A magazine from Nynas on refining your business with naphthenic oils

3-2012 www.nynas.com

Science & nature

Green
is the new black

power transformers
which one are you?

Regulating

Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen

CSR

Astronaut or cowboy

column

The war of currents

CSR has gone mainstream. Many stakeholders have an interest in corporate sustainability performance.
Celesa Horvath

The tide is turning in favour of direct current

editorial Per Dahlstedt

The world is a better place today

The only thing constant in the world is change. Over the past 50 years, we have seen tremendous development all over the world regarding child mortality (its gone down), increased life expectancy and reduced poverty. And while we have a long way to go, we are nevertheless in the midst of a significant process in which the world is becoming more equal for everyone, in terms of possibilities to develop. And that, we can all agree, is change we can be proud of. The electrification of the world is a clear reflection of this positive and on-going development. Electricity creates the means to develop, and high-voltage, direct current power systems in particular make electricity available for a significant part of the worlds population. In this issue you will see how Nynas contributes to that development by providing qualitative insulating oils for the electricity sector. This issue also features many other specialty oils that are used in various applications that are helping to positively change the world we share. Even though the news is rife with conflicts and crisis, the world has never been as peaceful and healthy as it is today. Of course, there is There is still a lot of still a lot of work to be done. For our work to be done. part, Nynas will continue to develop specialty oils that positively contribute to the development of society and humanity.

Per Dahlstedt Vice President Nynas Head of Naphthenics

6
CSR is here to stay.

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Photo: anders g warne

contents

3-2012
4. Notes from Nynas 5. Singapore sales
Read the latest news about Nynas.  eet Georgina Ng, Nynas sales M administrator in Singapore.

10
Nynas oils are used in Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen's test labs in Regensburg, Germany.

9. Copper expertise 10. Power meet

 lashes of lightning at German F Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen.

These bio-organic inhibitors can be used today.

Martina Levin

 artina Levin combines her Nynas job with M preparations for a doctorate.

12. Focus on HDVC

 n in-depth look at HDVC, A high-voltage direct current.

Naphthenics Magazine is a freely distributed market magazine published by Nynas AB. address: Nynas AB, PO Box 10701, S-121 29 Stockholm, Sweden telephone: +46 8 602 12 00 website: www.nynas.com editor-in-chief: Per Dahlstedt, Nynas AB project manager: Staffan Ceder, Nynas AB, staffan.ceder@nynas.com editorial advisory board, nynas ab: Per Dahlstedt, Hans stlin, Jean-Marie Toullat, Marika Rangstedt, Gunnar Stang, Staffan Ceder naphthenics magazine is produced by Appelberg Publishing Group AB, Stockholm, Sweden managing editor: Charlotte Meynert art director and design: Magdalena Taubert contributing editor: Hannah Kirsebom printing: tta.45, Solna, Sweden. Naphthenics Magazine is published three times a year in eight editions Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. It is printed on Arctic Volume White, which is an FSC-certified paper. Reproduction only by permission of Nynas AB Corporate Communications. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors or persons interviewed and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors or Nynas AB.

nynas.com 3

Photo: mathias bergeld

Photo: Peter Jnsson

6. Profit from CSR

 he importance of CSR is growing. It can help T a company's brand image both with the public and its employees.

notes from Nynas

Nynas insulates you

Did you know?

New Marketing Director

focuses on

growth
Dr Valentina Serra Holm has been appointed Marketing Director for Nynas Naphthenics. Serra Holm succeeds Jean-Marie Toullat, who will take on a role as Senior Advisor at Nynas. This is obviously a great opportunity and challenge for me personally. I see a continued focus on growth for Nynas and I will continue to reinforce the strengths that make us unique today. Our high degree of specialisation, local presence and personal approach coupled with a high degree of technical knowledge. Serra Holm, who joined Nynas in 2001, takes on the responsibility with vast experience in the specialty oil market. With a PhD in chemical reaction engineering from Abo Akademi, Finland, and a PhD in chemical plants from Polytechnic of Turin, Italy, she has the knowledge and the proven drive to take Nynas further.

when doing watersports. Nynas naphthenic oils help to keep you warm even in cold waters.
Wet and dry suits used when diving, surfing, wakeboarding and so forth are commonly based on the polymer polychloroprene, sometimes also called neoprene after one of the first trade names for the polymer. To soften the rubber a quite polar plasticiser is required. Also accounting for health and safety aspects, the choice becomes quite limited. However, naphthenic oil has a long history of use in this application, sometimes in combination with other plasticising agents such as factice (polymerised vegetable oil), a choice that is both non-toxic and beneficial in terms of technical performance.

