2008 International Conference on Condition Monitoring and Diagnosis, Beijing, China, April 21-24, 2008

Fault Gas Generation in Ester based Transformer Fluids and Dissolved Gas Analysis (DGA)
Imadullah Khan1, Zhongdong Wang*1, Jie Dai1, Ian Cotton1 and Susan Northcote2
1

School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Manchester, M60 1QD, UK 2 TJ/H2b Analytical Services Ltd., Chester, CH1 6ES, UK *E-mail: zhongdong.wang@manchester.ac.uk

Abstract--Environmental concern, safety and sustainability of oil supply are the driving forces behind research into alternative dielectric fluids to mineral oil. Natural and synthetic esters, as the alternative fluids, need to be assessed under thermal and electrical fault conditions, and their performance and likely impact on the established diagnostic techniques need to be identified. In this respect, dissolved gas analysis (DGA) and online DGA monitoring play a vital role for mineral oil filled transformers, and they are the techniques examined in this paper. Tests were designed to produce electric faults in ester fluids in a sealed vessel. Both the headspace gas and dissolved gas in oil results were used to calculate the generated fault gas amount. Although DGA readings were lower than mineral oil, Envirotemp FR3 generated significant amount of free gases, allowing easy detection of a fault by use of a Buchholz alarm or similar. Midel 7131 was the most stable fluid in terms of gas generation during these tests. With improved fluid circulation, the response time of HYDRAN 201R was identified to be the same as with esters as with mineral oil. Index Terms--Condition Monitoring, DGA, Esters based Fluids, Electrical Faults and Power Transformers.

I. INTRODUCTION n recent years there has been an increase in the use of environmental-friendly fluids such as synthetic esters and natural esters in place of mineral oil. Ester fluids are readily biodegradable according to the OECD 301 series of tests [1]. The use of esters has been particularly prevalent in transformers at distribution voltage level [2], although their use has started to extend to transmission voltage level [3]. Experience has shown that most of the internal faults in a transformer can be detected through oil analysis [4-5]. Under electrical and thermal stresses, a variety of gases, combustible and non-combustible, are generated in transformers as a result of dielectric fluid degradation. These generated gases dissolve in the dielectric fluid and DGA is an effective and reliable tool to detect incipient faults in oil immersed transformers [4-7]. Among the total of nine dissolved gases usually measured, six gases are combustible. Of the six combustible gases, four are
The authors wish to thank AREVA T&D, EdF Energy, M&I Materials, National Grid, Scottish Power, TJ|H2b analytical services and United Utilities for their financial and technical support to form the research consortium on Alternative fluids for large power transformers at The University of Manchester. The authors are grateful to the help given by Mr. Michael Webb from MW Test Equipment for supplying the HYDRAN 201R.

the primary indicator for a specific fault type (such as H2 for corona type of discharge, C2H2 for arcing, CO for overheating cellulose and C2H4 for overheating oil [4-7]). These gases are indicative of developing faults in a transformer and their early detection can trigger the necessary action in order to prevent costly failures. Since the mid-seventies on-line condition monitoring instruments [8] have been used worldwide by leading electric power utilities as essential elements in their maintenance programs to help alerting personnel to developing fault conditions. The approach that HYDRAN 201R uses to measuring dissolved combustible gas is that transformer oil passes through a membrane where H2, CO, C2H2, C2H4 permeate and the passed gases then chemically burn in what is essentially a fuel cell to create an electric current. This current, being proportional to the gas content of the oil, is then measured to give readings as a composite value of gases in ppm. The relative sensitivity of HYDRAN 201R for the key gases are shown in Table I-1. The dissolved gas in oil measurement range is from 0-2000 ppm (H2 equivalent), for which the sensor accuracy and combined gas detection precision is 10% of reading / 25 ppm. The typical response time is 10 minutes for 90 % of step change [8-10]. Table I-1
KEY GASES FOR SPECIFIC FAULT TYPE AND HYDRAN 201R RELATIVE SENSITIVITY Key gas Fault type HYDRAN relative sensitivity (% of concentration) 100 18 3 82 1.5 0.5

H2 CO C2H2 C2H4

Corona (Low energy discharge) Overheating of Cellulose Arcing (High energy discharge) Overheating of oil

