lead to the formation of two epoxy nanolayers around the nanoparticle. Analysis shows that the characteristics of the interface region have a strong influence on the dielectric behaviors of the nanocomposites and the suggested interface model seems to fit the characteristics obtained for the different dielectric/electrical insulation properties rather well. Further investigations are performed to understand the nature of interaction between nanoparticles and epoxy chains through FTIR studies and results show that there is probably an occurrence of hydrogen bonding between the epoxide groups of the epoxy resin and the free hydroxyl (OH) groups present on the nanoparticle surfaces. The results obtained for the dielectric properties of epoxy nanocomposites in this study have widened the scope of applications of these functional materials in the electrical sector. The occurrence of lower values of real permittivity for nanocomposites is definitely unique and unexpected and this result has huge potential in electronic component packaging applications. Further, the advantages related to tan delta and electrical discharge resistance for these materials carry lot of significance since, electrical insulating materials with enhanced electrical aging properties can be designed using nanocomposite technology. Although the characteristics of AC dielectric strengths and DC volume resistivities are not found to be strictly advantageous for epoxy nanocomposites at the investigated filler loadings, these properties can be optimized when designing insulation systems for practical applications. In spite of all these advantages, serious and systematic research efforts are still desired before these materials can be successfully utilized in electrical equipment.

Tratando-se de construções leves, para as condições climáticas de Curitiba, é recomendável o uso de materiais de cobertura que minimizem a transferência de calor no verão, porém evitando perdas de calor no inverno. A utilização de materiais isolantes como barreiras radiantes, formadas, por exemplo, por folhas de alumínio justapostas, pode trazer vantagens térmicas nessas duas situações. Uma opção de baixo custo para exercer a função de uma barreira radiante baseia-se no uso de embalagens Tetra Pak® , as quais têm uma de suas faces aluminizada. A pesquisa teve por objetivo avaliar o desempenho térmico das seguintes mantas isolantes: placas de 50 mm de Isopor® , foil dupla face e mantas Tetra Pak® em coberturas de guaritas de fibra de vidro, em condições reais de exposição aos elementos do clima e nos períodos de transição outono-inverno e primavera-verão. Os procedimentos metodológicos no período de transição outono-inverno compreenderam a comparação das temperaturas do ar e superficiais da cobertura. No período de transição primavera-verão, realizou-se a comparação das temperaturas do ar, superficiais da cobertura e das paredes face leste e face sul e da medição do fluxo de calor, para cálculo da resistência térmica. A utilização das mantas Tetra Pak® com a face aluminizada voltada para a cobertura ou com revestimento em dupla face (duas mantas Tetra Pak® coladas - ambas as faces aluminizadas expostas) apresentaram uma redução na temperatura superficial máxima de 9,8°C e 9,3°C, respectivamente e um aumento na temperatura superficial mínima de 2,7°C e 2,0°C, respectivamente. Para o período de transição primavera-verão os resultados para as mantas Tetra Pak® mostraram-se superiores aos das placas de Isopor® e do foil dupla face. / In light-weight buildings under the climatic conditions of Curitiba, it is recommended the use of roofing materials that minimize heat gains in summer while avoiding heat losses in winter. The use of insulating materials such as radiant barriers, formed, for example, by juxtaposed aluminum sheets, can bring thermal advantages in such situations. A low-cost option to perform the function of a radiant barrier is based on the use of open Tetra Pak® packages, which have one of their aluminized sides exposed. The aim of the study was to evaluate the thermal performance of the following insulation sheets: 50mm Styropor® , double-sided foil and Tetra Pak® sheets for fiberglass enclosures, in conditions of natural exposure to weather elements and in transitional periods in fall-winter and spring-summer. The methodological procedures in the autumn-winter transitional period comprised the comparison of air and surface temperatures of the roof elements. In spring-summer, air and surface temperatures of roof and walls (east- and south-facing) were compared and the measurement of the heat flow, to calculate the thermal resistance. The use of Tetra Pak® sheets with an upward-facing aluminized side or with double-sided coating (two glued, open Tetra Pak® packages - aluminized faces exposed) showed a reduction in the maximum surface temperature of 9.8°C and 9.3°C, respectively, and an increase in the minimum surface temperature of 2.7°C and 2.0°C, respectively. For the spring-summer transitional period, results for Tetra Pak® sheets were superior to those of Styropor® and double-sided foils.

