MAINTENANCE PRACTICE OF

TRANSFORMERS AND
REACTORS
 Transformers
Used for stepping up or
stepping down the voltage level in power
system

 Most costly equipment in the switchyard

 Correctmaintenance is necessary for limiting

outage / breakdowns

 Reactors are provided for VAR compensation

on long lines or on bus
Testing of oil for DGA

DGA is most important test

while equipment is in service.
During service of the equipment
various gases are formed which
are analysed for faults inside
Transformer (Blank Form)
Reasons
 Degradation of solid & liquid
insulation
 Faults in transformer
 Gases gets dissolved in oil till
saturation

Uses
 Used to find electrical & thermal
fault in transformer
 Fault can be found at incipient stage
 Remedial measure can be initiated to
avoid major damage to transformer
Gases in oil always result from the decomposition of
electrical insulation materials (oil or paper), as a result of
faults or chemical reactions in the equipment.

-forexample, oil is molecule of hydrocarbons, ie.,

containing hydrogen and carbon atoms, linked by chemical
bonds (C-H,C-C)

Some of these bonds may break and form H* ,

CH3* , CH2* and CH* radicals.
-All
these radicals then recombine to form the fault gases
observed in oil: H2 CH4,C2H6,C2H4,C2H2
Decomposition of paper
-Inaddition to the above gases, the decomposition of paper
produces CO2,, CO and H2O
 Temperatures at Which Gases Evolve

Methane >120 degC

Ethane >120 degC
Ethylene >150 degC
Acetylene >700 degC
 Partial Discharge in Oil
Large amount of H2 and little CH4

 Arcing in Oil
Large amount of H2 and C2H2

 Oil Overheating
CH4, C2H6, C2H4 are formed in
increasing order of severity
Traces of C2H2 in case of very high
temperatures

 Cellulose Overheating
Large quantities of CO & CO2
 Gases may be generated through rusting
or other chemical reactions involving
steel, uncoated surfaces or protective
paints.
 H2 may be produced by reaction of steel
with water, as long as O2 is available from
the oil near by .
 H2 may also be formed in new stainless
steel, absorbed during its manufacturing
process, or produced by welding and
released slowly into oil.
 The presence of H2 with the total
absence of other hydro carbon gases may
be indication of above problem.
Oil parameter of oil other than DGA
Property Measures Typical Values
BDV Dielectric strength 30 kV unfiltered oil (min.)
60 kV Filtered new oil (min.)
50 kV Used Oil (min.)
PPM Moisture conetnt 50 ppm new unfiltered oil (max.)
15 ppm after filtration (max.)
Total Acids in oil 0.03 mg KOH/g (max.)
Acidity
IFT Surface-tension is caused by 0.04 N/m (min.)
the attraction between the
liquid's molecules by
various intermolecular forces
Pour Point Lowest temperature at which -6 degree C (Max)
it will pour or flow
Oil parameter of oil other than DGA
Property Measures Typical Values
Flash Point Lowest temperature at which 140 degree C (max.)
it can form an ignitable
mixture in air
Density Specific Weight 0.89g/ccm (max.) at 29.5
degree C
Tan delta Leakage loss 0.01 max. at 90 degree C
Resistivity Specific Resistance 35X10 12 Ohm CM at 90 degree C
(Min.)
1500X10 12 Ohm CM at 27 degree
C (Min.)
 Auto starting of Cooler oil pumps and Fans
 External cleaning of radiators
 Cleaning of all bushings
 Operational checks of OLTC driving
mechanism
 Checking of all remote indications (WTI and
Tap)
 Marshalling box cleaning, tightening of
terminals, Checking of contactors, space
heaters, Illumination, Gaskets
 Removal of rust and touch up painting
 On line PPM: The determination of
moisture in oil is an essential part of a
comprehensive transformer maintenance
program. Oil immersed transformers rely
on oil for cooling, protection from rust
and as important component of their
insulation.
 WetPaper Insulation (Can have 8 to 10% of
water)

 Leakage of Oil

 Improper dryout during commissioning

 Problem with breathing arrangement

 Ageing (Due to degradation of oil & paper)

 Water migrates from paper→oil with increasing
temp (due to load & ambient temp)

ƒ At higher temp, moisture migration is quicker

and the solubility of water in oil is high

During cool down, water remains mostly in the

oil and for a long time…solubility also decreases

Excessive water…High RS…low dielectric

breakdown voltage

Condensation Possible
 Condition of cellulose Water content in ppm
Insulation

Good Less than 15 ppm

Fair Between 15 & 20 ppm

Probably Wet Between 20 & 30 ppm

Wet More than 30 ppm

 Thermovision scanning: In any of the
equipment temperature plays very
vital role. Insulation of any
equipment has its specific
characteristics to withstand
temperature. If temperature goes
beyond the withstand level
insulation degrades and ultimately
life of the equipment reduces.
Like in human being, in maximum
cases of faults in equipment
temperature is found more than the
designed value. If detected on time,
various faults can be diagnosed
much earlier than the occurrence
and can be rectified with
consumption of less time, less
money and less outage.
Reflections of visible light

Radiation from the object itself

With Thermo Vision, you get:

 Advanced Warning of potential failures, so that

you can schedule repairs rather than react
under pressure to costly emergencies.

