Gas Insulated Transformers

(GITs)
Study of the design and applications of SF6 insulated Power Transformers

October2013
ByTimHolman

forthesubject
PowerSystemsOperationandProtection
UniversityofTechnologySydney
UTSStudent:10447720

Introduction
Power transformers have been used since the beginning of commercial power distribution in the late 1800s. They
stepup and stepdown voltages (andinversely, the magnitude of currentswhenpowerin=power out),toallowthe
efficient transmission of power, by reducing losses caused by high currents in long conductors. The first
transformers were of wood construction, air insulated and had very low current ratings. As power requirements
increased, transformers were constructed with their windings mountedinsidesealedtanks, fullofinsulatingoil.This
general design conceptallowed for better cooling and higher voltageratings,andhasremainedinplaceforover100
years. In the past 30 years, the use of gas as a dielectric,has emerged as a safer andmoreenvironmentallyfriendly
replacement for oil. This report looks at Sulfur Hexafluoride(SF6) as a dielectric, current designs, reasons for
implementationandthefuturetrendsofGasInsulatedTransformers(GIT).

Overview of transformer designs

Designs
Currently, most transformers used in the power distribution industry are filled with mineral oil, as it has the unique
properties of being both an electrical insulator and a thermal conductor. This allows for the efficient cooling of the
transformer core and windings, while maintaining sufficient dielectric strength to operate at high voltages.Oilhasa
much higher specific heat capacity of air, allowing heat to be transferred away from the transformer internals to a
coolingequipment.
Traditional oil insulated transformers have two designs, the first being hermetically sealedwithnoabilitytoventas
pressure changes, the other design contains a breather to expel and draw air into the transformer when theinternal
pressure changes. The ability for a transformer to breath makes the tank design easier, as the requirements to
containpressure changes,especiallyduringinternalfaults,is
removed. The need to contain the movement of oil as
pressure changes, ensuring the oil is always above the
internal components, as well as ensuring air that is drawn
back into the transformer does not contain moisture creates
additional design problems. These problems are overcome
with a oil conservator above the transformer that contains
the excess oil. The conservator has a breather tube
containing a moisture absorbing material, such as silica gel,
thatremoves moisturefromtheairthatisdrawn backintothe
transformer when the pressure and hence oil level in the
conservator drops. Gas transformers do not need
conservators, because gas is a compressible material,sothe
increase in pressure only makes the gas have a higher
density, and does not put undue stress on the transformer
tank.
Figure1Typicaloiltransformerdesign
Tap changers are an additional consideration in the design oftransformers,andonloadtapchangers normallyused
for voltage regulation, are operated many times every day. Dueto themechanicalnatureofchangingtapsincluding
moving parts and electrical switching, tap changers are common points of failureandneedregularmaintenance.For
this reason, on load tap changers have traditionally been modular to allow easy access for maintenance and fast
replacement. OnLoad tap changers (OLTCs) are separate from the main tank, so a GITcanusevacuuminterrupters

for the switching of taps. Coupled with make before break switching, vacuum interrupter style tap changers on
GITseffectivelyremoveallarcing,increasingmaintenanceperiodsandreducingfailurerates.

