Service Advisory - Corrosive Sulfur in Power Bushings

Product Group Insulation & Components

January 4, 2007
SERVICE CONDITION
There is a known issue in the transformer industry related to the presence of corrosive sulfur in some
types of insulating mineral oil. The corrosive sulfur reacts with copper to form copper sulfide. The
copper sulfide may contaminate the insulation of the transformer, which can lead to the failure of the
transformer. Very few cases are known today. This issue comes about because certain oils, even
though they meet accepted standard specifications (ASTM as well as IEC) at product installation can,
nonetheless, contain corrosive sulfur. This condition has now been found to exist in certain bushings.
Given the presence of undetected corrosive sulfur or sulfur compounds in the oil, and given the proper
combination of high temperature, low oxygen content, and time, a series of reactions may occur that
result in the formation of copper sulfide (Cu2S). While these reactions tend to occur on the surfaces
of copper conductors (both bare and insulated), they can occur to some extent anywhere within the
insulation system. Copper sulfide contamination is detrimental to insulation systems in two ways: 1)
it reduces the breakdown voltage of insulation; 2) partial discharge can occur at lower stress levels.

In a condenser bushing, because the most severe contamination occurs in the few layers of paper near-
est the copper conductor and because these few layers are a relatively small percentage of the total
phase-to-ground insulation, the contamination, by itself, is not thought to significantly degrade the
performance of the bushing. However, small amounts of copper sulfide formed within the paper can
act as nuclei for the formation of partial discharge, such that partial discharge may be initiated at volt-
age stress levels, which would normally be considered safe. ABB Inc. has found evidence of partial
discharge activity in the form of partial discharge “trees” in some affected bushings. It is the damage
caused by this partial discharge that poses the greatest threat to the performance of bushings. The
damage caused by this partial discharge activity can be detected through power factor testing.

PRODUCT AFFECTED
Theoretically, any bushing containing copper that comes in contact with corrosive sulfur in the oil can
develop this problem. Because industry tests, which were used in the past to screen for corrosive sul-
fur were not completely effective, it is impossible to pinpoint an exact range of dates during which the
bushing oil may have contained corrosive sulfur. Regarding copper conductors, bushings built in the
ABB Inc., Alamo, Tennessee factory and rated 69 kV and below tend to have copper conductors (but
there are some bushings in this range that have aluminum conductors). Bushings rated 115 kV and
above, and with current ratings of 3,000 A or less generally use aluminum conductors, (some 3,000 A
bushings and those rated greater than 3,000 A in this voltage range do use copper conductors). All
the reported field problems attributed to this issue have been Type O Plus C bushings manufactured
between 1991 and 1996 and of the 25 kV voltage class. However, it should be noted that any bushing
having a copper conductor and manufactured prior to the most modern oil testing practices (before
2006) is a candidate for copper sulfide formation. Note that condenser bushings manufactured at
other ABB factories almost exclusively use aluminum conductors and are not suspect.

ABB Inc.
Product Group Address Telephone Fax Web Address
Insulation & Components 1128 S Cavalier Drive 731 696 5561 731 696 5269 www.ABB.com
Alamo, TN 38001 800 955 8399
PROBLEM DETECTION IN THE FIELD
In bushings evaluated thus far, the copper conductor has been noticeably blackened by the formation
of copper sulfide. For bushings with oil sight bowls, the blackened conductor can be seen through the
sight bowl. If the conductor is visibly blackened, especially below the level of the oil, then copper
sulfide contamination should be suspected. Again, the copper sulfide, itself, is not thought to severely
degrade the bushing’s performance, but it does indicate that further investigation should be con-
ducted.

The most useful indicator of bushing degradation is the comparison of the tested power factor value to
the nameplate value. Bushings with contamination, but without partial discharge activity, can have
power factor values at, or slightly elevated from, the nameplate value. Bushings which have also had
partial discharge activity can have power factor values that are significantly elevated above nameplate
values. ABB Inc. estimates that less than 1.5 percent of installed bushings may have damage caused
by partial discharge activity and, therefore, are thought to be at risk. External contamination of the
bushing surfaces (both external to the transformer and internal to the transformer) can affect measured
power factor values, and care should be taken to properly clean the bushings before drawing any con-
clusions. Some of the bushings evaluated had capacitance values that had increased by 8 to 10 per-
cent. So, while the capacitance is not the main indicator, it may be elevated as well. Partial discharge
activity may slightly increase the levels of some dissolved gasses such as methane.

MITIGATION
Considering the service time of potentially effected bushings, it is likely that any sulfur contamination
in the oil has already progressed to the stage of copper sulfide formation. In this regard, there is little
that can be done to “cure” the problem in these bushings. In the cases that ABB Inc. is aware of,
power factor testing has caught the problem before an actual failure of the bushing occurred. So, for
the subject group of bushings, ABB Inc. recommends timely power factor testing, capacitance testing,
and inspection (through the sight bowl) of the condition of the conductor.

The capacitance is essentially unaffected by the contamination itself. If the capacitance is increasing,
it is because localized portions of the condenser are shorting out, and it would be risky to judge any
such bushing as being fit for service. If there is an increase in capacitance approaching 10 percent of
nameplate value, then ABB Inc. recommends that the bushing be removed from service regardless of
the power factor value. It is likely, in this situation, that the power factor would be elevated as well.
If the capacitance is not increasing, then ABB Inc. believes that the previously established recom-
mendation of using double the nameplate (or commissioning) value as a limit for power factor is sat-
isfactory. ABB recommends that bushings with power factor values exceeding twice the nameplate
value be removed from service. In addition to these recommendations, any other issues which raise
concerns about the reliability of a bushing needs to be taken into consideration when deciding
whether it should remain in service.

Many 25 kV class bushings are applied at system voltages less than 25 kV. In these cases, the bush-
ings’ internal electrical stresses are reduced and the possibility of serious damage will be correspond-
ingly less, but it cannot be eliminated entirely.

More stringent methods of screening oil for corrosive sulfur have been developed by the ASTM
committee and by ABB Inc. The oil used by ABB Inc., at the Alamo, Tennessee factory since Janu-
ary, 2006, has been subjected to, and has passed, both the “modified” ASTM D1275 test for corrosive
sulfur and a more stringent internal ABB Inc. test called the Covered Conductor Deposition test.

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