Water-in-Paper

Activity: A New
Concept for
Moisture
Assessment in
Transformers
Oleg Roizman
Valery Davydov
Jim Dukarm

IEEE/PES Transformers Committee Meeting

Montreal, Quebec, Canada
October 23, 2006
 Part I
Introduction

Presented by

Dr. Jim Dukarm

President
Delta-X Research Inc
 Introduction

Water-in-Paper Activity:
a New Concept for
Moisture Assessment in Transformers

Jim Dukarm
President
Delta-X Research Inc
 Subject of the presentation

The presentation shows how the concept of

water-in-paper activity is useful for

zUnderstanding the relationship between water in

cellulose and water in oil in transformers, and

zAssessing and controlling the water content of

cellulose insulation
 Water in cellulose

zWater in transformer cellulose starts out low

(below 1% by dry weight) and accumulates as a
chemical byproduct of cellulose aging and also
as a result of leaks in tank gaskets and cooling
system components.

z Depending on the type and voltage class of the

transformer, it is considered desirable to keep the
water content of cellulose below 2% or 3%.
 Minimizing water in cellulose
Water in cellulose must be minimized because
it can cause or contribute to various problems:

zDepolymerization of cellulose (weakens the

winding insulation)

z Bubble formation (resulting PD causes damage

to the paper)

z Reduction of dielectric strength of winding

insulation
 Assessing moisture in cellulose
Partitioning of water between cellulose and oil

z Typically over 90% of total water is in cellulose

z Thin paper may be 15% of total cellulose

z Water solubility in oil increases with temperature

Under typical varying load and ambient

temperature, equilibrium between water in
cellulose and water in oil is not reached.
 Assessing moisture in cellulose

There is a complicated relationship between

%RS in oil and water in cellulose.

z"Active water content" of paper drives %RS on

short time scale

zTotal water content of bulk cellulose dominates

on long time scale
 Water-in-paper activity (Awp)
Water-in-paper activity (Awp) is the %RS
which the paper is "trying" to force the oil to.

Awp is a good indicator of the quantity of water

available for exchange between the paper and
the oil on a short time scale.

Awp does not depend much on temperature.

Evaluation of Awp is based on %RS and

temperature measurements.
 Usefulness of Awp

Awp is directly related to bubble formation

tendency and to moisture-related changes in
insulation dielectric strength.

Awp is very useful for characterizing moisture in

paper and for guiding transformer dry-out.

The water content of the bulk cellulose slowly

drives Awp, which has important implications for
dry-out.
And now for the details . . .
 Part II
Outline of
Water-in-Paper Activity
Concept

Presented by

Dr. Oleg Roizman

IntellPower Pty Ltd
oleg.roizman@optusnet.com.au
 Learning Objectives
ƒ Methods available today to estimate moisture
content of solid insulation
ƒ Introduction of the Water-in-Paper Activity (Awp)
concept
ƒ Instrumentation and methods for the Awp
measurement and determination
ƒ Ways of standardization of the Awp
ƒ New research results and their application to
practical assessment of moisture in transformer
insulation
ƒ Hands-on experience with moisture assessment
in transformers; case studies
 Detrimental Effects of Water

ƒ Accelerated paper aging

ƒ Vapor bubbles evolution
ƒ Corrosion of core and tank
ƒ Decrease of PD inception level
ƒ Progressive consumption of oil additives
ƒ Decrease of insulation dielectric strength
ƒ Reduction of transformer life
 Many Faces of Water

ƒ Free, mobile, bound, dissolved, active...

