Transformer oil

Transformer oil or insulating oil is an oil

that is stable at high temperatures and has
excellent electrical insulating properties. It
is used in oil-filled transformers, some
types of high-voltage capacitors,
fluorescent lamp ballasts, and some types
of high-voltage switches and circuit
breakers. Its functions are to insulate,
suppress corona discharge and arcing,
and to serve as a coolant.
Transformer oil is most often based on
mineral oil, but alternative formulations
with better engineering or environmental
properties are growing in popularity.

Function and properties

Oil transformer with air convection cooled heat

exchangers in the front and at the side
Transformer oil's primary functions are to
insulate and cool a transformer. It must
therefore have high dielectric strength,
thermal conductivity, and chemical
stability, and must keep these properties
when held at high temperatures for
extended periods.[1] Typical specifications
are: flash point 140 °C or greater, pour
point −30 °C or lower, dielectric breakdown
voltage 28 kV (RMS) or greater.[2]

To improve cooling of large power

transformers, the oil-filled tank may have
external radiators through which the oil
circulates by natural convection. Power
transformers with capacities of thousands
of kVA may also have cooling fans, oil
pumps, and even oil-to-water heat
exchangers.[3]

Power transformers undergo prolonged

drying processes, using electrical self-
heating, the application of a vacuum, or
both to ensure that the transformer is
completely free of water vapor before the
insulating oil is introduced. This helps
prevent corona formation and subsequent
electrical breakdown under load.

Oil filled transformers with a conservator

(oil reservoir) may have a gas detector
relay (Buchholz relay). These safety
devices detect the buildup of gas inside
the transformer due to corona discharge,
overheating, or an internal electric arc. On
a slow accumulation of gas, or rapid
pressure rise, these devices can trip a
protective circuit breaker to remove power
from the transformer. Transformers
without conservators are usually equipped
with sudden pressure relays, which
perform a similar function as the Buchholz
relay.

Mineral oil alternatives

Mineral oil is generally effective as a
transformer oil, but it has some serious
disadvantages, of which the worst is its
high flammability. If a transformer leaks
mineral oil, it can easily start a fire. Fire
codes often require that transformers
inside buildings use a less flammable
liquid, or the use of dry-type transformers
with no liquid at all. Mineral oil is also an
environmental contaminant, and its
insulating properties are rapidly degraded
by even small amounts of water.

Pentaerythritol tetra fatty acid natural and

synthetic esters have emerged as an
increasingly common mineral oil
alternative, especially in high-fire-risk
applications such as indoors or offshore,
due to their low volatility and high fire
point, which can be over 300 °C.[4] They
also have a lower pour point, greater
moisture tolerance, and improved function
at high temperatures, and they are non-
toxic and readily biodegradable. Silicone or
fluorocarbon-based oils, which are even
less flammable, are also used, but they are
more expensive than esters, and less
biodegradable.[5]

A 380 kV transformer with vegetable oil [6]

Researchers are experimenting with
vegetable-based formulations, using
coconut oil for instance. As yet these are
unsuitable for use in cold climates or for
voltages over 230 kV.[7] Researchers are
also investigating nanofluids for
transformer use; these would be used as
additives to improve the stability and
thermal and electrical properties of the oil.

Polychlorinated biphenyls
(PCBs)
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were
formerly used as transformer oil, since
they have high dielectric strength and are
not flammable. Unfortunately, they are
also toxic, bioaccumulative, not at all
biodegradable, and difficult to dispose of
safely. When burned, they form even more
toxic products, such as chlorinated dioxins
and chlorinated dibenzofurans. Beginning
in the 1970s, production and new uses of
PCBs were banned in many countries, due
to concerns about the accumulation of
PCBs and toxicity of their byproducts. For
instance, in the USA, production of PCBs
was banned in 1979 under the Toxic
Substances Control Act.[8] In many
countries significant programs are in place
to reclaim and safely destroy PCB
contaminated equipment. One method
that can be used to reclaim PCB
contaminated transformer oil is the
application of a PCB removal system, also
called a PCB dechlorination system. PCB
removal systems use an alkali dispersion
to strip the chlorine atoms from the other
molecules in a chemical reaction. This
forms PCB-free transformer oil and a PCB-
free sludge. The two can then be
separated via a centrifuge. The sludge can
be disposed as regular non-PCB industrial
waste. The treated transformer oil is fully
restored, meeting the required standards,
without any detectable PCB content. It
can, thus, be used as the insulating fluid in
transformers again.[9]
PCBs and mineral oil are miscible in all
proportions, and sometimes the same
equipment (drums, pumps, hoses, and so
on) was used for either type of liquid, so
PCB contamination of transformer oil
continues to be a concern. For instance,
under present regulations, concentrations
of PCBs exceeding 5 parts per million can
cause an oil to be classified as hazardous
waste in California.[10]

