Why is water killing power transformer insulation?

Water is a slow but deadly poison for power transformers

Table of Contents
Dielectric frequency response analysis is a powerful tool used to determine the water content in power
transformers and to assess their condition and remaining lifetime. By using improved algorithms like PDC+, the
measurement time can be drastically reduced. Further automation of the whole measurement and assessment
process makes the technique easy and reliable for all users.

Keywords
moisture, power transformer insulation, frequency domain spectroscopy (FDS), polarization depolarization
current (PDC+), dielectric frequency response (DFR), water content

Abstract
Water is a threat to the insulation of oil (or ester) insulated power transformers. It leads to reduced breakdown
strength of the oil and an accelerated aging of the cellulose insulation. Dielectric frequency response analysis
is a suitable and accurate way to assess the water content of the insulation and it helps to determine the
condition and remaining lifetime of the transformer. Prior drawbacks of this technology, such as long
measurement times and complex assessment, can be eliminated using modern software. The PDC+ technique,
an improved version of the polarization depolarization current (PDC) measurement, reduces the measurement
time up to a factor of 20. Further automation of the whole measurement and assessment process makes the
PDC+ technique easy and reliable for all users.

1 Water in power transformers

Water is the foundation for life on our planet. It is essential for every living plant or creature. But there is one
place where water greatly reduces life: The oil-paper insulation of power transformers.
This insulation consists of paper and pressboard elements which provide the mechanical stability of the
insulation. The main component of paper and pressboard is cellulose. It consists of glucose molecules which
are linked and form a chain (Figure 1). The average number of glucose molecules in a cellulose chain (which
is also called “degree of polymerization” or “DP” in short) is about 1200 for new paper. These large chains give
the paper the mechanical strength it requires to fix the windings, even in rough conditions such as when a short
circuit has occurred.

Figure 1: Part of a cellulose molecule showing 12 glucose molecules (schematic)

Unfortunately, these chains can be split by water molecules which reduces the mechanical force they can
withstand. A small amount of moisture is always present in the paper of a power transformer, even if it is dried
perfectly. At elevated temperatures, the water molecules split the cellulose chains, causing shorter chain lengths
and – as a byproduct – even more water. So a self-accelerating process is taking place which increasingly
reduces the mechanical stability of the transformer insulation. The speed of this process is highly dependent
on the temperature but also on the moisture content (Figure 2). Although the higher temperatures displayed in
the chart are unlikely to be reached by the average temperature of the transformer, local hot spots have to be
considered.
Figure 2 Dependency of life expectance on moisture content and temperature [1]

When the average length of a cellulose chain in paper is 200 or below, it is usually considered at the end of its
life because the mechanical strength is then so heavily reduced that it can’t withstand higher stresses.
As aging produces more water molecules, the water content of a power transformer is a very good indicator for
the age of the transformer insulation. It allows not only an assessment of the remaining lifetime but also correct
condition based maintenance: A moderately wet power transformer might be dried which reduces the water
content and thereby slows down the aging. If a power transformer is very wet, the paper is usually in a very
aged state and drying wouldn’t help as it can’t un-age the paper. If it was dry, drying would be a waste of time
and money.
In a mineral oil filled power transformer, the amount of oil is about 10 times larger than the amount of cellulose
insulation [2]. However, as water is barely soluble in oil, the vast majority (> 99 %) of water is located in the
cellulose insulation and not in the oil. Oil samples of power transformers contain water only in the lower ppm
(parts per million) range whereas the range for water in the cellulose is usually in the area of 0.3 % to 6 %. The
water content of the oil is highly dependent on temperature, oil condition and impurities [2]. Small errors in
sampling and handling result in high deviations of the final result [2]. The water content in the cellulose provides
a much more reliable value for condition assessment, as it is barely influenced by those parameters.
Unfortunately, sampling of cellulose for moisture analysis is a very difficult task as the solid insulation of a power
transformer isn’t easily accessible.

2 Moisture determination via dielectric frequency response analysis

A simple and reliable way to determine the amount of moisture in a power transformer is dielectric frequency
response analysis (DFR) [3]. When a material absorbs water, it changes its dielectric properties, such as
conductivity, capacity and dielectric losses. This principle is used, for example, in humidity sensors. Cellulose
also shows such a dependency of dielectric values at different water contents.

2.1 Measurement principle

In dielectric moisture analysis of power transformers, the whole main transformer insulation is used as a
humidity sensor. The measurement device is connected to the bushings and determines the dielectric properties
of the insulation. The connection is very simple, like in a normal power factor/tan(δ) measurement. Only one
insulation has to be measured. Typically, the main insulation from the high voltage to the low voltage side (CHL)
is used as it contains most cellulose. For analog to power factor/tan(δ) measurements, a guard is used to
bypass unwanted influences (Figure 3).
Figure 3: CHL measurement on a 2 winding transformer without and with guard

As moisture influences the dielectric properties of cellulose, especially at very low frequencies, the
measurement is performed down to the µHz region. Figure 4 shows the dielectric losses of four power
transformers in a frequency range from the µHz region up to some hundred Hz. Each curve has a characteristic
shape which includes a more or less pronounced “hump” at lower frequencies. The region below the “hump”,
around 1 - 2 decades from the “hump” peak, is highly influenced by the water in the paper insulation.
Determining this frequency region is essential.

