Energy

A Case for Silicones

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EnergyEnergy

A Case for Silicones
A Case for Silicones

WACKER silicones are in use wherever energy is generated, transported or consumed
Silicones made by WACKER prove their worth particularly where UV stability and chemical and weathering resistance are required, e.g. when electricity is generated from sunlight: photovoltaic systems are subject to intense solar radiation, as well as moisture and severe temperature fluctuations. Therefore, the silicon semiconductors and other sensitive module components have to be well protected.
A particularly suitable encapsulating material is GENIOMER®, a new hybrid polymer made by WACKER.
It is not only UV stable, but also highly transparent and electrically insulating, thus ensuring a high electrical yield over the module’s entire life. Furthermore, photovoltaic modules can be encapsulated with this material in a continuous process and therefore more cheaply.
Silicone-coated, high-performance insulators cause water as well as dirt particles to bead off. In doing so, they prevent dangerous flashovers.

Safe and Secure Flow of Current – Insulators

Insulators ensure the safe and secure transport of electricity via overhead power lines and transformer stations. A common problem is leakage currents caused by a combination of dirt and moisture; they can lead to discharges, which in turn may develop into the dreaded flashover. In this case, the circuit breakers trip and cut off electricity flow, possibly leaving whole regions without electricity.
Silicone insulators are particularly well suited to the task. WACKER silicone rubbers in the POWERSIL®series are hydrophobic: i.e. they repel water. Silicone rubber even imparts this property to encrusted contamination, and so require much less cleaning than conventional glass or porcelain insulators.
Further plus points are silicone rubbers’ long life and low weight. WACKER has over 30 years’ experience in this field: “an advantage that our customers particularly appreciate,” emphasizes Dr. Hans-Jörg Winter, technical service manager.
Ventilated towers in a high-voltage DC converter station, with a lead-through insulator in the foreground.

Fire Safety Cables

Fire safety cables provide extra safety in tunnels, train stations and airports, or other highly frequented public areas. There, a fire can have particularly devastating consequences – as at Düsseldorf airport, where 17 people lost their lives in 1996.
The rebuilt terminal was equipped with special cables sheathed in flameproof ELASTOSIL®silicone rubber. At temperatures above 1,000 C it burns to form non-toxic silica, which surrounds the cable in an insulating ceramic layer.
Electricity continues to flow to alarms, emergency lighting and ventilation systems. Production nowadays can be rapid and inexpensive, so that such cables are increasingly becoming a standard feature.

Photovoltaic Systems

Electric power generated worldwide by photovoltaic systems in 2006: 2.54 gigawatts (a 40 % increase over 2005)

Proportion of total electricity consumed in Germany in 2006: less than 1 %; annual growth: 750 megawatts of installed capacity.

By 2030, it is expected that 300 gigawatts will be generated in this way.Data from the Bundesverband Solarwirtschaft (German association of solar industries) and the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA).

Fire Safety Cables

Fireproof cables with WACKER silicones fulfill all the important international standards, such as classification E90 of DIN 4102.

This standard requires the cable to maintain functional integrity for 90 minutes at up to 1,000 C.

Specification UL 2196 of the independent U.S. testing institute Underwriters Laboratories lays down the world’s most stringent safety tests:
two hours at 2,000 F, (1,093 C), followed by quenching with water under pressure.

Lamps indicate whether the cable is still functioning: ELASTOSIL®R 503/75 passes with flying colors.