Tratando-se de construções leves, para as condições climáticas de Curitiba, é recomendável o uso de materiais de cobertura que minimizem a transferência de calor no verão, porém evitando perdas de calor no inverno. A utilização de materiais isolantes como barreiras radiantes, formadas, por exemplo, por folhas de alumínio justapostas, pode trazer vantagens térmicas nessas duas situações. Uma opção de baixo custo para exercer a função de uma barreira radiante baseia-se no uso de embalagens Tetra Pak® , as quais têm uma de suas faces aluminizada. A pesquisa teve por objetivo avaliar o desempenho térmico das seguintes mantas isolantes: placas de 50 mm de Isopor® , foil dupla face e mantas Tetra Pak® em coberturas de guaritas de fibra de vidro, em condições reais de exposição aos elementos do clima e nos períodos de transição outono-inverno e primavera-verão. Os procedimentos metodológicos no período de transição outono-inverno compreenderam a comparação das temperaturas do ar e superficiais da cobertura. No período de transição primavera-verão, realizou-se a comparação das temperaturas do ar, superficiais da cobertura e das paredes face leste e face sul e da medição do fluxo de calor, para cálculo da resistência térmica. A utilização das mantas Tetra Pak® com a face aluminizada voltada para a cobertura ou com revestimento em dupla face (duas mantas Tetra Pak® coladas - ambas as faces aluminizadas expostas) apresentaram uma redução na temperatura superficial máxima de 9,8°C e 9,3°C, respectivamente e um aumento na temperatura superficial mínima de 2,7°C e 2,0°C, respectivamente. Para o período de transição primavera-verão os resultados para as mantas Tetra Pak® mostraram-se superiores aos das placas de Isopor® e do foil dupla face. / In light-weight buildings under the climatic conditions of Curitiba, it is recommended the use of roofing materials that minimize heat gains in summer while avoiding heat losses in winter. The use of insulating materials such as radiant barriers, formed, for example, by juxtaposed aluminum sheets, can bring thermal advantages in such situations. A low-cost option to perform the function of a radiant barrier is based on the use of open Tetra Pak® packages, which have one of their aluminized sides exposed. The aim of the study was to evaluate the thermal performance of the following insulation sheets: 50mm Styropor® , double-sided foil and Tetra Pak® sheets for fiberglass enclosures, in conditions of natural exposure to weather elements and in transitional periods in fall-winter and spring-summer. The methodological procedures in the autumn-winter transitional period comprised the comparison of air and surface temperatures of the roof elements. In spring-summer, air and surface temperatures of roof and walls (east- and south-facing) were compared and the measurement of the heat flow, to calculate the thermal resistance. The use of Tetra Pak® sheets with an upward-facing aluminized side or with double-sided coating (two glued, open Tetra Pak® packages - aluminized faces exposed) showed a reduction in the maximum surface temperature of 9.8°C and 9.3°C, respectively, and an increase in the minimum surface temperature of 2.7°C and 2.0°C, respectively. For the spring-summer transitional period, results for Tetra Pak® sheets were superior to those of Styropor® and double-sided foils.

