On-Site Drying

and PD-Measurement of
Transformers in the Field
© Schering-Institute

Prof. Dr.- Ing. habil. Hossein Borsi

ITCE----page 1/43
 PRESENTATION OVERVIEW

Water in the transformer !?

Physics of drying
Different onsite drying techniques
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Comparison of the drying time needed for

different techniques
On-Line drying
On-Site PD-measurement

ITCE----page 2/43
 WATER IN THE TRANSFORMER

A moisture increase of 1% causes a doubling of the

depolymerisation speed
4% moisture at 50°C leads to a moisture content in the
oil of 50 ppm. Is the oil quickly cooled down (power
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failure during winter), is it possible to have free

water already at 20 °C
With a too high moisture content, there is the risk of
bubble formation in the insulation at much lower hot
spot temperatures as 140°C as with dry insulation

ITCE----page 3/43
 PAPER DEGRADATION

Speed of Depolymerisation against Water Content

[D(80°C, 0.2% H20) = 1, according to Bouvier)]
1000
Relative speed of depolymerisation

Faktor 6
120°C
© Schering-Institute

100

100°C
10

D=1
80°C

1
0 1 2 3 4 % Water content

ITCE----page 4/43
 MOISTURE EQUILIBRIUM
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ITCE----page 5/43
 SOURCES OF WATER IN OLD TRANSFORMERS

Broken gaskets
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Paper depolymerisation
0.1 - 0.2% per
by-product 0.4 - 2%
year with open
expansion tank

Exposure to air (repair)

ITCE----page 6/43
 MOISTURE DISTRIBUTION PAPER/OIL

Example: 400 MVA Transformer with 15 Tonnes cellulose insulation

and 60 Tonnes oil
3% average moisture in cellulose
30°C average oil temperature
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450 lt in
cellulose

0.6 lt in the oil

Over 99 % of the moisture is collected in the
cellulose!
ITCE----page 7/43
 PHYSICS OF DRYING

Diffusion / Drying speed is influenced by:

Temperature
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Humidity
Pressure difference on the
diffusion path
Material properties

ITCE----page 8/43
 PHYSICS OF DRYING

Relative Increase of Diffusion Coefficient

[D(1000mbar, 80°C, 0.5% H2O) = 1

% p<10 mbar
6
100
4
2
Increase of diffusion coefficient
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0.5

D=38
% p=1 bar
10 D=12 6
4
2
0.5

D=3.2

1 D=1
80 90 100 110 120 °C

ITCE----page 9/43
 PHYSICS OF DRYING

Depolymerisation
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Drying time Temperature Drying quality

Temperature is the key parameter in

any drying process

ITCE----page 10/43
 The problem with drying transformers
• Drying too short
→ Moisture content too high
→ Accellerated aging
→ Reduced lifetime
• Drying too long
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→ Energy costs, production speed

→ Paper too long at hot temperature
→ additional Loss of DP
→ Reduced lifetime

Optimal drying time is essential

Monitoring of moisture content neccessary

ITCE----page 11/43
 Onsite drying methods

Oil drying Vacuum drying

© Schering-Institute

ITCE----page 12/43
 OIL CIRCULATION

Advantages:
• low costs
• simple technique
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• low operative expenditure

Disadvantages:
• long drying times
• poor drying quality
• shorter drying intervals
required

ITCE----page 13/43
 OIL CIRCULATION & VACUUM

Oil in
Vacuum Advantages:
• low costs
• simple technique
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• drying improvement compared

to solely oil circulation
Oil out
Disadvantages:
• long drying times
• various cycles required
• tank for oil storage
Oil
Storage
Tank

ITCE----page 14/43
 HOT OIL SPRAY

Advantages:
• constant heat feeding
under vacuum
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• good drying results

Disadvantages:
• difficult heating of the
internal parts
• location of the spraying
nozzle critical