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10

photo: getty images

of Nynas employees are involved in technical research and development.

Per Wiklund, new Research

Manager at Nynas R&D: An evolving world will also need specialty oils made for new purposes and from new raw materials. We are here to meet the scientific challenges facing us and our customers today and in the future.

photo: nils-petter nilsson

Rich wildlife
A regular visitor to the Nynas Gothenburg refinery is Swedens oldest ringed raven. The 19-year-old bird returns to the refinery every year and nests behind the crude oil tanks. This year five younglings were hatched. Obviously its not only Nynas employees who enjoy the refinery environment.

Georgina Ng
text: Hannah Kirsebom photo: Mathias Bergeld

meet

A passion for problemsolving

As a sales administrator in Singapore, Geor-

I enjoy the contact with the customers. Georgina Ng

gina Ng spends much of her time supporting the sales managers and sales consultants on customers queries. That includes processing purchase orders and ensuring on-time delivery to customers sites. Ngs customers operate in the Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar and Bangladesh. She also handles internal sales for Indonesia and China. I enjoy the contact with the customers, she says. Most of them are good-humoured, reasonable and cordial. Some of my customers are truly fantastic. Efficient tools and systems are crucial for Ng and her colleagues, along with a passion for problem-solving. I feel a great satisfaction whenever I can solve my customers problems, says Ng. I also try to be proactive and offer alternative solutions if I cant comply with 100 percent of a request. When asked to describe the Nynas way of working and serving the customers, Ng answers: Treating customers wholeheartedly with respect, and genuinely helping them to solve their problems is my definition of the Nynas way. As an employee, I like the smalloffice concept with minimal hierarchy. There isnt any red tape when it comes to execution of plans and decisions.

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cover Sustainability

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cover Sustainability

The trend
is sustainable
text: David Wiles illustration: Istockphoto & GettyImages

Companies around the world are coming round to the realisation that conducting their operations in way that is economically, socially and environmentally sustainable can be good for business.

nly a decade ago, corporate social responsibility (CSR) or corporate sustainability which addresses how companies manage their economic, social and environmental impacts, as well as their relationships with their stakeholders was a rare topic of conversation in company boardrooms. For many today it is a regular item on the corporate agenda.

based in Alberta, Canada. When I began working with this over a decade ago, clients main concerns were whether investors were talking about it, and why they should do anything about it. Now there is much broader recognition that there are many stakeholders that have an interest in corporate sustainability performance.
The growing importance of CSR is partly due to a growing awareness among the public at large of CSR issues the conditions for workers in the factories where products are made, for example and partly due to new technologies, Horvath says. Anyone with a smartphone or computer can quickly find and share information about pretty much any corporation, she says. Now in an instant any kind of noncompliance or bad behaviour will be documented and communicated globally. This instantaneous transparency has forced corporations to consider their corporate

A recent report by MIT Sloan Management Review and the Boston Consulting Group found that 70 percent of companies have placed corporate sustainability permanently on the management agenda. More than two-thirds say that their organisations commitment to sustainability has increased in the past year and that they plan to increase it further. CSR has gone mainstream, says Celesa Horvath, a sustainability and corporate responsibility consultant

The difference between risk and opportunity is often one of perception.

Celesa Horvath

nynas.com 7

cover Sustainability

The role that good corporate responsibility performance plays in attracting and retaining and motivating employees is known, but it is more difficult to quantify.

