Transformer oil – e-lesson #9 -Alternative fluids
Hosted by: C.S. Narasimhan / Intermediate level
This lesson provides an overview of alternative insulation fluids for transformers, including their historical development and technical background. It discusses the key triggers for considering alternative fluids, such as fire safety, environmental friendliness, and biodegradability. The lesson compares the structural features, environmental impact, and dielectric properties of various fluids, including mineral oil, esters, silicones, and new technologies like GTL and nitro bio. It highlights the advantages of esters in terms of moisture extraction and thermal class, as well as the challenges with electrostatic charging. The lesson also covers a product selection guide to help choose the appropriate fluid based on the end-user's requirements. Finally, it mentions the upcoming transition to a master's level course covering these topics in more depth.
The content of this lesson is fully vendor agnostic but it is sponsored by Ergon.
Attend this session to learn about the chemistry of the additives in oil, conferred benefits and pitfalls.
Keywords: transformer oil, testing, methods, gassing, DGA
Check Dr. Narasimhan's book - Transformer oil application aspects!
The lesson is conducted on the Intermediate level and after the live broadcasting, it stays available on demand. It is intended for utility engineers/chemists, transformer and oil manufacturers, students and faculty of educational institutes, oil testing laboratories, utility staff, etc.
The lesson #9 covers the following points:
- R-temp
- silicones
- esters
- GTL fluids – their origin and comparison with mineral oils and among themselves
About the author
C.S. Narasimhan
Dr. Narasimhan is a Ph.D. in Chemistry with over 30 years of experience in Industrial R&D. While working as a technical director in a major oil company manufacturing transformer oils, he led project teams for developing and commercializing mineral oils for EHV applications and ester fluids. He is a member of several IEC and CIGRE committees dealing with transformer oils. He has several publications and patents to his credit.