OIL QUALITY TEST

I. What is Transformer Oil?

Transformer oil (also known as insulating oil) is a special type of oil which has

excellent electrical insulating properties and is stable at high temperatures. Transformer

oil is used in oil-filled electrical power transformers to insulate, stop arcing and corona

discharge, and to dissipate the heat of the transformer (i.e. act as a coolant).

Transformer oil is also used to preserve the transformer’s core and windings – as

these are fully immersed inside the oil. Another important property of the insulating oil is

its ability to prevent oxidation of the cellulose-made paper insulation. The transformer oil

acts as a barrier between the atmospheric oxygen and the cellulose – avoiding direct

contact and hence minimizing oxidation. The level of transformer oil is typically

measured using a MOG (Magnetic Oil level Gauge).

II. Transformer Oil Properties

 Some specific properties of insulating oil should be considered to determine the

serviceability of the oil.

 The properties (or parameters) of transformer oil are:

 Electrical properties: Dielectric strength, specific resistance, dielectric dissipation

factor.

 Chemical properties: Water content, acidity, sludge content.

 Physical properties: Interfacial tension, viscosity, flash point, pour point.

III. Transformer Oil Testing

 Transformer oil needs to be tested to ensure that it works for today’s standards.

Testing standards and procedures are defined by various international standards, and

most of them are set by the ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials).

Oil testing consists of measuring the breakdown voltage, and other chemical and

physical properties of the oil, either through portable test equipment or in a laboratory.

Through proper testing, the transformer’s lifespan is increased, reducing the need to pay

for replacement.

IV. What Factors Are Tested

Here are the most common things to look for when performing a transformer oil test:

 Standard Specification for Mineral Insulating Oil Used in Electrical Apparatus (ASTM

D3487)

 Acid number (ASTM D664)

 Dielectric breakdown voltage (ASTM D877)

 Liquid power factor (ASTM D924-08)

 Interfacial tension (ASTM D971)

 Specific resistance (ASTM D1169)

 Corrosive sulfur (ASTM D1275)

 Visual examination (ASTM D1524)

These tests will help determine if the oils are clean and will create a baseline of

properties that need to be tested periodically. Although there are a large number of tests

that are available, they are expensive. So it’s best to use them as diagnostics if an issue

occurs during primary testing.

V. Common Problems When Testing

 The table below shows the most common issues that can occur when testing

transformer oil:

Fault Key Gas Results

Corona Low energy discharges create methane and hydrogen

Hydrogen
discharge and smaller quantities of ethylene and ethane.

Large amounts of hydrogen or acetylene or minor

Arcing Acetylene
quantities of ethylene and methane can be produced.

Overheated Carbon If cellulose is overheated, then it will produce carbon

Cellulose Monoxide monoxide

Overheating oil will produce methane and ethylene (300

Methane
Overheated degrees F) or methane and hydrogen (1,112 degrees F).
and
Oil Traces of acetylene might be created if the unit has
Ethylene
electrical contacts or if the problem is severe.

VI. Why is Transformer Oil Testing Important?

 Transformer oil testing is important to:

 Determine essential electrical properties of transformer oil

 Identify if a certain oil is suitable for future use

 Detect whether regeneration or filtration is needed

 Reduce oil costs and enhance component life

 Prevent untimely failures and maximize safety

 Keep in mind, and transformer oils can last for up to 30 years. So taking the

proper testing procedures now will save you thousands of dollars in the long run.

DEGASIFICATION ANALYSIS

I. Dissolved Gas Analysis

Gas generation in transformer oil is induced by electrical and thermal faults

resulting from unfavorable operating conditions in transformers. Along with aged

conditions of transformers, operating factors such as high temperature, strong electrical

fields, electrical discharges, mechanical stresses, insulation damage and contaminants

pose imminent risks of malfunctioning and irreversible damage to the transformers.

Transformer monitoring methods based on dissolved gas analysis (DGA) have gained

great significance and attention in order to ensure timely and accurate diagnostics of the

electrical and thermal faults occurring in the transformers. Gases that act as fault

indicators are hydrogen, methane, ethane, ethylene, acetylene, carbon monoxide and

dioxide.

The dissolved gas analysis (DGA) has been widely acknowledged as an effective

and rather simple method for fault diagnostic of transformers. How-ever the diagnostic of

the faults by DGA directly depends on the knowledge about gas generation patterns

produced by various types of faults. More-over, the reliability of the diagnostic depends

considerably on the technics of gas-in-oil extraction and analysis as well as the

procedures for oil sampling and storage.

