The Secrets of Bushing Oil Level

Mark B. Goff, P.E.

Tennessee Valley Authority

ABSTRACT
When can an IR camera find the oil level in a bushing? What role does the oil have in electrical equipment
such as bushings? When can oil leaks be seen with the naked eye? How can an IR camera step in a save
the day? What to do if a bushing is found having a low oil level? This paper will answer these questions and
more as it takes you on a journey to get back to the basics of Thermography.

INTRODUCTION
What is a high voltage bushing? A bushing is a device that allows electrical current to pass through a barrier
and provide an electrical connection on each side while providing electrical insulation between the conductor
and ground. The center conductor is usually made of copper or aluminum cylinder. The current rating is
based on the size and conductivity of the material used. The inside conductor is surrounded by some type of
electrical insulation. Lower voltages are typically made up of a solid material like porcelain or some type of
resin composite. In higher voltage bushings, the inside has a different design to deal with the unevenness of
the voltage gradient. The inside consists of concentric layers of insulation and layers of conductor foils. This
allows the voltage to be graded in a uniform method. These layers of insulation and conductors form a
concentric capacitor between the high voltage center core and the bushing flange at ground potential.
Usually this type of bushing design has a voltage/potential or test tap. This tap allows the bushings to provide
a proportional voltage at the tap and/or allows the bushing to be tested when de-energized

The bushings are the most critical components on a piece of major power equipment. This is because the
voltage gradients are much more compact. In other words, the physical distance between the high voltage
point and the low voltage (i.e. ground) is much less compared to the distance from the high voltage
components inside the tank to the tank wall.

In most modern bushings above 26kV, paper provides the skeleton for the insulation system. The paper is
impregnated with mineral oil to provide more insulation. Although, the key property of the bushing is the
electrical insulation quality, later this paper will show how the property of heat conduction can be used.

TWO FAILURE MODES OF A BUSHING: DETERIORATED OIL AND LOW OIL

First Failure Mode:

If only a small finite amount of oil leaks out of the bushing, then air will come in to fill the space. As the
temperature changes, the air will expand and contract thus having the effect of breathing in and out. Air
contains various amounts of moisture and this breathing action will allow the moisture to migrate into the
bushing. Moisture will attack the oil and cause it to break down chemically. Moisture will weaken the glucose
molecules chains that make up the paper skeleton. As these glucose chains break, the paper will loose it
mechanical strength. Also, as the insulation deteriorates, acids will form. These acids attack the oil and
paper. Furthermore these byproducts are to some degree conductive. If this continues, the foil layers will
began to short out one by one. Each one that fails causes even more stress on the others. If this continues,
the insulation will break down to the point of a flashover between the center conductor and the ground flange.
This type of failure mode is hard to find with IR and other offline test methods may work better but the
equipment must be offline to test.

Offline electrical testing is an attempt to find problems. So, periodically electrical equipment is taken out of
service to be inspected and tested. The power factor test is the industry standard for checking bushings
when the equipment is out of service. This test basically checks the electrical leakage current across the
insulation system and checks the capacitance values. If there is a change in the leakage current by a few
tenths of a percent or if the capacitance increases by a few percent, the bushing integrity is in question and
raises some concerns. Depending on the history of previous test, the bushing may be scheduled to be tested

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more often or scheduled to be replaced. Offline testing is costly because the piece of equipment is
unavailable to be used. Also, disconnecting and preparing the equipment for test requires a lot of resources.

Second Failure Mode:

Another failure can happen where the oil leak is slow and continuous. Sometimes the leak can be seen but
other times the leak can develop inside the tank where it can not be seen. When this type of leak develops,
oil continues to flow from the bushing and moist air will come in to replace the oil. The paper will become void
of oil and the insulation system will become unable to proper grade the voltage. Increased areas of electrical
stress will cause electrical discharges to develop. These discharges are called “Corona” and corona will eat
like worms through the paper, thus causing the foil layers to short out. In most cases, this type of failure
mode happens much quicker that the previous failure mode. Like the first failure mode, the deterioration is
likely to be seen with offline test methods. But, since offline testing intervals have been pushed out so far, a
bushing may develop a leak and fail before the next scheduled test. Therefore, an IR scan and visual
inspection is absolutely necessary on at least an annual schedule to protect against this type of an event.
The higher the voltage the more critical this becomes.

WHERE AND WHEN CAN IR IMAGING OF A BUSHING BE USED:

When looking for oil levels using an IR camera, one must be aware of the basics that allow the oil level to be
seen. Using modern IR cameras, one can see very small differences in thermal patterns. So, the more
sensitive the camera or the greater the temperature difference, the easier the thermal patterns will be to see.

