DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPUTER-BASED DATA LOGGER

FOR RECOVERY VOLTAGE MEASUREMENTS

Y.H. Lu, C.K. Tan, B.T. Phung, R.H. Khawaja, T.R. Blackburn
School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications
University of New South Wales, Australia

Abstract: Recovery voltage measurement (RVM) is a relatively new

insulation diagnostic technique, which has the ability to detect the moisture
content present in oil/paper insulation systems. It can be applied as an
indicator of insulation quality and future insulation ageing problem based on
the analysis of polarization spectrum. This paper describes the development
of a computer-based virtual instrument using LabVIEW for automating the
full-cycle of RVM process: charging, discharging, measurement and
relaxation. The system measures the maximum recovery voltage, central time
constant and displays the polarization spectrum. Tests were carried out on a
laboratory test rig which was constructed to simulate a transformer winding
section.

1. INTRODUCTION
The main function of a power system is to deliver electrical energy reliably, economically
and effectively. The reliability of a power system depends on trouble free transformers
operation. Unfortunately, a notable number of power transformers around the world are
now drawing near to the end of their design life. Factor such as economics and
evironmental concern prevent us to replace them at will. The same situation is evident in
Australia. Insulation diagnosis is therefore expected to become increasingly important as
it can be used to determine the integrity of the insulation, to estimate the remaining life of
the insulation and to provide the methods to improve the present insulation.
A number of insulation diagnostic techniques are available and can be categorized into
electrical, mechanical and chemical methods. Electrical insulation diagnostic technique
includes measurement of insulation resistance (IR), dielectric loss factor (DLF), partial
discharge (PD) and recovery voltage measurement (RVM). Mechanical method includes
tensile strength of paper and pressboard. Analytical chemical techniques such as Fourier
Transform Infra Red (FTIR) absorption and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) are
mainly used for studying of materials.
The insulation system of a typical power transformer consists of paper, pressboard and
mineral oil. The function of the paper is to provide insulation for the winding and
connections while the oil is used as an insulant and a cooling medium. The remnant life
of an aged transformer is mostly influenced by the condition of insulation system. The
aging and life expectancy of the insulation, in turn, are greatly dependent on
environmental conditions, which involves hydrolytic, oxidative and thermal degradation
[1]. Both the thermal and hydrolytic degradation produce a common end product – water.
As such, the level of moisture content in the oil/paper is one of the decisive factors used
in determining the total breakdown strength of an insulation system [2,3,4]. High
moisture content in the oil/paper due to ageing can cause failure to the transformer. To
assess the extent of degradation of an insulation system, it is therefore necessary to know
the moisture content of the oil/paper. RVM is a technique for determining the level of
moisture content and hence the degradation of the oil/paper insulation. In this paper, the
RVM process is implemented using the computer and with the aid of a software known
as LabVIEW (Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench). This is a
graphical programming language that has been widely adopted throughout industry and
academia as the standard for data acquisition and instrument control software. 2.
RECOVERY VOLTAGE MEASUREMENT The first piece of work on RVM was
proposed by the Hungarian utilities and subsequently tests were carried out by the
Budapest Technical University in the mid-70s. The main idea behind this was to review
the conventional diagnostics used on oil immersed systems in large power transformers
and hence to develop new insulation diagnostic methods for assessing large transformers
in service [5].

