Paper Insulation In Power Transformers Research Articles

Novel Method Using Transformer Moisture Equilibrium for Removal of Absorbed Moisture from Cellulose Paper Insulation in Power Transformers

Novel Method Using Transformer Moisture Equilibrium for Removal of Absorbed Moisture from Cellulose Paper Insulation in Power Transformers

Investigating Aging Characteristics of Oil-Immersed Power Transformers' Insulation in Electrical-Thermal-Mechanical Combined Conditions.

The condition and health of large oil-immersed power transformers' insulation have a direct impact on the safety and stability of the power grid. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate the aging characteristics of oil-paper insulation in power transformers. In this study, we developed a computational model for reclosing current calculation and multiphysics coupling models for magnetic-circuit-force, electrostatic field, and temperature field simulations. The calculated aging resulted in a mechanical stress of 8.71 MPa, an electric field strength of 2.26 × 106 V/m, and a temperature of 113.7 °C. We conducted combined electrical-thermal-mechanical aging tests on the oil-paper insulation and measured various insulating paper performance parameters at different aging stages. Our study revealed that both the mechanical and electrical properties of the insulating paper deteriorated in both aging groups. However, the changes were more pronounced in the electrical-thermal-mechanical aging group compared to the electrical-thermal aging group, indicating that mechanical stress accelerated the aging process of the insulating paper. In the early stages of aging, the rate of performance changes in the electrical-thermal aging group was similar to that in the electrical-thermal-mechanical aging group. However, as the aging time increased, the degradation of performance induced by mechanical aging became more significant. This suggests that the insulating paper's resistance to mechanical damage, specifically short-circuit resistance, noticeably decreased after prolonged aging.

Aging assessment method of oil–paper composite insulation based on repeated polarization current characteristics

To explore the aging assessment method of the oil–paper insulation in power transformers, the polarization and depolarization current (PDC) characteristics of oil–paper composite insulation samples are investigated under high applied voltage. Based on the asymmetry of polarization absorption current and depolarization current and the polarity effect of insulation pressboard, the repeated polarization current test method is proposed. A novel aging characteristic parameter, which is the ratio of the normalized charge for the first polarization and the normalized charge for the second polarization, is extracted. The difference between the decay rates of the first polarization current and the second polarization current increases at first and then decreases with the polarization time, and decreases with increasing aging degree of the pressboard. The more serious the insulation aging is, the smaller the variation range of aging characteristic parameter with polarization time is, and the closer the value is to 1. With decrease in the DP, the maximum of aging characteristic parameter changes in a decreasing trend. The aging condition of the oil–paper composite insulation can be assessed by the repeated polarization current method and the relationship between the aging characteristic parameter and the polarization time.

FLUORESCENT PROPERTIES OF PAPER INSULATION OF OIL-FILLED TRANSFORMERS

The effect of paper thermal destruction on its luminescence spectra and luminescence excitation spectra in the spectral ranges of 400-550 nm and 250-450 nm, respectively, was studied. It is proposed to use the characteristic changes in the intensity and shape of the luminescence spectra as a criterion for the state of paper insulation of power transformers. On the basis of the analysis performed, it was concluded that when luminescence is excited at a wavelength of 360 nm, none of the main components of the paper can contribute to the recorded luminescence spectra. It is assumed that the resulting luminescence spectra are due to the emission of various impurities that enter the paper during its production.

Silver nano-bulks surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy used as rapid in-situ method for detection of furfural concentration in transformer oil

Furfural concentration is an important indicator for the aging diagnosis of internal paper insulation in power transformers. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) could directly perform rapid in-situ detection without complex preprocessing steps, which makes SERS suitable for online monitoring. The application of SERS in the detection of furfural concentration in transformer oil was investigated. First, sliver nano-bulks (AgNBs) were synthesized successfully on the copper foil surface by the galvanic displacement. The electric field distributions of AgNBs were analyzed theoretically using the COMSOL software, which indicated that the AgNBs were suitable for SERS application. Then, AgNBs were used as the SERS substrate to detect standard transformer oil samples with different furfural concentrations. As a result, the Raman spectral peak at 1571 cm−1 was selected as the characteristic SERS spectral peak of furfural dissolved in transformer oil for qualitative and quantitative analyses. Subsequently, the Raman spectral peak ratio I1571/I1597 was used as the furfural function in oil to construct the quantitative analysis model using the least squares method. Results showed that SERS method could be used to analyze the furfural dissolved in transformer oil quantitatively and effectively. With further improvements of the detection limit, the SERS method will provide a useful approach to achieving rapid in-situ analysis for furfural dissolved in transformer oil.