In our previous research [3,5,7], it was concluded that mineral oil and esters generate the same types of gases for a specific fault type and DGA fingerprints are similar in esters to mineral oil. The HYDRAN 201R type was also tested to verify its performance under an electric fault condition with ester transformer fluids. However, the previous study was limited in terms of experimental restrictions such as virtually no oil circulation oil at room temperature, high viscosity and different sampling points for the HYDRAN 201R and

978-1-4244-1622-6/08/$25.00 2008 IEEE

measurements taken for standard laboratory DGA [5]. Operational transformers under load, work at a higher than ambient temperature, which helps to reduce the viscosity of dielectric fluids, and the HYDRAN 201R is installed at the passage of oil circulation, caused by either natural or forced oil flow. This paper described an improved test facility for verifying fault gas generation and dissolved gases in ester fluids as compared with mineral oil. Better oil circulation was achieved. After an electric fault condition was generated, fault gas generation was calculated using headspace gas analysis and dissolved gas in oil. HYDRAN 201R readings were compared with laboratory DGA results and the HYDRAN 201R response time re-calibrated between esters and mineral oil. II. TEST CONDITIONS

B. Oil pre-processing New oil was dried at 85C under vacuum overnight in laboratory under a verified scheme which ensures all the three oils have a water content less than 10% relative humidity (RH). It was then pumped via soft tubing through the bottom valve to fill the test vessel. The valve on the top of the vessel remained open during the oil filling and once the above mentioned volume was filled the valve was then turned off. It is understood that although dried and residual particles left with the new oil through manufacturing and transporting procedures will remain and could affect the breakdown voltages. C. Electric test setup A 220V/40kV 8kVA 50Hz test transformer was used as the voltage source throughout the experiment. Oil gap breakdowns were achieved by using a point electrode connected to the HV source leaving an oil gap distance of 10mm above the grounded plate electrode. An over-current relay set at 3A limit at the low voltage side of the test transformer was to control the energy during electric faults, and it operates within a maximum time of 20ms after the formation of an arc. Three breakdowns of the 10mm oil gap were made in each type of fluid with one minute standing time after each breakdown. The voltage was manually controlled with a rising speed of about 1 kV/s. The whole process took about 5 minutes per fluid type. The timing of the HYDRAN 201R response was taken to be from the last breakdown. Three different types of dielectric fluid were under investigation in this paper: a mineral oil Nynas Nytro 10GBN, a synthetic ester - Midel 7131 and a natural ester Envirotemp FR3. The breakdown voltages for the 10 mm oil gap varied from 34kV to 43kV, Table II-1, and no significant difference was found among the breakdown voltage values of the three types of fluid. Table II-1
BREAKDOWN VOLTAGES AND THEIR AVERAGES (KV) FOR MINERAL OIL AND ESTERS Breakdowns 1 Mineral oil (kV) 41.2 40.4 43.0 42 MIDEL 7131 (kV) 35.7 41.4 39.7 39 FR3 (kV) 33.8 35.6 37.5 36

A. Test vessel and HYDRAN 201R connection Figure II-1 shows the test vessel arrangement. The seal of the test vessel was improved in comparison to previous tests by clamping it air- tight with washer rings and bolts. The HYDRAN 201R sensor was directly connected to one side of the vessel without any extra piping. For forced oil circulation, a pump set at 100 RPM was connected between the bottom oil sampling valve and the headspace gas sampling valve.

Figure 1: Schematic of the test vessel and HYDRAN mounting position

2 3 Average

The volumetric capacity of the test vessel is 1.86 litres, of which 1.5 litres is occupied by oil to leave a head space of 0.36 litres above the oil surface for the accumulation of the generated fault gases. When a fault occurs, gases travel upwards to the headspace to become free gases and at the same time dissolve themselves into oil. Multiple samples were obtained simultaneously from different positions including sampling from the headspace, the external port on HYDRAN 201R and the bottom valve of the test vessel. The HYDRAN 201R port can be closed with 5/32 inch Allen screw [10] and is designed for access by a glass syringe with three way stop cock.

