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T.V. Oommen
Consultant, Raleigh, SC, U.S.A.
0883-7554/02/$17.002002IEEE
CH-OOCR2
CH2-OOCR3
where R1, R2, and R3 are fatty acid chains of same or different
types. Saturated fatty acids with eight to 22 carbon atoms are
found in oils. Fatty acids with one unsaturated bond have
carbon atoms ranging from 10 to 22. Fatty acids with di-and
tri-unsaturation mostly contain 18 carbon atoms (these are
named Linoleic and Linolenic acids). The fatty acid composition of some vegetable oils is shown in Table I.
Distribution Transformers
Pole-mounted
Pad-mounted
Fig. 1.
Di-
Tri-
Canola oil*
7.9
55.9
22.1
11.1
Corn oil
12.7
24.2
58
0.7
Cottonseed oil
25.8
17.8
51.8
0.2
Peanut oil
13.6
17.8
51.8
0.2
Olive oil
13.2
73.3
7.9
0.6
Safflower oil
8.5
12.1
74.1
0.4
6.1
75.3
14.2
Soybean oil
14.2
22.5
51
6.8
Sunflower oil
10.5
19.6
65.7
9.2
80.8
8.4
0.2
*Low erucic acid variety of rapeseed oil; more recently canola oil containing over 75%
monounsaturate content has been developed.
is the purity of the oil. The oil has to be free of conducting ionic
impurities to acceptable levels, and commercial-grade oils are
not of this purity.
Only recently have transformer-grade vegetable oils become available. The first commercial product was
BIOTEMP, patented in the U.S. in September 1999 by ABB
and developed at its Raleigh, NC-based transformer lab
[12]. The base fluid was high oleic oil with over 80 percent
oleic content. These oils are produced mostly from seeds
that have been developed by selective breeding; more recently, gene manipulation techniques have been used. Partial
hydrogenation is an added step that may be used to minimize
the very unstable tri-unsaturates. The high mono- unsaturate
oils are in demand in the food and lubrication industries.
The BIOTEMP fluid, also from high oleic oils, is now used
in some distribution and network transformers in critical areas. Another U.S. patent was issued later, in September
1999, for a transformer oil from regular soybean oil, obtained by Waverly Light & Power in Iowa, though this product is not yet commercially used [13]. It is not a high oleic oil.
Sunflower
Canola/Rapeseed
Oil Seeds
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3.
Soybean
Under partial discharge (PD) conditions, the main products are hydrogen, methane, CO, and CO2. Again, the CO and
CO2 result from the breakdown of the carbonyl group. The
generation of methane and hydrogen are similar to their production from mineral oils, and result from extraction of hydrogen atoms from the molecular framework in the electric
Properties of Transformer-Grade
Vegetable Oil
Table II lists several physical, chemical, and electrical
properties of vegetable oil specifically develTable II: Properties of Transformer Fluids: Typical Values/Limits.
oped for transformer use. Comparison data
are given for high-temperature mineral oil
Veg. Oil
High Temp.
Silicone 561 Fluid
Mineral Oil
and silicone fluid used in transformers [15].
Physical
Biodegradability
The most accepted test is the CEC-L-33
test developed to test biodegradability of lubricating oils in an aquatic environment. The
test sample and a reference sample containing
poisoned (with mercury) material are both
inoculated with bacterium. After 21 days the
percentage of C-H hydrocarbon part left in
each set is determined by IR spectroscopy.
The percentage biodegradability is computed
as 100 (P-T)/P, where P is the residual content
of the poisoned flask and T is the residual
content of the test flask.
Figure 4 shows comparison chart of
biodegradability of vegetable oil and other
transformer fluids [16].
Another test for biodegradability is the biological oxygen demand (BOD) test. Published values for HMW mineral oil, silicone
fluid, and polyol ester for a 20-day period are
122, 3.6, and 377, respectively [11].
Decomposition Products
When used in transformers, the abovementioned fluids experience thermal and
electrical stress; hence it is important to determine the effect of these stresses. Gas generation is the most easily measured property,
and it is meaningful to study gas generation
after ageing in presence of copper for specific
periods. Figure 5 shows the percentage of
gases generated in a test conducted by the
Doble Engineering lab on the BIOTEMP
and the Envirotemp FR3 fluids for 22 days
at 250 oC [17].