RVM is known to be a non-intrusive and non-destructive test that can be performed on-
site with minimal down time. It relies on the dielectric properties of the oil/paper
insulation and gives an indication of the moisture content in the insulation system. It also
provides a method for monitoring the condition of insulation over time.
This method is based on the determination of the polarization time constant in the region
of 10ms to 1000s of the spectrum of dielectric dissipation factor (tan ä). This time
constant, in turn, is due to the interfacial and boundary polarization [6]. Interfacial
polarization occurs whenever there is an accumulation of charges at the interface between
two materials, e.g. in the interfacing of the paper and oil in the power transformers. It is
strongly influenced by the moisture content and some other ageing products, resulting in
a reduction of the time constant.
NextcycleVmaxVcPhase 1Phase 2Phase 3Phase 4TimetctdtpeakrelaxationVdV/dt
Fig.1: Test phases in one RVM measurement cycle.
Each RVM test cycle consists of 4 phases: (1) charging, (2) discharging, (3) measurement
and (4) relaxation (see Figure 1). The sample is to be charged with a DC voltage;
molecules are polarized and align in the direction of the electric field. The sample is then
short-circuited for a predetermined period of time (usually half of the charging time);
causing the molecules to be partially depolarized. Upon opening the short circuit, a
voltage due to the remaining charge will build up between the terminals of the
insulatiosample. This residual polarization results in a voltage is known as recovery
voltage. Two measurements are taken in each test cycle and they are the maximum
recovery voltage (Vmax) and central time constant n (time to peak).
The charging/discharging procedure is repeated using a sequence of increasing charging
times range from fractions of a second to thousands of seconds. A curve of maximum
recovery voltage (Vmax) against charging time (tc) is then plotted. This curve is known as
polarization spectrum, as shown in Figure 2.
VDominant timeconstant ôcdtc
Fig.2: Typical RVM polarization spectrum
A significant characteristic of the polarization spectrum is the time at which the peak
occurs - known as dominant time constant. This value is dependent on the properties of
the insulating material. More precisely, this value directly reflects the moisture content of
the oil/paper insulation system. The displacement of the peak of the curve towards a
small time constant indicates the degradation of the insulation system.
The insulation system with higher moisture content has a relatively fast polarization
response in which the polarization capacitance charges and discharges faster, resulting in
maximum recovery voltage attains at shorter charging time. Conversely, the insulation
system with lower moisture content has a relatively slow polarization response in which
the polarization capacitance charges and discharges slowly. Hence, the value of
maximum recovery voltage can only appear at longer charging time.
The polarization spectra can be divided into two basic groups: (1) standard (2) non-
standard. The standard polarization spectra have only one global maximum, which
reasonably provide an accurate estimate of the actual moisture content in the oil/paper
insulation. Curves with multiple peaks, flat curves and curves with discontinuities are
considered non-standard. More information on the test objects and experiences are
required to interpret this kind of graph.
3. Measurement system
Figure 3 shows the diagram of the RVM system developed by the authors. The computer
is used as a controller to automate the measurement process. Interfacing is through a
National Instruments data acquisition card (PCI-6025E). Three digital output channels
are used for controlling the relays in the switching unit. One analog input channel is used
for recording the recovered voltage signal from a Keithley electrometer. The use of the
electrometer for voltage measurement is necessary as this instrument has a very high
input impedance.
HV DCsupplySwitchingUnitElectrometerTestobjectComputer+LabVIEWDACADC
Fig.3: RVM System Interfacing Diagram
The relays in the switching box are controlled by the computer to switch on and off at
predetermined charging, discharging and measurement times. These time interval values
are keyed in by the user into the LabVIEW program. At the end of each RVM cycle, the
test object will be discharged for a certain period of time to remove the residual charge.
The charging voltage is provided by a variable high-voltage DC supply which can be set
in the range 0V-3000V.
LabVIEW acts as the “brain” of the system which controls the relays, captures the signal
and calculates the required parameters. LabVIEW is a program development
environment, much like C or BASIC. The significant difference is that it uses graphical
approach whereby programs are constructed in block diagram forms instead of textual
language [7]. Each LabVIEW application is known as a Virtual Instrument (VI). Each VI
consists of 2 windows. One window is known as the front panel (Figure 4), and the other
is known as the block diagram. The front panel is what the user sees and sometime it is
known as Graphical User Interface (GUI). It enables the user to key in the desired
parameters and execute the program. Every front panel has at most one block diagram.
The block diagram is the heart of the program and contains the graphical source codes of
the VI. Codes are added by using graphical representation of functions such as “while
loop” and “sequence structure”.
Fig.4: Front panel of the RVM system.
The key advantage of using LabVIEW is that automated measurement systems that
leverage low-cost and flexible PC technology can be quickly developed. More
importantly, it is fully integrated for communications with a large range of plug-in
DAQs, GPIB, RS232, TCP/IP for remote monitoring.
Fig.5(a): A noisy recovery voltage.
Fig.5(b): Filtered signal.
The recovery voltage obtained from the electrometer can be somewhat noisy as shown in
Fig.5(a). A filtering circuit was added to clean up the signal, see Fig.5(b). Features such
as data storage, plotting of the recovery voltage of individual measurement, plotting of
the polarization spectrum and concurrent temperature sensing were also incorporated into
the system developed.

4. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
A laboratory test rig was constructed to simulate a transformer winding section. The test
configuration consists of a lower, earthed, electrode of copper conductors and a “plane”
HV brass electrode for applying stresses equivalent to those across axial ducts at the
inside of a winding. The duct between the electrodes may be oil only or pressboard
spacers may be included.
Fig.5: The LV electrode.
The LV electrode is an array of five 100mm long conductors, laid out side-by-side in
parallel but electrically connected in series (Figure 5). Since each conductor is 10mm
wide, the electrode is equivalent to a 50x100mm rectangular area. The individual
conductors are wrapped in three layers of 0.06mm thick kraft paper. In addition, seven
sheets of kraft paper are placed on the LV electrode surface. The HV electrode is a
96x58mm plate with smooth edges (6.35mm radius) and insulated with two layers of
0.25mm thick crepe paper.
Fig.6: The test rig
The complete setup is housed inside a steel tank (280mm wide x 330mm long x 210mm
high) with a cylindrical glass “bushing” on top for HV connection (Figure 6). Two small
glass windows are available on opposite sides of the tank for viewing. Also there are
various inlet/outlet ports for oil filling, circulation and thermocouple connections. The
volume capacity of the tank is 12 litres. The pad under the base, which is controlled
thermostatically, is used to heat the test chamber. The copper electrodes, in which the
heating current can be circulated through, are used to raise the temperature of the
conductor (for simulating overloading conditions). The duct between the HV and LV
electrodes contains oil and pressboard spacer. The thickness of the pressboard spacer is
3mm. The temperatures of the conductor, paper and oil are monitored separately using
fibre optic sensor and conventional thermocouples. Moisture (water) may be injected into
the tank as required. Oil sample extracted from the tank was sent to an industrial
laboratory for measuring its moisture content. The experiments were done at three
different temperatures: 20°C (room temperature), 80°C (normal operating temperature)
and 140°C (overloading condition). The charging voltage was set to 500V and 1000V. A
relaxation time of 10 minutes was applied in all the tests. In addition to recovery voltage
measurement, partial discharge measurements were also carried out using the
computerised discharge analyser (CDA3) system. 00.20.40.60.810102030405Charging time (s)Max.
recovery volt. (V)0500V1000V Fig.7: Polarization spectrum (80oC, 135ppm).
012345670102030405060708090100Charging time (s)Max. recovery volt. (V)500V1000V Fig.8: Polarization spectrum
(80oC, 265ppm).

Many tests were carried out under different conditions in terms of moisture content,
temperature and charging voltage. Figure 7 shows the polarization spectrum for the tests
conducted at temperature of 800C with moisture content of 135ppm. It can be seen
increasing the charging voltage results in an increase in the recovery voltage and that the
scaling effect of the charging voltage on the polarization spectrum is reasonably constant.
The dominant time constant is ~10 seconds.
Figure 8 shows the polarization spectrum for the tests conducted at the same temperature
of 800C but with a higher moisture content of 265ppm. Note the smaller dominant time
constant of 5 seconds. Insulation system with higher moisture content has a relatively fast
polarization response, therefore the value of the maximum recovery voltage attains at
shorter charging time. For comparison, the results for the case of 500V in Figs.7-8 are
combined and shown in Figure 9.
01234560102030405060708090100Charging time (s)Max. recovery volt. (V)135ppm265ppm
Fig.9: Polarization spectrum (500V,
800C). Figures 8, 10 and 11 show the effect of temperature on the spectra. The actual
temperatures recorded on the conductor, paper and oil for the three different tempeature
conditions are shown in the Table below: Condition Conductor Paper Oil Ambient 21.00C 24.90C 24.80C
Normal 76.90C 79.60C 79.70C Overloading 139-1430C 114-1190C 83-880C Table 1: Measured temperatures
of test conditions. The results are combined and shown in Figure 12 for the case of 500V
charging voltage. It can be seen that the recovery voltage decreases with increasing
temperature. However, there are no significant changes in the dominant time constant
which is unexpected. The argument is that the moisture exchange between paper and oil
and the polarisation process tend to be more active at higher temperature [5], resulting in
more free charges in the interface. Consequently, the conductivity is higher and the
resistance is lower, leading to maximum recovery voltage attains in a shorter period, as
the time constant is directly proportional to resistance. 02468100102030405060708090100Charging
time (s)Max. recovery volt. (V)500V1000V Fig.10: Polarization spectrum (20oC, 265ppm).
0123450102030405060708090100Charging time (s)Max. recovery volt. (V)500V1000V Fig.11: Polarization
spectrum (140oC, 265ppm). 0123456780102030405060708090100Charging time (s)Max. recovery volt. (V)20
deg.C80 deg.C140 deg.C Fig.12: Polarization spectrum (500V, 265ppm). One possible explanation

