The Diagnostic Power of Oil Analysis for Power Transformers
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COLUMN $SDUW IURP IXǪOOLQJ WKH SULPDU\ functions of insulation and cool- ing, the oil serves as an important carrier of information ABSTRACT As blood tests provide information The diagnostic about a person’s state of health, oil analyses provide information about the condition of a transformer. Transformer oil testing has proven to power of oil be an excellent tool for early defect LGHQWLͤFDWLRQ LQ SUHYHQWLYH PDLQWH- QDQFH RI RLOͤOOHG WUDQVIRUPHUV ,W analysis for power has permitted extended service life by giving a measure of both oil and solid insulation condition, and by identifying the presence of incipient transformers: thermal and dielectric faults. When performed regularly, oil analysis will help the asset manager run a New cost-effective maintenance program for transformers. This column addresses some recent developments in oil analysis, such as developments sustainable alternatives for mineral oil, an alternative marker for analy- 1. Introduction lishing the status of ageing and corrosion sis of paper degradation, and online Over the last decades a large variety of oil for replacement and refurbishment issues transformer oil monitoring. analyses techniques have been developed [1]. In the majority of oil-filled transform- and standardized. These techniques in- ers mineral oil is used, and physical oil KEYWORDS volve physical or chemical oil properties, samples are taken in service for analysis electrical and environmental properties, in the laboratory. This column addresses oil analysis, ester, cellulose paper, and DGA (Dissolved Gas Analysis). The some recent developments in oil analysis. degree of polymerization application of oil analysis may be linked to The first one is related to sustainable alter- maintenance, lifetime extension, and estab- natives for mineral oil, in particular esters. 66 TRANSFORMERS MAGAZINE | Volume 5, Issue 4 | 2018 Jos WETZER The second one deals with methanol as an basis, and have built a history that serves properties, and interacts very well alternative marker for analysis of paper as a reference for trending and analysis. with mineral insulating oil. Under the degradation, and the third one with the For esters, the methods for assessing the combined effects of temperature, oxygen benefits and drawbacks of online trans- condition can only be applied to a limited and moisture, the cellulose polymer chains former oil monitoring. extent using IEC standards. IEC did issue will break up and result in a weak and a standard on new and unused natural es- brittle material that has lost its mechanical ters, such as FR3. But so far there are no strength. Solid insulation in transformers 2. Natural esters as an guidelines for esters in operating electrical not only serves as an insulator, but also alternative for mineral oil equipment. New knowledge rules need to ensures mechanical stability, creation of From the start, mineral oils have formed be applied, and a new history needs to be space, the proper direction of oil flow, and the insulation and cooling medium of built up. IEC TC 10 is presently working so on. liquid-filled transformers. For most ap- on such a standard. It is to be expected plications, mineral oil is a proven, accept- that, in the longer run, a similar standard New insulating paper typically has a DP able, cost-effective insulating and cooling will be developed for the analysis of paper value between 1000 and 1200, which fluid. It has good thermal and dielectric ageing through ester transformer oil. corresponds to a high tensile strength. As properties, and there is a lot of experience paper ages, its electrical properties do not gained over the years. change significantly, but the mechanical 3. Methanol as a marker for properties are reduced drastically. As a In recent years, manufacturers have intro- paper degradation result, the mechanical strength of the duced transformers with biodegradable Transformer insulation paper is generally paper is reduced with time, and when a liquids, in particular synthetic and nat - recognized as the most significant lim- DP value of about 200 to 300 is reached, ural esters. The advantages are pri- iting factor in the thermal operating life the mechanical strength has gone. The marily related to safety properties of a transformer [2]. Not as much because rate at which the DP value decreases (thermal stability, flashpoint, smoke it is the dominant failure mechanism – it in time during service depends mainly generation) and environmental properties is not, but because paper degradation is on the temperature in the transformer, (biodegradable). It is further claimed that an irreversible mechanism that will even- on the amount of moisture and oxygen they can absorb water without having a tually destroy the transformer and does present, and on the acidity of the oil. The detrimental effect on dielectric properties, (practically) not allow repair or refurbish- main cellulose degradation process is acid and that they have a longer life expectancy ment. hydrolysis, which requires water and