Figure 4: Broadband dielectric response of four different power transformers at 20°C

2.2 Result assessment
The assessment of the curves is a complex process as many parameters are influencing the dielectric
properties [2]. However, modern measurement software, which include a database of dielectric properties of
pressboard at various water contents and temperatures, help users to automate this process.
The principle of the assessment is to simulate a transformer insulation using the database and to model barriers
and spacers with the so called X-Y-model [4]. This way, no “fingerprint” or previous measurement is required
and all kinds of transformers (and also other oil-paper insulated assets) can be simulated (Figure 5). The
parameters of the simulated curve are adapted until the simulated curve fits the measured curve. When this is
the case, all parameters (moisture, oil conductivity, etc.) of the “fitting” simulated curve are identical to the
parameters of the measured transformer. The whole procedure involves a high number of calculations but is
performed within seconds by the measurement software.
The DFR method has been described by CIGRÉ [5] [6], and an IEEE guide is currently under development [7].
There are no other non-invasive ways to assess moisture in a transformer that can provide comparable
accuracy.

Figure 5: Principle of the water content assessment of power transformers

3 Reduce the time for DFR measurements

3.1 Traditional FDS measurement method

Traditionally, dielectric parameters are measured in frequency domain by applying different frequencies and
measuring the response. This technique is called frequency domain spectroscopy (FDS) and is applicable for
all frequencies, from the µHz area to the GHz area and above. It is quite simple in handling, but takes a lot of
time to measure low frequencies as the duration of sine waves at, for example, 10 µHz, takes about 27 hours,
not taking into consideration all the other frequencies which also have to be measured.

3.2 Conventional PDC measurement method

Another method to measure the dielectric properties is to apply a voltage step to the tested asset and to
measure the resulting polarization current for some time. This time-dependent information can be transferred
to frequency-dependent dielectric properties [8]. It is called polarization depolarization current measurement
(PDC) as traditionally not only the polarization, but also the depolarization current, was measured and
compared. Modern algorithms only require the polarization current which halves the measurement time. By
using PDC instead of FDS, the measurement time can be significantly reduced as one single PDC
measurement provides the information for all frequencies which should be measured.
This principle provides a way to save measurement time: Conventional conversion from time domain to
frequency domain uses a static correlation between the measurement time and the calculated frequency range.
If, for example, the time domain measurement was performed for 1000 seconds, the frequency response was
always calculated down to the inverse frequency of 0.001 Hz.

3.3 Time-improved PDC+ measurement method

A new algorithm called PDC+ uses a dynamic approach and calculates up to 20 times more data in frequency
domain from the same time domain information (Figure 6).

Figure 6: Conversion from time to frequency domain for conventional PDC and PDC+

Thus, the PDC+ technique allows much shorter measurements for the same frequency range than FDS or
conventional PDC techniques (Figure 7). Modern measurement devices combine FDS for high frequencies and
PDC+ for low frequencies. Where conventional FDS measurements take more than a day to measure from 1
kHz to 10 µHz, modern FDS&PDC+ devices can achieve this in 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes.

Figure 7: Test time for a frequency sweep from 1 kHz to 10 µHz

There is also yet another way to reduce the test time. In many cases, it is not necessary to measure the whole
frequency range down to 10 µHz. If the test can be stopped earlier, more time can be saved. However,
shortening the measurement time too much can be critical as the important frequency range below the hump
has to be measured. If the test is stopped too soon, the results would be worthless and the whole measurement
would have to be repeated.
The required lowest frequency, which has to be measured in order to achieve valid results, is not showing any
good correlation to the transformer temperature, so this can’t be used to determine the required frequency
range (Figure 8). The required frequency range is also not directly related to the water content of the sample
(Figure 8).

Figure 8: Correlation of transformer temperature and water content to the required lowest frequency which has to be
measured. The evaluation is based on 115 dielectric measurements on power transformers.