ITCE----page 15/43
 LFH AND HOT OIL SPRAY

Short HV. Advantages:

circuit LV. • constant heat feeding
Vacuum
control under vacuum
valve LFH Converter
• Heat from inside and
outside
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•Short drying time

•Excelent drying results

Oil treatment plant Disadvantages:

• larger invesment
Vacuum pumps
• only reasonable for
larger transformers

ITCE----page 16/43
 THE WORKING PRINCIPLE

Why low frequency current drying

n Heating up of coils from the inside by applying 20

– 50% of nominal current
Using the lowest possible voltage to avoid flash
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n
over (considering the Paschen law)
n Perfectly controllable temperature inside the
transformer
n “No” temperature limit
n Short drying time
n Best drying results

ITCE----page 17/43
 PROCESS COMPARISON (TIME)
Drying time to dry a 400 MVA transformer with 14 tonn insulation
from 3% down to 1,5 % average humidity
Online oil degassing 200
100 lt/h average oil temp.
30°C
Online oil degassing 200
Molecular sieve lt/h average oil temp.
10
50°C
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Online oil degassing

6000 lt/h average oil Online oil degassing
1 temp. 30°C 6000 lt/h average oil
years

temp. 50°C

0,1 Hot oil circulation + LFH + oil circulation

vacuum cycles

0,01 LFH + Hot oil spray

Vapour phase

0,001

ITCE----page 18/43
 Moisture speeds up paper degradation
Oil contains less then 1% of the total water
amount in a transformer (typical 0.2 %)
Vacuum and temperature are the key factors
© Schering-Institute

for any drying process

Onsite drying is often more favourable due to
huge transportation cost for large units
With a proper drying technique, the technical
lifetime of the transformer (asset value) can
be extended

ITCE----page 19/43
 Case study IV – hot oil spray drying
• Sample: used transformer, 50 MVA after repair
• Drying using hot oil spray & vacuum
• Drying and measurement in tank via bushings
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ITCE----page 20/43
 Case study IV – hot oil spray
70
drying 60
Temperature: 50

temperature in °C
• Low temperature (~ 60°C) 40

used for low loss of DP 30

20

10
© Schering-Institute

0
Moisture: 0:00 12:00 24:00 36:00 48:00 60:00 72:00
time in h
• Before drying: ~ 2,7 %
03
• After 60 h drying: 1,5 % 03

water content in wt.%

• Further drying would barely 02

have an effect 02

• Drying to lower moisture would 01

require higher temperatures 01

00
0:00 12:00 24:00 36:00 48:00 60:00 72:00
time in h
ITCE----page 21/43
 Case study V – Coil drying

• Sample: Coil with 3 seperated windings

(each ~ 40 turns)

• Hot air & vacuum

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• Paper insulation: only a thin layer of paper around the

conductors
→ very fast drying, compared to a transformer

• Paper not oil impregnated

• Drying and re-moisturization was monitored

ITCE----page 22/43
 Case study V – Coil drying
• Dielectric: tan() curve fist increases (temperature increase),
then decreases (moisture decrease)

Tan ()
0.50

0.40
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0.30
0.20

0.10
0.07
0.05

0.03

0.02

0.01 0.1 1 10 100

f in Hz ITCE----page 23/43
 Decrease of the electrical properties
 Decrease in the breakdown voltage
 Increase in the loss factor
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ITCE----page 24/43
 Technologies for transformer drying on site

Heat and vacuum are applied on the transformers´operation site.

• Transformer operation has to be interrupted.

© Schering-Institute

• Insulating liquid has to be drained and stored.

• Transformer tank has to be tight for the
vacuum.
• Efficiency of the drying is equivocal:

ITCE----page 25/43
 Technologies for transformer drying
Cellulose fibers Insulating liquid

Vacuum, heat
Vacuum, heat
© Schering-Institute

Vacuum, heat

Water molecules Vacuum, heat

Drying potentially endangers the solid insulation as

the winding coil usually is not re-fastened after drying
(>>> stability in case of shorts?)