&
sustainability as a megatrend, something that it is worth addressing today because waiting until tomorrow might be more costly, says Haanaes. Within that megatrend, Horvath identifies a number of other trends such as the growing importance of employees as a stakeholder group, and social media being used more by both companies and stakeholders to drive these issues. We have also seen a tremendous growth over the past decade in the number of companies issuing sustainability reports, she says. That growth will continue, but we will also see the emergence of more real-time reporting. So instead of waiting for an annual report for 2012 coming out sometime in mid-2013, you can go onto a companys website and look at how they are performing right now. These trends are consistent with a shift in how companies view corporate responsibility, says Horvath. The difference between risk and opportunity is often one of perception, she says. Savvy corporations see beyond the challenges posed by CSR and sustainability to the potential value they can create for themselves and their stakeholders.

Celesa Horvath

CSR at home and abroad

For Nynas, corporate social responsibility is a way of life.

responsibility performance much more seriously. Along with this push from the outside is also a pull from the inside. I think companies believe in corporate sustainability because they see positive outcomes from it, says Knut Haanaes, head of the Boston Consulting Groups global sustainability practice and coauthor of the report. Driving sustainability strategies is very much linked to being more efficient in your value chain, reducing waste, being more efficient in your use of resources, recycling and so on. It is about good management practices.
Being a good citizen can help bolster

a companys brand image both with the public and with its employees. The role that good corporate responsibility performance plays in attracting and retaining and motivating employees is known, but it is more difficult to quantify, says Horvath. Interestingly, the MIT Sloan Management Review report found that many companies are increasing their commitment to corporate sustainability initiatives despite the current economic turmoil. Companies identify corporate

From supporting the Swedish Sea Rescue Society to being a good citizen in the communities where it operates, Nynas takes corporate social responsibility seriously. We are rather small for an oil company, so we dont have a special department working with CSR or even a CSR heading on our website, says Hans stlin, Communications Director at Nynas. But thinking about the environment and the local communities in which we operate comes naturally to us and is very important. In Sweden, Nynas provides the Swedish Sea Rescue Society with both training and funding. Thanks to Nynas, 26 of the organisations rescue stations along the Swedish coast are now equipped with environmental rescue tows that allow fast response to environmental accidents at sea. stlin says that because Nynas is a big player in the areas in which it has operations, the company strives to inform and build good relations with municipalities. Other Nynas CSR activities include research into the health effects of the companys products and an open day at its main Swedish refinery to which stakeholders, including the local community, are invited. A clean-up programme around the Nynas refinery in Nynshamn is another part of the companys long-term commitment to the local community and the environment.

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portrait of a scientist

Martina Levin
text: Hannah Kirsebom photo: Peter Jnsson

Corrosion suppression
When you read this, Martina Levin will have already defended her dissertation, put on the doctoral hat and taken off to the Seychelles to celebrate earning her PhD. But early in September, she is still busy balancing her job at the Nynas R&D department in Nynshamn, Sweden, with studies and preparations at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. My dissertation describes the process of copper corroding in oil, Levin says. I have focused on different inhibitors, additives that restrain or suppress the corrosion. Many inhibitors are toxic, but Levin found two nontoxic, bio-organic substances that work as inhibitors. These bio-organic inhibitors can be used today, meaning that her research can have an immediate result. Says Levin, It was particularly interesting to see how differently the inhibitors worked in oil compared with water. Some of those efficient in water had no impact whatsoever in oil. Combining her job at the Nynas R&D department with preparations for her doctorate has kept Levin busy, but she is glad that it was possible. The fact that Nynas encouraged me to study for a doctorate while working here is a clear sign of how highly regarded the field of research and development is within this company, she says.

My thesis describes the process of copper corroding in oil.