Transformer Types
Power transformer design principles are common across many types of similar electrical equipment, and for the
purpose of this report, Gas Insulated Transformers includes autotransformers,phase shifting transformers, shunt
andseriesreactors,measurementtransformers(CTsandVTs),earthingtransformersandregulatingtransformers
Autotransformers have one winding and have an adjustable stepdown output where taps are taken off the
commonwinding.
Phase Shifting Transformers adjust the phase angle of power flowingthrough the transformer, used to correct
powerfactororadjustrealpowerflow.Theycanalsoincorporatestepuporstepdownfunctionality.
Reactors apply an inductive reactance eitherin series to limit fault current, or as a shunt reactorto adjust power
factor,primarilytolimitthevoltageincreaseduetotheferrantieffectwhentransmissionlinesarelightlyloaded.
Measurement Transformers also known as instrument transformers, include current transformers and voltage
transformers (using either traditional magnetic, or capacitive voltage dividing principles). These are used for
protection,telemeteringorrevenuemetering.
Earthing Transformers use a zigzagwindingto forma neutralpointofthreephasesystems. Thiscreatesaneutral
reference when delta winding transformersareused,andcanbeusedtoincreasezerosequenceimpedancetoreduce
earthfaultlevels.
Regulating Transformers rated input and output voltage is the same, but winding taps slightly buck or boost
voltage in order to regulate voltage. Normally used at the end of long lines to counterthe ferranti effect or voltage
dropduetoiRlosses,orwherevoltageneedstobetightlyregulated.
The transformers explained above, all use common power transformer design principles and have recently been
designedasgasinsulatedtransformers,whereenvironmentalorsafetyconsiderationswerearequirement.

Transformer Ratings
Cooling
The cooling of oil transformers is executed by the flow of oilthrough the core, with heat then dissipated as the oil
travels through external radiator fins or tubes. Oilcanflowbynaturalconvection,ordirectedbyoilpumps.Theheat
dissipation from the external cooling fins can also be by air flow due to natural convection, or forcing air flow by
using fans. The combination of these cooling methods, results in four differentscenarios and leadsto thestandard
fourcommonratingsoflargepowertransformers.
1. OilNatural,AirNatural(ONAN)
2. OilNatural,AirForced(ONAF)
3. OilDirectedAirNatural(ODAN)
4. OilDirected,AirForced(ODAF)
These ratings range from the lowest using only convection for oiland air movement, to the highest rating, with oil
pumps and fans in operation. These ratings are given for each transformer to cater for scenarios where cooling
equipmentmaybeoutofservice,orundermaintenance.
Shorttimeratings

Additionalratings are given for short timelengths suchasmaintenanceperiods,whereothertransformerswithinthe

same substation are taken out of service. These short time ratings take advantage of the inherently large thermal
inertia transformers have due to their size and mass. A typical50MVA132kV/11kVtransformermaytake24hoursto
reachitsmaximumtemperatureatafixedcurrent.
Emergenciesratings
Emergencies ratings can be used during extreme events to maintain electrical supply when more than one other
transformer in the same substation is taken out ofservice,normallyasaresultofaprotectiontrip.This ratingallows
for an increase in current, for less than 4 hours, while another transformer is being reenergised. The temperatures
experienced at these ratings does a small amount of permanent damage to the internal insulation, thusreducing the
lifespan of the transformer. For this reason, emergency ratings are used only several times during the life of the
transformer.
AmbientTemperatures
The ambient air temperatureandradiantsolarheatappliedto
the transformer also affect its rating, asanincreaseinthese
variables, reduces the ability for the transformer, and its
cooling apparatus to dissipate heat. Its is common to give
transformer different seasonal ratings, as can be seen in
Figure2.
Figure2Typicaloiltransformercurrentratings

GIT Cooling and ratings

Gas insulated transformers require more elaborate cooling arrangements than oil transformers, due to the lower
thermal mass of sulfur hexafluoride. The gas does not conduct or store heat as well as oil, so powerful blowers are
needed to circulate the gas through the transformer, to remove heat from the core and winding. Often GITs are
installed inside buildings or underground (these situations necessitate the use of non oil transformers), creating
additional difficulty inremovingheatfromtheinstallation.Forthis
reason, heat exchangers are used totransfertheheatfromthegas
to a closed loop water system, which can then dissipate the heat
outside the building. Astemperature increases,thedensityofSF6
increases, improving it's ability to cool the transformer internals.
Gas, instead of oil in transformers, has similar cooling methods
and the ratings of a GIT can be seen below to have similar
propertiesandvariablestooiltransformers.

