POWER TRANSFORMERS

Dejan Susa on behalf of SINTEF Electric Power Technology Department

dejan.susa@sintef.no
SINTEF Energy Research 1
Transformer design Insulation
Liquid, Air
Solid
Stresses
Thermal
Dielectric
Mechanical

Electrical Breakdown

SINTEF Energy Research 2

Insulation Degradation: Remaining lifetime
1 1
EA
DPNOW DPEND
Re mainingLife e RT
A

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Transformer Life Parameters

Load Current
Top-Oil Temp.

Hot-Spot Temp.

H2O

Ambient Temp.
DGA Bottom-Oil Temp.

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Characteristic Temperatures
Relative Position H x gr

Top Oil Tank

Top Oil-Winding Hot-Spot

gr

HV winding
LV winding

Cooler
Average Winding

Core
Average Oil

Bottom Oil-
Winding

Temperature
Ambient rise

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IEC 60076-2: Temperature rises

Temperature rise limits

Requirements for
K
Top liquid 60
Average winding (by winding resistance variation):
ON.. and OF.. cooling methods
OD.. cooling method 65
70
Hot-spot winding 78

Temperature limits are based on expected lifetime

Ambient temperatures Correction of

C temperature
rise
monthly
yearly average maximum
average K *
20 30 40 0
25 35 45 5
30 40 50 10
35 45 55 15
* Referred to the values given in Table 1.

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HEAT RUN TEST
The heat run test, i.e. temperature rise test, is the type test carried out to verify the
guaranteed temperature rises for oil and windings

It is also used to reveal the possible overheated locations inside and outside windings due
to high stray fields for the high powers

In addition, as indicated above, the temperature rises obtained during a heat-run test are
used for estimating transformer loading capability by application of the relevant thermal
models

During a heat run test the following temperatures could be directly measured:
Ambient temperature
Top-oil temperature
Bottom-oil temperature
Hot-spot temperature, hottest winding temperature (if fiber optic sensors are installed)

There are two methods used for performing the heat run test:
short circuit
back-to-back

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Hot-Spot Temperature Direct Measurements

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Transient state: Hot-spot and Top-oil Temperatures

= H gr Ky fhs-oil(t)

Hot-spot temperature
Hot-spot to top-oil gradient

Top-oil temp.
Top-oil rise over ambient =(Top-oil rise)r [(1+RK2)/(1+R)]x foil(t)

Ambient Temperature Ambient Temperature

foil(t)=f1(t)=(1-e-t/(k11o,r)) fhs-oil(t)=f2(t)=k21[1-e-t/(k22w,r)]-(k21-1) [1-e-t/(o/k22)]

k21
f1(t) f2(t)

oil
TIME TIME

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Recommended thermal characteristics for exponential
equations

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10
 Hot-Spot Temperature:400 MVA ONAF UNIT/120 kV WDG

IEC 76-7: New and Active Guide Measured

100
90
80
70
Temperature, degC

60
50
IEC 354: OLD GUIDE
40
30
20
10
0
0 100 200 300
Time, min

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IEC 60076-7 versus IEC 354
oil 1. Oil pocket
oil,ss 2. CT
3. Heating element
1
4. Matching Resistance
oil
2 TIME

3,4
3
-IEC 354 -IEC 76-7
1

TIME TIME
4

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Oil Viscosity Effect on Power Transformer Thermal
Performance: New Oils

-IEC 76-7

TIME

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Transformer Oils:
Mineral Oil- Natural Ester Synthetic Ester

Viscosity-temperature
relationship is not strictly
Arrhenius type

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Transformer Oils

Ester

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Accelerated Ageing Testing

1 1

DP DPEND DPSTART lnk
k
t

0 t t 1/T

Ageing rate of paper:

EA

k A e RT

1 1
EA
DPNOW DPEND
Re mainingLife e RT
A

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A and E Parameters

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Moisture in Paper
Equilibrium Charts

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Pictures Paper Sampler Rig

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Paper Sampler Rig - schematic

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Characteristic Ageing Parameters

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Application
1000 ? 200
DP scale
Year 2011 ?
Age scale
New Now End
Condition scale

Load History Load Forecast

Temperature Temperature
A:Contamination A:Contamination Forecast
Moisture, LMA Moisture, LMA
Age EA:Process Forecast
EA:Process Material
Material

1 1
E
A 1
1

DPNOW A e RT
t DPNOW DPEND EA

DPSTART Re mainingLife e RT
A
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Example:Eidsiva Anlegg AS; Gjvik T1
1

Top-Oil Temperature=40 degC E
Moisture in Paper=1.5% (Equilibrium Curves) A 1
Production Year: 1986 DPNOW A e RT t


DPSTART=1000
DPEND=200 DPSTART

1 1
EA
DPNOW DPEND
Re mainingLife e RT
A

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Example: Loss of Life (IEC 60076-7)
Relative Aging Rate due to Hot-Spot Temperature (V):

Non-thermally Upgraded Paper

V 2 ( h 98) / 6
15000 15000
Thermally Upgraded Paper ( )
110 273 h 273
V e
The relative ageing rate V = 1,0 corresponds to a temperature of 98 C for non-thermally
upgraded paper and to 110 C for thermally upgraded paper:

Loss-of-Life (L)

Over certain period: L=Vnxtn, where n(1,N)

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Loss of Life Example
Load Steps of the Transformer Hot Spot Temperature Calculation
Load Profile Hot-Spot Temperature Profile
2,50 250

Temperature, degC
Hot Spot Temp (Deg C)
2,00 200
factor, K
Load Factor

1,50 150

1,00 100
Load

0,50 50

0,00 0
0 4 8 12 16 20 24 0 4 8 12 16 20 24

Time, hours
Tim e (hours) Time,
Tim hours
e (hours)

Dry Loss
andofClean
Life Calculation
IEC 76-7
100
90
of life, days

80
Loss of Life (days)

70
60
50
40
30
Loss

20
10
0
0 4 8 12 16 20 24
Time, hours
Tim e (hours)

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Monitoring Gasses Limited gas range monitor
Hydrogen, H2 (100%)
DGA Ethylene, C2H4 (8 %)
Acetylene, C2H2 (1.5)
Carbon Monoxide, CO(18%)

Complete gas range monitor

Hydrogen, H2
Methane, CH4
Ethane, C2H6
Ethylene*, C2H4
Acetylene*, C2H2
Carbon Monoxide, CO
Carbon Dioxide, CO2
Oxygen, O2
Nitrogen, N2

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Typical gasses generated:
IN CASE OF TRACKING DISCHARGE IN WET INSULATION

Low energy electrical discharge: Hydrogen H2, Methane CH4

IN CASE OF CORE CIRCULATION CURRENTS

Circulation currents in the core: Ethylene C2H4, Methane CH4 and Hydrogen H2

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Typical gasses generated:
IN CASE OF OVERHEATED CONNECTION

Local hot-spots: CO and Ethylene C2H4, Methane CH

IN CASE OF WINDING OVERHEATING

Thermal degradation of insulating paper: CO

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