II. Factors Affecting DGA

 Over the last three decades, a great deal of research has been carried out to

improve the DGA and its interpretation schemes. However, the reliability of the DGA

methods is limited due to several factors related to:

 Lack of knowledge about diffusion process of gases

 The sampling of service oil

 Stray gassing behavior

 Techniques of dissolved gas extraction

 Techniques of gas measurement

 The lack of sufficient knowledge about patterns of gas generation due to various

types of faults

III. DGA Methods

The conduction of DGA consists of oil sampling, analysis of gas-in-oil

concentrations and fault di-agnostic based on the obtained concentrations using certain

interpretation schemes. A proper implementation of each step of the DGA method

ensures a reliable identification of faults in a transformer and indicate the timings of

maintenance and repair to prevent its failure [Sun et al., 2012].

Precise interpretations of DGA results requires sufficient knowledge of

relationship between gas concentrations/patterns and type of faults as well as their

severity. The interpretation schemes usually consist of thresholds, ratios and graphical

representations of concentrations of key gases pertaining to different types of faults. The

most common interpretation schemes for fault diagnostic include the key gas analysis,

Dornenberg and Rogers Ratio, Nomograph, IEC ratio, Duval Triangle, and CIGRE

interpretation scheme [Sun et al., 2012]. These interpretations schemes show certain
limitations which can lead to uncertain fault diagnostic, therefore it is recommended to

use more than one scheme for a fault diagnostic.

 Key Gas Method

- Among interpretation schemes, the most popular and frequently used scheme is

the key gas method, which consist of correlating a fault type with the

concentration of one of the key gases (C2H4; CO; H2or C2H2), for instance high

concentrations of hydrogen predicts partial discharge, ethylene indicates

overheating above 500◦C and acetylene is characteristic for a thermal fault above

1000◦C. The key ratios consist ofCH4=H2for partial discharge, C2H2=C2H4for

arcing discharge, C2H2=C2H6for discharges, andC2H4=C2H6for hotspots.

These ratios of gas concentrations are compared with certain threshold values

corresponding to the types of faults [Sun et al., 2010].

 Pattern Method

- It is a graphical method which is based on the assumption that the patterns of

concentration ratios of fault gases generated due to certain type of faults are

always identical. The method consists of plotting normalized concentrations of

key fault gases in the following sequence; H 2, CH4, C2H6, C2H4, C2H2and com-

paring the obtained pattern to the typical fault gas generation patterns presented

in the figure 2.14. The concentrations of the key gases are normalized by the

concentration of the dominant gas concentration (with maximum con-centration)

among the key gases; therefore, the normalized concentration of the dominant

gas is always 1.0 [-]. This method has proven its potential for fault diagnostics in

transformer using DGA [Okubo et al, 1999 and Tshukiokaet al, 1978].
  Interpretation Scheme

- The interpretation scheme proposed by CIGRE TF 15.01.01 [Mollmann et

al.,1999] is one of the most recent DGA interpretation scheme. The CIGRE

interpretation scheme is aimed at addressing certain discrepancies in the other

interpretation schemes by incorporating up to date scientific knowledge and

practical experiences. The method is based on key gas concentrations and

ratios, which are compared with the thresholds established for a sound operation

of a transformer. The CIGRE scheme allows diagnostics of several faults that

could be occurring simultaneously, and in some cases it can identify the fault

location. However, this scheme as well as the other interpretation schemes

cannot provide a reliable diagnostic of instantaneous faults such as partial

discharge [Sun et al., 2010].

IV. Gases of Interest

Gas Generation

Typically present from residual air, air ingress, can be generated from
Oxygen
electrolysis of free water

Typically present from inert nitrogen pressure system, residual air, air
Nitrogen
ingress

Hydrogen Partial discharge activity, overheating of oil, electrolysis of free water

Methane Partial discharge activity, overheating of oil

Ethane Overheating of oil

 Ethylene Overheating of oil, associated with higher temperature overheating

Arcing in oil, very high temperature overheating of oil (typical starting

Acetylene
around 700o C

Carbon
Overheating of paper, CO2/CO ratio provides additional information
monoxide

Carbon
Overheating of paper, CO2/ CO ratio provides additional information
dioxide

REFERENCE:

Brauer, S. (2017, November 19). The Power of Dissolved Gas-in-Oil Analysis. Retrieved from

Doble: https://www.doble.com/the-power-of-dissolved-gas-in-oil-analysis/

Electrical4U. (2019, August 30). Transformer Oil: Testing, Types & Properties. Retrieved from

Electrical4U: https://www.electrical4u.com/transformer-insulating-oil-and-types-of-

transformer-oil/

Gomez, J. A. (2014, June 27). Experimental Investigations on the Dissolved GasAnalysis

Method (DGA)through Simulation of Electrical andThermal Faults in Transformer Oil.

Germany.