CASE STUDY ABOUT TRANSFORMER OIL TESTING

Introduction
In power supply utilities and industrial consumers of electricity, the fault-free operation of
power transformers is a factor of significant economic importance and safety. In the current
economic climate, industries/supply utilities tighten their control on capital spending and make
reductions in maintenance, and an increased awareness is placed on the reliability of the
existing electric power supply. Downtime is extremely rare. The loading of current units is
frequently increased because doing so delays the need to buy more plant capacity. As a result,
the transformer is put under more stress. To ensure reliability, the net total effect of the
thermal, electrical, and mechanical stress caused by increased service must be tracked. Regular
insulation oil sampling and testing from transformers is a useful technique in a preventative
maintenance program.
Transformer oil, commonly referred to as insulating oil, is a unique kind of oil with
exceptional electrical insulating qualities and great temperature stability. In oil-filled electrical
power transformers, transformer oil is used to insulate, prevent arcing and corona discharge,
and to disperse heat.
The transformer's core and windings, which are completely submerged in the oil, are likewise
preserved using transformer oil. The insulating oil's capacity to stop the oxidation of cellulose-
based paper insulation is another crucial quality. The transformer oil functions as a barrier to
prevent direct contact between the oxygen in the air and the cellulose, so reducing oxidation.
Utilizing a MOG, the level of transformer oil is routinely determined (Magnetic Oil level Guage).

Problem
Transformers play a crucial role in both the distribution and transmission of electrical power.
Early transformer problem detection saves a ton of money by preventing unanticipated
outages. Small amounts of gases are released when insulating oils breakdown as a result of
anomalous electrical or thermal stresses; the type of fault determines the breakdown gases'
qualitative composition.
Here are some of the most typical problems that can happen when checking transformer oil:

Fault. Key Gas Results

Corona discharge Hydrogen Low energy discharges create methane and
hydrogen and smaller quantities of
ethylene and ethane.
Arcing Acetylene Large amounts of hydrogen or acetylene or minor quantities of ethylene
and methane can be produced.
Overheated Cellulose Carbon Monoxide If cellulose is overheated, then it will produce
carbon monoxide
Overheated Oil Methane and Ethylene Overheating oil will produce methane and
ethylene (300 degrees F) or methane and hydrogen (1,112 degrees F). Traces of acetylene
might be created if the unit has electrical contacts or if the problem is severe

Testing transformer oil is crucial for

Identify the fundamental electrical characteristics of transformer oil.
Determine whether a particular oil can be used in the future.
Determine whether filtration or regeneration is required.
Reduce the price of oil and lengthen component life
Reduce unforeseen breakdowns and increase safety

Solution

The most sensitive and reliable technique used for evaluating the health of oil filled electrical
equipment is dissolved gas analysis (DGA).
The investigation of dissolved gases in transformer oil is known as dissolved gas analysis (DGA).
It’s also known as a DGA test. Due to the breakdown of the transformer oil, certain gases are
created whenever an extraordinary amount of thermal and electrical stress is placed on a
transformer. When a fault is severe, there is a substantial amount of decomposed gas
generation, and this gas is collected in a Buchholz relay. The gasses caused by the breakdown of
transformer insulating oil, however, will have ample time to dissolve in the oil when abnormal
thermal and electrical stresses are not significantly high.
Therefore, it is not possible to forecast the state of the electrical power transformer’s overall
internal health by simply monitoring the Buchholz relay.