Long-term Performance of Natural Ester Liquids
Alan Sbravati Roberto Ignacio
Cargill Bioindustrial Cargill Bioindustrial
Minneapolis, USA Sao Paulo, Brazil
alan_sbravati@cargill.com roberto_ignacio@cargill.com
Abstract— After testing several dozen transformers in the
factory, one of the first commercial natural ester-filled
transformers was installed in a large amusement park in 1997.
This 1500 kVA, 12.47 kV - 480/277 V transformer has remained
in service under continuous operation without any maintenance
intervention since installation. The utility responsible for the
energy supply to the amusement park adopted the natural ester
fluid in all distribution transformers in 2005 and has had great
success with its application. A sample of the insulating liquid
was provided to Cargill in 2019, after 22 years in service,
allowing a detailed screening of its properties. The results
confirmed the robustness of the natural ester, since only one
property was found to slightly exceed the limits for a new unused
liquid. All properties still are within the IEEE specification of a
new fluid filled into a new transformer (prior to energization),
far from requiring any action. This article also includes another
case of a 145kV / 11.1 MVAr shunt reactor which,
unintentionally, operated at free breathing conditions for +7
years. As expected, the continuous contact with ambient air in a
region of high average ambient temperature and moisture led to
changes of fluid properties. During a scheduled outage, a
maintenance intervention was performed, and the most
economical alternative was to replace the fluid. Nine years later,
the shunt reactor remains in continuous operation, without any
further intervention. This paper will present the remarkably
positive results of both cases, comparing normal and abnormal
aging processes of natural ester liquids after decades of
continuous operation.
Keywords—natural ester liquids, power transformers, long-
term behavior
I. INTRODUCTION
The development of alternative liquids was strongly
motivated by the banning of the use of PCB’s as insulating
liquids. Thus, mitigating the fire risk was a basic requirement.
Within the family of dielectric liquid products after PCB’s
in the 70’s, the first generation of “less flammable liquids”
was high molecular weight hydrocarbons, currently named by
ASTM as Less Flammable Hydrocarbons (LFH), whose
production and use decreased in the early 2000’s. The second
generation was synthetic ester (SE) liquid, initially developed
for use in switchgears in the early 80’s. Finally, in the early
90’s, natural ester (NE) liquids were developed as an
alternative to synthetic ester liquids, answering the SE
availability challenges, improving fire safety and offering a
more competitive price. This was the third generation of “fire
resistant” fluids and became commercially available in 1997.
A comprehensive test program, including a large number
of transformers produced and tested, paved the way for the
one of the first commercial transformers filled with a natural
ester (FR3 fluid) to be installed in 1997. It remains in
operation continuously in a large amusement park in Florida.
978-1-6654-8491-6/22/$31.00 ©2022 IEEE
Kevin Rapp Kevin Wirtz
Cargill Bioindustrial Cargill Bioindustrial
Minneapolis, USA Minneapolis, USA
kevin_rapp@cargill.com kevin_wirtz@cargill.com
As the number of distribution transformers quickly
increased, the usage in power transformers (69kV / 10MVA
and above) was triggered. First power transformers retrofilled
from mineral oil to natural ester dates back to 2001, while the
first natural ester factory filled power transformers were
produced in 2003. Some interesting cases of retrofills can be
seen in the published paper [1].
From the many thousands of power transformers already
produced using natural ester liquids, an interesting case of a
shunt reactor was chosen to be included in this article. It
illustrates the behavior of the natural ester when exposed to air
during operation for prolonged periods of time. While most
people consider oxidation to be the main concern, the real
issues are the side effects of water ingress. The use of
oxidation inhibitors in well formulated natural ester liquids
offer approximately 10 years of tolerance to free breathing
conditions without exceeding the triggering investigation
limits of the standards.
II. NATURAL ESTER LIQUIDS DEGRADATION
The main thermal degradation processes in a natural ester
liquid are mostly related to the fluid hydrolysis and oxidation,
when operating within the continuous service temperature
limits.
The oxidation process in natural ester liquids follows the
same initial steps of that in mineral oil. A difference is that due
to the presence of C=C double bonds, natural esters are more
prone to oxidation. Oxidation is not reversible but is treated
by the preferential reaction of the oxidation induced free-
radicals with stabilizing additives. The formulation of a
natural ester using oxidation inhibitors must consider that the
fluid may get exposed to ambient air during a portion of its
useful life. The investigated natural ester was formulated for
maintaining the physical and chemical parameters even if
oxidation takes place for approximately 10 years of exposure
to ambient air.
