Stability of Environmental Friendly Fluids under

Electrical and Thermal Stresses

L. Loiselle, I. Fofana, J. C. Olivares-Galvan and E. Campero

Canada Research Chair, tier 2, on Insulating Liquids and Depart. de Energia, Universidad Autonoma
Mixed Dielectrics for Electrotechnology, Université du Metropolitana, Ciudad de Mexico, D.F., Mexico
Québec à Chicoutimi, 555, Boulevard de l’Université,
G7H 2B1, Chicoutimi, Qc, Canada

Abstract— Knowing that insulating fluid is a weak link in a packages consisting of chemicals to reduce the pour point and
composite or impregnated dielectric system with reference to aid in oxygen stability, and, in some cases they have an
both dielectric strength and ease of contamination, many antimicrobial agent or copper deactivators [4]. This contrasts
investigators have devoted great efforts to investigate various with mineral oil which has either no additives or merely
fluids. Increasing demand for environmentally friendly oxidation inhibitors. The need to extend the use of these
materials in the industry have driven the research and “renewably sourced” biodegradable and/or vegetable oils to
development efforts of natural/synthetic esters and less- HV power transformers is still appealing. This extrapolation
flammable fluids. It is the object of this study to investigate poses an interesting engineering challenge for transformer
design, manufacture and operation [5].
the stability under electrical and thermal stresses of various
insulating fluids. Comparisons are made to the quality test Even though significant differences exist between natural
results of mineral oil, as this is something we are all familiar esters and typical mineral oils, certain tests such as aniline
with. The gassing performance characteristics of natural ester point and interfacial tension may not have as much
fluids are far superior to those of conventional mineral oils. applicability for natural esters as mineral oils [4]. Since gas
evolvement deteriorates the dielectric properties of insulating
Keywords- Environmentally friendly fluids, thermal Stress, fluid, its ability to resist decomposition under electrical
Electrical Stress, dissolved decay products, Turbidity, Interfacial discharge /thermal stress is of paramount importance for the
Tension. safety of power transformers under operating conditions. In
I. INTRODUCTION this paper, the ability of various fluids to resist decomposition
under electrical and thermal stresses is investigated.
Power transformers are critical, highly loaded and Transformer Oil was included in the test matrix to provide a
expensive part of the electricity generation and distribution base line to which the other liquids could be compared.
network. In these expensive equipments, large quantities of
fluids are used, with a two-fold function: to insulate II. THE INVESTIGATED FLUIDS
electrically and to dissipate the heat generated by the windings Table 1 presents some of the technical data for the
[1]. In these last decades, the growing demands for improved investigated liquids.
fire safety, source material sustainability, environment
friendliness, and asset life extension have raised interest for TABLE I. SELECTED PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS
OF THE INVESTIGATED FLUIDS, PROVIDED BY MANUFACTURERS.
natural/synthetic esters, less-flammable fluids [2, 3].
Oil* NE SE
Esters are a broad class of organic compounds synthesized Dissipation factor - -
from organic acids and alcohols. The two main categories are @ 60Hz, 100°C, D924 <0.1
synthetic and natural esters [2 - 5]. @ 50Hz, 90°C, CEI60247 <0.008
Breakdown voltage (kV),
Synthetic esters, most commonly polyol (pentaerythritol) D877 50
are generally limited to traction, distribution and mobile CEI 60156 < 75 < 75
transformers and other special applications especially where a Gassing tendency (µL/min), D 2300B +12 - -
high fire point is required due to their high costs compared to Water content (ppm), D 1533 20 - 50
Interfacial tension (dynes/cm @ 49 - -
other less-flammable fluids [2]. Natural ester (vegetable oil) 25°C), D 971
dielectric fluid is finding growing interest for application in Total Acid Number, D974 <0.01 <0.03
liquid filled power equipments. Attractive sources of natural Viscosity (cSt @ 40°C ), D 445 8.31 37 28
esters are edible seed-based oils [3]. Seed oils esters Color, D 1500 < 0.5 Pale yellow 125
susceptibility to oxidation has been a primary obstacle to their Flash point (°C), D 92 150 327 260
Pour point (°C), D 97 -60 -31 -60
utilization as dielectric fluid. However, suitable fluid additives
*The data are mean values of the investigated oils.
and minor design modifications compensate for their
characteristic. Many natural esters therefore contain additive