The most costly piece of equipment in the power grid is a Power Transformer. This device converts voltage
from one level to another level. In simple terms, a transformer consists of at least two coils of copper or
aluminum wire wrapped around an iron core. All of this sits in a tank full of oil or some other insulating liquid.
When voltage is applied to the transformer, a magnetic field is induced. There is a natural energy loss due to
magnetizing current and this will allow for a temperature rise of a few degrees above ambient even under no
load conditions. As a transformer picks up load, the copper losses will increase and give a larger temperature
difference above ambient. The heat in the iron and coils of wire will heat up the oil inside the tank. This heat
energy will be passed to the bushings by thermal conduction. Due to the thermal conductivity of the oil inside
the bushing, the bushing oil level can be seen. So the bushings will appear warmer where the oil is and
cooler where there is no oil.

*>35.0°C

35.0
Oil Level

30.0

25.0

20.0

15.0

*<15.0°C

Figure 1. Typical High Voltage Transformer Bushing’s Oil Level

There are other types of transformers on the power grid that are much smaller. Their job is to not to carry
load but to feed the instrumentation so they are called “Instrument Transformers”. Since they are typically
only feeding instrumentation, they will not have as large of a temperature differential compared to a power

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transformer. They require very fine adjustments and close attention when using an IR camera. These units
look like a large bushing sitting on a small container. This means the source of heat is really small compared
to the size of the high voltage bushing. So, in order to understand these, it is best to compare similar units
under similar conditions. Just two or three degrees difference between similar units can be an indicator of
trouble. Using a profile tool can also help to see the thermal pattern and to look for small differences.

Figure 2. Three Instrument Transformers with the Line Profile Overlay

CASE STUDY -- BULL RUN 500KV TO 161KV INTER-TIE TRANSFORMER BANK

On September 11, 2007 we experienced a transformer failure. The transformer was out of service just three
months prior to the failure and a full set of electrical test were ran including power factor. No problems were
found. But during the transformer failure investigation, a report was found showing that a routine IR scan and
visual inspection preformed 15 months prior to the failure. The reported stated this and other bushings were
low on oil. This raised some concerns on why this had not been addressed. So, upon returning the spare to
service and before the root cause was concluded, special emphasis was placed on looking for oil levels for all
bushings. At the end of September 2007 the Spare Phase was placed in-service.

500kV bushing failure (Bull Run Intertie bank - B phase)

An investigation was launched to determine the root cause of the failure. The
investigation concluded there was a chip in the oil level site glass that allowed
moisture to migrate into the bushing. (This is was an example of Failure mode 1)
Since this site glass was above the normal oil level, oil could not leak out. It was
concluded that this type of failure could not be detected by normal visual or IR
inspections. Also, a power factor test and hot collar test was performed just three
months prior to this event and no problems were found. The investigation concluded
that there was a chip was in the upper site glass above the normal oil level. This
allowed an opening where moisture could get into the bushing. This moisture found
it way to the bottom of the bushing as free water and thus compromising the
insulation of the bushing causing it to flash over and fail. Although this failure mode
would be near impossible to detect, the investigation uncovered some
misconceptions about IR scans and visual inspections.

Upon returning the transformer bank to service, the IR scan indicated one of the bushings on Spare
Transformer looked strange. Instead of just being a little low, it was noticed that the 161kV bushing was
extremely low. The oil level was just above the ground flange. This was verified with two different IR
cameras. The transformer was taken out of service and the bushing replaced.

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 A Breakdown on the B Phase Transformer that Failed

The IR image below was misinterpreted in the report which stated that the bushing had a low oil level, but it is
obvious that the bushing is much warmer that the ambient. In fact, the bushing cap appears warmer because
the heat conducts better through the “metal can” at the top of the bushing as compared to the thicker
porcelain insulator below the “metal can”. A narrower temperature span would have shown the oil level in the
“metal can”.

