Electrical and chemical diagnostics of transformers insulation. A. Aged transformer samples

Abstract

This paper describes the application of two relatively new diagnostic techniques for the determination of insulation condition in aged transformers. The techniques are: (a) measurements of interfacial polarization spectra by a DC method; and (b) measurements of molecular weight and its distribution by gel permeation chromatography. Several other electrical properties of the cellulose polymer were also investigated. Samples were obtained from a retired power transformer and they were analysed by the developed techniques. Six distribution transformers were also tested with the interfacial polarization spectra measurement technique, and the molecular weight of paper/pressboard samples from these transformers were also measured by the gel permeation chromatography. The variation of the results through different locations in a power transformer is discussed in this paper. The possible correlation between different measured properties was investigated and discussed in this paper.