Accumulative effect of repeated lightning impulses on transformer insulation: mechanism analysis

During the decades-long operation, oil paper insulation in power transformers may suffer the effect of thousands of lightning impulses. Such interesting but rarely studied phenomenon, also known as accumulative effect, may cause irreversible damage to the oil paper insulation, or even premature failure. Therefore, in this work, the influence of repeated lightning impulses on the oil paper insulation, especially the mechanism behind this phenomenon, was experimentally investigated. We determined the accumulative breakdown characteristics of the oil paper insulation and observed the influence of the repeated lightning impulses on the dissolved gas in oil and the degree of polymerization. Specifically, the space charge distribution in the oil paper samples and the relationship between the interval time and accumulative breakdown characteristics were experimentally determined in the end. The test results indicate that the accumulative effect only exists in the cellulose paper rather than the transformer oil. Such effect was considered to be the consequence of electrical degradation and accumulation of space charge.

Condition assessment of cellulosic part in power transformer insulation using transfer function zero of modified debye model

Analysis of Polarization-Depolarization Current, recorded from high voltage oil-paper insulation using insulation model is common among researchers. It is reported that paper insulation of power transformers undergoes non-uniform aging. Unlike Conventional Debye Model (CDM), Modified Debye Model (MDM) is capable of modeling such non-uniform aging. However, factors like insulation geometry affect the values of the MDM branch parameters. Therefore, model parameterized using data obtained from one insulation system finds limited use in assessing the condition of a different transformer, even with similar loading history and power rating. The present paper shows that a performance parameter, which is less sensitive to insulation geometry, can be evaluated from Transfer Function, TFM(s) of MDM. The parameter is the zero Z1 of TFM(s) which is located farthest away from the origin in the Left Half Plane of s-plane. The capability of Z1 as an insulation condition sensitive parameter is first tested on laboratory samples and then on data recorded from several real life power transformers. Results obtained for these transformers show that there is a good correlation between magnitude of Z1 and paper moisture content obtained from Frequency Domain Spectroscopy (FDS) using IDAX 300.

Moisture aided degradation of oil impregnated paper insulation in power transformers

The presence of moisture in oil impregnated paper insulation (OIP) is detrimental to its long time performance. Until recently, it was thought insulation ageing was only a function of temperature and electrical stress. It has now been realized that moisture in all its forms causes rapid degradation of the electrical and mechanical properties with time. In this study, insulation paper samples were conditioned for desired level of moisture and were impregnated with premium quality transformer oil. The oil impregnated samples with 1 to 3% moisture content were aged at 90 to 130°C. The indices for determining the extent of ageing considered in this work are degree of polymerization (DP), furan, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide content. These quantities were monitored throughout the ageing experimental run. End-of-life (EOL) criterion used here is the reduction in the value of DP. Phenomenological models for estimating the service life of insulation are proposed and are validated against actual experimental data.

Moisture aided degradation of oil impregnated paper insulation in power transformers

Moisture aided degradation of oil impregnated paper insulation in power transformers

Reliability Evaluation Method for Oil–Paper Insulation in Power Transformers

The overall life of oil-immersed power transformers depends on the long-term life of the oil–paper insulation system throughout continuous operation. Studying the reliability assessment methods for oil–paper insulation can help determine the reliability level of power transformers accurately, and ensure their safe and stable operation. In the present paper, the life of oil–paper insulation is proven to obey the Weibull distribution under eight different temperatures set by the Weibull reliability probability paper; the failure mechanisms of the different temperatures are highly consistent. The Weibull distribution reliability curve cluster of oil–paper insulation is plotted under different temperatures by which an oil–paper insulation reliability assessment method is proposed. Lastly, the statistical validation experiment of the proposed method is conducted, which proves its theoretical validity. Thus, the present study puts forward a simple and effective method for the oil–paper insulation reliability assessment of power transformers under different temperatures at different life stages.