The oxidation in natural ester liquids typically starts at the
allylic position (the carbon next to the double bonds), leading
to formation of a free electron. As an alternative to forming a
peroxide, the radicals of two different molecules may
combine, forming a larger molecule. This process is called
oligomerization and results in increasing the fluid viscosity.
When occurring in a thin layer of fluid, given the limited
number of molecules and high surface area, it may lead to
polymerization. Further details are found in [2].
Hydrolysis of natural ester liquids is essentially the reverse
of the esterification reaction, as represented by the chemical
equation in Fig. 1. In the esterification, a glycerol combines
with three fatty acids to form the triglyceride and three
molecules of water. In hydrolysis, a molecule of water reacts
with an ester group, is consumed and produces one fatty acid.
The long chain fatty acids are fully soluble in the base liquid
and are only mildly acidic, even when tested at temperatures
exceeding the nameplate limits from IEEE C57.154 [3]. An
interesting assessment of the lower absorption of such acids
by the paper, not leading to the same catalytic effect on paper
degradation seen on short chain carboxylic acids can be found
in Lundgaard et al. [4] Thus, they do not have a catalytic effect
of paper degradation nor result in sludge formation.
Fig. 1. Hydrolysis reaction of natural ester molecules, generating a long
chain free fatty acid (FFA) and a diacetyl glycerol (DAG).
The combination of increased water absorption capacity of
natural ester with the hydrolysis reaction consuming the water,
enable a continuous drying of the insulation system. Excess
water migrates from the paper to the liquid, and the hydrolysis
minimizes the increase of the water content in the natural ester
liquid. Both accelerated aging tests and real-world
TABLE I. TEST RESULTS FOR SAMPLE OF FR3 FLUID FROM A FLORIDA AMUSEMENT PARK, IN CONTINUOUS OPERATION SINCE 1997 (21 YEARS).
experiences are available confirming the moisture content in
paper remains in the 0.5% - 1% range throughout transformer
life. While being highly favorable to the transformer life and
reliability, the long chain free fatty acids and the di-acetyl
glyceride (DAG’s) which are also formed have a relevant
impact in the dielectric dissipation factor and in the measured
dielectric frequency of the system, especially when
recombining with the cellulose chain through
transesterification. Further details are found in [5] and in [6].
III. FIRST NE FILLED COMMERCIAL TRANSFORMER
A natural ester filled transformer of 1500 kVA, 12.47 kV
- 480/277 V was installed in a large amusement park in Florida
in 1997. It is equipped with an air headspace. This transformer
has been in continuous operation since energization and no
treatment of the insulating liquid was ever performed.
In 2018, after 21 years in service, a one-liter sample of the
insulating liquid was provided to Cargill for analysis. Full lab
analysis was performed, and results are presented in Table I.
TABLE I.

Test Units New Fluid As received IEEE C57.147 [7] (≤69kV) / IEC 62975 [8] (<72.5kV)
(ASTM & IEC) New (prior to energization) Continuous service
Acidity (AV) mg KOH/g < 0.06 0.0635 ≤ 0.06 / 0.08 ≤0.5
Water Content ppm ≤200 164 ≤ 300 / 200 ≤ 450
Pour Point °C ≤-10 -18 n/a n/a
Viscosity, 40°C cSt <50 31.8 < 50 +10% / +15%
Viscosity, 100°C cSt <15 7.7 n/a n/a
Flash Point (COC) °C ≥ 275 299 n/a >275
Fire Point (COC) °C >300 344 >300 >300
Flash Point (PMCC) °C > 250 259 n/a >250
Breakdown Voltage kV, 2 mm gap >35 72.7 >45 >40
Breakdown Voltage kV, 2.5 mm gap >35 ≥ 75 >55 >30
DDF / tanδ, 25°C, 60 Hz % ≤ 0.20 0.5 0.5 < 3.0
DDF / tanδ, 90°C, 50 Hz - ≤ 0.05 0.0434 < 0.07 < 0.5
DDF/ tan δ, 100°C, 60 Hz % ≤ 4.0 4.0 n/a n/a
Color ASTM D1500 n/a 0.7 <1.0 ≤1.5

As seen in Table I the properties of the natural ester fluid
present very minor variation along the years of operation. All
properties still comply with the limits for a new transformer
prior to energization. In fact, there are only two properties
exceeding the limits of new unused fluid, which are acid
number (neutralization number) and Dielectric Dissipation
Factor (tan delta) at 25°C, 60Hz.
