POWER TRANSFORMERS INSULATING LIQUIDS BASICS AND TUTORIALS

POWER TRANSFORMERS INSULATING LIQUIDS BASIC INFORMATION
What Are The Insulating Liquids Of Power Transformers?


Insulating Liquids
Dielectric liquids of various types are used as an insulating medium as well as a means of cooling liquid-filled transformers. Common insulating liquids include the following:

• Mineral oil. A mineral oil-filled transformer is generally the smallest, lightest, and most economical transformer available. Mineral oil has excellent properties for use in transformers, but it has the inherent weakness of being flammable. Its use, therefore, is restricted to outdoor installations or when the transformer is installed within a vault if used indoors.

• Silicone. A wide variety of synthetic polymer chemicals are referred to by the generic term silicone. Silicone transformer liquids are actually known chemically as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). PDMS is a water-clear, odorless, chemically stable, nontoxic liquid.

• High-molecular-weight hydrocarbon (HMWH). HMWH is another high-firepoint dielectric that is widely used as a transformer liquid. It has similar values for dielectric strength and dielectric constant, power factor, and thermal conductivity as mineral oil.

There are no established standards for testing the fire safety of transformers. Factory Mutual Research (FM) and Underwriters Laboratories (UL) both have different criteria for listing transformer liquids. Fire properties of dielectric fluids are typically classified by the following characteristics.

• Flash point: the temperature at which vapors from a liquid surface will ignite in the presence of a flame.
• Fire point: the temperature at the surface of a liquid that will sustain a fire.
• Flame spread: a series of consecutive ignitions.
• Ease of ignition: how readily the liquid will generate and maintain a flammable fuel/vapor mixture at the surface.
• Heat release rate: the product of vaporization rate and the heat of combustion of the fluid. The higher this rate in a large-scale fire, the higher the degree of fire hazard.

Selection of the dielectric liquid depends on the transformer application. Normally, the choice is mineral oil if the device is to be located outdoors.

The National Electrical Code (NEC) does, however, specify certain limitations regarding the use of oil filled transformers in particular outdoor locations. The selection of less-flammable liquids (PDMS and HMWH) often depends upon personal preference, the liquid used in other transformers on the site, or the transformer manufacturer's recommendation.