We've been getting into the broader aspects of industrial power generation. So it seemed like a good time to get back to some specific basics. Industrial power generation calls for the working in concert of a fairly large amount of parts. In industrial power generators, one of the most important parts is the rotor. A rotor is a solid steel drum formed with axially extending channels that carry electrically-conductive windings. These windings are electrically insulated from the rotor body by slot armor, which is sometimes called slot insulation.
Selecting the right slot armor is one of the most important things an industrial power generation company can do, since slot armor is more or less what prevents an industrial power generator from failing in a very bad way. Most leading slot armor products come in U-shaped, Z-shaped, and L-shaped configurations, and have a Class H temperature rating (meaning they withstand temperatures up to 180°C). Slot armor should also be constructed from materials that have high levels of electrical insulation properties, low coefficients of friction, and a good amount of flexibility to fit into tight spots.
Many leading manufacturers of slot armor generally use their own trademarked engineered laminates. These laminates are made from materials like epoxy glass, aramids, and dielectric films. Because of the amount of electricity and heat present in industrial power generators, the custom composite materials going into your slot armor are going to be extremely important. Make sure you know the exact specifications and operating conditions of your industrial power generators while you're speccing out slot insulation.
