Tuesday, January 20, 2015

The Transformer Oil is Working… or is It?

Transformer oil is one of the many products available at your preferred industrial lubricants providers. Such oil is capable of adding dielectric strength to the transformer, and expedite heat transfer while providing ample insulation. Still, they are also vulnerable to decay over time, and you need testing kits to ensure they’re at peak form. You can identify the faults common to oiled transformers.

Arcs
Arcing is possible during high current, high temperature conditions wherein the generation process also triggers deposits of hydrogen, acetylene, methane, and ethylene. The presence of cellulose can partly result in carbonized oil.

Low or High
Coronas are low-energy discharges that primarily create hydrogen and methane. On the other hand, a buildup of electrical flashovers without high current are called sparking, which create methane and ethane.

Heating up

It is possible that leaks in the transformer casing can compromise the generation process and increase the oil’s temperature. If the oil suddenly climbs in temperature, beware that ethylene and methane will be created at 300 degrees Fahrenheit while hydrogen and methane are produced at 1,112F. Overheated cellulose will generate large amounts of carbon dioxide and monoxide. Acetylene may be released if there’s a serious defect in the machine or there was presence of electrical contact.  

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