MR K NOW LED GE BASE

ALTERNATIVE LIquIDS
FOR TAP CHANgERS.
A utho r : r Ainer frotsche r
Alternative Liquids for Tap changers

Alternative Liquids
for Tap changers.
1. Introduction However, increasing power consumption in metro-
politan areas brings high-voltage levels right into
Power grids for electrical energy supply are highly urban environments and power transformers have
dynamic networks, utilising power transformers to to be installed within cities. Demanding safety stand-
regulate and control power flow. Regulated power ards require less- or non-flammable liquids for equip-
transformers are equipped with on-load tap-chang- ment placed within or around building structures to
ers (OLTCs) or off-circuit tap-changers (OCTCs) to avoid or minimize the hazard of fire, (toxic) smoke
change their ratio and, subsequently, adapt the trans- production and explosion damage in the event of
former output voltage to the respective conditions. electrical faults within the equipment.
This enables the power supply network to be kept
stable under changing load conditions. Tap changers With regard to environmental aspects, the expan-
are sophisticated mechanical devices which also must sion of water-catchment and suburban areas has
adapt to high-voltage conditions. This combination lead to the situation that more and more substations
makes them unique components in energy supply which were originally constructed “out in the green”
technology. are now located in environmentally sensitive areas.
As these areas are often flood zones, oil collecting
Insulating liquids used in transformers have to per- measures in the transformer foundation are generally
form a multiple role as an electrical insulating and useless. For such installations, biodegradable liquids
heat transfer agent. They must have adequate dielec- have to be used.
tric strength to withstand the electrical stresses im-
posed in service as well as a favourable combination 2. Less flammable insulating fluids
of thermal conductivity, specific heat and viscosity for electrotechnical purposes
to ensure sufficient heat transfer for the particular
equipment. Furthermore, they have to be compatible Since the use of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB)
with all insulating materials used and must not dete- in electrical equipment was phased out in the mid-
riorate in a manner that adversely affects other ma- 1970s, many types of dielectric fluids have been
terials in the apparatus. The most common insulating developed to replace them. Not all of these are less-
liquid which fulfils all these requirements is mineral flammable, such as the low-viscosity aromatic hydro-
insulating oil, following the specifications given in carbons which are not considered here [1]. Less-flam-
IEC 60296, ASTM D3487 or similar standards. Mineral mable liquids are those having a fire point of >300°C
insulating oil is proven and comparatively cheap. It is (“K-class liquids”). Various such liquids which have
sensibly used in all applications where a high degree become established on the market can be divided
of fire or environmental safety is not required. into four categories.

a) Fire-resistant hydrocarbon fluids were among the

Content Page first to be used in transformers and switch gears.
They originate from paraffinic petroleum which
1. Introduction 2 has been refined and cleaned to electrical grade.
2. Less flammable insulating fluids for Their long hydrocarbon molecule chains arrange
electrotechnical purposes 2 for comparatively high viscosity and excellent
3. Demands on a suitable liquid for lubricating capacity but, on the other hand, limit
regulated power transformers 4 their use in cold regions. They are classified as
4. Suitable tap changers for alternative liquids 4 “High Molecular Weight Hydrocarbon” (HMWH).
5. Qualification of tap changers for selected Due to their affinity to mineral oil and the disad-
alternative liquids 5 vantages thereof (raw material shortage, limited
6. Configuration of regulated power biodegradability), the use of HMWHs is currently
transformers for alternative liquids 6 being phased out.
7. Outlook 7
8. Literature 8 b) Silicone oils consist of saturated silicone oxide
chains and are manufactured synthetically. Their
high degree of flame resistance, coupled with

2 . MR KNOWLEDGE BASE
 high temperature stability, make them a preferred unsaturated fatty acids are prone to oxidation,
insulating oil for highly-stressed compact trans- saturated fatty acids can be very viscous. It is
formers, e.g. traction transformers. Silicone oils the optimal mixture that results in a compromise
feature a low temperature-dependency of viscos- between sufficient oxidation stability and accept-
ity, a very high flash point but, on the other hand, able viscosity, thus rendering these esters appli-
show poor lubricity and non-tolerable behaviour cable as an electrical insulating liquid.

