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Power transformers play an important role in electric networks. Copper windings wrapped in kraft paper and immersed in a tank of mineral oil are their main composition. Oil-impregnated paper is a very common insulator in power transforms, due to its durability and endurance. Kraft paper, a wood-based fiber from cellulose, can gradually degrade due to the ambient effects such as high-voltage electric field, temperature, and moisture in the normal working condition of transformers. Aged paper is more prone to experience electric breakdown which finally results in transformer failures. It is essential to monitor paper insulation condition. Conventional methods for evaluating kraft paper are mainly based on chemical analyses which require sampling of the surrounding oil and are usually time-consuming and expensive. Investigation on and classification of aged kraft paper with four different levels of thermal ageing using a potentially fast, simple, and inexpensive optical setup based on optical speckle is the main subject of this thesis. Speckle interference patterns from a laser diode source have been captured by a CCD camera. Classification based on textural features shows very good discrimination between ageing classes making this technique promising for industrial applications.

To make a High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission more energy efficient, the voltage of the system has to be increased. To allow for that the components of the system must be constructed to handle the increases AC and DC stresses that this leads to. One key component in such a transmission is the HVDC converter transformer. The insulation system of the transformer usually consists of oil and oil-impregnated pressboard. Modeling of the electric DC field in the insulation system is currently done with the ion drift diffusion model, which takes into account the transport and generation of charges in the oil and the pressboard. The model is however lacking a description of how charges are being injected from the electrodes and the oil-pressboard interfaces. The task of this thesis work was to develop and implement a model for this which improves the result of the ion drift diffusion model. A theoretical study of ion injection was first carried out and proceeding from this, a model for the ion injection was formulated. By using experimental data from 5 different test geometries, the injection model could be validated and appropriate parameter values of the model could be determined. By using COMSOL Multiphysics®, the ion drift diffusion model with the injection model could be simulated for the different test geometries. The ion injection gave a substantial improvement of the ion drift diffusion model. The positive injection from electrodes into oil was found to be in the range 0.3-0.6 while the negative injection was 0.3 lower. Determination of the parameters for the injection from oil-pressboard interfaces proved to be difficult, but setting the parameters in the range 0.01-1 allowed for a good agreement with the experimental data. Here, a fit could be obtained for multiple assumptions about the set of active injection parameters. Finally it is recommended that the investigation of the ion injection continues in order to further improve the model and more accurately determine the parameters of it. Suggestions on how this work could be carried out are given in the end.

In this thesis, partial discharge (PD) phenomenon in oil-impregnated paper (OIP) is investigated under accelerated electrical stress. The thesis is mainly focused on the characteristic of PD activity and the influence it has on the insulation properties of OIP. PD source was created by introducing an air filled cavity embedded between layers of OIP. PD activity is investigated from the initiation up to final puncture breakdown of the OIP. The time-evolution of number, maximum magnitude and average magnitude of PD is investigated for cavities with different diameter and height. It was found that time to breakdown is shorter if the cavity diameter is larger and cavities with higher depth produce larger PDs. Comparison between PD activity in three cases, i.e. unaged OIP, thermally aged OIP and OIP samples with higher moisture content is performed. In general, it is found that for all cases the number and the maximum magnitude of PD follows a similar trend versus ageing time. During the very beginning of the experiment large discharges occur and they disappear after a short ageing time. Number and maximum magnitude of PD increase with time until reaching a peak value. Finally both parameters decrease with time and puncture breakdown occurs in the sample. Even though PD activity in thermally aged OIP is higher compared to the unaged OIP samples, the time to breakdown for new and thermally aged OIP samples is similar while it is shorter for OIP samples with higher moisture content. In this thesis, partial discharge (PD) phenomenon in oil-impregnated paper (OIP) is investigated under accelerated electrical stress. The thesis is mainly focused on the characteristic of PD activity and the influence it has on the insulation properties of OIP. PD source was created by introducing an air filled cavity embedded between layers of OIP. PD activity is investigated from the initiation up to final puncture breakdown of the OIP. The time-evolution of number, maximum magnitude and average magnitude of PD is investigated for cavities with different diameter and height. It was found that time to breakdown is shorter if the cavity diameter is larger and cavities with higher depth produce larger PDs. Comparison between PD activity in three cases, i.e. unaged OIP, thermally aged OIP and OIP samples with higher moisture content is performed. In general, it is found that for all cases the number and the maximum magnitude of PD follows a similar trend versus ageing time. During the very beginning of the experiment large discharges occur and they disappear after a short ageing time. Number and maximum magnitude of PD increase with time until reaching a peak value. Finally both parameters decrease with time and puncture breakdown occurs in the sample. Even though PD activity in thermally aged OIP is higher compared to the unaged OIP samples, the time to breakdown for new and thermally aged OIP samples is similar while it is shorter for OIP samples with higher moisture content. Breakdown strength of OIP samples is measured before and after ageing with PDs. It is found that the breakdown strength of OIP samples decreases by around 40% after the sample is exposed to accelerated electrical ageing. Furthermore a thermal model was developed to investigate the possible transition of breakdown mechanism from erosion to thermal breakdown in OIP dielectrics. It was found that PD activity can lower the thermal breakdown voltage of OIP up to four times. / <p>QC 20150206</p>

