– MAINTENANCE - INSULATING OIL TREATMENT EQUIPMENT –

Insulating oil is vitally important for the safe and efficient operation of many types of electrical equipment. In addition to its insulating properties, the oil is used as a coolant in transformers and as a means of arc suppression in circuit breakers. In each case the operation of the electrical equipment depends on the purity of the insulating oil. When in service, oil can be contaminated by particles, water, gases and chemical products.

Should electrical equipment be continuously operated with contaminated fluid, its efficency will be impaired, resulting eventually in the risk of total failure. Typically insulating oil is contaminated in the following ways:

• Particles including fibres, rust and carbon black particles
• Free and dissolved water
• Gases produced by fluid ageing, equipment failure and arc suppression in switchgear
• Chemical products caused by oxidation, as well as cross contamination by other products.

Although individually each contaminant reduces the insulating characteristics of the oil, the combination of fibres from insulating material and water can reduce its performance by up to 90%.

Insulating oil treatment maintains the integrity of the oil and hence the efficient utilisation of the electrical equipment.

All high capacity transformers in use today have to cope with voltages in excess of 400kV, therefore it becomes imperative to maintain insulation properties of the transformer oils by rigid control over moisture, dissolved gases and particulate contamination. Transformer oil is in an environment that leads to degradation in its desired properties and even in a proactive maintenance program, transformer oil will lose its insulating and cooling properties over a period of time. The rating requirements and drive to tighter tolerances of modern transformer and electrical apparatus results in greater electrical stress in insulating material and fluids. To handle these stresses, oils are required to have better dielectric strength, and also lower residual water content must be maintained to reduce the speed of oil ageing. The periodic and proper treatment of these insulating fluids will result in the improvement of properties of the entire insulating system of power transformers and will extend the effective lifetime of the asset.

• Solid particles like rust, scales, dust and fibres
• Generation of carbon particles due to ageing in switchgears
• Oil absorbs moisture resulting in free and dissolved water
• Absorbtion of air
• Absorbtion of gases
• Sludge formation
• Increase in acidity level

We will contact you every 12 months to organise a service call. (Depending on running hours of your IOT)