Plusieurs types de dispositifs mécaniques (à vibration, à cylindre tournant, à lit fluidisé) mettant en jeu l'effet triboélectrique sont actuellement utilisés pour charger électriquement les constituants des mélanges de matériaux isolants granulaires, en vue de leur séparation dans un champ électrique intense. La non-uniformité de la charge des granules à la sortie de ces dispositifs affecte l'efficacité de la séparation, d'où l'intérêt des recherches visant la mise au point de procédés électrostatiques nouveaux, notamment pour des applications dans le domaine du recyclage des déchets. L'utilisation simultanée de l'effet triboélectrique, de la force de Coulomb et de la force d'image électrique est la solution innovante selon laquelle ont été conçus les quatre dispositifs à lit fluidisés réalisés ou améliorés dans le cadre de cette thèse. L'évaluation des performances de ces dispositifs a été rendue possible par la mise en oeuvre de systèmes de mesure complexes, permettant l'enregistrement continu et simultané des charges et des masses des produits de la séparation. Ainsi, la méthode des plans d'expériences pour surfaces de réponse a pu être utilisée pour modéliser le processus de séparation et déterminer les valeurs optimales des variables de contrôle de chacun des dispositifs, tels que le niveau de la haute tension d'alimentation ou la vitesse de l'air de fluidisation. Les résultats obtenus sur les installations de laboratoire et sur un prototype préindustriel recommandent cette classe de procédés tribo-aéro-électrostatiques comme la solution de choix pour le recyclage des déchets granulaires d'équipements électriques et électroniques. / Several types of mechanical devices (vibratory trays, rotating drums, fluidized beds) make use of the triboelectric effect for electrically charge the constituents of insulating materials granular mixtures, in view of their separation in a high-intensity electric field. The non-uniformity of granule charge at the exit of these devices adversely affects the separation efficiency, justifying the researches aimed at the development of novel electrostatic processes, mainly for applications in the field of waste recycling. Simultaneous usage of the triboelectric effect, the Coulomb force and the electric image force is an innovative technical solution according to which four fluidized bed devices were built or improved within the framework of this thesis. The performances of these devices could be evaluated by setting up complex measurement systems that enable the continuous and simultaneous recording of the charges and masses of the separated products. Thus, the experimental design methodology could be used for modeling the separation process and identify the optimum values of the control variables of each device, such as the high voltage level of the speed of the fluidization air. The results obtained on laboratory devices as well on an semi-industrial pilot installation recommend this class of tribo-aero-electrostatic separation processes as the solution of choice for the selective sorting of plastics from waste electric and electronic equipment.

The increasing quantity of waste represents serious environmental, social and economic problem. Wastes produced from industry and households. A large part of the economy transforms a certain amount of raw materials to waste in their production, because it is currently emphasis is placed on finding sustainable sources of raw materials. One of the suitable secondary raw materials can be discarded textiles or waste from the textile industry. These kinds of textile waste often ends up in landfills or incinerators, so it is from an ecological and environmentally advantageous to their further use. The diploma thesis deals with the study and development of thermal and acoustic insulation materials based on textile fibers. It focuses on the legislative requirements for waste management for the sorting of textile wastes and their subsequent modification before reuse. Further it contains kinds of textile fibers and bonding technologies thermal and acoustic insulation materials. Finally, an evaluation of thermal insulation, acoustic and mechanical properties of fibrous insulation materials.

High voltage rotating machines play a significant role in generation and use of electrical energy as the demand for power continues to increase. However, one of the main causes for down times in high voltage rotating machines is related to problems with the winding insulation. The utilities want to reduce costs through longer maintenance intervals and a higher lifetime of the machines. These demands create a challenge for the producers of winding insulations, the manufacturers of high voltage rotating machines and the utilities to develop new insulation materials which can improve the life of the equipment and reduce the maintenance cost. The advent of nanotechnology in recent times has heralded a new era in materials technology by creating opportunities to significantly enhance the properties of existing conventional materials. Polymer nanocomposites belong to one such class of materials that exhibit unique combinations of physical, mechanical and thermal properties which are advantageous as compared to the traditional polymers or their composites. Even though they show tremendous promise for dielectric/electrical insulation applications, there are no studies relating to the long term performance as well as life estimation of the nanocomposites. Considering this, an attempt is made to generate an understanding on the feasibility of these nanocomposites for electrical insulation applications. An epoxy based nanocomposite system is chosen for this study along with alumina (Al2O3) and silica (SiO2) as the nanofillers. The first and the foremost requirement for studies on polymer nanocomposites is to achieve a uniform dispersion of nanoparticles in the polymer matrix, as nanoparticles are known to agglomerate and form large particle sizes. A laboratory based direct dispersion method