Transformers are the most expensive and critical asset in any electrical power network. Their failure results in long interruption of power supply with consequent loss of reliability and revenue. Understanding and detection of the failure mechanism helps in avoiding catastrophic failures, unplanned outages and improving the power system reliability. Oil impregnated paper (OIP) and pressboards form the main soild insulation in a transformer. Life of the transformer is governed mostly by the life of OIP insulation. Until recently, it was thought that ageing of the OIP insulation in power transformer and its eventual failure, is mainly a function of temperature and electrical stresses. However, it has now been realized that the moisture causes rapid degradation of OIP and needs a special attention. Considering its practical relevance, this research program was formulated with goals: (i) to study the ageing of OIP insulation under temperature and moisture stresses, (ii) to seek correlation between diagnostic ageing indices and end-of-life (EOL) and (iii) to develop a life model for OIP considering moisture along with the thermal stress. Observing that working with actual transformers or even the prototypes are rather inordinately expensive, experiments were conducted with paper strips immersed in oil in test tubes with paper to oil ratio kept same as that in power transformers. In order to cater for the statistical nature of the phenomena, adequate numbers of test specimens were employed (25 numbers for each experiment). Experiments were conducted for two years at temperatures 90°C, 110°C & 120°C and moisture 1%, 2% & 3%. Following the literature, the degree of polymerization (DP) was chosen as the primary index for ageing. As measurement of DP is not only destructive, but also impractical on most of the working transformers, with an aim to develop suitable diagnostic indices for ageing, 2-furfural (2-FAL) and oxides of carbon (CO and CO2) were also measured. Empirical relation between ageing and amount of stresses and time have been deduced for the relevant range. Limiting value of these indices to prescribe the end-of-life, as well as, their correlation with DP have been worked out and reported. In order to bring the role of moisture explicitly, based on earlier work on multi-stress ageing, a multiplicative power law supplementing the Arrhenius factor is envisaged. Accordingly, a phenomenological combined stress model involving the time to failure, temperature, and moisture content is deduced. Based on the experimental results, this model is statistically validated and the values of parameters appearing in the model is obtained. Thus the combined stress model enables one to estimate the life of OIP insulation at any temperature and moisture under synergy. In summary, this work through experimental and analytical approach has contributed to the evaluation of the aging of OIP insulation used in power transformers under the combined action of moisture and temperature.

