Water-in-Paper

Activity: A New
Concept for
Moisture
Assessment in
Transformers
Oleg Roizman
Valery Davydov
Jim Dukarm
IEEE/PES Transformers Committee Meeting
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
October 23, 2006
Part I
Introduction
Presented by
Dr. Jim Dukarm
President
Delta-X Research Inc
Introduction
Water-in-Paper Activity:
a New Concept for
Moisture Assessment in Transformers
J im Dukarm
President
Delta-X Research Inc
Subject of the presentation
The presentation shows how the concept of
water-in-paper activity is useful for
Understanding the relationship between water in
cellulose and water in oil in transformers, and
Assessing and controlling the water content of
cellulose insulation
Water in cellulose
Water in transformer cellulose starts out low
(below 1% by dry weight) and accumulates as a
chemical byproduct of cellulose aging and also
as a result of leaks in tank gaskets and cooling
system components.
Depending on the type and voltage class of the
transformer, it is considered desirable to keep the
water content of cellulose below 2% or 3%.
Minimizing water in cellulose
Water in cellulose must be minimized because
it can cause or contribute to various problems:
Depolymerization of cellulose (weakens the
winding insulation)
Bubble formation (resulting PD causes damage
to the paper)
Reduction of dielectric strength of winding
insulation
Assessing moisture in cellulose
Partitioning of water between cellulose and oil
Typically over 90% of total water is in cellulose
Thin paper may be 15% of total cellulose
Water solubility in oil increases with temperature
Under typical varying load and ambient
temperature, equilibrium between water in
cellulose and water in oil is not reached.
Assessing moisture in cellulose
There is a complicated relationship between
%RS in oil and water in cellulose.
"Active water content" of paper drives %RS on
short time scale
Total water content of bulk cellulose dominates
on long time scale
Water-in-paper activity (Awp)
Water-in-paper activity (Awp) is the %RS
which the paper is " trying" to force the oil to.
Awp is a good indicator of the quantity of water
available for exchange between the paper and
the oil on a short time scale.
Awp does not depend much on temperature.
Evaluation of Awp is based on %RS and
temperature measurements.
Usefulness of Awp
Awp is directly related to bubble formation
tendency and to moisture-related changes in
insulation dielectric strength.
Awp is very useful for characterizing moisture in
paper and for guiding transformer dry-out.
The water content of the bulk cellulose slowly
drives Awp, which has important implications for
dry-out.
And now for the details . . .
Part II
Outline of
Water-in-Paper Activity
Concept
Presented by
Dr. Oleg Roizman
IntellPower Pty Ltd
oleg.roizman@optusnet.com.au
Learning Objectives
Methods available today to estimate moisture
content of solid insulation
Introduction of the Water-in-Paper Activity (Awp)
concept
Instrumentation and methods for the Awp
measurement and determination
Ways of standardization of the Awp
New research results and their application to
practical assessment of moisture in transformer