978-1-4673-0487-0/12/$31.00 ©2012 IEEE 483

Naphtenic-based mineral based oils, natural and synthetic ester
fluids were considered in these investigations. The properties
of esters or silicones fluids cannot be correlated directly to that
of a mineral oil as their chemistries are very different.
However, some tests used to evaluate mineral oil are generally
used to evaluate ester fluids [4].
III. STABILITY UNDER ELECTRIC STRESS
Basically, the gassing of an insulating fluid under electrical
discharge depends on the chemical composition of the fluid,
electric field stress, temperature and time [5]. The amount of
gases evolved under the impact of electrical stress by a sample
of fluid was accurately measurable by using the ASTM Test
Method D6180 [6], which simulate conditions close to real life
conditions. A Merell-based test cell type, defined in the
ASTM Test Method D6180, was used (Figure 1). The free
electrons are generated by a cylindrical copper electrode 15
mm (0.6 inches) in diameter and 10 mm long sealed in a 500
ml Erlenmeyer glass. The electrode is placed in the center of
the discharge cell and suspended above the oil. An oil volume
of 100 ml (instead of 50 ml specified in the ASTM D6180) of
oil was used to perform the tests. As oil generates gas, the
remaining volume of liquid reduces as well. Doubling the
volume of oil sample provides sufficient quantity for extended
period testing.
Before applying the voltage, the discharge cell was
vacuumed down to 1 Torr (133 Pa). After vacuum degassing,
insulating fluid specimen was subjected to high voltage
discharge of 10 kV for an extended period up to 150 h. The
pressure increases inside the discharge cell was recorded to
assess the amount of evolved gasses.
Figure 1. Discharge cell according to ASTM Designation D6180 [18].
The dynamics of gassing are monitored during the test and
summarized in Figure 2. The data reported was obtained from
a collective of two tests for each fluid. This allows verifying
the repeatability of the testing method.
The pressure increases inside the discharge cell indicates
the amount of gases evolved due to the primary decomposition
of un-stable molecules. Various fluids properties such as the
Dielectric Dissipation Factor (DDF) [7], at 100°C, the
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Dissolved Decay Products (DDP) [8], Turbidity [9] and
Interfacial Tension (IFT) [10], were measured before and after
voltage application to assess the deleterious impact of the
discharge.
Figure 2. Insulating fluid samples gassing diagrams.
The Dielectric Dissipation Factor measurements were
performed with the Insulation Diagnostic Analyzer IDA200
[11] using the liquid test cell type 2903 for liquid insulants
manufactured by Tettex. This test cell, equipped with guard
rings, were designed in accordance with the specifications of
VDE (Verband Deutsh Elektrotechnik) 0303, 0370 and the
recommendations of CIGRE, IEC and ISO, as well as with
ASTM standards. A ratio turbidimetric optical system is used
to measure the turbidity of insulating fluids relative to
turbidity standards. The dissolved decay products were
determined by a scanning spectrophotometer [8], while the
IFT by DuNouy ring tensiometer.
There is a direct relation between certain molecules in the
fluid and the gas absorption of the fluid. It is a well known fact
that aromatic molecules affect gassing properties of any fluid.
For gas absorption, high aromatic content is desirable. The
aromatics react in the same way as in the hydrogenation
process [12] in general absorbing hydrogen by saturating
aromatic structures. Obviously, the gassing tendency of
natural esters is much lower than that of synthetic esters and
mineral oils. Natural esters are known to be gas absorbing oils
whereas synthetic ester is gas evolving. This is well-known
fact as emphasized in [12]. According to these authors,
gassing tendency of vegetable fluids, are generally better than
mineral oils. This can be traced to fact that the former are
chemically better defined and more uniform, while mineral
oils always contain various admixtures, and if they are
excessively refined they may even lose traces of unsaturated
particles that are actually desirable. This low gassing tendency
of natural esters is most likely due to the amount of
unsaturated, non-aromatic molecules as compared to mineral
oils [4, 5].
Determining the DDF at 0.1 Hz and 100°C, DDP, IFT and
Turbidity of the fluid samples before the stability tests (new
oil), and comparing them with those obtained after exposure to
electrical stress (Figures 3-6), allow assessing the outcome of
random secondary chemical reactions between large fluid born secondary chemical reactions between the broken hydrocarbon
free radicals. chains. This observation is not obvious for synthetic esters
which are more polar and have a larger solubility against
sludge [13].