In considering the energy levels during the breakdown, the breakdown voltage level, the power follow-through current and the relay operation time, E =

v(t )i(t )dt , would affect

0

the arc energy which dominates the gas generation. It is a reasonable assumption that comparable energy levels were produced in different fluids during breakdown tests, unless the molecule structure, the thermal characteristics of oils has a significant effect on arcing. Small gas bubbles were observed after each breakdown,

traveling to the headspace in all cases. Therefore it is suggested that a significant amount of gases generated during an electric fault would be maintained in the headspace. As the equilibrium between the fault gases in the head space and those dissolved in the oil volume takes some time to reach, the HYDRAN 201R sensor actually reads the amount of gases already dissolved in the oil at that time as opposed to the total amount of gases being generated. Since the mechanical impact produced by arcing was relatively strong, some of the small gas bubbles generated from the oil breakdown were pushed 5 to 8 cm sideways from the centre. D. Sampling Averages of two samples from the each measurement position were used for dissolved gas analysis. 2 gas samples were taken from the headspace at the time immediately after three breakdowns. At the same time 2 oil samples were taken from the bottom valve and 2 oil samples from the HYDRAN 201R membrane port. This helps the understanding of the dissolved gas concentrations at different positions in a transformer. After some time when the HYDRAN 201R showed the maximum reading, 2 oil samples were further received from the membrane port for the laboratory DGA, and finally after 24 hours, 2 more oil samples were received from the port. In total, 10 samples were received for a single tested dielectric fluid, including 8 oil samples and 2 gas samples. III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS As mention earlier, the average breakdown voltages for the 10 mm oil gap varied from 36 kV to 42 kV in the point-toplane electrode configuration. Immediately after three breakdowns, the HYDRAN 201R readings were recorded at every minute until the maximum reading reached; meanwhile 2 gas samples were received from the top valve via syringes which were connected air-tight to the valve through soft tubing. Oil samples were also received from the bottom and the HYDRAN 201R port. At the end of 24-hour oil circulation, a HYDRAN 201R reading was also taken. A. Total generated fault gases Each DGA result was derived by averaging the results of the two samples. To calibrate the measurements, dissolved gases in the untested pre-processed control oil samples were used as the benchmark for all other tested oil samples, as shown in Table III-1. Table III-1
DGA RESULTS (IN PPM) OF CONTROL SAMPLES Oil Mineral oil MIDEL 7131 FR3 H2 0 2 0 CH4 0 0 0 C2H6 0 0 0 C2H4 0 1 0 C2H2 0 0 0 CO 1 5 2

combustible gases in the headspace are noted as `HS`, those from the bottom valve are noted as `B`, and those from the HYDRAN 201R membrane port are noted as `P`. In all cases, the gas and oil samples were received at the same time to see the distribution of the free/dissolved combustible gases at different positions. Table III-2
GAS IN HEADSPACE AND OIL DGA (IN PPM) FROM DIFFERENT POSITIONS OIL MINERAL SAMPLE HS B P HS B P HS B P H2 8 24 148 8 3 103 2152 0 139 CH4 2 4 33 9 1 7 105 1 9 C2H6 0 1 7 1 1 2 5 0 1 C2H4 0 8 69 5 1 23 179 2 38 C2H2 0 38 336 15 1 106 723 8 174 CO 4 3 5 18 8 37 533 4 28

MIDEL 7131 FR3

As well known by DGA laboratories, measurement with low concentrations are always treated with cautions. Since the procedure in terms of sampling, sample storing and measuring will influence the final readings. In interpretation of the results, low ppm value e.g. 0 to 100ppm can be regarded as the same. Figure II-1 shows the volume distribution of the oil and the headspace within the test vessel. The headspace volume V1 is 0.36 litres. The volume of oil is split into 4 sections V2, V3, V4 and V5, V2, V3 and V4 are the same, 0.34 litres each and V5, marked as the red dotted line window, is 0.48 litres. Assuming the same concentration of gases in V2, V3 and V5 is as P and in V4 is as B in Table III-2, the total generated gases in the entire system is then calculated according to the following equations, Equation A
Total combustible gases (ml) (TCG) = [Bottom oil sample (ppm)* V4 + Port oil samples (ppm)* (V2+V3+V5) + Headspace sample (ppm)* V1] *1E-6

Equation B,
Total dissolved combustible gases (ml) (TDCG) = [Bottom oil sample (ppm)* V4 + Port oil samples (ppm)* (V2+V3+V5)] *1E-6

Table III-2 shows the free and dissolved combustible gas results for various oil samples sampled from different positions of the test vessel, using Toepler vacuum extraction and gas chromatographic analysis techniques. The free

