Analysis Results for Insulating Oil Components in Field Transformers

To identify the aging characteristics of oil-immersed transformer oil in long-term operations, it is important to survey various characteristics of insulating oil of field transformers. The insulating oil characteristics defined in various standards can be roughly classified into electrical, physical, and chemical characteristics. In a past study, the authors identified through field survey what kind of characteristics receive significant impacts as a result of insulating oil aging and evaluated the characteristics as possible candidates for indexes of aging. This paper examines the elements that influence the characteristics of transformer insulating oil due to aging. The electrical characteristics (breakdown voltages, volume resistivities, and dielectric loss tangents) of insulating oil are affected by such elements as water contents and electrostatic charges and possibly by trace components in the insulating oil. The components detected in field transformer oil are methyl acetate, 2-methylfuran, phenol, methyl formate, furan, methanol, ethanol, acetone, isopropyl alcohol, and methyl ethyl ketone. Five of these components, i.e., methanol, ethanol, acetone, isopropyl alcohol, and methyl ethyl ketone, are alcohols and ketones. These five components are generated by age-related oxidation. The five components, except for methanol, was found to have age-related increasing tendencies. Methyl acetate, 2-methylfuran, phenol, methyl formate, and furan are considered to be components mainly generated by the reason of insulating paper aging. Whereas 2-methylfuran and furan were found to have age-related increasing tendencies, other components were found to have none. Analysis of insulating oil components is effective in diagnosing the aging status of insulating oil and the presence or absence of abnormalities. This paper summarizes the result of survey on the relationships between the concentrations of components and the ages of insulating oil based on the analysis results of the oil components.