Figure 3. Turbidity of the insulating fluid samples after exposure to electrical

discharge.
Figure 6. DDF of the insulating fluid samples at 0.1 Hz and 100°C, after
exposure to electrical discharge.

IV. STABILITY UNDER THERMAL STRESS

Thermal stress is one of the main factors that can seriously
affect the dependability of some fluids and affect the lifetime
of transformers. Even during normal operation, gases can be
generated by overheating due to overloaded operation.
The thermal stress application was simulated using the
experimental set up in Figure 7.
1 2
4 5
A

120 V
60 Hz V 6

A 3
Figure 4. DDP of the insulating fluid samples after exposure to electrical
discharge.

11 10
9

1. Auto-transformer 7. Clamps
2. Curent transformer 8. Funnel
3. Measuring transformer 9. Heating element
4. to Argon 5,6 vessel 10. Test vessel
5 Sampling for gas Chromatography 11. Equalising vessel
6. Measuring pipette
Figure 7. Experimental set up for local overheating of the insulating fluid
samples.
Figure 5. Turbidity of the insulating fluid samples after exposure to electrical
discharge. It consists of a Borosilicate-glass vessel and a Teflon-cover
From the results reported in Figures 3-6, it can be observed with clamps to hold the heating wire. The heating wire is made
that the value of DDP after stability test increases because the of constantan, the characteristics of which can be found in
large amounts of free radicals generated by the gassing of oil. [14]. The temperature around the heating wire was assumed to
At the same time the turbidity goes also up due to the be constant and measured with a NiCrNi-temperature sensor.

485
The heating current is supplied from a high current
transformer while the temperature of the wire was regulated
by an ampere meter connected to the primary and secondary
circuits. A funnel-shaped aluminum device over the heating
wire allows the generated gases to go directly to a burette
where they can be measured. By measuring the voltage and
current, the average temperature can be calculated. This test
set up allows the local controlled heating of the liquid to over
500°C [14]. The volume of gas generated was measured with a
measuring pipette with accuracy close to 0.1 millilitres. Theses
liquids were taken new (out of the bottle) and then heated
(aged) for 30 minutes under a constant current of 20 A rms.
The temperature reached value close around 250°C. The total
amount of gas generated was then recorded and current
application stopped to allow the temperature in the fluid
sample settle down to room temperature (24°C). The current
was applied again and the generated gas volume recorded.
This sequence was repeated 12 times and the results reported
in Figure 8.
Figure 7. Experimental results of gassing under thermal stress.
As it can be observed, mineral oils and ester fluids depict
different behaviour. While decay products do contribute to
gassing of oils, ester fluids depict a decreasing gassing
tendency. This might be traced to the flash point that is much
higher for esters combined with their larger solubility against
sludge and/or negative gassing tendency.
V. CONCLUSIONS
In this contribution, a study to evaluate the stability to
thermal and electrical stresses of commercially available
insulating fluids was undertaken. Whilst the D6180 stability
test accurately measures the gases evolved, it also reveals the
side effects of gassing due to the secondary chemical reactions
between broken molecules. Fast, and inexpensive laboratory
testing procedures, developed by ASTM (D 6802, D971 and D
6181) have been used to monitor decay products as trace
impurities.
The results indicate that the gassing tendency of natural
esters is much lower than that of the other fluids. The gassing
mechanism follows an exponential curve for every liquid
except natural ester. This may be explained by the fact that
there are more weak bonds to break in the beginning of the
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process. As far as the process goes on, there is less easy
breakable bonds to break and it will required more energy to
perform the same process.
Concerning the thermal stress, it can be seen that esters are
far more superior to regular mineral oils. The minerals oils
depict an increasing gassing tendency. On the contrary, the
gassing tendencies of esters are decreasing. The non
conventional fluids seem to be more stable under thermal
stress in comparison to conventional oil. This is probably
related to the flash point that is much higher for esters
combined with their larger solubility against sludge. This is
not to say that natural esters are superior to mineral
oils/synthetic fluid. Each Fluid type has its advantages and
disadvantages and must be fitted to the application. No
significant differences between the synthetic ester and mineral
oil were observed.
VI. REFERENCES
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Transformer," 23 pages, In Natural Gas Research Progress, Editors:
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[8] ASTM Designation 6802 - 10, Test Method for Determination of the
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[10] ASTM Designation 971 - 04, Standard Test Method for Interfacial
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[12] B. Pahlavanpour and M. Elkund, “Gassing properties of insulating
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