This master thesis investigates a redesign for a maintenance tube, used for both sampling and draining transformer oil from a tap changer compartment. With the current design, one can do one or the other of sampling and draining. The effect of this on a transformer site during maintenance means that personnel must bring extra equipment to do the maintenance routine. Along with the extra equipment, it also involves climbing the transformer an extra time to place the equipment for draining. The project aims to address several issues in the context of the product. Redesigning the product to reduce maintenance time, and therefore downtime and electrical outages. Reducing the number of times that the transformer housing needs to be climbed in order to perform maintenance work. This with the purpose of improving working environment for maintenance personnel. With the new design of the maintenance tube, draining and sampling can be done with the same pipe without the need for extra equipment. This is through a mechanism in the tube which allows the personnel to choose whether to drain oil from the bottom of the container or to take oil samples from an area in the tap-changer housing which gives more accurate results. The function of the mechanism can be described in the same way as a pen, where if you push the button, a tube will extract itself and close of the sampling inlets, enabling draining from the bottom. Push the button again and the same tube will retract, allowing you to take samples from the appropriate area again. The new design also adheres to the dimensional requirements needed for the design to fulfil the additional functions the tube has. The project results in a design which would not only fill requirements of functions but also preserves some of the previous parts along with their interfaces. This means that the new design could be installed on current versions of tap-changer models when the next service interval is due.

In the present thesis an investigation is performed for the effect of moisture contenton the aging of the solid insulation for transformers that are dynamically loaded. Theinvestigation is based on a theoretical analysis and a model.First, a literature review is conducted on the basics of transformer operation, transformerinsulation and moisture in oil-paper systems. Furthermore, a model is developedbased on moisture equilibrium curves created by Oommen and MIT, moisture diffusionprocesses in oil-paper insulation systems and calculations for the aging of cellulose insulationfrom IEC 60076-7. The model represents an experimental system which is loadedon different load patterns that simulate dynamic loading. The aim of the model is toconclude whether the load patterns will cause the paper to age differently dependingon the frequency that the moisture migration phenomenon between paper and oil occurs.The result of the modeling part is that the aging process is affected by the load pattern,and that the higher the frequency the moisture migration phenomenon occurs within aloading cycle, the larger the impact on insulation degradation. This difference, though,is too small to be measured experimentally in terms of DP and it is suggested thatdifferent load patterns are used in the experiment than those used in the model, whichwill amplify the effect of moisture migration even further.Finally, experimental work is conducted in the thesis, which focuses on implementingthe LabVIEW design from previous work into hardware, debugging the system andpreparing the experimental set-up on practical matters that occurred in the lab. Somefinal work is required before the experiment is able to run, such as preparation of theexperimental units. / I detta examensarbete undersöks effekten av fuktinnehåll på åldring av fast isolationsmateriali transformatorer med dynamisk last. Arbetet är baserat på en teoretisk analysoch en modell.Först genomförs en litteraturstudie på grundläggande transformatorfunktion, transformatorisolationoch fukt i oljeimpregnerade papperssystem. Vidare utvecklas en modellbaserad på jämviktskurvor for fukt skapade av Oommen och MIT, fuktdifussionsprocesseri isolationssystem baserade på oljeimpregnerat papper och beräkning av åldringav cellulosaisolation från IEC 60076-7. Modellen representerar ett experimentellt systemsom lastas för att simulera dynamisk last. Målet med modellen är att avgörahuruvida lastprofilen påverkar åldrandet av pappret beroende på frekvensen av fuktmigrationenmellan papper och olja.Resultatet av modelleringen är att åldrandet påverkas av lastprofilen och desto oftarefuktmigrationen sker inom en lastcykel, desto större är effekten på isolationsdegraderingen.Skillnaden är dock för liten att mäta experimentellt med avseende på DP och andralastprofiler föreslås i framtida experiment, för att förstärka effekten av fuktmigration.Slutligen utförs experimentellt arbete som fokuserar på implementation av LabVIEWdesignenfrån tidigare arbete i hårdvara, felsökning av systemet samt förberedelse av denexperimentella installationen för praktiska bekymmer som uppstått i laboratoriemiljön.En liten mängd arbete återstår före experimentet kan utföras, såsom förberedelse av deexperimentella enheterna.