Since HMWH and silicone oils are only limitedly ap-

plicable in regulated power transformers due to the
disadvantages cited above, natural or synthetic ester
liquids are the promising alternative, especially when-
ever biodegradability and fire-safety is required simul-
taneously. One indisputable advantage of natural es-
ters in contrast to synthetic esters is their favourable
CO2 balance. Natural esters are CO2 -neutral, meaning
that the carbon dioxide absorbed by plants during
growth is rereleased into the atmosphere in the same
amount during final disposal of the oil (Fig. 2). Thus,
the employment of natural esters in technical ap-
Figure 1: tuft of silicone oxide, after 3 weeks at 20°C, field strength 2kV/mm plications (as transformer oil, biodiesel or lubricants)
contributes positively to environmental protection.
under arcing stress or strong electric fields. Fur-
thermore, gelatinous deposits of silicone oxide On the other hand, the long-term oxidation stability
develop on blank electrodes and may build up of natural esters is insufficient. Oxidation causes
bridges (Fig. 1), which significantly reduce the di- some material properties, such as viscosity, to change
electric strength of the insulation gap. Pyrolytic unfavourably [3]. Therefore, a permanent hermetical
decomposition caused by switching arcs gener- sealing of the equipment must be ensured at all times.
ates silica sand, which can have disastrous effects An increase in viscosity worsens oil flow behaviour in
on the mechanical life of moving tap-changer the transformer, thus influencing its cooling proper-
parts. ties. In tap changers, a high viscosity may decelerate
the switching sequence in an unacceptable manner.
c) Synthetic esters (pentaerythritol tetra fatty acid Typical solutions for hermetical sealing of power
esters) are synthetically manufactured com- transformers and tap changers employ nitrogen cush-
pounds consisting of alcohols and saturated fatty ions or rubber bags or membranes inside the expan-
acids (carboxylic acids). Due to the manufactur-
ing process employed, they have precisely defined Atmosphere
characteristics, whereby the length of the hydro-
carbon chains of the carboxylic acids determines CO2 absoption
viscosity. Synthetic esters have a viscosity that CO2 emission

lies between that of mineral oil and HMWH. They

are biodegradable and very moisture-tolerant; Carbon
that is, they still retain their favourable electrical
characteristics even under high amounts of Growth
(photosynthesis)
neutral Incineration
of waste oil
dissolved humidity [2]. effect
d) Natural esters (triglycerides) are produced from
renewable resources (“vegetable oils”). While their CO2 cycle of natural ester
molecular structure is similar to that of synthetic natural
Crops ester
esters, insulating oils of this type are composed
using a variety of oils with polyunsaturated, mon-
ounsaturated, and saturated fatty acids. While Figure 2: CO2-balance of natural esters

3
Alternative Liquids for Tap changers

sion tanks. Due to insufficient long-term experience pabilities. This issue becomes particularly important
it is generally unknown whether hermetical sealing at high oil temperatures when lubrication decreases,
can prevent natural ester liquids from polymerization due to the correlated change in oil viscosity. As the
over the entire transformer life (>30 years). For free- oil viscosity varies by a factor of one hundred within
breathing systems, the use of synthetic ester liquids the entire permissible oil temperature range (typically
is mandatory and it might also be the better choice -25 to +125°C), great care has to be taken to ensure
for sealed systems. a proper functioning of the spring-driven diverter
switch mechanism, which determines the timing of
3. Demands on a suitable liquid the switching sequence of the contact system un-
for regulated power transformers der all operating conditions. Finally, many different
high-tech materials are used inside a tap changer to
While the insulating liquid inside a transformer is achieve high electrical and mechanical functionality
only responsible for cooling and (in combination with and a long working life, all of which must be compat-
the fixed insulation) insulating windings and bushings ible with the insulating liquid used.
against high voltage, a suitable liquid for tap chang-
ers must also fulfil other requirements to ensure Mineral insulating oil has always fulfilled all demands
reliable long-term operation (see Table 1). in a satisfactory manner. However, it is clearly visible
that the tap changer is the decisive component which
Depending on the type of tap-changer (OLTC or finally determines the applicability of alternative in-
OCTC, arc-switching or vacuum-switching type), sulating liquids in regulated transformers.
different requirements apply. As shown in the table
below, the “classic” oil-switching type tap changers 4. Suitable tap changers
impose the highest demands on the liquid. Good for alternative liquids
arc-breaking behaviour of the oil, for example, is
essential for this family of tap changers. The high arcing stress which occurs during normal
operation of arc-breaking-in-oil tap changers leads
A tap changer contains many different mechanically to severe oil deterioration and formation of acids,
moving parts (such as geneva gears, sliding selector soot and cracking products. When alternative liquids
contacts, etc.) which are designed for up to 1.2 mil- are used, the arc-quenching behaviour becomes
lion operations, in correlation to the lifespan of the unpredictable because it is determined by numerous
transformer. To achieve such high performance, the parameters such as viscosity, thermal properties and
surrounding oil must offer sufficient lubricating ca- molecular composition of the liquid. Volatile toxic