is used to process epoxy nanocomposites in order to get well dispersed samples. A detailed microscopy analysis of the filler dispersion using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) has been carried out to check the dispersion of the nanofiller in the polymer. An attempt is made to characterize and analyze the interaction dynamics at the interface regions in the epoxy nanocomposite by glass transition temperature (Tg) measurements and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy studies. The values of Tg for the nanocomposites studied decreases at 0.1 wt% filler loading and then starts to increase gradually with increase in filler loading. This Tg variation suggests that there is certainly an interaction between the epoxy chains and the nanoparticles. Also no new chemical bonds were observed in the spectra of epoxy nanocomposite as compared to unfilled epoxy. But changes were observed in the peak intensity and width of the –OH band in the spectrum of epoxy nanocomposite. This change was due to the formation of the hydrogen bonding between the epoxy and the nanofiller. The thermal conductivity of the epoxy alumina and the epoxy silica nanocomposites increased even with the addition of 0.1 wt% of the filler. This increase in thermal conductivity is one of the factors that make these nanocomposites a better option for electrical insulation applications. The dielectric properties of epoxy nanocomposites obtained in this investigation also reveal few interesting behaviors which are found to be unique and advantageous as compared to similar properties of unfilled materials. It is observed that the addition of fillers of certain loadings of nanoparticles to epoxy results in the nanocomposite permittivity value to be lower than that of the unfilled epoxy over the entire range of frequencies [10-2-106 Hz] considered in this study. This reduction has been attributed to the inhibition of polymer chain mobility caused by the addition of the nanoparticles. The tan values are almost the same or lower as compared to the unfilled epoxy for the different filler loadings considered. This behavior is probably due to the influence of the interface as the strong bonding at the interface will make the interface very stable with fewer defects apart from acting as charge trapping centres. From a practical application point of view, the surface discharge resistant characteristics of the materials are very important and this property has also been evaluated. The resistance to surface discharge is measured in the form of roughness on the surface of the material caused by the discharges. A significant enhancement in the discharge resistance has been observed for nanocomposites as compared to unfilled epoxy/ microcomposites, especially at longer exposure durations. The partial discharge (PD) measurements were carried out at regular intervals of time and it is observed that the PD magnitude reduced with discharge duration in the case of epoxy alumina nanocomposites. An attempt was made to understand the chemical changes on the surface by conducting the FTIR studies on the aged surface. For all electrical insulation applications, materials having higher values of dielectric strengths are always desired and necessary. So AC breakdown studies have also been conducted. The AC breakdown strength shows a decreasing trend up to a certain filler loading and then an increase at 5 wt% filler loading for epoxy alumina nanocomposites. It has been also observed that the type of filler as well as the thickness of the filler influences the breakdown strength. The AC dielectric strength of microcomposites are observed to be lower than the nanocomposites. Extensive research by long term aging studies and life estimation are needed before these new nanocomposites can be put into useful service. So long term aging studies under combined electrical and thermal stresses have been carried out on unfilled epoxy and epoxy alumina nanocomposite samples of filler loading 5 wt%. The important dielectric parameters like pemittivity, tan  and volume resistivity were measured before and after aging to understand the performance of the material under study. The leakage current was measured at regular intervals and tan  values were calculated with duration of aging. It was observed that the tan  values increased drastically for unfilled epoxy for the aging duration considered as compared to epoxy alumina nanocomposites. The life estimation of unfilled epoxy as well as epoxy nanocomposites were also performed by subjecting the samples to different stress levels of 6 kV/mm, 7 kV/mm and 8 kV/mm at 60 oC. It is observed that the epoxy alumina nanocomposite has an enhanced life which is nine times the life of the unfilled epoxy. These results obtained for the nanocomposites enable us to design a better material with improved dielectric strength, dielectric properties, thermal conductivity, resistance to surface discharge degradation and enhanced life without sacrificing the flexibility in the end product and the ease of processing. Dry type transformers and stator winding insulation need to be cast with the above material developed and tested before practically implementing these in the actual application.

The presented work investigates the mechanisms of propagation of heat and moisture in the structure of heat-insulating materials based on natural fibers. The main aim of this work is the experimental verification of theoretical patterns, which are involved in the transport of heat and moisture in fibrous materials, especially the influence of fibers thickness and density of the fibrous materials. To widen outputs of the work were selected different kinds of natural fiber materials of vegetable and animal origin. The results of the work should help to optimize the production processes of natural insulation materials considering their optimal thermal properties. From the data collected are deduced general conclusions to better understanding the behavior of these materials.