Assessment of long thermal ageing on the oil-paper insulation

Abstract

Electric power equipment has complex construction. Therefore, it is very important to have enough information about the state of equipment. High voltage transformers play a very important role in the electric power system. One of the most important parts of electric power equipment is the insulation system. Insulation system must be in a good condition for reliable and safe operation of electrical devices. Insulation system of electrical equipment is exposed to various factors which could have negative influence on its condition. Oil impregnated insulation paper is one of the oldest insulation systems used in electrical power equipment. Mineral oils have been used for decades as transformer fluids because of their excellent dielectric properties and availability. However, performance of mineral oil starts to be limited due to environmental consideration. The aim of this paper is to simulate a real insulation system of transformer and to show the influence of accelerated thermal ageing on the insulation system. Properties such as relative permittivity, dissipation factor and the breakdown voltage will be described and analysed.