ITCE----page 26/43
 Technologies for transformer drying

Drying as a continuous procedure:

The liquid insulation is continuously dried during
transformer operation.
Through the drying of the liquid insulation the solid
© Schering-Institute

components are dried as well.

Such systems are advantageous for already impregnated

transformers with moderate water strain. The drying is
performed during regular transformer operation, thus no
outage is required.

ITCE----page 27/43
 Technologies for transformer drying

Drying as a continuous procedure:

One of the most important advantages of continuous
drying procedures in comparison to other on site drying
procedures is the considerate treatment of the insulation
© Schering-Institute

Caution: It should be looked out that the system

does not influence the amount of failioure gases as
the failiour gases are important for protection and
diagnosis purposes in a transformer

ITCE----page 28/43
 Continuous transformer insulation drying

Applicable technologies:

Vacuum and heat

Hygroscopic materials
(molecular sieves,
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Zeolites)

Interfering the Use of the water

equilibrium at different
Dissolved Gas
temperatures
Analysis

ITCE----page 29/43
 Realization

Online drying procedure for liquid

immersed transformer with Zeolite as
drying element Second Fine Filter
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Zeolite bed

Liquid filled
transformer
Pump

First Fine Filter

ITCE----page 30/43
 Continuous transformer insulation drying with Cellulose

11 • Solid insulation
20 °C
[%]

9
30 °C 40 °C
dispenses water
50 °C
8 to insulating
Water Content in the Paper

7 low
liquid at high
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6
60 °C
5 Temperature temperatures
• Solid insulation
4
80 °C
3 high
2
100°C incorporates
1

0 water at low
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 [ppm] 90
Water Content in the Oil temperatures

ITCE----page 31/43
 Realization

Cellulose filter cartridge

Cooler
Transformer vessel
© Schering-Institute

Pump
Gentle, continuous
Warm, „wet“ oil
desiccation without
influencing the DGA
Cooling circuit

Upgraded insulating liquid

ITCE----page 32/43
 PD-Measurement
© Schering-Institute

On-Site

ITCE----page 33/43
 On-site PD Detection Methods

Electrical measurements
noise

Acoustic measurements
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sensitivity
calibration

“Chemical measurements”
gas-in-oil-analysis

ITCE----page 34/43
 Kind of Noise for Electrical Measurements

External noise
• power line conducted noise like corona,
signals from electronic power devices,
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• irradiated noise like electromagnetic

interference due discharges, radio station,
power line carrier, etc.

Internal noise
• cross-talking between phases

ITCE----page 35/43
 Receiver of Electrical Noise Signals

Test set-up
environment
measuring loop
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grounding system
signal transmission system
sensors
recording devices
ITCE----page 36/43
 PD decoupling at measuring tab of duct

Advantage
• little constructive effort
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• no coupling capacitors necessary

Drawback
• measuring tab not always
accessible / existing

ITCE----page 37/43
 PD Measurements on a Transformer on-site

bushing
Sensor for capacitive
signal measurement

capacitive dB Optical
AKV
sensor transmitter
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Battery powered coupling device

Optical
Amplifier: receiver
0 - 60 dB

Bandwidth:
DSO
> 10 MHz (3dB)

ITCE----page 38/43
 © Schering-Institute

ITCE----page 39/43
 © Schering-Institute

ITCE----page 40/43
 Inner PD source in L1 in 3PARD
Inner PD Source
3PARD
L1>L2>L3
L2 L1

Inner PD Source in
L1

L2
© Schering-Institute

L3

L3 L1
timeframe
1 µs

3PARD = Three Phase Amplitude Relation Diagram

ITCE----page 41/43
 © Schering-Institute

ITCE----page 42/43
 • The main problem of partial discharge measurements is
the separation between noise and partial discharge
signals, but with a proper selection of the bandwidth and
the use of intelligent procedures the measurements can
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be carried out also under on-site conditions

• The final, but not solved problem is the interpretation of
the measured partial discharge level concerning
reliability and availability of the equipment

ITCE----page 43/43