Parameters Affecting the Electrical and Thermal

Properties of Transformer Oils

J. S. NCho
1
, L. Loiselle
2
, I. Fofana
2
, A. Beroual
1
and T. Aka-Ngnui
1

1
Ecole Centrale de Lyon, AMPERE CNRS UMR 5005, 36 avenue Guy de Collongue, 69134 Ecully, France
2
Canada Research Chair on Insulating Liquids and Mixed Dielectrics for Electrotechnology (ISOLIME), Universit du Qubec
Chicoutimi, Qc, Canada


Abstract - Transformer oil is expected to function as an
insulating medium and heat transfer agent. In this contribution,
contaminants that mostly influence the electrical and thermal
properties of transformer oil are addressed. To access the
influence of the type of impurities on oil properties, various
scenarios were considered. Investigations were therefore
performed on new oil, new oil submitted to electrical stress,
service-aged oil, reclaimed (by Fullers Earth) service-aged oil,
dehumidified service-aged oil, dehumidified and degassed
service-aged oil. The influence of each type of contaminant is
emphasized and discussed.
The results obtained from the measurements show that electrical
discharge by-products (charges carriers), mostly affect oil
insulating properties, and influence the conduction phenomena
which in turn increases the dissipation factor. It is also shown
that colloidal suspensions in oil affect the heat transfer capability
of this later, as assessed by viscosity.

I. INTRODUCTION

Reliable assessment of the ageing state of power
transformers is a basic condition for a failsafe and cost-saving
service. In service conditions, the chemical, electrical and
physical properties of transformer oil are affected by different
stresses. While in service, both the liquid and solid insulation
of windings undergo a slow but steady decay process. Apart
from oxidation decay products in aged oil, new oil can
sometimes contain undesired compounds or polar molecules
which are leftovers from the refinery process. Ionic
contaminants may be present in oils as a result of refining
treatments. They mainly affect the electrical properties as they are
the major charge carriers. The life of a new transformer will be
adversely affected when low quality oil is used, even if the oil
is new [1].
It has been pointed out that the electrical insulating liquid in
a transformer must function as a heat transfer fluid as well as a
dielectric material. Electrical conductivity and dielectric
dissipation factor are some of the important parameters to
monitor the safe operation on transformer oil. They are also
important parameters describing the liquids function as an
insulant [2]. Because transformer oils are designed to provide
electrical insulation under high electrical potentials, any
significant increase in the conductivity and dielectric
dissipation factor will indicate that the oil is no longer able to
perform this vital function.
Viscosity is an important parameter in design calculations for
heat transfer by either natural convection in smaller self-
cooled transformers or forced convection in larger units with
pumps and the impregnation process. As oil ages, the cooling
efficiency is affected. Decay products deposit themselves on
solid insulations and other parts, blocking ducts and
concomitant overheating of the oil and windings. The
oxidation of the oil increases cumulatively, leading to possible
breakdown [1, 3].

II. BACKGROUND

Insulation oil used in power transformers consists of
saturated hydrocarbons as paraffin and naphtene and can
neither conduct current nor solute water. Oil conductivity
depends on oil type and increases with aging by-products.
Contaminants such as residues from refinery, pollution and
particularly ageing/oxidation products enable the oil to
conduct ionic current. Oil oxidation/degradation by products is
subdivided into soluble (dissolved) products and insoluble
(suspended) products:
- The dissolved impurity particles are peroxide (R--OOR),
alcohol (ROH), aldehyde (ROHO), ketone (RCO--R),
organic acid (R-COOH), acid anhydride ((RC(O))
2
O)
organic peroxide (ROOH), ester (R--COO--R'), metallic
soap ((RCOO) nM) (M means metal atoms), etc., and
- the suspended impurity particles include asphaltic sludge,
soap sludge and carbon sludge, etc.
Oxidation by-products (peroxide gas, water soluble acids, low
molecular weight acids, fatty acids, water, alcohols, metallic
soap, aldehydes, ketones, lacquers, sludges of asphaltene)
change the chemical make up of the oil to allow more water to
be dissolved [4]. Water droplets in oil oscillate between the
measuring electrodes in a d.c. field, transferring charge and
giving rise to a high conductivity. As the test temperature
increased, oil dissolves more water. The quantity held in
suspension decreases with consequent decrease of the
conductivity [5].
The dominating an ageing product of oil oxidation
contribution is made by carbonic acids. Carbonic acid and
water can dissociate to ions and hence increase conductivity
considerably [5]:
H-COOH + H
2
O H-COO
-
+ H
3
O
+
(1)
H-CO is the aldehyde group of a carbonic acid. According to
M. Koch et al. [5] only a combination of water and a
dissociable substance will increase conductivity. Some authors
2010 Annual Report Conference on Electrical Insulation and Dielectric Phenomena
978-1-4244-9470-5/10/$26.00 2010 IEEE
found out, that water will not increase conductivity. It will
anyway increase conductivity because of its self-dissociation,
but this is hardly measurable. In a combination with a
dissociable substance like acid the conductivity will increase
considerably.
Pioneering work by Forster describes the mechanism by
high-voltage fields interact with insulating oils [6]. His
research reveals that electrons escape from the conduction
band of the metal conductor and are emitted from its surface,
especially during very short but frequency commutation
voltage surges. The free electrons injected into the liquid
insulation are accelerated by the electric field. The collision of
a fast electron with a hydrocarbon molecule M may be either
elastic or inelastic [7].
Whereas stable molecules reaching their singlet excitation
level (M*) usually release the absorbed energy as a quantum
of harmless fluorescent light (h):
M* M + h
vulnerable molecules (R-R) decompose and generate a pair of
free radicals (R and R).
R-R + h R + R
Free radicals are believed to be central to the ageing of
transformer oil insulation [3]. As their population increases,
some gaseous or liquid fractions may capture a free electron
and form an ion.
R + e
-
R
-