ƒ WCP (%) and WCO (ppm)
ƒ RS, ERS and RH
ƒ Dew point
ƒ Water activity and water potential
 Unclear Issues

ƒ No consideration for water in Loading Guide, life

extension, aging, test codes, standard
terminology
ƒ No common view on oil acceptance guide from
water perspective
ƒ No agreed method to assess moisture and judge
final dryness
ƒ No clear understanding of water effects on
dielectric stress, breakdown voltage, vapor
bubble formation and aging
Methods for Moisture Assessment

ƒ Karl Fischer titration method

ƒ Dielectric Loss factor (Tan delta)
ƒ Polarization and depolarization currents
ƒ Return (recovery) voltage method (RVM)
ƒ Dielectric spectroscopy
ƒ Water Heat Run Test
ƒ Use of equilibrium charts
 Introduction of
Water-in-Paper Activity (Awp)
ƒ Historical Background
ƒ Definition
ƒ Determination
ƒ Measurements
ƒ Instrumentation
ƒ Test procedure
ƒ Comparison to other
parameters used for
moisture assessment
 Thermodynamic Activity

ƒ 1906:The concept of thermodynamic activity was introduced

by G. N. Lewis (100 years ago!) J. Am. Chem. Soc
ƒ µ(sys)= µ(w) + RT ln(aw)
ƒ Used in food, pharmaceutical, pulp and paper industries
ƒ 1999 V.G. Davydov, O. Roizman and W.J. Bonwick,
“Moisture Evaluation in Oil and Paper for Sealed Transformer
Insulation System”, EPRI Substation Equipment Diagnostics
Conference VII.
ƒ 2005 O.Roizman, V. Davydov and B. Ward, “Water – in–
Paper Activity: A New Approach for Moisture Management In
Transformers”, EPRI Substation Equipment Diagnostics
Conference XIII.
 Example:

If a dry pressboard (0.5%) and a wet pressboard

(4.6%) were placed into a hot oil (80 o C) of 20% of
RS, we would expect that over time the wet
pressboard will lose some water and the dry
pressboard will gain some water.

However, the water content of each will not become

equal.
 Dry and Wet Pressboard
Steady state T T

WCA=0.5%, MA=745g
WCAB=3.25 % MA’=170g, not 745 g!
WCB=4.6%, MB=346g
WCABi=1.8 %
 Definition of Awp

Water-in-Paper Activity (Awp) of a oil-paper insulation

system is a measure of free water available in cellulose for
exchange with surrounding oil

Awp = %ERS/100 = p/po;

0 < Awp < 1
 Brand name Photo Application Max. Sat.
Types of Cellulose Insulation Moisture
LAMINATED clamping and support 3%
PRECOMPRESSED blocks
PRESSBOARD

LAMINATED KRAFT washers, filler blocks, 5%

TRANSFORMER stacking blocks, static ring
BOARD cores and support beams

ELECTRICAL GRADE support structures, core 7%

MAPLE and coil blocking

HI-LAM KRAFT spacers in multiple barrier 10%

TRANSFORMER configurations
BOARD
 Water Activity of Multicomponent
System
Awp Awo Awp Awo

air Awp
oil
paper

pw = pw pw = pw pw= pw pw = pw = pw

Aw=%ERH/100
 Sorption Isotherm at 80 ºC
Sorption Isotherm for 1mm pressboard at 80 C

10

6
WCPa, %

0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
Awp
Indicative Water Activity Isotherm

http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/water/activity.html
 Properties of Sorption Isotherms
ƒ Sorption isotherms are valid only for a single
material (e.g. one type of cellulose)
ƒ Sorption isotherms are affected by any variation
in material ( e.g. aging)
ƒ Sorption isotherms show a difference between
absorption and desorption curves (sorption
hysteresis)
ƒ Sorption isotherms are experimentally
determined
Instrumentation and Methods for Awp
Measurement
 Moisture Meters
for determining Awp
ƒ Very compact in size and extremely versatile
ƒ Provides measurement of the relative
saturation of water and temperature of oil
ƒ The sensor operates directly in the oil so it
can be installed directly into the transformer
or processing equipment
ƒ Can be used to estimate the water content of
paper insulation
 Awp Measurement
(idealized case)
100

T, C 80

60

40

20
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

80

60
%rs

40
Awp=0.18
20

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
hours
Determination of Awp for Operating Tx

Load
Load
Profile Water
Water
Profile
Fuzzy -in-
-in-
Temperature
Temperature Logic Paper
Paper
Sensors
Sensors Inference Activity
Activity
Engine Awp
Awp
Moisture
Moisture
Sensor
Sensor
 Factory Experience