There is a parameter which is directly related to the hump and which is measured directly: The real part of the
complex capacitance, known as C’ or mostly referred to simply as “capacitance”. At high frequencies, it is stable
but at the beginning of the hump it starts to increase (Figure 9). As the tan(δ) is the quotient of imaginary part
C’’ (namely, the losses) and the real part of the capacitance C’, it is obvious that a larger increase of C’ than of
C’’ leads to a lower tan(δ). The increase of C’ can be used to detect the position of the hump. As the part of 1-
2 decades left of the hump is dominated by the influence of moisture, this frequency range has to be measured.
Lower frequencies are not required, so the measurement can be stopped once this frequency range has been
determined.
The advantage of using C’ is that its value is rarely influenced by disturbances. Also, for certain assets, for
example, power transformers with good oil but increased moisture content, the tan(δ) curve does not show a
pronounced hump but the evaluation of the C’ increase provides correct information.
Figure 9: Correlation of the “hump” in tan(δ), the real part C’ and the imaginary part C’’ of the capacitance for a power
transformer

The effect is not only proved empirically but can also be derived from the dielectric behavior: An increase of C’
in this low frequency area corresponds to space charge polarization which happens in the cellulose insulation.
Therefore, the frequency area where C’ increases (compared to high frequencies) is influenced by the cellulose.
With the information of the required frequency range, which is available during the measurement, the frequency
range can be limited to the minimum required range. This helps to reduce the test time drastically in most cases
and avoids inaccurate measurements with too short frequency ranges.

4 Modern DFR measurement devices

One of the big problems of dielectric moisture determination in the past was – besides the measurement time
– the high complexity of the measurement. Although the test setup itself is very easy, the determination of the
correct frequency range and the assessment of the curve required background knowledge.
Modern DFR measurement software is able to automatically and individually set the frequency range for each
power transformer. At first, the maximum frequency range is set and when the software has determined the
increase of C’, it can calculate and adjust the required remaining frequency range and the corresponding
measurement time.
The increase of C’ not only helps to reduce the time, but also allows a more accurate moisture assessment as
the part of the curve which is dominated by moisture is reliably identified. Modern measurement software is
able to perform the curve fitting and assessment of water content and oil conductivity fully automatically once
the required data has been measured. It also normally includes an automated assessment function, which
compensates for influences such as insulation geometry, oil conductivity and aging byproducts. The testing
device should be able to conduct the automatic evaluation according to national, international or user-defined
standards.

5 Conclusion
Water is a danger to the insulation of oil-paper insulated power transformer as it ages and decreases the
mechanical strength of the insulation. If the water content is increased, counter-measures, such as drying, have
to be applied before the insulation is severely aged. Dielectric measurements enable a reliable assessment of
the water content without the drawbacks of other methods.
The new PDC+ method combined with modern software allows much shorter measurement time and easier
applicability.
With the automation of the whole test, which is possible in modern software, the tester only has to set up the
test set and press the start button. The only parameter which has to be entered manually is the asset
temperature. Therefore, even inexperienced users can reliably assess the water content of power transformers.
This information allows the user to determine if life extending actions have to be taken or if the asset is still in
good shape.

6 References

[1] L. E. Lundgaard, "Aging of oil-impregnated paper in power transformers," IEEE Transactions on Power
Delivery, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 230-239, 2004.

[2] M. Koch, Reliable Moisture Determination in Power Transformers, Sierke Verlag, 2008.

[3] M. Krueger and M. Koch, "A fast and reliable dielectric diagnostic method to determine moisture in power
transformers," in IEEE International Confrerence on Condition Monitoring and Diagnosis (CMD), 2008.

[4] U. Graevert, "Dielectric Response Analysis of Real Insulation Systems," in Proceedings of the 2004 IEEE
International Conference on Solid Dielectrics (ICSD), 2004.

[5] CIGRE, "Technical Brochure 254: Dielectric Response Methods for Diagnostics of Power Transformers,"
CIGRE, 2002.

[6] CIGRE, "Technical Brochure 414: Dielectric Response Diagnoses For Transformer Windings," 2010.

[7] Dielectric-WGC57.161, PC57.161 - IEEE Draft Guide for Dielectric Frequency Response Test.

[8] M. Koch and F. Kaufmann, "Transforming Dielectric Response Measurements from Time to Frequency
Domain," in Nordis, Göteborg, 2009.

Leads
 Water reduces the lifetime of oil-paper insulation of power transformers.
 DFR is a simple and reliable way to determine the amount of moisture in power transformer
insulation.
 Modern DFR devices offer fully-automated assessment of water content and oil conductivity once
the required data has been measured.
 Combined with modern software, the new PDC+ method allows much shorter measurement times.

Vita
 Martin Anglhuber received his degree in electrical engineering from TU München in 2007.
From 2007 to 2011 he worked as a scientific assistant in the Institute for High-Voltage
Technology and Power Transmission for TU München in Germany where he performed
research on polymer nanocomposites being used for insulation materials in high-voltage
apparatuses. He received his Dr.-Ing. (Ph.D.E.E.) degree in 2012.
He’s been working at OMICRON electronics in Klaus, Austria since 2012 as a product manager
specialized in the area of dielectric transformer diagnostics.

Martin Anglhuber
Product Manager

OMICRON electronics GmbH

6833 Klaus | AUSTRIA
martin.anglhuber@omicronenergy.com