insulation
Hands-on experience with moisture assessment
in transformers; case studies
Detrimental Effects of Water
Accelerated paper aging
Vapor bubbles evolution
Corrosion of core and tank
Decrease of PD inception level
Progressive consumption of oil additives
Decrease of insulation dielectric strength
Reduction of transformer life
Many Faces of Water
Free, mobile, bound, dissolved, active...
WCP (%) and WCO (ppm)
RS, ERS and RH
Dew point
Water activity and water potential
Unclear Issues
No consideration for water in Loading Guide, life
extension, aging, test codes, standard
terminology
No common view on oil acceptance guide from
water perspective
No agreed method to assess moisture and judge
final dryness
No clear understanding of water effects on
dielectric stress, breakdown voltage, vapor
bubble formation and aging
Methods for Moisture Assessment
Karl Fischer titration method
Dielectric Loss factor (Tan delta)
Polarization and depolarization currents
Return (recovery) voltage method (RVM)
Dielectric spectroscopy
Water Heat Run Test
Use of equilibrium charts
Introduction of
Water-in-Paper Activity (Awp)
Historical Background
Definition
Determination
Measurements
Instrumentation
Test procedure
Comparison to other
parameters used for
moisture assessment
Thermodynamic Activity
1906:The concept of thermodynamic activity was introduced
by G. N. Lewis (100 years ago!) J . Am. Chem. Soc
(sys)=(
w
) +RT ln(a
w
)
Used in food, pharmaceutical, pulp and paper industries
1999 V.G. Davydov, O. Roizman and W.J . Bonwick,
Moisture Evaluation in Oil and Paper for Sealed Transformer
Insulation System, EPRI Substation Equipment Diagnostics
Conference VII.
2005 O.Roizman, V. Davydov and B. Ward, Water in
Paper Activity: A New Approach for Moisture Management In
Transformers, EPRI Substation Equipment Diagnostics
Conference XIII.
Example:
If a dry pressboard (0.5%) and a wet pressboard
(4.6%) were placed into a hot oil (80
o
C) of 20% of
RS, we would expect that over time the wet
pressboard will lose some water and the dry
pressboard will gain some water.
However, the water content of each will not become
equal.
Dry and Wet Pressboard
T
WC
AB
=3.25 %
Steady state
WC
ABi
=1.8 %
WC
A
=0.5%, M
A
=745g
WC
B
=4.6%, M
B
=346g
A
B
T
M
A
=170g, not 745 g!
Definition of Awp
Water-in-Paper Activity (Awp) of a oil-paper insulation
system is a measure of free water available in cellulose for
exchange with surrounding oil
Awp = %ERS/100 = p/p
o
;
0 < Awp < 1
Types of Cellulose Insulation
Max. Sat.
Moisture
Application Photo Brand name
7%
support structures, core
and coil blocking
ELECTRICAL GRADE
MAPLE
10%
spacers in multiple barrier
configurations
HI-LAM KRAFT
TRANSFORMER
BOARD
5%
washers, filler blocks,
stacking blocks, static ring
cores and support beams
LAMINATED KRAFT
TRANSFORMER
BOARD
3%
clamping and support
blocks
LAMINATED
PRECOMPRESSED
PRESSBOARD
Water Activity of Multicomponent
System
Awp
p
w
= p
w
Awo
Awp
p
w
= p
w
= p
w
Awo
p
w
= p
w
oil
Aw=%ERH/100
p
w
= p
w
Awp
air
paper
Sorption Isotherm at 80 C
Sorption Isotherm for 1mm pressboard at 80 C
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
Awp
W
C
P
a
,