• 20 MVA
• 66/22 kV
• ONAF/OFAF
• 15,000 L
• New
• Conservator - free breathing
• Monitored over 16 hours
 Position of Moisture Transducer

Conservator Cooler

Oil-Paper
System
Bottom Drain Valve
 T, deg C

0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
16:04:37
16:27:37
16:50:37
17:13:37
17:36:37
17:59:37
18:22:37
18:45:37
19:08:37
19:31:37
19:54:37
20:17:37
20:40:37
21:03:37
21:26:37
21:50:37
22:13:37
22:36:37
22:59:37

T
23:22:37
23:45:37
0:08:37

RS
0:31:37
0:54:37
1:17:37
1:40:37
2:03:37
2:26:37
2:49:37
T oil

3:12:37
3:35:37
%RS

3:58:37
4:21:37
Factory Temperature Rise Test

4:44:37
5:07:37
5:30:37
5:53:37
6:16:37
6:39:37
7:02:37
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

RS, %
 RS Response to T Rise
100 100

90 90
T
80 80

70 70

60 60
T, deg C

RS, %
50 50

40 40
Awp=0.13 RS1@2.3%
30 30
RS2@0.8
20 20
Awp=0.04
10 10

0 0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
hours
 Awp vs WCO
900

800

700
T= 0

600
wco,ppm
ppm

500
wco,

400
20

300

200 40

100 60

0 100
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
Awp
Awp
 Awp vs RS
Awp
Awp depends on T at equilibrium
and varies within narrow range.
Awp from 0 to 1
Awp indicates moisture in
oil-paper interface
RS, %
%RS highly temperature
dependent and can vary within full
scale from 0 to 100%
RS from 0 to 100%
RS is measure of moisture in oil
only
 Diagnostics by Awp

Awp Quick diagnostic

guide

0 – 0.1

0.1 – 0.2

0.2 – 1.0
 Awp and Drying Process

ƒ Drying transformer insulation is a process of

reducing Awp
ƒ Keeping oil dry at all times by on-line
dehydration is one way to maintain safety and
dryness of transformer insulation
ƒ Awp is the most critical parameter to control
drying process
 Conclusions
ƒ Concept of water activity is useful for transformer
moisture management
ƒ Awp reflects harmful effects of water on dielectric
strength and risk of bubbling
ƒ Awp can be benchmarked by recording RS during
factory temperature rise test
ƒ Awp can be standardized and used as a monitoring
parameter for normal operation and dryout
 Part III
Research Results
and Case Studies

Presented by

Dr. Valery Davydov

valery.davydov@eng.monash.edu.au

Centre for Power Transformer Monitoring,

Diagnostics and Life Management
Monash University, Australia
 1. Sorption Curves
(Valid for New Paper-Air and New Paper-Oil Physical Complexes)

6
0C 20C 40C 60C
80C
5

4 100C
WCPa, %

0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5
Awp

Note: WCPa – Active Water Content of Paper

Awp – Water-in-Paper Activity
 Study into Moisture Equilibrium
for New and Aged Paper

T & RH Probe

Sealed Glass Vessel

Air

1 New & 1 Aged Paper

Samples (KTU, 127 µm)

Salt Solution Metal Mesh

(Humidity Generator)
 T & RH Test Data for Paper-Air Complex
Over Salt Solution 1 and Salt Solution 2

30

20
T, deg. C

10

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
60

40
RH, %

20 Measure WCP at ERH1

Measure WCP at ERH2
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Time, days

(a) (b)
ERH1=11.3% ERH2=43.2%
(Awp1=0.113) (Awp2=0.432)
 Results of WCP Balance Measurements
for Aged and New Paper at Awp1 and Awp2
KTU aged (DP=292)
6
KTU new (DP=1148)