 Visual Identification of electrical problems,

that pinpoints where corrective action is
needed to reduce costly diagnosis time and avoid
the inconvenience of unplanned downtime.

 Improved Safety Management through early

identification of potential hazards that could
endanger personnel and impact insurance costs.
Transformer Radiator valve After opening of
closed Transformer Radiator valve
No Oil in Transformer
No oil circulation in Radiator due to blockage of radiator valves by sludge
Bushing overheat due to loose terminal connection
Defective pump resulting
non working of radiator
C & Tan Delta measurement of Bushings:
Used to detect fault in insulation of the
bushing. Tan Delta is Ratio of Ir and Ic

Increase in Tan Delta indicates:

 Chemical deterioration due to age and
temperature or local overheating
 Contamination of water, carbon deposits, bad
oil, dirt etc.
 Severe leakage through cracks and surfaces
 ionization
 Measured in UST mode (No ground involved)
 High Voltage lead is connected to top of Bushing
and LV lead is connected to test tap provided at
the bottom for measurement of C1 values
 Test is performed at 2 kV and 10 kV
 Max. permissible value is 0.007 and rate of rise
of tan delta should not be more than 0.001 per
year
 Capacitance Value should be within +10% and (-)
5%.
 For C2 values, HV lead is connected to test tap
and LV lead to E (Flange). Test is performed at 1
KV. Trend is observed.
 Electrical checking / testing of PRD,
Buchholz relay and OLTC surge relay
 Checking testing of Buchholz relay by oil
draining
 Earth resistance of transformer Neutral earth
pit in summer
 Tan delta measurement of winding: Done to
check insulation status of windings
 Used in UST, GST and GSTg mode in different
connections
 GST mode: Used when object is grounded and
when two specific points isolated from ground is
not available
 GSTg Mode: Used to separate the total values of
GST results for better analysis
FOR EXAMPLE IN TRANSFORMER
HV-IV /LV+G-------GST------CHL + CHG

HV-IV / LV WITH Guard-----GSTg---CHG

 Center Conductor
Sight-Glass

Liquid or Compound Filler

Insulating Weather shed

Main Insulating Core

Tap Insulation
Tap Electrode

Mounting Flange
Ground Sleeve
Tapped Capacitance-Graded Layer
Lower Insulator

Components of a Typical Oil-Impregnated

Capacitance-Graded Bushing
 Checking and calibration of OTI, WTI

OTI---90 Alarm, 100 Trip

WTI---100 Alarm, 110 Trip

.
 Core Insulation test: This test is
recommended before placing the equipment
in service or after major repair /
modifications
 Terminals CL, CC & G are provided in
terminal box
 Remove link between CL and G and apply 1
kV Voltage between CL and CC+G. tank shall
be grounded during the test.
 Test value should be 10 Mohm for new
Transformers and 1 Mohms for old
Transformers
 Measurement of winding Resistance at all
taps
 Checking and cleaning of Diverter contacts
 Testis performed to check for any
abnormalities due to loose connection,
broken strands and high contact resistance in
tap changers

 Asthis is a low resistance, test is carried out

with the help of Kelvin Double Bridge.
 For star connected transformers, Resistance
is measured between Line and Neutral
terminal. If neutral terminal is not available
then measurement is taken between Winding
and ground if the neutral is grounded.
 For delta connected transformers take values
between pairs of bushings. Resistance per
winding shall be 1.5 times of measured
value.
 For star connected auto transformers the
resistance of HV side is measured between
HV and IV terminal, then between IV
terminal and neutral at all taps.
 Vibration measurements (For Reactors Only)
 IR measurement of Winding
 Measurement of Turns ratio
 Measurement of Short Circuit Impedance
 FRA
 Replacement of Oil of OLTC
 Filtration of Main Tank Oil
 Recovery Voltage measurement
 On line PD measurement
 Testing of Bushing CTs
 This test is performed for measuring of
vibrations of core / coil assembly in Reactors
 Movement of the core – coil assembly and
shielding structure caused by the time –varying
magnetic forces results in vibration of the tank
and ancillary equipment
 Each of the four sides of Reactors are divided
into 12 rectangular areas of same size. All the
points are marked. Then vibration measurement
is done on these points.
 The average amplitude of all local max points
shall not exceed 60 micrometer peak to peak.
Max. amplitude within any rectangular area shall
not exceed 200 micrometer peak to peak.
For Auto transformer For Reactor
HV+IV to LV HV to E
HV +IV to E
LV to E

