TRANSFORMER OILS TESTING OF NEW OIL PROPERTIES BASICS AND TUTORIALS

TRANSFORMER OILS TESTING OF NEW OIL PROPERTIES BASIC INFORMATION

Testing Of Transformer Oil As Recommended In IEEE Std C57.106-2002

When mineral insulating oil specified to conform to ASTM D3487-00 is received, it should be tested to verify conformance with ASTM D3487-00. Testing of the oil for full conformance of all property requirements of ASTM D3487-00 is only justified under circumstances determined by the purchaser.

As a minimum, it is recommended that the purchaser require the supplier to provide a certified set of tests for the oil that demonstrate that the oil, as shipped, met or exceeded the property requirements of ASTM D3487-00.

For those circumstances where a full set of tests according to ASTM D3487-00 are not justified, it is recommended that, at a minimum, the tests shown in Table 1 of this guide be considered. The purchaser of the oil should conduct tests sufficient to satisfy concerns regarding conditions of shipment that might result in non conformance to ASTM D3487-00 property requirements.  

Table 1 lists several of the more important tests with values that should help in the decision regarding acceptance of the new mineral insulating oil.

Insulating oil is ordinarily shipped in three types of containers: drums or totes, tank trailers, and rail cars. Rail cars are usually under the control of the supplier and dedicated to insulating oil shipment, so they tend to be the cleanest.

Highway trailers are used to transport many different chemical products as well as insulating oil; these trailers are therefore subject to chemical contamination. Special cleaning and drying procedures may be necessary.

If problems are encountered, check the history of the shipping containers to see that they have been cared for properly. It is recommended that the purchaser require the delivery of oil in containers that are properly cleaned to guarantee delivery of oil conforming to ASTM D3487-00.

Drums and totes are the least desirable method of insulating oil transport but may be necessary for small purchases. Drums and totes should be stored under cover to prevent contamination by moisture.

Before processing, it is necessary to check the quality of the oil in each drum or tote or after blending the oil in a large tank. Each tank load or each shipping unit of oil as received at the customer’s site should undergo a check test to determine that the electrical characteristics have not been impaired during transit or storage.

Table 1 contains a list of recommended acceptance tests for shipments of mineral insulating oil as received from the supplier. Some users may not wish to perform all these tests; however, as a minimum, dielectric strength and dissipation factor (power factor) as listed in Table 1 should be performed.

It is satisfactory to accept oils that exhibit characteristics other than those described by the values in Table 1, providing that the users and the suppliers are in agreement.