Unusual Bushing Failure Modes

Detected with Online Monitoring

Mark Tostrud
Dynamic Ratings
Typical Causes of OIP Bushing Failures
● Contamination of the oil and paper insulation due to moisture and other contaminants
● Aging of the transformer oil due to thermal and electrical stress
● Hot spot related failures of the top terminal gaskets
● Gasket failures due to pressure buildup resulting from oil expansion at elevated
temperature
● Partial discharges along the lower porcelain due to lower porcelain contamination
● Partial discharges due to manufacturing defects
● Mechanical damage
● Flashover due to external contamination
Case Study 1 - 69kV OIP Bushing with Imbalance
Current Alarms due to Power
Factor and Capacitance Changes Due to Severe
Moisture Ingress and Partial Discharge
69kV OIP Bushing with Severe Moisture Ingress and Partial Discharge
OIP Bushing Dissipation Factor vs Temperature and Moisture Content

Dissipation factor (Tan δ) over the main insulation on high voltage bushings, ABB OIP Bushing Product Bulletin, 2002
Partial Discharge in Oil Impregnated Paper Bushings

Locations where partial discharge may occur:

• Between the center conductor and
first layer of foil/paper
• Between the layers of foil/paper
• Along the lower inner porcelain
• Where bubble formation occurs
69kV OIP Bushing with Severe Moisture Ingress and Partial Discharge
 Case Study 2 – 400kV OIP Bushing with Partial
Discharge Alarms Due to PD Along the Lower Inner
Porcelain
400kV OIP Bushing Partial Discharge Along the Lower Inner Porcelain
400kV OIP Bushing Partial Discharge Along the Lower Inner Porcelain

D1 Discharges of Low Energy

D1 Discharges of Low Energy

D2 Discharges of High Energy

Duval Pentagon 1 S Stray Gassing

T3 Thermal Fault, t > 700°C

H2
T2 Thermal Fault, 300°C < t < 700°C

T1 Thermal Fault, t < 300°C

Hydrogen (H2) 2378
C2H6 C2H2
Methane (CH4) 147

Ethane (C2H6) 26

Ethylene (C2H4) 1
CH4 C2H4
Acetylene ( C2H2) 2

Carbon Monoxide (CO) 104

Carbon Dioxide (C02) 512

Case Study 3 – 69kV OIP Bushing with Increasing
Power Factor and Decreasing Capacitance Due to
a Loss of Oil
12
Case Study 3 - Online OIP Bushing Data – Loss of bushing oil

What causes an
increase in power
factor but a drop in
capacitance?
Case Study 3 – Site Inspection Following the Alarm
 Case Study 4 – 69/12.47kV Delta-Wye
Transformer with Random Spikes in the 69kV
Bushing Imbalance Current
69kV OIP Bushings with Random Spikes in Imbalance
69kV OIP Bushings with Random Spikes in Imbalance
2 3

1
69kV OIP Bushings with Random Spikes in Imbalance
69kV OIP Bushings with Random Spikes in Imbalance

Why the sudden drop in top oil

temperature?
Typical Causes of RIP and RIS Bushing Failures
● Temperature related failure due to exceeding the designed temperature limits
● Hot spot failures due to internal defects
● Partial discharges due to manufacturing defects
● Rapid insulation breakdown due to partial discharge resulting in partial to full
breakdown of the insulation
● Ground shield connection failures
● Weather shed damage due to wildlife
 Case Study 5
Sudden Increase in Capacitance on a 500kV Resin
Impregnated Paper Bushing
500kV RIP Bushing Save – Imbalance Current Trend

Change
After several years in service the in imbalance current was caused
imbalance
current measurement suddenly by increased
a sudden change in the leakage
current from the H3 bushing
Online RIP Bushing Data – H3 Bushing Leakage Current (Capacitance)

H3 bushing leakage
current shows an 85%
change in the C1
capacitance in less
than 1 hour
500 kV RIP Bushing Save
 Case Study 6
Sudden Increase in Capacitance on a 69kV Resin
Impregnated Synthetic (RIS) Bushing
69kV RIS Bushing Save
Conclusion
• The signature of the failure data will vary based on the type of bushing
• The “signature” of the failure data will vary based on the failure mode
• While many failures will occur gradually over time, failures can occur
very quickly
• Understanding bushing failure modes will improve your understanding
of the monitoring data
• Understanding the failure modes will help to ensure alarms from the
system are managed properly
 Questions / Discussion

Mark D. Tostrud
Dynamic Ratings Inc.
mark.tostrud@dynamicratings.com