National Projects
The project: „The project “Manufacturing Technology for Medium-Voltage Varistors – Development of Material and Process Technologies for Medium-Voltage Varistors as Surge Protection Components in Power Grids – Phase 1” (VARTECH) is funded under the 2026 subsidy awarded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
Project value: 3,000,000.00 PLN
Funding amount: 625,068.00 PLN
The goal of the project is to develop technology for innovative medium-voltage varistors based on metal oxides, specifically doped zinc oxide (ZnO), intended for surge protection in power grids. The work will focus on achieving high nonlinearity in the current-voltage characteristics, parameter stability, and process repeatability.
As part of the project, research will be conducted on the chemical composition of varistor materials, their microstructure, and manufacturing processes such as grinding, granulation, pressing, and sintering. A key aspect of the work will be the optimization of production parameters, which is expected to improve material uniformity, reduce porosity and microcracks, and enhance the stability of electrical properties.
The project will result in the development of the fundamentals of a technology for manufacturing medium-voltage varistors with high reproducibility of material properties and performance parameters).
The expected results include:
- the development of innovative ZnO-based varistor materials with dopants,
- the achievement of current-voltage characteristics with high nonlinearity,
- the development of materials with a uniform microstructure and minimal porosity,
- the production of varistor discs with consistent manufacturing quality,
- an improvement in the stability of the nonlinearity coefficient,
- a 10% reduction in leakage current,
- the development of the foundations for a technology that can be further scaled up and developed.
Implementation period: January 1, 2026–December 31, 2028.