Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR)
Vol-2, Issue-6, 2016
ISSN: 2454-1362, http://www.onlinejournal.in
Review on Effects and Causes of Insulation
Paper Moisture on Transformer
Prof.P.R.Sonawane1, Gauri Khatri2 & Pratiksha Pawar3
1,2,3
Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pimpri Chinchwad College of Engineering
Abstract: The Transformer is one of the vital
component and expensive asset which constitute a
high principle investment within the Power
Generation, Transmission, and Distribution sectors.
With the high escalating cost of substitution, it is
crucial to consider methods of life extension of
transformer. Transformer with moisture has great
influence on the life anticipation of it. The
phenomenon of the thermal decomposition of the
insulating paper inside the transformer is directly
proportional to the water content found in the
transformer. Most other components can be replaced
or repaired, but once the insulating paper of
transformer has lost its mechanical integrity, the
core must be re-wound, or the transformer has to be
scrapped. So we must remove the water not only
from the oil, but also from the paper insulation, to
maximize the life of the transformer.
The core, insulation paper etc. absorbs more than
97% of water present in transformer, only 3 % is left
behind in oil. Oil filtration systems or drying systems
will absorb moisture from oil and moisture from
paper will to maintain nature equilibrium. Also these
systems will remove moisture from the insulation
paper during on-load condition & will help to extend
the life of transformer. So this online drying system
helps in continuous processing of oil to keep
transformer in normal state and removes the
moisture from oil as well as insulation paper inside
transformer so that it increases life expectancy of the
transformer. The presence of moisture in the
transformer, to whatever degree, does actual harm to
insulation which is, in fact permanent damage.
Drying methods only substantially reduce that
deterioration. So the on-line drying system helps us
to remove moisture not only from the oil but also
from the insulation paper.
Keywords: Transformer, Insulation Paper, Moisture,
Oil Filtration, Degree of polymerization
1. Introduction
New methods for assessing the condition of
transformers and other components in electrical
power plant are becoming of increasing importance
in the power industry. The degraded condition of the
insulation is a significant contributor to decrease in
Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR)
performance and possible component failure and
condition assessment could benefit from new and
improved on-line and non-destructive off-line
methods. In particular, the use of spectroscopy,
already established in the analysis of insulating oil
which has also been shown to be a promising
technique for measuring solid electrical insulation
non-destructively.
Power transformer conductor windings are
insulated by paper impregnated with insulating oil,
which is expected to last the life of the transformer.
It is 25 years minimum at an operating temperature
of 65-95°C. A typical transformer contains 10-12 t of
paper, 30-120 pm thick i.e. density 0.7-0.8 kg/m3
and 45 t of oil. Heat, water and oxygen degrade the
cellulose, reducing the polymer molecular chain
length and with it the mechanical strength of the
material.
Local mechanical failure could lead to shorted
turns or paper fragments or fibers in the oil ducts and
hence to dielectric or thermal failure of the insulation
system. Changes in the compliance and tension of
the windings with time may result in distortion and
an increased susceptibility to short-circuit force
failure of the aged insulation or even of the winding
itself. Water is a product of ageing. Its presence in
the insulation increases conductivity and the
likelihood of gas bubble formation, reducing the
thermal stability of the insulation system during
overload conditions.
Power transformers are typically insulated with
some 12 tons (12,192 kg) of paper and 40 tons
(40,642 kg) of mineral oil, and the life of a
transformer is ultimately determined by that of the
solid insulation, although other factors may cause it
to fail early. Transformers are currently monitored by
sampling the oil at regular but infrequent intervals
and analyzing for dissolved gases, such as hydrogen
and hydrocarbons like methane, ethane, acetylene
and carbon monoxide (often referred to as dissolved
gas analysis, or DGA). Changes in the relative ratios
of certain critical gases provide empirical
information about the state of the transformer
through the widely used Rodger’s ratios.
Unfortunately, the major source of these gases is the
hydrocarbon oil, and the results are therefore not
specific to the paper condition. Insulation life
expectancy has been estimated by accelerated
laboratory studies of paper ageing, from the
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Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR)
Vol-2, Issue-6, 2016
ISSN: 2454-1362, http://www.onlinejournal.in
relationship of the change in the degree of
polymerization (DP) of cellulose in the paper with
time.