%
Indicative Water Activity Isotherm
http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/water/activity.html
Properties of Sorption Isotherms
Sorption isotherms are valid only for a single
material (e.g. one type of cellulose)
Sorption isotherms are affected by any variation
in material ( e.g. aging)
Sorption isotherms show a difference between
absorption and desorption curves (sorption
hysteresis)
Sorption isotherms are experimentally
determined
Instrumentation and Methods for Awp
Measurement
Moisture Meters
for determining Awp
Very compact in size and extremely versatile
Provides measurement of the relative
saturation of water and temperature of oil
The sensor operates directly in the oil so it
can be installed directly into the transformer
or processing equipment
Can be used to estimate the water content of
paper insulation
Awp Measurement
(idealized case)
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
20
40
60
80
100
T
,

C
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
0
20
40
60
80
%
r
s
hours
Awp=0.18
Determination of Awp for Operating Tx
Moisture
Sensor
Moisture
Sensor
Temperature
Sensors
Temperature
Sensors
Fuzzy
Logic
Inference
Engine
Load
Profile
Load
Profile
Water
-in-
Paper
Activity
Awp
Water
-in-
Paper
Activity
Awp
20 MVA
66/22 kV
ONAF/OFAF
15,000 L
New
Conservator - free breathing
Monitored over 16 hours
Factory Experience
Position of Moisture Transducer
Cooler
Conservator
Bottom Drain Valve
Oil-Paper
System
Factory Temperature Rise Test
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
1
6
:
0
4
:
3
7
1
6
:
2
7
:
3
7
1
6
:
5
0
:
3
7
1
7
:
1
3
:
3
7
1
7
:
3
6
:
3
7
1
7
:
5
9
:
3
7
1
8
:
2
2
:
3
7
1
8
:
4
5
:
3
7
1
9
:
0
8
:
3
7
1
9
:
3
1
:
3
7
1
9
:
5
4
:
3
7
2
0
:
1
7
:
3
7
2
0
:
4
0
:
3
7
2
1
:
0
3
:
3
7
2
1
:
2
6
:
3
7
2
1
:
5
0
:
3
7
2
2
:
1
3
:
3
7
2
2
:
3
6
:
3
7
2
2
:
5
9
:
3
7
2
3
:
2
2
:
3
7
2
3
:
4
5
:
3
7
0
:
0
8
:
3
7
0
:
3
1
:
3
7
0
:
5
4
:
3
7
1
:
1
7
:
3
7
1
:
4
0
:
3
7
2
:
0
3
:
3
7
2
:
2
6
:
3
7
2
:
4
9
:
3
7
3
:
1
2
:
3
7
3
:
3
5
:
3
7
3
:
5
8
:
3
7
4
:
2
1
:
3
7
4
:
4
4
:
3
7
5
:
0
7
:
3
7
5
:
3
0
:
3
7
5
:
5
3
:
3
7
6
:
1
6
:
3
7
6
:
3
9
:
3
7
7
:
0
2
:
3
7
T
,

d
e
g

C
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
R
S
,

%
T RS
T oil
%RS
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
hours
T
,

d
e
g

C
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
R
S
,

%
T
RS1@2.3%
RS2@0.8
RS Response to T Rise
Awp=0.04
Awp=0.13
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
Awp
w
c
o
,

p
p
m
T= 0
20
40
60
100
Awp
w
c
o
,

p
p
m
Awp vs WCO
Awp vs RS
RS is measure of moisture in oil
only
Awp indicates moisture in
oil-paper interface
RS from 0 to 100% Awp from 0 to 1
%RS highly temperature
dependent and can vary within full
scale from 0 to 100%
Awp depends on T at equilibrium
and varies within narrow range.
RS, % Awp
Diagnostics by Awp
0.2 1.0
0.1 0.2
0 0.1
Quick diagnostic
guide
Awp
Awp and Drying Process
Drying transformer insulation is a process of
reducing Awp
Keeping oil dry at all times by on-line
dehydration is one way to maintain safety and
dryness of transformer insulation
Awp is the most critical parameter to control
drying process
Conclusions
Concept of water activity is useful for transformer
moisture management
Awp reflects harmful effects of water on dielectric
strength and risk of bubbling
Awp can be benchmarked by recording RS during
factory temperature rise test
Awp can be standardized and used as a monitoring
parameter for normal operation and dryout
Part III
Research Results
and Case Studies
Presented by
Dr. Valery Davydov
valery.davydov@eng.monash.edu.au
Centre for Power Transformer Monitoring,
Diagnostics and Life Management
Monash University, Australia
1. Sorption Curves
(Valid for New Paper-Air and New Paper-Oil Physical Complexes)
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5
Awp
W
C
P
a
,

%
0C 20C 40C 60C
80C
100C
Note: WCPa Active Water Content of Paper
Awp Water-in-Paper Activity
Study into Moisture Equilibrium
for New and Aged Paper
Salt Solution
(Humidity Generator)
T & RH Probe
Air
1 New & 1 Aged Paper
Samples (KTU, 127 127 m m)
Metal Mesh
Sealed Glass Vessel
T & RH Test Data for Paper-Air Complex
Over Salt Solution 1 and Salt Solution 2
(a)
ERH
1
=11.3%
(Awp
1
=0.113)
(b)
ERH
2
=43.2%
(Awp
2
=0.432)
0
10
20
30
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
T
,

d
e
g
.