As previously mentioned, the fluid in this transformer was
never serviced or treated during the 21 years. Another 4 years
went by since the analysis of the fluid and the unit remains in
continuous operation. Analytical tests of the oil confirmed the
presence of approximately 40% of the original oxidation
inhibitor content.
IV. FREE BREATHING SHUNT REACTOR
Back in 2008, the technical team from Cargill in Brazil
was involved with a shunt reactor showing an elevated acid
value. The rate of increase of the acidity in this unit was
significantly higher than other similar units that the
transmission company had in their grid.
At first the trend was associated with the continuous
drying of the solid insulation, considering the possibility of a
slightly higher water content in the paper on the new reactor.
As the trend continued unchanged, the scavenging of water
from paper was no longer a valid explanation. Thus, further
investigation indicated a breach in the sealing system allowing
the ingress of water from the moist ambient air.
This is a three-phases shunt reactor of 11.4MVAr and
145kV voltage which was installed in the Amazon tropical
rain forest. Due to the configuration of the electric system in
the region, this reactor remains fully loaded 24/7, different
from other shunt reactors whose main loading period is only
during the night. Making matters worse, as can be seen in Fig.
2, the climatic condition of the region is described as “tropical
without dry season”. The ambient temperature is mostly
between 30°C (86°F) and 40°C (102°F) throughout the year
and a daily tropical rain.
Location of the
reactor of
Epitaciolandia/AC
Fig. 2. Köppen-Geiger climate classification in Brazil, from wikipedia.
The high loading and ambient temperatures result in high
operating temperatures. Then, during the afternoon, a tropical
rain results in a cooling effect, favoring the water ingress.
The maintenance policy of the company includes a
scheduled outage after approximately 5 years in operation, for
a few offline tests (condition-based maintenance). Due to the
high utilization of this reactor, the outage was only approved
after 7 years of operation. The lab analysis of the natural ester
liquid indicated it was continuously exposed to moist ambient
air, both due to the increase of acidity and the dissolved gas
analysis. As seen in Fig. 3, the variation of acidity of this unit
was very different from the other natural ester filled power
transformers and reactors the company had in its grid.
Fig. 3. Behavior of the acid number of different transformers and reactors
During the scheduled outage the technicians identified an
issue on the assembling of the sealing system. The rubber bag
was installed inside the conservator / expansion tank, having
the flow of air on its internal side being connected to the
ambient through a desiccant (silica gel). The flange of the
rubber bag was never properly attached to the flange of the
silica-gel piping, allowing the ambient air to flow to both the
internal and external sides of the rubber bag. This is shown in
Fig. 4. When inspecting the rubber bag, a line indicating the
level of the insulating liquid in the external side of the rubber
bag was clearly visualized, as shown in Fig. 5.
During the outage, the measurement of power factor
indicated some variation. Considering the possibility of this
supposed moisture ingress to have affected the insulation
water content, the decision was made to extend the outage and
perform an investigation of the problem and reclaim the fluid.
Fig. 4. Photo of the deviation of rubber bag flange connection, allowing air
to flow outside the bag.
Fig. 5. External view of rubber bag, showing clear “oil level” indication
The root cause has been identified at first actions: the
attachment point of the bag in the upper flange of the oil
conservator was not properly assembled, allowing free entry
of moist atmospheric air into the unit, as shown in Figure 4.
The vegetable oil immersed reactor was in a completely free
breathing condition.
The equilibrium condition of the natural ester liquid
exposed to the hot wet climate should result in a relatively
high moisture condition. However, the maximum moisture
content measured in the liquid during the seven years was 183
ppm, as shown in Fig. 6.
Assuming a conservative average oil temperature of 70°C,
the water saturation level of FR3 fluid would be about 2263
mg/kg, which results in 8.1% maximum observed relative
moisture content. Despite the existence of a silica gel
absorbent that helped reduce the moisture ingress, this level is
surprisingly low, being a very clear indication that the
moisture absorbed from the atmosphere was consumed by a
hydrolysis reaction with the natural ester liquid. The acid by-
products of hydrolysis increased the acid number, but kept the
fluid dry. As a result, the paper was also kept dry, even under
very adverse environmental conditions.
During the on-site inspection a procedure for measuring
the insulation moisture was performed. The tank was kept
under vacuum for a few hours and then under dry air (dew
point lower than -50°C) for 48 hours. The measurement of the
dew point of this air in equilibrium with the inner tank
condition is used to indicate the moisture content of the
insulation. The measured dew point of -25°C for an ambient
temperature of 31°C indicates about 0.90 to 1.05 % of
moisture in the solid insulation inside the reactor. For this critical oxidation of the natural ester. The increase of the acid
145kV unit, this moisture content is close to the requirements number, as a result of the moisture ingress, was much faster
for new equipment. than the possible oxidation caused by the continuous contact
with ambient air. The quantity of oxidation inhibitor was not
measured, but the recommendation was to test and determine
if replenishment is required.