The accumulation of such ionized molecules increases the
dissipation factor of the insulation. Alternatively, large free
radicals may combine, leading to the formation of an insoluble
colloidal suspension (Figure 1).

Fig. 1. Decay process of oil paper insulation in free breathing power
transformers [7].
Electrical discharge under oil produces gases, carbon and free
radicals. When discharges-by-products or oxidation-by-
products accumulated in the oil ducts or at oil-paper interface,
heat transfer will be very poor which result in paper
overheating [7].

III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

A. Electrical Properties

To study the influence of all type of contaminant present in
the oil, various scenarios were considered. Investigations were
therefore performed on:
- new oil,
- new oil submitted to 5 hours electrical stress (using ASTM
D 6180 test cell [7]); no prior vacuum degassing were
performed.
- service-aged oil (of the same brand), collected from a
Canadian utility company ageing power transformers 47
MVA 161/26.5 kV, commissioned in 1984).
- dehydrated service-aged oil,
- dehydrated and degassed service-aged oil.
- reclaimed (by Fullers Earth) service-aged oil,
Fullers earth removes both moisture and neutralises
carboxylic acids [8]. In our laboratory made-plant, oil is
heated at 60C when passing through the activated Fuller's
Earth cartridge to remove acids and impurities. The
reclamation rejuvenates the transformer oil by eliminating
contaminants formed due to entry of foreign particles,
oxidation of oil and insulation deterioration, sludge formation,
thermal cracking etc.
Oil samples stored in a beaker were placed in a KIMAX
Desiccators with Detachable Stopcock Valve containing silica
gel. This procedure enables moisture removal with oil
degasification. Degassing and Dehumidification of oil samples
were performed under vacuum. The preparation guarantees
very low gas contents of less than 0.5% and also very low
water content (less than 5 ppm for transformer oil).
The moisture content was controlled before and after the
samples processing (Table I).

TABLE I
MOISTURE CONTENT IN THE SAMPLES BEFORE AND AFTER OIL PROCESSING.
Before
processing
After
processing
Service-aged oil 40.1 -
deshumidified service-aged oil 40.1 3.8
dehumidified and degassed Service aged oil
degassed
40.1 3.5
Reclaimed service aged 40.1 21.8
virgin oil 41.3 -
New oil submitted to electrical stress but not
degassed
41.3 37.3

The samples used for reference are the virgin ones (unused
oil).
The frequency scans of the conductivity of the fluid samples
are given in Figure 2. The measurements were performed with
the Insulation Diagnostic Analyser IDA200 using the liquid
test cell type 2903 for liquid insulants by Tettex.
All the parameters were then plotted in per unit scales (actual
value/value measured on virgin oil) so that they can be
accommodated in the same graph for a better comparison
(Figure 3).
Oil samples dissipation factor was also assessed. The
frequency scans and per unit scales, i.e. the actual value/value
measured on virgin oil, are respectively provided in Figures 4
and 5.

Fig. 2. frequency scan of oil conductivity 1: virgin oil; 2: virgin oil
submitted electrical discharge (ASTM D6180); 3: service-aged oil; 4:
dehydrated/dried service aged-oil; 5: dehydrated and degassed service aged-
oil; 6: reclaimed service aged oil.