The notable difference in the decomposition products, as compared to hydrocarbon
fluids, is in the large amount of CO and CO2
generated. This is because, unlike hydrocarbon fluids, ester fluids contain a carbonyl
group COO, which breaks down to give CO
and CO2. Hydrogen should not normally result from thermal decomposition, but certain
components or additives in the oil could produce hydrogen, as seen in the FR3 fluid.
January/February 2002 Vol. 18, No. 1
Appearance
Light yellow
Light yellow
Colorless
Specific Gravity at 25 C
0.91 - 0.92
0.89
0.96
0 C
170 250
2200
95
25 C
55 75
300
50
40 C
33 45
125
38
100 C
8 10
13
16
15 to 25
20 max.
50 max.
Pour point, C
Interfacial Tension (IFT), dynes/cm
25
40 45
25
Flash point, C
310 325
275 min.
300 min.
Fire point, C
354 360
160 180
340
50 100
10 25
50
1200
60
200
0.50 0.57
0.488
0.363
Thermal constants
Heat capacity, cal/g. C
0.17
0.13
0.15
Coefficient of expansion, / C
0.0007
0.00073
0.00104
Ester
Hydrocarbon
Organo-silicon
0.01
0.01
Pass
Pass
Chemical
Chemical type
Acidity, mg KOH/g
Oxidation stability - ASTM D 2440
0.06
Pass
Electrical
Dielectric constant at 25 C
Volume resistivity at 25 C, Ohm.cm
3.1
2.2
14
10
14
2.71
15
10 10
14
10
Breakdown voltage, kV
ASTM D 1816, 2 mm gap electrodes
Impulse breakdown voltage, kV (needle negative)
74
60
145
136
0.05 max.
-0.01
0.3 max
50
10 to +20
N/A
97 99
30
Very low
116
Dissipation factor, %
a
25 C
0.25
100 C
1.00
Biodegradability
Percent Biodegradability
100
Veg. Oils
50
Mineral Oil
Silicone Fluid
% Gas Generated
60
CO2
CO
50
Biotemp
40
Temperature C
FR3
Time, h
160
2224
20
180
503
200
129
10
H2
C2H6
C2H4
CH4
Fig. 5.
Veg. Oil
Trans. Oil
10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
Hydrogen
CO
Methane
CO2
Ethane
Fig. 6.
30
10
Fig. 4.
Fig. 7.
70
Hydrogen
60
50
40
30
CO
20
10
0
Acetylene
Ethylene
Methane
CO2
Special Challenges
Cold Weather
The use of vegetable oils in transformers that are exposed
to cold weather has been an issue. The pour point of vegetable oils does not go below 30 oC, even after adding pour
point depressants. Without additives, the fluid could freeze
at subzero temperatures.
To address this issue, vegetable oil-filled transformers
were frozen to 50 oC or below in lab cooling chambers and
then energized. There have been no failures. Since vegetable
oil is a mixture of esters that freeze at different temperatures,
there is no sudden freezing or thawing. This helps prevent
the formation of cracks and air spaces, which could trigger
PD. Under operating conditions, the oil in the units would be
in the liquid state even if the ambient outside temperatures
were very low.
Exposure to Air
Conclusion
To meet the challenges posed by environmental concerns,
fully biodegradable vegetable oils have been developed for
use in electrical equipment, particularly in transformers.
Further exploitation of these fluids for use in capacitors and
cables need further study and tests.
Acknowledgment
The author wishes to thank Mr. Lance Lewand of Doble
Engineering Company, USA, referenced above, for the preparation of Figure 5.
T.V. Oommen worked for 24 years in the
transformer industry as an R&D scientist and
engineer. In October 2000, he became a consultant to the industry. Dr. Oommen is one of
the pioneers in developing an award-winning
biodegradable vegetable oil-based transformer
fluid from high oleic oils. He has been a regular presenter of technical papers for the E/EIC
for 20 years and he has taught short courses at the E/EIC on
Transformer Insulation Fundamentals and Insulating Fluids.
He may be contacted at tv.oomen@ieee.org.
References
1. F.M. Clark, Insulation Materials for Design and Engineering Practice.
New York: McGraw-Hill, 1962.
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