C
0
20
40
60
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Time, days
R
H
,

%
Measure WCP at ERH
1
Measure WCP at ERH
2
Results of WCP Balance Measurements
for Aged and New Paper at Awp
1
and Awp
2
Awp
1
=0.113 Awp
2
=0.432
2
3
4
5
6
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35 0.4 0.45 0.5
Aw
W
C
P
,

%
KTU aged (DP=292)
KTU new (DP=1148)
Awp
Conclusion 1
Sorption curves relating Awp to WCP
for new and aged paper are different.
2. Paper-Oil Physical Complex: Study into
Moisture Equilibrium for New Paper and Oil
Winding Disk
1-mm Pressboard
Test Model:
Winding Disk and 1-mm Pressboard Coil
Winding Disk
1-mm Pressboard
Awp Measurement
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
20
40
60
80
100
T
,

C
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
0
20
40
60
80
R
S
,

%
hours
Awp=0.18
Note: RS Relative Saturation
Evaluation of WCPa for:
(a) Awp = 0.18; (b) Awp = 0.32
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5
Awp
W
C
P
a
,

%
0C 20C 40C 60C
80C
100C
2.7%
4%
Test at Awp = 0.32 (WCPa = 4%)
0
40
80
T
,

d
e
g

CT oil
0
50
100
150
W
C
O
,

p
p
m
WCO (WCPa=4.0%)
0
25
50
75
100
0 6 12 18 24 30 36 42 48
Time, hrs
R
S
,

%
RS (WCPa=4.0%)
Awp =0.32
Foggy Oil during Cooling at Awp = 0.32
Conclusion 2
Transformer paper-oil systems with the Water-in-
Paper Activity approaching and exceeding 0.2
(or with WCPa > 2.7%) are critical in terms of
moisture and require immediate attention.
3. Use of Awp for Assessment of
Online Dryout of 70+ y.o. 4 MVA Tx
Awp in 4 MVA Tx
Immediately Following Dryout
Cooler
Conservator
Awp 0.06
Bottom Drain Valve
Oil In
Oil Out
Distribution of Moisture in
Winding Insulation after Dryout
Conductor
Inner Layers (WCPa5%)
Outer Layer (WCPa2%)
Note: Tx operates at low temperature
Conclusion 3
During on-line dryout of transformers moisture is
removed from surfaces of insulation, reducing the
Water-in-Paper Activity to an acceptable level.
This in turn guarantees that the WCO will remain
at a safe level for several months.
4. Experience with Vegetable Oil Filled Tx
10/16 MVA
ONAF
Oil preservation: non-standard (on customers request)
Manufactured in 2005
1 year in operation
Position of Moisture Probe in Tx
during Factory Temperature Rise Test
Cooler
Conservator
Oil-Paper
System
Moisture Probe
Factory Temperature Rise Test @ 1.75 p.u.
0
20
40
60
80
100
8:02 8:16 8:31 8:45 9:00 9:14 9:28 9:43 9:57
Time of Day
T

d
e
g

C


&


W
C
O

p
p
m
0
2
4
6
8
10
R
S
,

%
T oil
RS
WCO
0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1 0.12 0.14 0.16 0.18 0.2
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
Aw
w
c
p
,

%
0
100
80
60
20
40
New Dry Tx with Mineral or Vegetable Oil
Awp
W
C
P
a
,

%
Assessment of Awp in Vegetable Oil Filled Tx
after 1 Year in Service
Cooler
Conservator
Awp = 0.014
Conclusion 4
Limited data available to date indicates that the
Awp for vegetable oil filled transformers can be
assessed in the same way as for mineral oil filled
transformers, and the critical values for Awp are
expected to be the same. Further research is in
progress.
Summary
Sorption curves relating Awp to WCP for new and aged
paper are different.
Transformer paper-oil systems with the Awp approaching
and exceeding 0.2 (or with WCPa > 2.7%) are critical in
terms of moisture and require immediate attention.
During on-line dryout of transformers moisture is removed
from surfaces of insulation, reducing the Water-in-Paper
Activity to an acceptable level. This in turn guarantees that
the WCO will remain at a safe level for several months.
Limited data available to date indicates that the Awp for
vegetable oil filled transformers can be assessed in the
same way as for mineral oil filled transformers, and the
critical values for Awp are expected to be the same. Further
research is in progress.
Questions?