Table III-3 shows the total (free + dissolved) combustible fault gases (TCG) generated in the samples. It indicates that MIDEL 7131 generated the least amount of gases, whereas Envirotemp FR3 generates the most. Most of the gases generated in Envirotemp FR3 stay in the headspace as the free gas relative to the dissolved gases. The dissolved gases in Envirotemp FR3 are also less relative to mineral oil. In terms of the total dissolved combustible gases (TDCG), mineral oil has the highest ppm value relative to Envirotemp FR3 and MIDEL 7131. Particularly notable is that the primary indicator of arcing C2H2 is doubled in mineral oil in comparison to Envirotemp FR3 and is tripled in comparison to MIDEL 7131. The notations for the samples as shown in Table III-4 are `P-Max` referring to the reading

taken when the HYDRAN 201R had reached the highest indication and `P-24` for the measurement taken 24 hours. From Table III-3, it is concluded that Envirotemp FR3 generates more gases but less of them are dissolved into the fluid as compared to mineral oil. Table III-3
(A) TOTAL GENERATED COMBUSTIBLE GASES (ML) Gas H2 CH4 C2H6 C2H4 C2H2 CO TCG Mineral oil (ml) 0.2 0.04 0.008 0.08 0.4 0.008 0.74 MIDEL 7131 (ml) 0.12 0.012 0.002 0.03 0.13 0.052 0.35 FR3 (ml) 0.9 0.05 0.003 0.1 0.5 0.2 1.8

Table III-5
HYDRAN 201R READINGS (IN PPM) WITH RESPECT TO TIME Time, t (min) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Mineral 2 15 30 52 70 78 93 110 126 140 152 161 167 176 186 200 215 226 MIDEL 7131 2 2 3 5 10 15 23 30 36 42 47 51 54 57 59 61 63 64 FR3 2 2 5 8 15 23 30 37 38 45 61 65 76 90 101 103 108 113

(B) TOTAL DISSOLVED COMBUSTIBLE GASES (ML) Gas H2 CH4 C2H6 C2H4 C2H2 CO TDCG Mineral oil (ml) 0.18 0.04 0.008 0.08 0.4 0.007 0.72 MIDEL 7131 (ml) 0.12 0.008 0.0018 0.027 0.12 0.045 0.33 FR3 (ml) 0.16 0.01 0.001 0.045 0.2 0.034 0.46

(The starting time, t=0, is the time immediately after the 3rd breakdown)

Table III-4
DGA IN OIL (IN PPM) SAMPLED AT DIFFERENT TIME Oil Sample P Mineral oil PMax P24 P MIDEL 7131 PMax P24 P FR3 PMax P24 H2 148 103 52 103 52 29 139 82 0 CH4 33 42 21 7 14 8 9 8 2 C2H6 7 9 3 2 3 2 1 2 2 C2H4 69 100 32 23 53 23 38 34 9 C2H2 336 563 121 106 270 151 174 152 52 CO 5 4 11 37 56 49 28 25 8

Hydrogen and other combustible gases can diffuse through the porous membrane and oxidize on a gas permeable platinum electrode to create an electric current (standard 0-1 mA). This current is then measured and is proportional to the gas contents of oil as shown below, PPM = 2000 x mA. The relative sensitivity of the monitor to other gases is shown in Table I-1.
Expected HYDRAN 201R reading in ppm = 100% H2 + 15% CO + 8% C2H2 +1% C2H4 from the laboratory DGA results

Table III-6
HYDRAN 201R READINGS IN COMPARISON WITH EXPECTED VALUE
CALCULATED FROM LABORATORY BASED DGA RESULTS

Oil Mineral MIDEL 7131 FR3

B. Comparison of actual and expected HYDRAN 201R readings After receiving the gas and oil samples which usually took less than 10 minutes, oil circulation immediately started. The corresponding HYDRAN 201R reading at the circulation starting time for different oils are highlighted in red and italic in Table III-5. Table III-6 shows the actual ppm reading of HYDRAN 201R in comparison to the calculated ppm reading using Table I-1 and laboratory based DGA results. The expected HYDRAN 201R reading is calculated as below,