Figure3TypicalGITcurrentratings
Protection
Gas Insulated transformers utilise the same electrical sensing protection such as overcurrent, earth fault, and
differential, however the mechanical sensing protection isdifferent.Standardtransformerprotectionusesabuchholz
relay to detect an oil surge (due to an internal fault), and low oil/gas accumulation (due to a slow breakdown of
insulation). Without a conservator and the liquid properties of oil, an alternative to a buchholz relay is to use
pressure sensitive relaystodetectoverpressure,causedbyaninternalfault,andunderpressure,todetectagasleak.
The properties of SF6 mean that no chemical reaction occurs when internal insulation breaks down, so there is no
equivalent of gas accumulation detection in GITs. Having a lower thermalmassthanoil alsomeansthattemperature
measurement of the gas is not a true indication of internal temperatures in the transformer. For this reason,
temperatures sensors are required at hot points on the winding, to alert the operator of high temperatures, and trip
the transformer if too hot. These sensors are normally optic fibretemperature sensors, connected to a unit outside
thetransformertank.Thenumberofofexitpointsforcablingshouldbelimited,toreducethechancesofgasleaks.

Sulfur hexafluoride - An insulating gas

Chemical properties
The sulfur hexafluoridemolecularstructureismade up of6fluorineatomsconnectedtoasinglecentralsulfuratom.It
is an odourless, colourless, nonflammable, inert gas which has a dielectric strength 3 times that of air. These
properties make it an ideal insulation medium for use in all electrical equipment including switchgear, cables and
transformers. SF6 is 5 times heavier than air, andthishigh densitymeansthatthegasflowsinasimilarway toliquid
and has a high thermal mass compared with other gases such as airandnitrogen.Thehigherthegasispressurised,
the more dense it becomes, and both the breakdown voltage and cooling capacity increase proportionally.Thetwo
commonpressuresusedare[3]:
Lowpressuredesign(0.13MPa)
justaboveatmosphericpressure
providestheabilitytodetectleaksduetopressuredrop
stopingressofairandmoisture
simpletankdesignandmaintenancefree
Highpressuredesign(0.4MPa)
approximatelythepressureofabiketyre(60psi)
increasesdielectricstrengthandcoolingproperties
requiresmorecomplexseals/gaskets,andastrongertransformertank
compliance with pressure vessel standards andregulations,whichmayrequireroutineinspections
andmaintenance.

Environmental effects
SF6 isthe mostpotentgreenhousegas,withaglobalwarmingpotential22800timesworsethancarbondioxideovera
100 year period, and 32600times worse over 500 years.[5] Atpresent,SF6isestimatedtoaccountfor0.01%ofglobal
warming, however, at current trends it is estimated to increase to 0.1%within100years.This isduetoitsverylong
atmosphericlifetime,ofupto3200years.[6]

Safety
SF6 is not considered toxic to humans, although in large quantities it can displace oxygen and therefore cause
asphyxiation. This is especially true, when workers may bein areas below SF6 filled equipment, such asbasements
and cable pits, becausethegas isheavyandcansettle inlowareas.Inthiscase,it isimportanttoutiliseportablegas
detectors when working in gas insulated substations and there is a chance of asphyxiation. When SF6 is
superheated, such as during arcing, it can also decompose into lower forms of SF5, SF4 and highly toxic S2F10.
Although it normally recombines to form SF6 when it iscooled, it is still important to take care when removingSF6
from equipment. It is also important toensure that there is no moisture present in SF6 insulated equipment, as the
additionofH2Omoleculescancreateothertoxicandcorrosivesubstancesduringarcing.