for the failure to obtain a reduction in the time constant with increasing temperature is
that, following the injection of water into the oil, the test cell was not allowed to stand for
long enough so that the paper could absorb the moisture. Further tests are intended to be
carried out to investigate this problem. 5. CONCLUSIONS Based on the results obtained
from the experiments conducted on the oil-impregnated paper insulation laboratory
models, it was observed that the peak of the polarization spectrum shifted to a smaller
time constant with the increase of moisture content. The study also indicates a good
linearity response in variation of charging voltage.

Uneven distribution of moisture or other ageing products may complicate the evaluation
of the measurements of recovery voltage. Therefore, moisture equilibrium of the test
object plays an important role in determining the conditions of the insulation system.
Overall, recovery voltage measurement is an insulation diagnostic technique, capable of
assessing the conditions of the aged transformer. On top of that, it can also be used as a
tool for the planning of maintenance for future use.
With the introduction of LabVIEW program in the recovery voltage measurement
system, the whole measurement process becomes easier and straightforward. It provides
data storage capability and allows a data bank, which can be used for future references
and researches. As LabVIEW offers online monitoring over the Internet using TCP/IP,
future implementation of this feature would be studied to improve the development of a
computer based data logger for recovery voltage measurement.
6. REFERENCES
[1] M. Darveniza, T. K. Saha, D. J. T. Hill, T. T. Le, “Assessment of Insulation in Aged
Power Transformers by Interfacial Polarization Spectrum and its Correlation with
Chemical Properties”, Conf. on Electrical Insulation and Dielectric Phenomena,
1992, pp.671-678.
[2] H. Yoshida, Y. Ishioka, T. Suzuki, T. Yanari and T. Teranishi, “Degradation of
Insulation Materials of Transformers”, IEEE Trans. on Electrical Insulation, 1987.
[3] Working Group Report, “Background Information on High Temperature Insulation
for Liquid Immersed Power Transformers”, IEEE Trans. on Power Delivery, Vol.9,
No.4, 1994, pp.1892 –1906.
[4] S. Itahashi, H. Mitsui, T. Sato and M. Sone, “Analysis of Water in Oil Impregnated
Kraft Paper and its Effect on Conductivity”, IEEE Trans. on Dielectrics and
Electrical Insulation, Vol.2, No.6, Dec. 1995, pp.1111 –1116.
[5] Gusztáv Csépes, István Hámos, Roger Brooks, Volker Karius, “Practical Foundations
of the RVM (Recovery Voltage Method for Oil/Paper Insulation Diagnosis)”, Conf.
on Electrical Insulation and Dielectric Phenomena, Vol.1, 1998, pp.345-355.
[6] P. R. S. Jota, S. M. Islam, F. G. Jota, “Modeling the Polarization Spectrum in
Composite Oil/Paper Insulation Systems”, IEEE Trans. on Dielectrics and Electrical
Insulation, Vol.6, No.2, April 1999, pp.145 –151.
[7] LabVIEW on-line tutorial.