Record date and time of measurement, Sl. No., make of

Megger, Oil Temperature and IR values at intervals of 15 Sec, 1
min, and 10 Min
 Dielectricabsorption index: Ratio of 60 Sec
IR value to 15 Sec IR value. Higher value
indicates dryness of insulation

 PolarizationIndex: Ratio of 10 min. IR value

to 1 Min. IR value. With time charging
currents reduces and leakage current due to
moisture increases. Therefore if PI is not
higher then it indicates Poor insulation
conditions.
 PI Insulation Condition

Less than 1 Dangerous

1.0 to 1.1 Poor

1.1 to 1.25 Questionable

1.25 to 2.0 Fair

2.0 to 4.0 Good

Above 4.0 Excellent

 To determine voltage ratio of the
transformer
 IV and LV terminals are kept open and 3
phase 415 Volts or 230 V Single phase supply
is applied on HV terminals.
 Voltage is measured on HV and IV terminals
simultaneously
 It is performed for each tap
 For healthy transformer the voltage between
neutral and ground should be zero
 This test is done to find out short circuit
impedance of transformer. Results evaluation
can detect winding movement for
mechanical damage.
 Test is performed on single phase mode. One
winding is short circuited and voltage is
applied other winding. Voltage and current
readings are noted.
 Variation of 3% or more with respect to rated
value is considered significant and further
investigated.
 Itis done to assess the mechanical integrity
of the transformer. During transport or after
severe short circuit current flow,
deformation in the winding or core may
occur . These changes are detected by FRA
testing.
 A sinusoidal input of 2 V rms with frequency
range of 5 Hz to 10 MHz is applied across the
winding. At one end one measuring input T1
and at other end R1 is connected and voltage
transfer function T1/R1 is measured.
Frequency range Type of Faults
5 Hz to 2 kHz Shorted Turns, Open Circuit,
Residual Magnetism or Core
movement
50 Hz to 20 kHz Bulk movement of windings
relative to each other
500 Hz to 2 MHz Deformation within winding
25 Hz to 10 MHz Problems with winding leads and
or test lead placement
 This test is carried out on transformers for
estimating the moisture content in solid
insulation
 All the terminals of each windings are
shorted together. One winding (Generally HV)
is earthed and voltage is applied on other
(LV) winding by RVM kit. 2 kV DC voltage is
applied for some standard time and short for
half time of application before and
measurement of peak recovery voltage is
done.
 More the Time constant better the insulation
 Time for applying voltage will continue upto
2000 to 5000 sec.
Partial discharges (PD) occurs within electrical
equipment whenever the voltage stress exceeds in
some regions of the dielectric (insulation). By this
test we can detect:

 sudden, unexpected breakdown of equipment

 Even in the course of acceptance tests on new

installation, a possible lack in quality can be
recognized by PD measurements early stage .
2. PD FUNDAMENTALS
A partial discharge (PD) is defined as an electric discharge that partially
bridges the Insulation between two conductors.

Fig. 1: PD inside an insulation block

The terms “PD” and “Corona” apply to the
same phenomena of electrical discharges.
However, the term “Corona” is preferably
reserved for external partial discharges, for
example, on the bushing terminal or on the
transmission line. For internal discharges, the
term “PD” is used.
Reasons for PD
•Insufficient design margins

•Improper choice of insulating materials

•Bad processing

•Bad workmanship

•Faulty manufacturing procedures

•Loose connections

Improper shielding inside & outside the equipment

Transformer Services Dept./TCB/BHEL 29/06/2009 51
Where PD can occur in electrical equipment?

•Cavities in an insulation layer

•Metal electrodes at boundaries of these insulation layers

(surface discharges)

•Electrode edges of a foil in an insulation layer (e.g. bushings,

capacitors)

•Electrodes in the air

•Metal parts at free potential

•Loose contact at high voltage points

•Bad earthing

•Solid particles in oil (DC equipment)

Damaging effects of PD
•Erosion on the surfaces / watts
•Chemical degradation
•Formation of pits
•Tracking / Treeing
•Loss of mechanical strength
•Local heating
•Interference with radio communication
•PDs of high magnitude (> 10,000 pC) may lead
to accelerated aging causing a complete damage
of the insulation within a short period of time.
 Polarity Check: A 6-10 V Battery pack is
connected momentarily to the primary P1-P2
and deflection of pointer of Voltmeter or mA
meter in secondary noted.
 Ratio Test: A suitable voltage below
saturation value is applied in primary and in
secondary voltage is measured.
 Excitation Test: AC test voltage is applied to
the secondary with the primary open
circuited.
 Insulation resistance test
 Activity Approval Condition Periodicity
Testing of oil for BDV SSI W S/D Y
IR Measurement SSI S/D 2Y
Testing of OTI, WTI SSI S/D Y
and Buchholz
Checking of PRD SSI S/D Y