Nowadays, there is an increasing interest in using
transformer monitoring systems. Some monitoring
systems use models to predict the value of certain
variables. One of the key variables to be monitored is
moisture content in oil, as moisture has a high
influence on transformer exploitation.
Water has a detrimental effect on transformer
insulation life. According to Fabre, the rate of
thermal ageing of paper, is proportional to its water
content. According to Clark, if the water content of
paper is doubled, its life in terms of mechanical
strength is halved. The increase of water content in
zones of high electrical stress can lead to a reduction
in partial discharge inception level and to an increase
of its intensity. The migration of small amounts of
water from paper to oil has been associated with the
phenomenon of static electrification appearing when
there is a charge accumulation on the interfaces
between dry and humid zones. Water in transformer
oil can also lead to bubble formation, when high
temperatures are attained in the winding and an
abrupt desorption of water takes place from the paper
toward the oil.
All those reasons, moisture in paper-oil insulation
has been considered since 1920 to be one of the
functional conditions that must be controlled during
transformer operation. With the recent development
of sensors to measure moisture dissolved in
transformer oil, the measurement of this variable is
becoming a habitual practice in transformer
monitoring systems.
2. Literature Review
Current research into paper ageing, such as that
being carried out at the University of Surrey, UK and
a number of other centers throughout the world, is
aimed at developing condition monitoring and life
prediction techniques. Measurement of the
concentration and distribution of degradation
products, such as 2-furaldehyde in the oil provides
data that can complement traditional DGA analyses,
because they apply specifically to paper ageing. The
long-term objective is to generate a model that can
be used to assess the current condition of Kraft
insulating paper in power transformers and then
predict its remaining life. In order to relate the
standing concentrations of such products to paper
condition, it is necessary to understand the chemistry
of the degradation of cellulose and to derive
chemical and physical models of the breakdown
process. To this end, established methods of studying
polymer ageing processes are being adapted to study
cellulose degradation in paper insulation.
Early studies, reported in the literature, include
the work of Shroff and Stannett, who measured
Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR)
changes in the DP of paper with time, and in
conjunction with Burton and others empirically
related the Log (DP) to the furfural concentration in
the oil. More recently, Unsworth and Mitchell and
Darveniza and others have developed furfural
analysis techniques and have investigated the use of
size exclusion chromatography to assess the ageing
of the paper in a transformer. Unsworth and Mitchell
also investigated the stability of the furan products of
degradation and attempted to correlate their
concentration in the oil to the tensile strength of the
paper, since it is ultimately loss of tensile strength
that determines the life expectancy of the insulation.
The whole area of insulation ageing, monitoring, and
life prediction has recently been reviewed by Emsley
and Stevens.
DP has been used in numerous studies of the
degradation of cellulose under a variety of
conditions, and simple, mathematical models have
been developed to describe the kinetics of the
reaction. The simplest of these was derived by
Ekamstam from early statistical studies of Kuhn and
co-workers. According to his analysis, the reciprocal
DP should be directly proportional to the degradation
time. Emsley and Stevens have re-analyzed a wide
range of results reported in the literature and have
shown that cellulose degradation fits this model, at
least for the majority of the reaction, until the DP
approaches a limiting value of about 200.
3. Transformer Insulation Ageing Factors
Ageing is an irreversible deleterious change to the
serviceability of an insulation system. Transformer
insulation is subjected to several types of stresses
that produce ageing are called ageing factors.
Figure.1 Transformer insulation ageing factors
Degradation of the paper is strongly influenced by
scission and shortening of the cellulose chains. The
average number of glucose monomer units in the
cellulose of the paper can be referred to as the degree
of polymerization (DP), which for new Kraft paper is
about 1000-1300. The DP of pre-treated transformer
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Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR)
Vol-2, Issue-6, 2016
ISSN: 2454-1362, http://www.onlinejournal.in
insulation paper gradually decreases from an initial
value of about 950. Below about 500 DP units the
tensile strength starts to decrease in an approximately
linear fashion with respect to DP. Below a DP of
about 200, when only about 50% or less of the
original tensile strength of the paper remains, the
paper becomes brittle and may start to disintegrate.