Figure 3. IR of “So Called” Low Oil Level o 500kV Bushing

• Double power factor or hot collar did not find the problem on the test performed 3 months prior
• Oil level was not low as stated in the 2006 report based on a review of the IR image
• L2i (Level 2 Visual / IR inspection) would not have found moisture ingress problem by IR or Visual
• The 2006 L2i discrepancy report (4365) also stated, the 161kV bushing on B phase and one of
the 13kV bushings had a low oil level. This turned out to be in error as well
• Other transformers bushings on the inter-tie bank were reported to have bushings with a low oil
level according to the same L2i report (4365) Again a misunderstanding on how and why an IR
camera can be used to detect low oil in a bushing

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 A Breakdown on the Spare Phase Transformer

The IR image below shows the bushing on the right to be full of oil. This is indicated by the heat traveling
from the warm transformer tank full of oil up the bushing all the way to the top. The scale on the far right
shows the brighter yellow (lighter shade in black and white) somewhere around the 31 degree C and the
bushing on the left is blue/green (darker shade in black and white) which is somewhere around 15 degrees
cooler. The reason for this is because there is no oil in the bushing to conduct the heat. Only the very lowest
part of the bushing on the left shows any signs of heat being conducted thus marking the location of the oil
level.

Normal Oil Level

Oil Level

Figure 4. IR of 161kV Bushing with Low Oil Level

• Due to the failure of a 500kV bushing just days before and the possibility of low oil level (based
on the comments from the L2i discrepancy report) causing the failure, emphasis was placed on
verifying the oil levels in all bushings both visually and with IR
• Once pointed out as low oil level, lack of understanding the IR image delayed removing the
transformer from service
• Verification was required with another IR camera before this transformer was removed from
service (This took an additional 3 hours due to the travel involved)

MORE EXAMPLES OF BUSHINGS WITH OIL LEVELS

Example “A”

Low oil level in bushings is more frequent than one may first think. Also, a low oil level in a bushing is not to
be taken lightly. They are a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off. Other investigations have shown that
refilling a bushing with oil is not the answer. This will tend to mask a problem more than fix it.

On a transformer failure in 2006, the root cause investigation revealed a report that told about refilling a
bushing after having been found extremely low on oil. In 1999 this bushing was shipped off site to be refilled
and tested. After filling and retesting, the bushing was shipped back to the site and placed in the transformer.
The bushing was run through another full battery of test and all test passed. But all did not end well for the
bushing or transformer. The bushing failed in just over 6 years after being refilled. In other words, the filling
of new oil masked the problem. We have changed our policy to not refilling bushings after being found low on
oil. This is an example of failure mode 2.

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Figure 5. Failed 500kV-161kV Intertie Transformer

Example “B”

The IR image below shows a 500kV bushing. The oil level can be seen about half way down the bushing
where the color changes. Again, the lower part of the bushing is warm because it is conducting the heat from
the main tank with very warm oil. The top of the bushing is cooler because there is no oil to conduct the heat.
This bushing was replaced before causing a failure.

*>12.9°C

10.0

5.0

0.0

-5.0

-10.0

-15.0

-20.0

*<-20.0°C

Figure 6. 500kV Bushing with Low Oil Level

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 Example “C”

The IR image below shows three single phase transformers setting side by side. The one closest shows the
500kV bushing with the same pattern as shown earlier. From this image we can see the large transformer
tank which holds all of the inter workings of the transformer. This is where the heat is generated. The circled
bushing shows the oil level to be about half way up the bushing instead of near the top as seen on the other
two phases.

Figure 7. 500kV-161kV Intertie Transformer

Example “D”

The IR image below shows a three phase 161kV transformer from the high side. The 161kV bushing circled
shows the typical low oil level heat signature. Fortunately this was caught with an IR scan and the bushing
was replaced before a failure.

Figure 8. 161kV Generator Step-up Transformer --- Bushing with an Low Oil Level

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SUMMARY
Visual inspections work for seeing oil leaks when they are external. Also, visual inspections are great for
observing level gauges and site glasses. Sometimes gauges malfunction or site glasses become stained.
Visual inspections work hand in hand with an IR scan. This two pronged approach will save time and money
while keeping the equipment in service. However, as equipment comes out of service for other reasons, a
full battery of test is always a good idea.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The author wishes to thank the TVA’s System Engineers, Power Maintenance Units, and Electricians for
providing the resources to make this paper possible.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mark B. Goff is a staff system engineer for Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). He received a BSEE degree
from the University of Kentucky in 1983 and went to work for TVA as a field test engineer at Paradise Fossil
Plant. He joined TVA’s Transmission Staff in 1990 as a lead engineer for substation large power equipment.
Since being on the staff, he has developed TVA’s predictive maintenance program for TVA’s substation. In
2006, he received the ‘Power Delivery & Markets Product Champion Award’ for successful implementation of
the Paradise Substation Antenna Array / Backscatter sensor Demonstration Site. He is a registered
professional engineer in the state of Kentucky.

InfraMation 2008 Proceedings ITC 126 A 2008-05-14