Direct optical techniques for the measurement of water content in oil–paper insulation in power transformers

Paper–oil insulation in power transformers is degraded and gradually damaged due to electrical, chemical, mechanical and moisture factors. It is well established from several studies that moisture is a major source of insulation failure in high voltage power transformers. Measurement and monitoring of moisture is essential to predict life and operation condition for power transformers. This paper presents direct optical measurement of water content at paper insulation immersed in transformer oil inside a test cell, which contains a water source, and a capillary paper bridge to transfer water to the paper inside an oil reservoir. Optical measurement of water content was carried out in the near infrared from 900 to 1500 nm band. Experimental studies of light transmission in transformer oil and water are discussed. The criteria to establish the best optical bands for maximum sensitivities are given. The measurement limitations, calibration procedures and an error analysis are presented. The resulting technique can be used for on-line measurements in electrical apparatus that use oil–paper insulation under large electrical field gradients. The presented method has advantages, since it is a direct and fast technique to measure the water transfer to paper immersed in oil, and it could be applied in compact portable equipment at a low cost.

Degradation of the Insulating System of Power Transformers by Copper Sulfide Deposition: Influence of Oil Oxidation and Presence of Metal Passivator

Deposition of conductive copper sulfide on paper insulation of power transformers was recognized as a serious risk that can result in equipment failure. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of mineral insulating oil oxidation and the presence of metal passivator on copper sulfide (Cu2S) deposition. Oil oxidation was found to increase deposition of Cu2S on the insulating paper, as confirmed by IEC 61125 B and IEC 62535 tests. The presence of oxygen resulted in an increase of copper dissolution in the oil and facilitated progressive copper sulfide deposition on the insulating paper, as confirmed by ICP, AAS, and EDX measurements. The effectiveness of aminomethyl substituted toluylbenzotriazole (TTA) metal passivator in suppressing copper sulfide formation and deposition was studied using modified IEC 62535 test. The protective role of TTA bonded to the copper plate surface and absorbed in the insulating paper was observed in tests at 140 and 150 °C, even for highly oxidized oils.

Identification of a chemical indicator of the rupture of 1,4-β-glycosidic bonds of cellulose in an oil-impregnated insulating paper system

In this study, headspace gas chromatography/mass spectrometry has been used to assess the volatile by-products generated by the ageing of oil-impregnated paper insulation of power transformers. Sealed-glass ampoules were used to age under oxidative conditions 0.5-g specimens of insulating paper in 9 mL of inhibited mineral oil in a temperature range of 60–120 °C and moisture of 0.5, 1 and 2% (w/w). A linear relationship between one of the oil-soluble degradation by-products, i.e. methanol, and the number of ruptured 1,4-β-glycosidic bonds of cellulose, regardless of the type of paper (ordinary Kraft or thermally-upgraded (TU) Kraft paper), was established for the first time in this field. Ageing at 130 °C of model compounds of the Kraft paper constituents (α-cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin) and two cellulosic breakdown by-products (D-(+)-glucose and 1,6-anhydro-β-d-glucopyranose) confirmed that the α-cellulose degradation was mostly responsible for the presence of this molecule in the system. Furthermore, additional 130 °C-tests with six different papers and pressboard samples under a tight control of initial moisture indicated that at least one molecule of methanol is formed for each rupture of 1,4-β-glucosidic bond of the molecular chains. Stability tests showed that the ageing indicator is stable under the oxygen and temperature conditions of open-breathing transformers. The presence of methanol was detected in 94% of oil samples collected from over than 900 in-service pieces of equipment, confirming the potential for this application. Lastly, the tests have shown that oil-oxidation by-products and TU-nitrogenous agents modify the methanol partitioning coefficients in the paper/oil/air system, which makes their study essential over a range of field conditions encountered by power transformers. Results are presented and discussed in comparison with 2-furfuraldehyde, which is the current reference in the domain.

Radiation-chemical degradation of the paper insulation of power transformers

Radiation-chemical degradation of the paper insulation of power transformers