The mechanical failure of the insulation resulting
from this degradation can block oil cooling ducts
resulting in overheating and faster decomposition.
Eventually a stage can be reached where electrical
breakdown and transformer failure occur.
4. Factors Affecting Transformer Paper
Below are the factors influencing performance and
degradation of transformer oil paper insulation and
resulting breakdown mechanisms.
Figure.2 Factors influencing the performance and
degradation of transformer oil/paper insulation.
Effects of temperature: It was recognized long ago
that the degradation process is a chemical reaction
and as such should obey the Arrhenius theory of
reaction kinetics. Values for the activation energy of
degradation of cellulose in oil, quoted in the
literature, range from of the order of 85 kJ/mole
(which is close to the values quoted for the thermal
degradation reaction) to 120 kJ/mole (close to those
quoted for the hydrolytic degradation reaction).
Above about 140"C,
Effects of oxygen: According to Fabre and Pichon,
oxygen increases the rate of degradation of paper
containing 0.3 to 5% moisture in oil by a factor of
2.5. The effects on predicted insulation life. Fallou
pointed out that, in an actual transformer, restricted
oxygen access reduces the true value of the oxygen
factor closer to 1.6. In a model transformer
experiment, it was found that the oxygen level in the
oil increased initially, as the paper outgassed, but
Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR)
then fell slowly as it was consumed by reaction with
the paper and oil. If the dissolved oxygen level is
maintained below 2000 ppm, the rate of oxidation of
the oil is reduced substantially.
Effects of water: Early studies indicated that the rate
of degradation of paper increased in direct proportion
to the water content and predicted insulation life
estimates. However, more detailed studies later
concluded that, during the later stages of degradation
the logarithm of the rate is proportional to the
moisture level. Water is a product of degradation and
so the moisture level in the paper increases with
ageing by 0.5% every time the DP of the cellulose is
halved by degradation, resulting in a decrease in
electrical strength.
Life prediction from DP measurements: The
advantages of using DP measurements to predict
insulation life are: measurements are relatively easy
to make; DP can be empirically related to insulation
condition. However, using DP values for life
prediction presents a number of problems. The
mechanisms and kinetics of the process are ill
defined, because a number of different reactions
could be operating simultaneously. The strength of
paper is not linearly dependent on its DP except over
a limited range of about 200 to 500. It is worth
noting that paper strength has been shown to bear a
linear relationship to the total volume of carbon
monoxide plus some workers have suggested that the
rate of degradation increases significantly implying
either a change in the activation energy or in the pre-
exponential factor. The correlation between DP and
strength is also independent of ageing conditions.
5. Conclusion
This paper describes an accelerated ageing factors of
transformer oil/paper insulation. The humidity
content of the cellulose paper has a decisive role in
the degradation rate of the paper, as higher initial
humidity greatly accelerates degradation. The ageing
rate of cellulose is therefore directly proportional to
moisture content. The existence of oxygen, however,
markedly increases the rate. The influence of oxygen
itself on the ageing process of the solid insulation
seems to be in the same order of dimension order as
moisture itself. The catalysts, that represent the
metallic components in the transformer, accelerate
the ageing process of the cellulose papers, while they
seem to have no influence on the ageing process. Oil
ageing without a solid partner is insignificantly
influenced by water, but accelerated by air-oxygen,
via the moisture and acid formation, and oxidation
processes. A direct influence increase the loss factor
and the decrease the electric strength particularly at
low temperatures is to be noted.
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Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR)
Vol-2, Issue-6, 2016
ISSN: 2454-1362, http://www.onlinejournal.in

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[7] D. Shroff and A. Stannett, “A review of paper

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[8] A.M. Emsley and G.C. Stevens, “Kinetics and

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[10] R. M. Morais and E. Engelstein, ‘‘Thermal

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