OLTC
Diverter switch/Selector switch
Parameter Transformer OCTC
Tap selector Vacuum-
Oil-switching type
switching type
Electrical insulation x x x x x
Cooling x x x x x
x
Arc-breaking
Change-over x
behaviour
selector
Lubrication (x) x x x
Viscosity x x x
x x x x x
Compatibility
environment material material material material

Table 1: Demands on suitable liquids for transformers, off-load tap-changers (OCTC) and on-load tap-changers (OLTC)

4 . MR KNOWLEDGE BASE
 deterioration products may also occur, caused by requiring a higher voltage class or constructional
pyrolytic degradation [4]. adaptations of some insulation distances.

The vacuum switching technology fully encapsulates Individual limitations may appear concerning with-
the switching arcs inside sealed vacuum interrupters. stand voltages (AC and LI), maximum through-current,
In this regard, therefore, the arc-quenching behaviour operation at low oil temperatures and switching
loses its major role. OLTCs using this vacuum switch- capacity of the change-over selector.
ing technology are highly suitable to be operated in
alternative liquids, showing the same switching per- Tap-changer types which are not listed in Table 2 are
formance as in mineral oil. Since oil degradation in either generally not suitable or have not been tested
these systems is limited to thermal oil aging, addi- in combination with alternative liquids thus far, due
tional benefits arise such as increased maintenance to lacking market demand. Should a non-approved
intervals of up to 600,000 operations. As a result, in type be increasingly requested in the future, MR will
the majority of cases a change of the tap changer oil initiate measures to meet the demand at such time.
is no longer necessary during the entire lifespan of Future VACUTAP® developments ensure maximum
the transformer and, therefore, waste oil is no longer compatibility with alternative liquids by including the
produced. As is the case with the transformer, the oil liquid characteristics in the design process.
quality of the tap changer must, of course, be regu-
larly monitored with regard to breakdown voltage 5. Qualification of tap changers
and water content. for selected alternative liquids
Table 2 shows the possible combinations of MR Extensive tests with selected liquids have been
tap changers used with alternative liquids. carried out at the Reinhausen test centre over the
past ten years, concerning
As shown above, certain OILTAP® types may also be
used with alternative liquids as long as the tap chang- I Dielectric Strength
er oil compartment is filled with mineral oil. The large I Cooling of current-carrying contacts
variety of different DEETAP® off-circuit tap-changer I Arcing behavior of change-over selector
models does not allow for a general approval, but an I Temperature behavior
evaluation done on a case-by-case basis will lead to I Mechanical endurance
an individual approval for most applications, possibly I Material Compatibility

OLTC Type HMWH Synthetic Ester Natural Ester Silicone Oil

VACUTAP® VV® x x x –
VACUTAP VM® ®
– x x –
(except VM® 300)
VACUTAP® VRC/VRE x x x –
VACUTAP RMV-II
®
x x x –
x x x : approved
VACUTAP® RMV-A x –
Um <10 kV1 Um <10 kV1 – : not approved
OILTAP® M/RM
x x x – 1)
for Um = 10..15 kV,
Mineral oil inside OLTC oil compartment
use RMV-II instead
OILTAP® V
x x x (x)2
Mineral oil inside OLTC oil compartment 2)
special case; please
DEETAP® DU (x)2 (x)2 (x)2 (x)2 consult MR