5
WCP, %

2
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35 0.4 0.45 0.5
Awp
Aw

Awp1=0.113 Awp2=0.432
 Conclusion 1
Sorption curves relating Awp to WCP
for new and aged paper are different.
2. Paper-Oil Physical Complex: Study into
Moisture Equilibrium for New Paper and Oil

Winding Disk

1-mm Pressboard
 Test Model:
Winding Disk and 1-mm Pressboard Coil

Winding Disk

1-mm Pressboard
 Awp Measurement
100

T, C 80

60

40

20
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

80

60
RS, %

40
Awp=0.18
20

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
hours

Note: RS – Relative Saturation

 Evaluation of WCPa for:
(a) Awp = 0.18; (b) Awp = 0.32

6
0C 20C 40C 60C
80C
5

4%
4 100C
WCPa, %

3 2.7%

0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5
Awp
Test at Awp = 0.32 (WCPa = 4%)
80

T oil

T, deg C
40

0
150
WCO (WCPa=4.0%)

100
WCO, ppm

50

0
100

75

Awp = 0.32
RS, %

50

25
RS (WCPa=4.0%)

0
0 6 12 18 24 30 36 42 48
Time, hrs
“Foggy” Oil during Cooling at Awp = 0.32
 Conclusion 2
Transformer paper-oil systems with the Water-in-
Paper Activity approaching and exceeding 0.2
(or with WCPa > 2.7%) are critical in terms of
moisture and require immediate attention.
3. Use of Awp for Assessment of
Online Dryout of 70+ y.o. 4 MVA Tx
 Awp in 4 MVA Tx
Immediately Following Dryout

Oil In
Conservator
Awp ≈ 0.06 Cooler

Oil Out

Bottom Drain Valve

 Distribution of Moisture in
Winding Insulation after Dryout
Conductor

Inner Layers (WCPa≈5%)

Outer Layer (WCPa≈2%)

Note: Tx operates at low temperature

 Conclusion 3

During on-line dryout of transformers moisture is

removed from surfaces of insulation, reducing the
Water-in-Paper Activity to an acceptable level.
This in turn guarantees that the WCO will remain
at a safe level for several months.
4. Experience with Vegetable Oil Filled Tx
ƒ 10/16 MVA
ƒ ONAF
ƒ Oil preservation: non-standard (on customer’s request)
ƒ Manufactured in 2005
ƒ 1 year in operation
 Position of Moisture Probe in Tx
during Factory Temperature Rise Test

Conservator Cooler

Moisture Probe Oil-Paper

System
 Factory Temperature Rise Test @ 1.75 p.u.

100 10

80 T oil 8
T deg C & WCO ppm

60
WCO 6

RS, %
40 4

RS
20 2

0 0
8:02 8:16 8:31 8:45 9:00 9:14 9:28 9:43 9:57
Time of Day
New Dry Tx with Mineral or Vegetable Oil
5
0 20
4.5
40
4

3.5 60

3
WCPa, %

80
wcp, %

2.5
100
2

1.5

0.5

0
0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1 0.12 0.14 0.16 0.18 0.2
Aw
Awp
Assessment of Awp in Vegetable Oil Filled Tx
after 1 Year in Service

Cooler
Conservator

Awp = 0.014
 Conclusion 4

Limited data available to date indicates that the

Awp for vegetable oil filled transformers can be
assessed in the same way as for mineral oil filled
transformers, and the critical values for Awp are
expected to be the same. Further research is in
progress.
 Summary
ƒ Sorption curves relating Awp to WCP for new and aged
paper are different.
ƒ Transformer paper-oil systems with the Awp approaching
and exceeding 0.2 (or with WCPa > 2.7%) are critical in
terms of moisture and require immediate attention.
ƒ During on-line dryout of transformers moisture is removed
from surfaces of insulation, reducing the Water-in-Paper
Activity to an acceptable level. This in turn guarantees that
the WCO will remain at a safe level for several months.
ƒ Limited data available to date indicates that the Awp for
vegetable oil filled transformers can be assessed in the
same way as for mineral oil filled transformers, and the
critical values for Awp are expected to be the same. Further
research is in progress.
Questions?