Martina Levin

nynas.com 9

customer Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen

Voltage spikes of up to 1.8 million volts streak across the test room in a millionth of a second. The source is an impulse generator and the location is the Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen Research Centre in Regensburg, Germany.

lightning strikes
When
aschinenfab-

text: Lois Hoyal photo: MR Reinhausen & Istockphoto

rik Reinhausen's core business is the regulation of power transformers. Indeed, its the world market leader, with more than half of the worlds electricity running over MR tap changers. Around 100 people work at MR's high-tech laboratory, opened in 2008 at the company headquarters. At the lab, on-load tap changers are subjected to stringent tests in the high-voltage, power and mechanical laboratories to make sure the switches function reliably at all times, over and above normal operational loading. The range of equipment at the high-

tech laboratory is unparalleled. No other tap changer manufacturer has this unique combination of facilities, says Dr Thomas Strof, Manager Product Approval Testing. Products are subjected to two stages of testing, he says. There are the development tests, where we use prototypes to push the test object to its limit, followed by type tests, where we check that products meet international standards and fit in with the production process.
To reduce testing time, which can take up to several months for mechanical tests, equipment is tested day and night, 365 days a year. Endurance tests with up to 1.5 million switching opera-

The equipment is tested 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

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xxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx

Power

&

We push the test object to its limits.

Dr Thomas Strof

Power engineering is the Reinhausen Groups core business. Its headquarters are in the Reinhausen district of Regensburg. It has 24 subsidiaries around the world and 2,800 employees. Group sales in 2011 reached more than 600 million euros. Its customers are manufacturers of high-voltage equipment and systems, power utility companies and large-scale industries with intensive power requirements. MR is a family-run business that has remained independent since 1868. In 1926, Bernhard Jansen invented the high-speed resistor-type tap changer that allowed the turn ratio of transformers to be changed under load without interruption. In cooperation with the brothers Oskar and Richard Scheubeck, this product ultimately became known around the world by the name of Reinhausen On-load Tap Changer.

tions (international standards require only 500,000) ensure the functional capability and reliability of the tap changers. The endurance tests vary greatly. In one of them, transformers generate AC voltages of up to 700,000 volts to simulate loads that occur in high-voltage electricity transmission networks. In another, digital measuring systems capture voltages as low as a millionth of a volt to ensure that there are no defects in insulating materials. Oil has an important role to play. In most cases tap changers are immersed in an insulating oil, so 200,000 litres of oil are pumped through the building to ensure a constant supply to simulate the environment for testing purposes.

Nynas is the prime supplier of insulating oil at the centre. The clarity and quality of Nynas oil is perfect for use in high-voltage testing, Strof says. Nynas and MR are a good fit, says Johan Grvik, Market Manager Electrical Industry at Nynas. Both are premium companies, with the same common ground, the same customers and the same customers customers, he says. Both companies are part of a marketing network of 10 manufacturers producing different components for transformers. The group, called Transform, was set up in 1998 by MR. The marketing group arranges an international conference every two years and cooperates in customer lectures and exhibitions.

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knowledge xxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx HVDC

Green growth for DC

text: Jayme Nunes, Nynas Technical photo: Istockphoto

Market Support, Electrical Industry

High-voltage direct current, HVDC, is making a comeback due to huge investments in renewable energy. HVDC is the only effective transmission method from remotely placed energy sources, such as offshore wind farms.
Once upon a time, when the electricity industry was in its infancy, there was a war of currents. The proponents of direct current (DC) were defeated by the alternating current (AC) camp and since then, AC has maintained its dominance in almost all domestic, industrial and commercial supplies of electricity. Today, DC is on the advance again, in the shape of highvoltage direct current (HVDC). Increased investment in large renewable energy projects has heralded demand for transmission systems that can handle both high voltages and unsynchronised electric power, such as that from individual wind turbines.
AC systems cannot meet

Today HVDC is a mature technology with ABB, Siemens and Alstom as its world leaders.

these criteria. There are major technical difficulties in increasing the voltage, and hence