Testing and oil quality

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Transformer oils are subject to electrical
and mechanical stresses while a
transformer is in operation. In addition
there is contamination caused by chemical
interactions with windings and other solid
insulation, catalyzed by high operating
temperature. The original chemical
properties of transformer oil change
gradually, rendering it ineffective for its
intended purpose after many years.[11] Oil
in large transformers and electrical
apparatus is periodically tested for its
electrical and chemical properties, to
make sure it is suitable for further use.
Sometimes oil condition can be improved
by filtration and treatment. Tests can be
divided into:

1. Dissolved gas analysis

2. Furan analysis
3. PCB analysis
4. General electrical & physical tests:
Color & Appearance
Breakdown Voltage
Water Content
Acidity (Neutralization Value)
Dielectric Dissipation Factor
Resistivity
Sediments & Sludge
 Flash Point
Pour Point
Density
Kinematic Viscosity

The details of conducting these tests are

available in standards released by IEC,
ASTM, IS, BS, and testing can be done by
any of the methods. The Furan and DGA
tests are specifically not for determining
the quality of transformer oil, but for
determining any abnormalities in the
internal windings of the transformer or the
paper insulation of the transformer, which
cannot be otherwise detected without a
complete overhaul of the transformer.
Suggested intervals for these test are:

General and physical tests - bi-yearly

Dissolved gas analysis - yearly
Furan testing - once every 2 years,
subject to the transformer being in
operation for min 5 years.

On-site testing
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Some transformer oil tests can be carried

out in the field, using portable test
apparatus. Other tests, such as dissolved
gas, normally require a sample to be sent
to a laboratory. Electronic on-line dissolved
gas detectors can be connected to
important or distressed transformers to
continually monitor gas generation trends.

To determine the insulating property of the

dielectric oil, an oil sample is taken from
the device under test, and its breakdown
voltage is measured on-site according to
the following test sequence:

In the vessel, two standard-compliant

test electrodes with a typical clearance
of 2.5 mm are surrounded by the
insulating oil.
During the test, a test voltage is applied
to the electrodes. The test voltage is
continuously increased up to the
breakdown voltage with a constant slew
rate of e.g. 2 kV/s.
Breakdown occurs in an electric arc,
leading to a collapse of the test voltage.
Immediately after ignition of the arc, the
test voltage is switched off
automatically.
Ultra fast switch off is crucial, as the
energy that is brought into the oil and is
burning it during the breakdown, must
be limited to keep the additional
 pollution by carbonisation as low as
possible.
The root mean square value of the test
voltage is measured at the very instant
of the breakdown and is reported as the
breakdown voltage.
After the test is completed, the
insulating oil is stirred automatically and
the test sequence is performed
repeatedly.
The resulting breakdown voltage is
calculated as mean value of the
individual measurements.

See also
 Heat-transfer oil

References
1. Gill, Paul (2009). Electrical power
equipment maintenance and testing (2nd
ed.). Boca Raton: CRC Press. p. 193.
ISBN 978-1-57444-656-2.
2. Hirschler, Marcelo M. (2000). Electrical
insulating materials : international issues
(Online ed.). West Conshohocken, Pa.:
ASTM. pp. 82–95. ISBN 978-0-8031-2613-8.
3. Kenneth R. Edwards, Transformers,
American Technical Publishers Ltd., 1996
ISBN 0-8269-1603-1 pp.138-14
4. "Fluids Comparison" . Midel.
5. "What's Your Transformer Got In The
Tank?" (PDF). M&I Materials.
6. "Siemens has produced the world's first
large-scale transformer that uses vegetable
oil" .
7. "Coconut Oil As An Alternative To
Transformer Oil" (PDF). ERU Symposium.
November 2001.
8. Blackmore, Carolyn. "Classification and
Handling of PCB Waste" (PDF). Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory. Retrieved
20 October 2017.
9. "PCB Dechlorination System" . Hering-
VPT GmbH. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
10. California Code of Regulations, Title 22,
section 66261
11. "Transformer Oil Detoriation - Why is
transformer oil purification essential?" .
Less and nonflammable liquid-insulated
transformers, approval standard class
Number 3990, Factory Mutual Research
Corporation, 1997.
McShane C.P. (2001) Relative properties of
the new combustion-resistant vegetable oil-
based dielectric coolants for distribution and
power transformers. IEEE Trans. on Industry
Applications, Vol.37, No.4, July/August 2001,
pp. 1132–1139, No. 0093-9994/01, 2001
IEEE.
"The Environmental technology verification
program", U.S. Environmental Protection
 Agency, Washington, DC, VS-R-02-02, June
2002. [1]
IEEE Guide for loading mineral-oil-immersed
transformers, IEEE Standard C57.91-1995,
1996.

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