acids. due to the reduced ageing rate of solid in- The process is accelerated by temperature, sulation. Transformers with such fluids The winding insulation consists of oil degradation byproducts and possible are being introduced more and more, impregnated cellulose. Cellulose has electrical fields. Figure 1 schematically especially in applications where fire excellent electrical and mechanical illustrates the degradation process [3]. safety and environmental protection are important, and have reached a state of maturity. There is a trend to use them at ever increasing voltages and power ratings, and today there are examples of biodegradable fluids being used in high- voltage and high-power transformers. Apart from fulfilling the primary functions of insulation and cooling, the oil serves as an important carrier of information. From physical and chemical analysis we assess whether the oil still meets the required specifications for continued use. With DGA (Dissolved Gas Analysis) dormant errors can be detected at an early stage. This gives us, as it were, a glimpse into the interior of the transformer without having to open it and even without having to take it out of operation. DGA is the most widely Figure 1. Schematic representation of the interaction between oil and paper used technique worldwide for monitoring the operating status of transformers. Oil testing gives a measure of both oil A drawback of changing from mineral oil to esters is that is has an impact on and solid insulation condition,dition, and helpshe transformer monitoring and diagnosis. Most utilities have experience with min- identify the presence of incipientncipient thermaltherm eral oil analysis as a standard diagnostic and dielectric faults www.transformers-magazine.com 6 7 COLUMN In the last decade, research has indicated It does, by its nature, not allow immediate feedback or alert. that methanol is a promising alternative as a tracker for paper degradation These days, however, modern sensing and diagnostic equipment allows to re- place sampling, transport and laborato- ry analysis of oil samples. Mobile on-site test methods are presently commercially available. By applying continuous on-line oil testing, in combination with intelligent electronic devices which can record and trend results and trigger alarms, we now have predictive diagnostic tools which can eliminate the risks associated with interval testing. On-line testing also elimi- nates the necessity of oil sampling and the associated issues related to contamination during sampling and storage. After all, the test results are only as reliable as the sam- ples obtained. One might suggest that this will eventually lead to the end of sampled, interval-based, oil testing practice [7]. Will we exclusively use on-line predictive oil analysis in the future? To answer this question we need to understand the prin- )LJXUH7\SLFDOFRUUHODWLRQVEHWZHHQ'3YDOXHDQGPDUNHUFRQFHQWUDWLRQVUDWLRV>@ ciples of both methods. The off-line analysis provides a wealth For the above reasons, operators are The CO2 and furfural concentrations are of information from all kinds of analyses keen to know the degree of polymeri- more sensitive to DP variations in the low (physical and chemical properties and zation (the DP value) of the insulation DP range (below 400, late degradation DGA), and needs to be performed on a paper. Sampling paper for analysis is stages), whereas the MeOH concentration regular basis. According to CIGRÉ [7], a not a feasible option, not only because is more sensitive to DP variations in typical maintenance interval for DGA, it requires opening the transformer, but the high DP range (above 400, earlier dependent on load, age and importance, more importantly, because the sample degradation stages). The methods may varies from three months to two years. would have to be taken from the hot- be regarded complementary. For early Once a defect is observed, the same sam- spot location. The breakdown strength warning, the MeOH approach would be ple may be used for additional analysis, of the insulating paper is determined better, but close to the end of paper life, the and the sample frequency may be in- by the weakest link in the chain, which furfural content may give a more accurate creased. Interpretation is performed by an is the hotspot location. This is located picture. It should be noted, however, expert (or a team of experts). inside the winding package close to the that research is still ongoing to arrive core. at a reliable empirical relation between The on-line analysis is predominantly MeOH and DP value. At present, all three based on DGA monitoring, and ranges Therefore, the DP value is determined methods have some challenges based from simple fault detectors to full DGA indirectly from the byproducts in the on their advan tages and disadvantages. monitoring systems, and may be performed oil that result from breaking up of the Table 1 gives an overview of the three continuously. The first interpretation can cellulose chains. The byproduct para- methods discussed [3]. be made by knowledge rules embedded in meters used so far for assessing the DP software.