Article

Received 22.12.2025

Revised 20.04.2026

Accepted 26.05.2026

Published 30.06.2026

Retrieved from Volume 30, No. 2, 2026

Pages 76 -95

Stavinskiy, A., Vakhonina, L., Martynenko, V., Mardziavko, V., & Rudenko, А. (2026). The influence of dynamic operating modes of electric drives of pumping stations and grain drying complexes on the degradation of nanocomposite insulation of high-voltage circuit breakers:Measurement results and recommendations for agricultural engineering. Ukrainian Black Sea Region Agrarian Science, 30(2), 76-95. https://doi.org/10.56407/bs.agrarian/2.2026.76

The influence of dynamic operating modes of electric drives of pumping stations and grain drying complexes on the degradation of nanocomposite insulation of high-voltage circuit breakers:Measurement results and recommendations for agricultural engineering

Andrey Stavinskiy Larisa Vakhonina Volodymyr Martynenko Vitalii Mardziavko Andrii Rudenko

The study was aimed at determining the impact of electrical, thermal and mechanical loads on the durability of polymer and nanocomposite insulation of high-voltage circuit breakers used in pumping stations and grain drying complexes in Ukraine. The methodology combined numerical modelling of electrostatic and thermal fields in three-dimensional structures of insulation units, accelerated thermal cycling and mechanical tests, partial discharge analysis according to international standards, thermographic control, microstructural studies and statistical assessment of resource based on reliability curves. It was found that traditional epoxy insulation undergoes the most intense degradation: after cyclic loads, the specific resistance decreased by 47.5%, the breakdown voltage by 25.7%, and the average service life was about 380 hours. For nano-filled material with silicon dioxide, the decrease in specific resistance was limited to 17%, breakdown voltage – 9.8%, with an increase in average resource to 715 hours. The highest stability was demonstrated by insulation with hexagonal boron nitride and internal shielding, for which changes in electrophysical parameters did not exceed 7.3% for specific resistance and 7.1% for breakdown voltage, the partial discharge onset voltage reached 5.5 kV, and the average resource was about 912 hours. Numerical and experimental results showed a decrease in the peak electric field strength from 8.6 to 5.4 kV/mm and maximum temperatures from 96.2 to 78.8°C after 1,000 start-up cycles. The use of controlled starting modes made it possible to reduce starting currents from 5.6 Iₙ to approximately 2.1 In and to reduce the integral thermal load on the insulation by 61.5%. A technical and economic assessment showed a reduction in the total cost of ownership over six months from USD 280 to USD 50 per insulation unit, confirming the practical feasibility of introducing nanocomposites and controlled starting modes in agro-industrial electric drives. The practical significance of the results obtained lies in the formation of criteria for the selection of materials and operating modes of electric drives in order to increase the reliability of switching equipment in agro-industrial electromechanical systems and the use of modelling and diagnostic approaches to predict degradation and optimise the design of insulation units

partial discharges; epoxy resin; electrothermal load; dielectric strength; recoverable voltage; frequency regulation; microstructural defects
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