HYDRAN, ppm Expected Actual Expected Actual Expected Actual

P 176 15 117 5 158 23

P Max 150 236 83 71 98 103

P 24 64 69 49 41 5 12

The expected and actual ppm values of HYDRAN 201R for all the oils are generally in conformity as shown in Table III-6 except that there is discrepancy at the initial stage P when HYDRAN 201R has a certain delay in response to dissolved gases in oil. C. Response time of HYDRAN 201R Table III-5 and Figure III-1 show the data of HYDRAN 201R reading and the trend in terms of HYDRAN 201R response time. Figure III-1 clearly indicates that the response time for mineral oil and esters are the same, with the only difference at

the magnitude of readings. At 20 minutes time all types of fluids reach to their maximum readings i.e. the maximum HYDRAN 201R reading for mineral oil was 226 ppm, whereas the maximum ppm value for Envirotemp FR3 and MIDEL 7131 was a half and onefourth in respect to that for mineral oil. After 20 minutes, the ppm value starts to decrease from its peak value for all cases of fluid, indicating that continuous fluid circulation helps to re-distribute the gases evenly in the fluid and also the equilibrium state between the fluid and the headspace, as shown in Figure III-2.
250
Mineral oil MIDEL 7131 FR3 Linear (Mineral oil) Linear (MIDEL 7131) Linear (FR3)

membrane port. V. ACKNOWLEDGMENT The authors particularly appreciate the help given from Ian James, Alan Darwin, Paul Dyer, Russell Martin, James ONeil, Paul Jarman, Peter Docherty, Dave Walker, John Noakes and Tony Byrne for providing invaluable expertise and technical guidance towards the project. VI. REFERENCES
[1] [2] [3] OECD-301, "OECD guideline for testing of chemicals," Adopted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Council, 1992. K. Rapp and P. Stenborg, "Field analysis of Envirotemp FR3 fluid in sealed versus free-breathing transformers," Dielectric fluids engineering report CP0414, Cooper Power Systems, 2004. D. Martin, I.U. Khan, J. Dai, and Z.D. Wang, "An overview of the suitability of vegetable oil dielectrics for use in large power transformers," the 5th Annual Euro TechCon Chester, United Kingdom, 2006. IEEE-Std-C57.104-1991, "IEEE guide for the interpretation of gases generated in oil-immersed transformers," Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineer, 1992. J. Dai, I.U. Khan, Z.D. Wang, and I. Cotton, "Comparison of HYDRAN and laboratory DGA results for electrical faults in ester transformer fluids," in Annual Report IEEE Conference on Electrical Insulation and Dielectric Phenomena (CEIDP), VANCOUVER BC, CANADA, 2007, pp. 731-734. IEC60599, "Mineral oil-impregnated electrical equipment in serviceGuide to the interpretation of dissolved and free gases analysis," 1999. I. U. Khan, Z. Wang, I. Cotton, and S. Northcote, "Dissolved gas analysis of alternative fluids for power transformers," Electrical Insulation Magazine, IEEE, vol. 23, pp. 5-14, 2007. T. Cargol, "An Overview of online oil monitoring technologies" Fourth Annual Weidmann - ACTI Technical Conference, San Antonio, 2005. Belanger and et al, "Apparatus for detecting and measuring the Hydrogen content in a liquid substance," United States Patent 4,271,474, United States Patent and Trademark Office, Washington DC, USA, 1981. General Electric Company, "GE energy management - HYDRAN 201R model i online monitoring of transformer key-fault gases," GE Syprotec Inc - www.gepower.com.

226

200

150
ppm 113

100

50

64

[4] [5]

0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
minutes

Figure 2 : HYDRAN 201R readings with time until the maximum reading

[6]
250
Mineral oil MIDEL 7131

[7] [8] [9]

200

FR3

150
ppm

100

50

[10]

0 0 200 400 600 800

Time (min)

1000

1200

1400

Figure 3: Response of HYDRAN 201R with time for 24 hours

IV. CONCLUSIONS A comparative study on how DGA and HYDRAN 201R online monitoring techniques can be used with esters and mineral oil when subjected to an electric fault has been presented. When compared to mineral oil, Envirotemp FR3 generates significantly higher amounts of fault gases but less readily absorbs these gases into the fluid as dissolved gases. MIDEL 7131 generates the lowest amount of fault gases. The response time of HYDRAN 201R to dissolved gases in mineral oil and esters are the same when a good oil circulation is provided, although the amount of the reading is different owing to the relative amounts of gas generated during the fault. The HYDRAN 201R reading is in agreement with the DGA results obtained by oil sampling from HYDRAN 201R