MINERAL OIL TRANSFORMERS

Contrary to what some people believe, mineral oil transformers were never manufactured with PCBs
in them.


They became contaminated when serviced by contractors using pumps and hoses that were
previously used for servicing askarel transformers. In some cases the oil transformers became
contaminated with PCBs to several thousand ppm.



The new federal PCB Regulations require that mineral oil transformers containing 500 ppm PCBs or
more, either have to be replaced or reclassified to non-PCB status by Dec 31, 2009.


Mineral Oil Transformer Reclassification

Reclassification of an oil transformer to non-PCB status involves the permanent reduction of the
PCB concentration from > 50 ppm to < 50 ppm for the rest of its working life.

In order to reduce the PCB concentration in the core and coil of a PCB-contaminated transformer,
the contaminated oil is drained out and new replacement oil is put in its place; a process called
retrofilling.

Retrofill Process

The only time it would be logical to retrofill a transformer to reclassify it to non-PCB status is if the
transformer in question has a reasonable life expectancy.

The PCB-contaminated oil is drained from the tank and conservator under dry air or nitrogen
blanket to prevent intrusion of moisture into the transformer core.




New oil or refurbished oil is pumped into the transformer after it has been degasified and clay-
filtered to improve the dielectric strength and overall quality of the oil.



When two transformers are in the same substation, it is usually possible to switch the load to one unit
while the other is drained and retrofilled. Following a short period of a few hours, the retrofilled unit
is re-energized, the load is switched to the retrofilled unit and the process is repeated with the second
transformer.


A high voltage company or the local utility will assist with the de-energizing, switching, isolation,
grounding, lockout and re-energizing following retrofilling.



After a period of 90 days in service under load, the PCB concentration in the tank will equilibrate as
the PCBs leach from the core. The core components that retain PCBs include the paper, wood, tape
and particleboard as shown below.


As long as a transformer is close to full load, about 90% of the PCBs will leach from the core and
reach equilibrium, leaving 10% still in the core and coils.


PCB Disposals experience with transformer reclassification has shown that allowing a transformer
to sit for a couple of hours after draining followed by a flush of a drum or two of retrofill oil will
maximize removal of PCBs with a single retrofill.



For transformers that are contaminated with PCBs to levels exceeding 500 ppm, the units will have
to be drained and refilled every 90 days until the final PCB level is < 50 ppm. This process is referred
to as serial retrofilling.

In some cases where large transformers are involved, the drained oil can be bulked for shipment to
the receiving facility in a tanker truck dedicated to PCB-contaminated oil.


For projects involving smaller quantities, the oil will be pumped into 205-litre, 16-guage bung drums
that are taken to the transfer station for bulking and decontamination using the mobile chemical
destruction technology. Once the oil has been decontaminated to < 2 ppm, it can be refurbished for
re-use.

Dry Type Transformers

When conducting a site assessment for PCBs, dry-type transformers need not be considered as
potential sources of PCB contamination.



Rather than being insulated with a dielectric, they rely on air flow to keep them cool.



Sensitive Sites

The PCB regulations target so-called sensitive locations for any transformers that exceed 50 ppm.
Some locations that fall into this category include:



Hospitals or Senior Citizens Care Facilities
Drinking Water Treatment Plants
Food or Feed Processing Plants
Preschools, Primary Schools or Secondary Schools

on the property on which the plant or facility is located and within 100 m of it.

Although houses and apartment buildings are not specifically mentioned, these certainly could be
considered sensitive given the nature of historical public responses to PCB incidents.



For those of you who may work at a hospital, the old x-ray units are almost always insulated with
PCBs to help keep them cool.



Pole Top and Underground Transformers



Utilities own most of the pole-top and underground transformers and several utilities are taking the
steps to have each in-service unit tested for PCB contamination in order to prioritize their
decontamination or replacement.



PCB-contaminated pole mount transformers < 500 ppm that are not at sensitive sites or within a 100
m of them do not need to be addressed under the regulations until 2025.

In our experience, however, if a company or utility knows they have pole-top transformers in service,
they are taking steps to reclassify them to non-PCB status to avoid environmental problems if they
fail, leak or get hit by lightening.



As a routine, all pole-mount transformers that come out of service are sampled and analyzed for
PCBs before they are repaired or disposed of. The receiving facility requires that each and every
transformer have a PCB analysis prior to arrival in order to determine treatment and disposal
options.



Owners of non-PCB transformers typically receive a monetary credit for the copper in the
transformer cores based on the nameplate KVA rating or the per kg weight of the core.



Recycling

At the transfer station, once the metals have been cleaned to meet the MOEs decontamination
standards,



the various metallic components of the transformers are prepared for shipment to the smelter.




The copper of course has the greatest value and rebates will be dependent on current market values
for the various metals.



NOTES

Under the new federal PCB Regulations passed September 5, 2008 and published in the Canada Gazette
September 17, 2008, all in-service PCB-contaminated mineral oil transformers > 500 ppm PCBs must be
either removed from service or reclassified to non-PCB status by December 31, 2009. Also any oil
transformers > 50 ppm PCBs that are at sensitive sites (hospitals, schools, water treatment facilities, food
processing facilities, senior citizens care facilities), must also be replaced or reclassified to non-PCB
status by Dec 31, 2009.

For more information see New PCB Regulations.