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knowledge HVDC

AC to DC Converter Stn Hydropower Station

DC to AC Converter Stn

HVDC Transmission Lines

Distribution AC Line Transmission Lines

Homes and Businesses

AC

DC

Transformational transformer technology

ABB has developed and tested a 1,100-kilovolt UHVDC (ultra-high-voltage direct current) transformer in China that sets a new record for DC voltage, enabling effective transmission of more electric power over long distances. Building upon the HVDC technology pioneered by ABB half a century ago, this is the greatest technical advancement in transmission capacity and effectiveness in more than two decades. This technology enables effective and reliable transmission of even more electricity at higher levels of voltage, over longer distances and with minimal loss, says Bernhard Jucker, ABB Head of Power Products. The Xiangjiaba-Shanghai power link, operated by ABB, is the worlds first commercial 800-kV UHVDC link. Extending 1,240 miles with a transmission capacity of 6,400 megawatts (MW), the link is the longest of its kind. The new transformer technology enables transmissions of more than 10,000 MW and increases the range to approximately 1,860 miles.
Source: "ABB Kunden" Magazine

the capacity and the range of AC transmission lines. The transport of vast quantities of electricity over the great distances required for largescale offshore wind farms, solar farms or hydroelectric projects in areas quite remote from their load centres has simply become too challenging for AC.
An overhead DC transmission line can be designed to cost less per unit of length than an equivalent AC line designed to transmit the same amount of electrical energy over the same distance. However, the DC converter stations required at each end are more expensive than the terminals of an AC line, so there is a break-even distance above which the total cost of DC transmission is lower than its AC alternative. For transmission by submarine or underground cable the breakeven distance is even shorter. In fact, it is not practical to consider AC cable systems that exceed 50 kilometres, which

makes HVDC the only effective way to connect distant energy sources to a network. The connection of AC grids with different frequencies also poses a problem for AC. For instance, Japan has two networks, one 60 Hz and one 50 Hz system, and it is physically impossible to connect the two by direct AC technology. However, with DC converters in each system and an interconnecting DC link, it is possible to exchange electric power between the two.
Although these advantages

first used in HVDC applications in 1970. ASEA, the A in ABB, pioneered HVDC in Sweden where the first lines were built decades ago. However, the ease of using AC overshadowed the lower transmission losses of DC in industrialised Europe and the United States, where power stations are situated close to urban centres and industrial users, keeping transmission lines short and power losses limited.
Today HVDC is a mature technology with ABB, Siemens and Alstom as its world leaders. Surging growth in China, India, Brazil and other fast industrialising countries, has prompted demand for electricity and for HVDC, as in these regions users tend to be far from power sources, such as river systems and dams. In Brazil, ever longer transmission distances are being bridged with the development of hydroelectric plants in the Amazon region, and HVDC has

were recognised as early as the 1920s, the development of HVDC was held back by the lack of suitable technology for the valves that convert AC to DC and vice versa. It took nearly three decades for the mercury arc valve technology to mature enough for use in commercial projects. The alternative silicon semiconductor thyristor technology, still used today, also emerged in the 1950s and was

nynas.com 13

knowledge xxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx HVDC

HVDC

transformers need highquality oil

At the heart of an HVDC transmission system the AC voltage is adapted to the DC voltage in the converter transformers. These HVDC transformers are subject to operating conditions that set them apart from conventional system or power transformers. For instance, they have to withstand the combined load stress of both DC and AC voltage. In order to do that, they require the best possible insulating oil. The most important property to consider for the insulating oil in AC transformers is the relative permittivity, a parameter not affected by the oxidation products or moisture content of the oil. For DC converters, the issues are much more complicated, as the resistivity is paramount. The resistivity can vary widely, for example, decrease to half of the original value from unused and dry transformer oil to wet and aged oil. During the service life of equipment, resistivity changes of the fluid cannot be avoided. It is therefore important to use high-quality mineral insulating oil, since the superior oxidation stability of the oil will limit the amount of degradation products. Due to their outstanding electrical properties and superior oxidation stability, the Nynas Super Grade oils are considered by many transformer manufacturers and utilities as the best insulating oil to meet and exceed the strict requirements of the HVDC units. HVDC equipment worldwide relies on these oils to help them perform.

