Magnet wire for venus exploration

High-temperature magnet wire is a key component of electric motors that will enable aerospace and deep space vehicles to complete new and exciting missions. In addition to enhancing thrust vectoring and control surface actuation in aircraft, these motors can-for the first time-open up new possibilities for exploring the uncharted surface of Venus. To design for survival in these extreme environments, high-temperature magnet wire was made by insulating copper wire with a microscopic coating of silicon dioxide (silox). Dielectric breakdown tests conforming to ASTM D1676 show that our silox samples can operate up to 660°C under an applied voltage of 162 V_RMS. The results of thermogravimetric analysis from room temperature to 700°C show less than 0.5% mass variation in our silox samples compared to 2.5% mass loss in commercial Class200 wire. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy shows that our silox coating is uniform in coverage and elemental composition with no visible cracks even after bending. Based on these experimental results, we have calculated the theoretical power of a commercial switched reluctance motor with silox coils at 660°C. The analysis shows over 73% higher power output than that of the original motor with Class200 insulation.