V. CONCLUSION
This paper highlights two very different cases: the
excellent stability of the natural ester in a small transformer
after over two decades of continuous normal operation and the
fluid robustness even when exposed to abnormal conditions.
The first case represents the ideal condition, it is a real-
world case, where the transformer is exposed to ambient and
to the disturbances of the network. The excellent condition of
the fluid confirms its long-term performance.
Fig. 6. Evolution of moisture content along the years, showing values lower
than expected. The second case shows a different perspective of the
natural esters, behaving almost as a sacrificial element in favor
This is the most important aspect of this case study, since of the preservation of the solid insulation. The continuous
it confirms that natural ester liquid, despite having a very high drying effect was not reduced by the exposure to a moist
availability of moisture from the ambient, continued to ambient. The measurement of the moisture in the insulation
maintain the lower moisture condition of the paper. Instead of by the dew point test confirms that the paper insulation was
equilibrium between paper and the dielectric fluid, in this case, protected by the natural ester liquid.
the equilibrium was paper-fluid-ambient. The fluid was
strongly affected, as the variation of the acid number shows. The absence of signs of oxidation in the first case was the
However, the ambient moisture did not reach the solid expected behavior, regardless of the air headspace. The minor
insulation, which was in fact drier than would be expected in signals of oxidation in the second case, showing that the most
a heavily loaded mineral oil unit. relevant degradation was a consequence of the hydrolysis,
also confirm that the oxidation stability of a natural ester does
TABLE II. FLUID PROPERTIES BEFORE THE MAINTENANCE INTERVENTION not represent any limitation to its use. Instead, taking in
consideration that hydrolysis is also a relevant degradation
Test Units Before the Continuous mode for synthetic ester liquids, it reinforces the position of
intervention service
Cargill technical group, not recommending the use of esters in
Acidity (AV) mg KOH/g 0.99 ≤0.5 free breathing units. Both for the natural and for the synthetic
Water Content ppm 183 ≤ 350 ester liquids, the fluid oxidation will not be the limiting factor.
Viscosity, 40°C cSt +4.7% + 15%
Viscosity, 100°C cSt +0.2% n/a VI. REFERENCES
Breakdown Voltage kV, 2.5 mm 96.6 >40
DDF , 25°C, 60 Hz % 3.71 < 3.0
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Color ASTM D1500 0.5 ≤1.5 as a Result of Retrofilling with Natural Ester Fluid," in IEEE PES
T&D, Orlando, FL, 2012.
The properties of the natural ester liquids are listed in
Table II. The only values exceeding the continuous service [2] Cargill Technical Documentation, "R2080 - Thin Film Oxidation".
limits as per IEC 62975 [8] are the acidity and the DDF. [3] IEEE C57.154, "IEEE Standard for the Design, Testing, and
Application of Liquid-Immersed Distribution, Power, and Regulating
Transformers Using High-Temperature Insulation Systems and
Operating at Elevated Temperatures," Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers, Inc, New York, USA, 2012.
[4] L. E. Lundgaard, W. Hansen and S. Ingebrigtsen, "Ageing of Mineral
Oil impregnated Cellulose by Acid Catalysis," IEEE Transactions on
Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 540-546, April
2008.
[5] K. Rapp, C. P. McShane and J. Luksich, "Interaction Mechanisms of
Natural Ester Dielectric Fluid and Kraft Paper," in IEEE/DEIS 15th
International Conference on Dielectric Liquids, Coimbra, Portugal,
June 26-July 1, 2005.
[6] A. Lemm, K. Rapp and J. Luksich, "Effect of Natural Ester (Vegetable
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[7] IEEE C57.147, "IEEE Guide for Acceptance and Maintenance of
Natural Ester Fluids in Transformers," Institute of Electrical and
Fig. 7. Kinematic viscosity at 40°C and 100°C of the natural ester liquid Electronics Engineers, Inc, New York, USA, 2008.
during 7 years of field service in the 145 kV reactor
[8] IEC 62975 Ed 1.0, "Natural esters - Guidelines for maintenance and
use in electrical equipment," International Electrotechnical
Fig. 7 shows a slight increase in viscosity at 40°C, but is Committee.
not seen at 100°C. This increase is not enough to indicate a