Table 2: Possible combinations of MR tap changers with alternative liquids

5
Alternative Liquids for Tap changers

Most tests have been performed using real tap

changers and some using model setups designed to
adequately represent actual conditions. The inves-
tigated liquids (see Table 3) were selected on the
basis of their market relevance and actual demand.
They were used “as delivered”, but quality (dielectric
strength, water content) was continuously moni-
tored to ensure realistic testing conditions. Given the
distinctive features of silicone oil, its applicability is
limited to applications with low mechanical stress
and, therefore, only parts of the test program were
executed in this regard.
Fig. 3: Phase-to-ground electrode configuration
with homogeneous field distribution
HMWHs generally show a similar performance to
mineral oil, which is understandable, since both
liquid families have the same origin (crude petro- may result in a slight reduction of the maximum per-
leum). However, the only drawback of HMWHs – their missible through current to avoid excessive heating.
high viscosity – considerably limits the mechanical The maximum switching capacity of the change-over
efficiency in cold conditions. While synthetic and selector (reversing switch, coarse-tap selector) has
natural esters showed a balanced overall performance to be reduced to meet the limited arc-breaking capa-
allowing their use for the majority of applications, bilities of ester liquids and HMWH. This restriction
some limitations apply. can be covered in most cases by an adapted design
of tie-in resistors.
Concerning dielectric strength, it has been found
[5, 6] that in ester liquids a high propagation speed of Mechanical endurance tests over 1.5 million opera-
the streamer breakdown channels develops at lower tions have proven that HMWH and ester liquids show
voltage levels than in mineral oil. Non-homogenous excellent lubricating capabilities. For silicone oil, the
electrode setups encourage streamer propagation. high mechanical wear only allows for use in combina-
As a result, homogeneous electrode configurations tion with off-circuit tap-changers which usually per-
(see Fig. 3) showed the same dielectric strength in form a low number of operations. Care must be taken
ester liquids as in mineral oil, whereas for inhomoge- to avoid the formation of silicone oxide strands be-
neous configurations such as in Fig. 4, the withstand tween blank electrodes by allowing a maximum field
voltages (AC, LI) turned out to be lower than in min- strength below the usual design value.
eral oil. To address this situation, it may be necessary
to apply the next larger tap changer model (higher Thermal tests have revealed the temperature limits
voltage class / larger tap selector size). To the ex- at which the tap changer performs a proper switch-
tent this is not practicable, surge arrestors along the ing sequence. When a certain viscosity is exceeded,
regulating winding or an adapted winding design can the switching speed of the diverter switch slows
limit the test voltage levels to admissible values. down, thereby violating permissible limits. Since the
viscosity of HMWH and ester liquids is significantly
The cooling capability of ester liquids is slightly dif- higher than that of mineral oil or silicone oil, the
ferent than that of mineral oil. This affects the tem- low-temperature limit shows higher oil temperatures
perature rise of contacts and transition resistors, and than for mineral oil.

HMWH Synthetic Ester Natural Ester Silicone Oil

R-TEMP Fluid
MIDEL 7131 ENVIROTEMP FR3 Dow Corning 561
MICTRANS-G
ENVIROTEMP 200 BIOTEMP ShinEtsu KF96-20
BETA-Fluid