The Nynas Super Grade oils are considered by many transformer manufacturers and utilities as the best insulating oil for HVDC.

been used for a long time at a record operating voltage of 600 kV. In China and India, 800 kV HVDC transmission has already been adopted for several new hydroelectric projects.
However, one obstacle is

impeding faster growth. HVDC lines have been restricted to point-to-point connections, the simplest form of HVDC transmission. The electricity utilities, however, need flexibility to make multiple connections to transmission lines, allowing them to switch on or off individual sections. Such flexibility will only be possible when effective HVDC circuit breakers have been developed. Circuit breakers exist for AC, but not yet for HVDC.

Multi-terminal HVDC systems are therefore very complex, and rare. The need for DC flexibility is growing because demand is spreading to established markets. The offshore wind parks commissioned by the UK, Germany and others involve transmission distances bridgeable only by HVDC. Such renewable power, however, has to be integrated into existing grids, making circuit breakers essential.
Once researchers have figured out a way to adapt the highly sophisticated power semiconductors used in the converter stations, where AC power is turned into DC and back, that technological hurdle will be removed and HVDC will be able to fulfil its true potential.

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column Jean-Marie Toullat

notes of knowledge

Arabplast
January 710, Dubai, uae

Join Nynas and other partners in the rubber and plastics industry at this event in Dubai. Meet our experts at the Nynas stand and get additional insight at the seminars. (www.arabplast.info)

Tire Technology Conference

February 57, Cologne, Germany

Tyre labelling legislation puts specific demands on the industry. Visit us at the conference in Cologne and learn how Nynas tyre oils can improve your rating. (www.tiretechnology-expo.com)

Middle East Electricity

March 1214, Dubai, uae

middleeastelectricity.com)

Electrification is the key to development, and Nynas insulating oils are essential to long life. Meet our experts at this regional exhibition. (www.

UNITI
April 910, Stuttgart, Germany

This exciting conference on mineral oil technology development takes place in Stuttgart. Nynas will be presenting findings related to specialty oils for the base oil-industry.

ELGI Annual group Meeting

April 20-23, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

The annual Group Meeting for ELGI takes place in the Netherlands and Nynas will be there. Drop by to discuss future opportunities (www.

elgi.org)

CWIEME
June 46, Berlin, Germany

Jean-Marie Toullat
Senior advisor, Nynas

nynas.com 15

Photo: tobias ohls

CWIEME is the leading event for transformer manufacturers. Come and meet all leading suppliers in the industry. Nynas is, as always, available for discussions. Join us and the members of the Transform Group to learn more about the technology required for optimal performance and the long life of your transformers. (www.coilwindingexpo.com)

Picture the cowboy of the old American West, riding across vast prairies under an infinite sky with the horizons far in the distance. His world is boundless, counted only in days of riding. Wildlife and crystal-clear water are in abundance, and everything that he needs can be obtained through hard work. Nature is king, he understands, but bountiful. Now picture an astronaut. Her world is restricted to a few square feet where everything food, water, even the air she breathes is subject to strict economics. Her life depends upon this limited space, and she cannot leave. Resources are scarce and everything on the spaceship must be recycled, reused or saved. These stereotypes the cowboy in his boundless world and the astronaut in her tightly closed capsule represent two completely different outlooks This isnt news. on life. We have known Our planet is not infinite. It is like the for years that spaceship. There is basically no exchange our resources with the surrounding environment. All our are running out. resources have surfaced. Many of them are coming to an end. It is time to start economising, because we cannot leave. We need to master the art of recycling, of using limited resources in an intelligent way, and we need to find substitutes for non-renewable resources. This isnt news. We have known for years that our resources are running out. Now that time has almost come, and all of us individuals as well as companies and countries have to make a choice between thinking like a cowboy or an astronaut. Which do you choose?

Cowboys & astronauts

100% Cyan 100% Cyan Magenta 100% Magenta Yellow Yellow 100% Key Key handling 100% Easy 100% handling 000% Easy Sediment 000% Worrying Sediment about whether youll a great oil for your inks. Rest 000% get Worrying about whether youll assured, you will (weve been get a great oil for your inks. Rest doing this for 30 (weve years). We love assured, you will been satisfied customers as much as doing this for 30 years). We love you do. customers as much as satisfied you do.

www.nynas.com www.nynas.com
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