Thermal Aging of Distribution Transformers

K. Najdenkoski, Senior Member, IEEE , G. Rafajlovski, Member, IEEE and V. Dimcev, Senior Member, IEEE
Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia, e-mail: krste@etf.ukim.edu.mk

I. INTRODUCTION
Aging of insulation is a temporal function of the temperature, the quantity of humidity and the quantity of oxygen. In modern
transformer constructions the possibility to increase the presence of humidity and oxygen in the oil has been reduced, and
consequently their impact on the isolation loss of life. It could be said that what only remains is the temperature impact. Since
the temperature distribution is non-uniform, the devastation effects caused by the hot spot temperature are usually taken into
consideration, upon investigating of the aging process. Because there are many factors affecting the cumulative temperature
effect, which in turn damages the transformers isolation, the useful loss of life of the transformers isolation cannot be
predicted with high accuracy, not even under constant and carefully controlled conditions, and even less at highly changeable
working conditions.
There are existing therminological differencess in IEEE and IEC standards, that are used in the methods for determination of
ageing in distribution transformers. This paper is comparative analysis between the variables, defined in those standards. The
presented analysis relates to a transformer with the following parameters: 630 kVA, 10/0,4 kV, Dy5.

II. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

Since the methods for determination of loss of life according to IEEE and IEC standards, there are terminological difference
when defining certain quantities. In this chapter a comparison is made, between the quantities from these standards which refer
to transformer loss of life. (table I). As it can be seen from the table there is a great difference with respect to the transformer
loss of life specified by IEEE and IEC. This difference is a result of the following:
-Normal transformer life according to IEEE is 180000 hours, and in IEC standard total life is not defined, but most often it is
mentioned that the transformer life is 30 years.
-The difference which exist dependent on ageing rate of hot spot temperature (Fig. 1).
-The different values of hot spot temperature (THT) at which there is a normal ageing (110 oC to IEEE and 98 oC to IEC).
TABLE I. COMPARISON BETWEEN THE LOSS OF LIFE DATA OBTAINED ACCORDING TO IEEE AND IEC STANDARDS
IEEE
-Ageing acceleration factor
-Equivalent ageing factor

FAA
FEQA

Variables
-hot spot temperature
-hot spot temperature rise
-ambient temperature
-average winding temperature
-normal ageing rate
Calculated variables
- Ageing factor
- Percent loss of life

HS
HS
A
WR

IEC
-relative ageing rate
-loss of life
IEEE
110 (oC)
80 (K)
30 (oC)
65 (K)
20.55 (years)

IEEE
0.166947 (day)= 4.00672
(hours)
0.002226 (%)

V
L
IEC
98 (oC)
78 (K)
20 (oC)
65 (K)
? 30 (years)

IEC
0.52 (day) = 12.5 (hours)
0.0047 (%)

As it can be noticed from the table, there is a big difference with regard to the transformer loss of life determined according
to IEEE and IEC. This difference is due to the following reasons:
- The loss of life according to IEEE equals 180000 hours, and in the IEC standards the total loss of life is not defined, but it
is usually mentioned that the transformer loss of life is 30 years.
- The difference existing in the dependence of the aging rate on the hot spot temperature (Fig. 1).
- The different values of the hot spot temperature (THT) at which there is normal aging (110 oC according to IEE and 98 oC
according to IEC).

100000
10000
1000

IEEE
IEC

100
10
1
0,1
0,01
0,001
0,0001

110

98
0

40

80

120

160

200

HS ( C)
Figure 1 Aging rate (p.u.) depending on the hot spot temperature according to IEEE and IEC
In order to compare the methods for determining the transformer loss of life by the IEEE and IEC standards, the following
adjustments have been made:
- the transformer has a normal aging rate at 98 oC,
- the nominal ambient temperature is 20 oC,
- normal ageing rate is 30 years,
- same load cycle and ambient temperature.
Some results from comparative analysis are given in Table II.
TABLE II LOSS OF LIFE DETERMINED ACCORDING TO IEEE AND IEC AT SAME INPUT DATA
- hot spot temperature
- maximal ageing rate
- loss of life

IEEE
114.17 (oC)
3.04 (p.u.)
0.5246 (p.u.) = 12.591 (hours)

IEC
108.6 (oC)
6.478 (p.u.)
0.5209 (p.u.) = 12.502 (hours)

The analysis shows that if same input data corresponding to the loss of life are used, the methods for determining loss of life
derived on the basis of the temperature models of the IEEE and IEC standards give final results which deviate very little. Thus,
in the 24-hour load cycle, the transformer has spent 12.591 hours of its life according to IEEE while 12.502 hours according to
IEC. More detailed analysis will be in full version of the paper.

REFERENCE
[1] [1] IEC 354, "Loading guide for oil-immersed power transformers, second edition, 1991-09
[2] IEEE Std C57.91-1999, "IEEE Guide for Loading Mineral-Oil-Immersed Transformers.
[3] IEEE Std C57.100-1999, "IEEE Standard Test Procedure for Thermal Evaluation of Liquid-Immersed Distribution and
Power Transformers.
[4] CIGRE Working Group 12.09, "Thermal Aspects of Transformers, August 1995
[5] L.W.Pierce, "An investigation of the thermal performance of an oil filled transformer winding, IEEE Transactions on
Power Delivery, Vol.7 No.3, 1992, pp.1347-1358.
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Technical Services Inc.2002
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