GITs - Pros and Cons

Advantages of Gas Insulated Transformers
The biggest advantage of gasinsulated transformersisthereductionoffirerisk, asthegas isnotflammable,andthe
transformer is not explosive. This is important, because during a fault,theuncontrolledenergyrelease,oftenresults

in explosions and the ignition of flammable materials in the transformer. Oil transformers have caused many large
fires,whicharedifficulttoextinguishbecauseofthehighheatand plentyoffuel.Figure4below showsanexampleof
a recent such a fire in Surry Hills, Sydney, on 28 September 2013. The transformer was a small 11kV/415V 1000kVA
suburban oil filled transformer, though it took Fire and Rescue NSW over 3 hours to extinguish the fire that was
about500Cdestroyingnearbycarsandbuildings.

Figure4Oiltransformerfire,28September2013,SurryHills,Sydney
Larger oil transformer fires can take days to fully extinguish and cool. The SF6 in GITs is nonflammable and also
starves the fire of oxygen if fire ruptures the transformer tank. Apart from being nonflammable, using gas as a
dielectric also reduces the chance of an explosion caused by an internal fault. Oil is aliquid,andthereforedoesnot
compress during a fault, transferring theenergytotheexternaltransformertank.Gasabsorbsthepressurewavefrom
internal faults and reduces stress on the transformer tank, reducingthe chance of an explosion. AlthoughSF6 is a
greenhouse gas, it does not damage the immediate environment if its leaks, and there is no requirement for oil
retention, bunding or oilseparators for drainage. Without the need for an oil conservator, GITs are lower in height
andweighless,butnormallyhaveaslightlylargerfootprint.
Most chemicals including air and oil, break down when exposed to arcing, and when SF6 breaks down,itsfluorine
atoms disassociate fromthemolecule,creatingSF5orSF4.Whenthegascools,thefluorinereassociatesimmediately
to reform SF6, therefore itisselfhealing.Thisisthereasonits criticalthatnomoisture(H2O) oroxygenispresent,
reforming SF6 can bind with oxygen and hydrogen atoms to create harmful byproducts. Gas insulated transformers
make an ideal replacement of dry type transformers (that are normally used to reduce fire risk) as they are smaller,
quieterandcreatelesselectromagneticinterference.

Disadvantages of Gas Insulated Transformers

Gas Insulated transformers are more expensive, however, this cost difference may balance out overthe life of the
transformer, as maintenance is cheaper and less often. EnvironmentalregulationsongreenhousegassesrequireSF6
to be handled carefully, and recycled where possible. This can create additional installation and repair costs,
depending on local laws. A GIT requires complex cooling due to SF6 low thermal conductivity, and generally the
cooling system (blowers, heat exchangers etc.) needs redundancy to ensure that a small equipment failure or
maintenancedoesnotdramaticallyreducethetransformerrating.

GITs - Use in Sydney

With the above advantages and disadvantages taken into account, GITsarebecomingthedesignofchoiceinbuilt
up areas and environmentally sensitive areas. Having a large concentrated population, Hong Kong has been using
GITs since 1981 and now has over 4600 in service[6]. Sydney hasonlymorerecently adoptedGITsfor transmission,
and has not yet commissionedanyfordistribution.Thefollowingcasestudieslookatthecurrentandfuturetrendof
gasinsulatedtransformersinSydney.

Transgrid - Haymarket Substation

The first, and so far the only fully gas insulated substation in Sydney, was commissioned in 2003 to cater for
increasing loads in Sydney's central business district. The substation is a 330/132 kV transmission substation,
located in the busy Haymarket are, between a pedestrian walkway, ABC television studio and University of
Technology Sydney. To achieve the desired 750MVA rating for the Haymarket substation, three 400MVA
transformers were required to cater for times when one transformer wouldbeoutofservice.Dueto thebuiltuparea,
theentiresubstationisgasinsulated,includingswitchgear,transformersanda120MVArshuntreactor.[7]

Figure5Haymarkettransmissionsubstationlocation,Sydney
Toshiba supplied the transformers, which were the largest GITs in the world when commissioned. Theyhaveareof
the high pressure type and operate at 0.43MPa, making them pressurevesselsthatneedtocomplywithregulations,
therefore requiring routine inspections. For reliability, the cooling system is common to all of the transformers, so
when atransformer isoutofservice,theothertransformerscanutiliseadditionalcooling,allowingthemtocarrymore
current.