Table 3: Selected liquids for MR test program

6 . MR KNOWLEDGE BASE
 offers its unique know-how to the customer to en-
sure well-designed and safely operating applications.
Over 200 tap changer installations with alternative
fluids worldwide, including special applications such
as traction transformers, test-field transformers,
transformers for off-shore wind parks or desert min-
ing facilities, give MR a unique range of experience
to draw from [8]. Our skilled sales team, supported
by our R&D and order-processing teams, carefully
analyses each application and gives assistance in
selecting and configuring the proper tap changer
model. For first-time applications, our service team
will also accompany the tap changer during the
beginning of operation by providing commissioning
supervision, if desired.
Fig. 4: Tap selector electrode arrangement
7. Outlook
Gaskets made of certain rubber mixtures become Although alternative liquids have proven their
hard and brittle in synthetic ester or swell and be- applicability in distribution transformers, traction
come weak in natural ester. Tests with HMWH and transformers and small-sized power transformers,
silicone oils have revealed no abnormalities with all users hesitate to widely adopt such liquids for higher
used materials. Therefore, tap changers designed for voltage classes or for transformers in key positions
ester liquids are equipped with VITON® gaskets which (step-up transformers, phase shifters, and similar).
have proven to be compatible with ester liquids. The reason for this is that these transformers have
Many extensive tests of different tap changer been optimized for mineral oil and are often stressed
models, complimented by model tests and completed up to the calculated limits. To ensure a safe operation
by external laboratory tests give a complete and under all operating conditions, clearly defined
homogenous picture as to how MR tap changers can characteristics of all employed parts are necessary,
be reliably used in combination with alternative including the oil. This is not always the case for
liquids. After processing the test results, limit values natural ester, as quality and properties depend on
were defined and clear guidelines were established the reproducibility of base oils which are used for
which are specific for each approved tap changer composing the insulating oil. For the time being, the
type and each approved liquid. The experience which development of natural ester oils for insulation pur-
could be drawn from all of these tests is unique and poses is far from complete and the quality, especially
allows a well-founded evaluation of all customer with regard to oxidation stability, is expected to
enquiries concerning tap changer applications with improve with every new generation.
alternative liquids.
The complete biodegradability of ester liquids is an
6. Configuration of regulated power excellent match for eco-friendly power production
transformers for alternative liquids systems such as wind parks and solar farms. These
systems are often situated in highly sensitive envi-
Due to the diversity of possible configurations, tap- ronments (e.g. in nature preserves), and should thus
changer applications with alternative liquids always be especially ecologically sound. The use of natural
call for special attention during the design process and synthetic ester liquids makes such systems truly
[7]. The thorough tests carried out by MR have shown environmentally friendly. For the future, an expan-
that several items require individual treatment and sion to greater transformer power and system volt-
customization. Therefore, the individual operating ages is expected. Utilisation in urban environments
conditions of every application should be fully dis- and industrial applications with higher requirements
cussed between operator, transformer manufacturer regarding fire safety and/or environmental protection
and tap changer manufacturer. In this regard, MR will also continue to increase.

7
Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen GmbH
falkensteinstrasse 8
93059 regensburg, germany

phone: +49 941 4090-0

fax: +49 941 4090-7001
email: [email protected]

www.reinhausen.com

please note:
the data in our publications may differ from
the data of the devices delivered. We reserve
the right to make changes without notice.

pB 3518312/00 en – Alternative liquids for tap changers

f0310300 – 07/13 – uw –
©Maschinenfabrik reinhausen gmbh 2013

8. Literature
[1] IEC 60695 1-40 Ed. 1.0: Fire hazard testing – Part 1-40: guidance for assessing the fire hazard of electrotechnical products – Insulating Liquids; Appendix A, C. IEC 2012.
[2] www.midel.com, Technical Datasheet No. 9
[3] Tenbohlen, S., Seibold R.: Wasseraufnahmevermögen und Alterungsverhalten von Pflanzenölen für Leistungstransformatoren. Stuttgarter Hochspannungssymposium,
germany 2008.
[4] Breuer, W., Hegemann, g., Behavior of On-Load Tap-changers in MIDEL 7131 – A PCB-Alternative for Transformers. CIgRE-Symposium 05-87, Vienna, 1987
[5] C. T. Duy, O. Lesaint, A. Denat, and N. Bonifaci: Streamer propagation and breakdown in natural ester at high voltage, IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and
Electrical Insulation, vol. 16, pp. 1582-1594, 2009.
[6] P. Jarman, g. Wilson, P. Dyer, F. Perrot, q. Liu, Z.D. Wang et.al.: Electrical Performance of Ester Insulating Liquids for Power Transformers, CIgRE SC A2 & D1 Joint
Colloquium 2011, Kyoto Japan, Paper PS2-O-5
[7] R. Frotscher, D. Vuković, M. Jovalekic, S. Tenbohlen, J. Harthun, M. Schäfer, C. Perrier: Behaviour of Ester Liquids under Dielectric and Thermal Stress – From Laboratory
Testing to Practical use, CIgRE Conference 2012, Paris, Paper D1-105
[8] D. Dohnal, R. Frotscher: The Importance of Alternative Insulating Liquids for Power Transformers and Tap changers, CEPSI Symposium, Taipei, Oct 2010

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