Fig. 3. Oil conductivity relative to virgin oil one 1: virgin oil; 2: virgin oil
submitted electrical discharge (ASTM D6180); 3: service-aged oil; 4:
dehydrated/dried service aged-oil; 5: dehydrated and degassed service aged-
oil; 6: reclaimed service aged oil.

Analyses of the results (Figures 2 to 5) indicate that
electrical discharge by-products (charges carriers), mostly
affect oil insulant properties. The removal of both moisture
and gas charge carriers reduce the DDF and conductivity. The
removal of dissolved decay products by reclamation
techniques was not complete, many passes are needed before
reaching the level of new one [9].

B. Thermal Properties

Several ASTM test methods were used to study the
influence of insulation oil properties versus viscosity.
Oil aging was achieved by placing the samples in a convection
oven at 115C and heating them for different periods. The
specimens were aged within opened beakers. In these
investigations, the aging procedure (similar to that described
in the ASTM D 1934) allows studying the stability of
electrical insulating oils under oxidative conditions. Metallic
catalysts (3 g/l copper of cuttings) were attached in a filter
paper and loaded on to the frames, in order to enable catalytic
reactions, caused by the metals.


Fig. 4. Frequency scan of oil Dielectric Dissipation factor (DDF) 1: virgin
oil; 2: virgin oil submitted electrical discharge (ASTM D6180); 3: service-
aged oil; 4: dehydrated/dried service aged-oil; 5: dehydrated and degassed
service aged-oil; 6: reclaimed service aged oil.

Fig. 5. Oil DDF relative to virgin oil one 1: virgin oil; 2: virgin oil submitted
electrical discharge (ASTM D6180); 3: service-aged oil; 4: dehydrated/dried
service aged-oil; 5: dehydrated and degassed service aged-oil; 6: reclaimed
service aged oil.

Aged oil cooling efficiency was monitored through
viscosimetric measurements. The measurements were
performed at 40C, according to ASTM D 445. Viscosity is
the resistance of oil to flow under specified conditions. The
viscosity of oil used as a coolant influences heat transfer rates
and consequently the temperature rise of an apparatus. The
viscosity of oil also influences the speed of moving parts in
tap changers and circuit breakers. High viscosity oils are less
desirable, especially in cold climates. The results of the
investigations are reported in Figure 6. Clearly, as oil aged the
cooling efficiency worsens.
6
8
10
12
14
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700
V
i
s
c
o
s
i
t
y

(
c
S
t
)
Aging (hours)

Fig. 6. Oil viscosity evolution versus aging duration.

Along with viscosimetric measurements, various parameters
of the aged oil samples were measured, namely:
- The acid number or TAN (ASTM D 664) to determine the
amount of acidic materials present in the oil.
- The interfacial Tension against water or IFT (ASTM D
971) related to the deterioration of the fluid sample. The
magnitude of IFT is inversely related to the concentration
of hydrophilic degradation products from the deterioration
of oil.
- The dissolved decay products or DDP (ASTM D 6802)
determining the relative amount of decay products
dissolved in the oil.
- The turbidity (ASTM D 6181) to evaluate the degree of
contamination by solid particles in suspension in the oil.
All the parameters were then plotted in per unit scales (actual
value of aged oil sample divided by value measured on new
oil sample) so that they can be accommodated on the same
graph for better comparison (Figure 7).


Fig. 7. Comparative summary of oil parameters versus viscosity.

Oils aging by products lower the IFT while the other
parameters (DDP, TAN and Turbidity) increase.
Turbidity related to the degree of contamination by solid
particles in suspension in the oil, changes with a higher rate
than dissolved decay products, acid number and interfacial
tension values. The recombination of two large radicals is
known to result in the formation of large colloidal decay
products suspended in the oil. Any increase in the molecular
weight of the aged oil, raised by thermal aging, indicates an
increase in turbidity which could explain the viscosity increase
of the oil [10]. This emphasizes the fact that colloidal
suspensions in oil affect the heat transfer capability of this
later.

IV. CONCLUSIONS

The electrical and heat transfer properties of transformer oil
are affected by electrical discharge/arcing and its oxidation,
which degrades the oil in service. With the production of
oxidative components, the heat transfer properties of oil are
affected.
The cinematic viscosity as aging time progressed may be
directly correlated to the turbidity results. Measuring the
amount of insoluble suspensions therefore appears to be very
important, since these by-products clearly contribute to the
insulation electrical and thermal degradation.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The authors would like to thank Region Rhnes Alpes (France)
for supporting the research stay of Mr NCho in Canada.

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