Ausgrid - City South

Ausgrid is Sydneys electricity supplier, and around 2005 they identified that the City South Zone transformers
needed replacing, and the current oil insulated transformers were a fire risk to the 24levelsofofficesbuiltontopof
the substation. Initial investigations andatrialinstallationofvegetableoil(asopposedtomineraloil)wascompleted
in 2007, as thiswasproventoreducethefirerisk.Theinstallationrequiredonlinemonitoringoftheoilcondition,and
didnot remove the fire risk, so it was decided to replace allfourtransformerswithGITs.Thefirst andcurrentlyonly
132kV/11kV transformers in Sydney were commissioned between 2010 and2013.Theinstallationofeachtransformer
could only happen between Summer andWinter,astheloadsduringpeakseasonsweretoohightoreliablymaintain
supply.

Transformers in the future

Dry type transformers are still the choice for most electricity distributors for low voltage distribution transformers,
where oil can not be used. Sydneys requirements arethat any transformer that is not on or belowgroundlevel(ie.
any transformer in upper level substations) is required tobe oilfree. Currently Ausgrid has around 100 upper level
substations with 2 or 3 dry type transformers in each. It is most likely that within the next 5 years, gas insulated
distribution transformers will be used instead. The european union has banned the useof SF6 for all applications
except in high voltage equipment, due to its global warming potential[7]. It is possible that the requirements of
transporting, handling and recycling SF6 may become financially prohibitive. Octafluorocyclobutane is a possible
replacement for SF6. Its molecule is made up of fluorine and carbonatoms,removingtheriskofcreatingpoisonous
sulfur based gases during arcing. It is more dense than SF6 and has a higher dielectric strength 3.6 times the
breakdown voltage of air (as opposed to 3.0). It is also has a lower global warming potential (GWP) of 10 300 (as
opposedto22800forSF6.[2]
It isclear from this report that gas insulated transformers have many benefits and will slowlyreplacemoststylesof
transformers in the future. It is possible that SF6 may not be used, however, an equivalentgaswillperforminmuch
thesamewayassulfurhexafluoride.

References
[1]en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfur_hexafluoride,accessed1November2013
[2]K.Toda,StructuralFeaturesofGasInsulatedTransformers,ToshibaCoroporation,2002
[3]YShirasaka,HMurakami,YEbisawa,TKobayashi,LowFireRiskTransformerFluidsSiliconebasedFluidsand
SF6Gas,CIGRETransformerConference,March2008
[4]N.Amano,DesignConceptforUrbanSubstations:StateoftheartGasInsulatedTransformers(CIGRE
ELECTRAConferencePapers,No.215,August2004,pages814)
[6]Solomon,S.,D.Qin,M.Manning,Z.Chen,M.Marquis,K.B.Averyt,M.TignorandH.L.Miller,Contributionof
WorkingGroupItotheFourthAssessmentReportoftheIntergovernmentalPanelonClimateChange,Cambridge
UniversityPress2007
[5]ConstantineT.Dervos&PanayotaVassiliou(2000)SulfurHexafluoride(SF6):GlobalEnvironmentalEffectsand
ToxicByproductFormation,JournaloftheAir&WasteManagementAssociation,50:1,137141
[6]L.Chan,20YearsOperatingExperienceofGasInsulatedTransformer,TheHongkongElectricCo.2002
[7]G.M.EbbandG.S.Spence,GasInsulatedTransformersforHaymarketSubstation,Transgrid,2002
[8]http://www.euractiv.com/sustainability/climatemepsgivegasbillgreenboost/article145749,
accessed3November2013
I would alsoliketoacknowledgetheengineersfromAusgridand Transgridforaccesstoknowledge,informationand
presentationslides.