article · IEEE Access
High-voltage power transformers depend on insulating oils for cooling and dielectric strength. While conventional mineral oil has historically dominated due to availability and low cost, gas-to-liquid oil has emerged as an alternative with high purity and chemical consistency. Laboratory testing examined how both oil types perform under normal accelerated thermal ageing and abnormal thermal faults. Fresh and aged samples, subjected to thermal stress over three, six, and ten days, underwent assessment for electrical properties including breakdown voltage, dissipation factor, permittivity, and resistivity. Chemical and physical evaluations tracked moisture, acidity, and degradation byproducts using optical spectroscopy methods such as ultraviolet-visible absorption and photoluminescence. Dissolved gas analysis also gauged responses to thermal fault conditions. Across these assessments, gas-to-liquid oil exhibited superior electrical and physio-chemical stability compared to conventional mineral oil.
Power transformers are critical components of electrical grids, yet their operational lifespan depends heavily on the durability of their insulating fluids. Identifying alternatives that resist degradation can prevent costly equipment failures and extend service life. Demonstrating that gas-to-liquid oil withstands thermal stress better than traditional mineral oil provides clear evidence for improving transformer reliability.
This research targets electrical utilities, high-voltage transformer manufacturers, and grid operators seeking more durable insulating fluids. The work sits at an applied and tested laboratory stage, having validated the performance of gas-to-liquid oil under simulated operating conditions and faults. Full-scale commercial adoption will require progression to long-term trials in operational field transformers to establish real-world performance.
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Mineral (MO) oil has long been utilized as a dielectric and cooling medium in high-voltage power transformers due to its low cost and availability. Recently, there has been a great trend toward the use of gas-to-liquid (GTL) oil due to its purity, chemical consistency, and better performance than conventional oils. This study aims to investigate the normal and abnormal thermal impacts on GTL and MO oil types. In this regard, this paper presents two parts. Firstly, it studies a comprehensive evaluation of the aging characteristics under normal conditions of GTL oil in comparison to conventional MO. Aged oil samples were obtained using a laboratory-based accelerated aging test, for simulating the thermal stress during the transformer’s operation. Hence, the two oil types are subjected to different aging durations (i.e., 3, 6, and 10 days). These aged and fresh samples were tested for AC breakdown voltage, dielectric dissipation factor, permittivity, and resistivity as electrical testing. Additionally, as chemical and physical testing, moisture and acidity are measured for fresh and aged samples of two of these oil types. Besides, optical spectroscopy measurements have been used for insulating oil assessment; these kinds of measurements point out the existence of overall aging byproducts, including sludge formation, which can negatively impact the oil properties including physio-chemical and electrical properties. The used optical techniques include Ultraviolet-visible absorption and photoluminescence tests. Secondly, thermal faults impact as abnormal conditions is generally evaluated through dissolved gas analysis as a chemical test, where it is utilized to measure the gas concentrations for the two oils under abnormal conditions test after the thermal heating test. This study concluded that the electrical and physio-chemical properties of GTL oil with aging have superior results compared to MO oil.
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DOI: 10.1109/access.2024.3420230
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