Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are toxic and persistent anthropogenic contaminants. Concern on their adverse health effects has led to their regulation in air, water and/or soil in addition to sludge. Hence, removal of PCBs in various matrices, including transformer oils (TO) is a priority. This study aims to investigate PCB-118 and Aroclor 1254 toxicity and dechlorination by varying certain critical experimental components including electron donor (sludge or fatty acids), inocula (unacclimated or acclimated culture) and the doses of PCB and TO under anaerobic conditions. Anaerobic toxicity assays (ATA) reactors, lab-scale anaerobic batch digesters and sediment microcosms were used for this purpose. Increase in PCB-118 and TO doses affected anaerobic digester performance by negatively influencing methanogenesis, while favoring dechlorination only with the increase in PCB-118 dose. Up to 22% PCB-118 removal was attained with unacclimated culture. Studies with acclimated cultures showed Grasse River (GR) sediment to be the most active when compared to Fox River and Baltimore Harbor sediments. In GR sediment microcosms, PCB-118 and Aroclor 1254 removal efficiencies decreased when TO was present (1%), while 10% TO inhibited PCB dechlorination. Waste activated sludge was shown to be an effective electron donor, similar to fatty acids. Aroclor 1254 dechlorination was dechlorinated through removal of flanked meta and para chlorines, however, dechlorination pathways appeared to differ according to the presence/absence of TO. No ortho or unflanked chlorines were removed. Molecular tools (qPCR and DHPLC) were used to confirm the presence of active PCB dechlorinators. Dechlorination of PCBs was shown to be growth-linked.

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High voltage power transformer is one of the most important and expensive components in today's power transmission and distribution systems. Any overlooked critical fault generated inside a power transformer may lead to a transformer catastrophic failure which could not only cause a disruption to the power system but also significant equipment damage. Accurate and prompt information on the health state of a transformer is thus the critical prerequisite for an asset manager to make a vital decision on a transformer with suspicious conditions. Partial discharge (PD) is not only a precursor of insulation degradation, but also a primary factor to accelerate the deterioration of the insulation system in a transformer. Monitoring of PD activities and the concentration of PD generated combustible gases dissolved in the transformer oil has been proven to be an effective procedure for transformer health state estimation. However current commercially available sensors can only be installed outside of transformers and offer indirect or delayed information. This research is aimed to investigate and develop several sensor techniques for transformer health monitoring. The first work is an optical fiber extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometric sensor for PD detection. By filling SF6 into the sensor air cavity of the extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer sensor, the last potential obstacle that prevents this kind of sensors from being installed inside transformers has been removed. The proposed acoustic sensor multiplexing system is stable and more economical than the other sensor multiplexing methods that usually require the use of a tunable laser or filters. Two dissolved gas analysis (DGA) methods for dissolved hydrogen or acetylene measurement are also proposed and demonstrated. The dissolved hydrogen detection is based on hydrogen induced fiber loss and the dissolved acetylene detection is by direct oil transmission measurement. / Ph. D.

This thesis focuses on measuring techniques and results of resistivity in four commercially available insulating transformer oils: mineral oil, ester oil and two isoparaffin oils. Two measuring techniques, the industrially used diagnostic system for electrical insulation IDA and the Labview implemented Triangular Method, are used for resistivity measurements and the techniques are compared, a correction algorithm to the triangular method is suggested. Dielectric properties of mineral & ester and isoparaffin A&B mixtures are investigated, it is experimentally shown that the transformer oils that show high resistivity also show low loss factor. The effect moisture has on resistivity in mineral and ester oil are shown both in terms of relative humidity and actual water content in parts per million. A previous measurement cell is redesigned, the cell is manufactured in copper and gold. It is found that the material choice of the cell significantly affects the resistivity measurements. The electrical double layer and contact resistance between the oil and cell are investigated as a way to explain the difference in measured resistivity. These experiments are limited to the mineral oil and isoparaffin oil A, it is found that contact resistance is a plausible explanation. The electrical double layer is fairly constant for both oils and the Debye length of the double layer is negligible compared to the total distance between the electrodes of the cell. Lastly, the field of insulating transformer oils and its future is discussed, from data obtained regarding the dielectric properties and environmental aspects of the four transformer oils used in this study. A positive trend which combines the high insulating properties with good biodegradability qualities is found. Suggesting a positive future in the field of insulating transformer oils. The results found in this thesis can be used as a basis for future theses regarding transformer oils used for HVDC applications.

Svenska kraftnät is the Swedish transmission system operator, responsible for the national electrical grid with power lines of 220 kV and 400 kV, and the electrical substations of the grid. In this master thesis an old substation located in a sensitive environmental area is inspected and its environmental risks defined and assessed. From this “worst case scenario” measures are recommended, that should be applicable on other existing substations, and for new constructed substations. This thesis is limited to a more detailed analysis on how oil spill can be handled. The insulating oil is used in different machines and equipment on the substation to avoid electrical charges. The inspected substation has a special feature; a pipe system that connects wells on the substation area, water pipes from the substation house, and transformer pits to an oil-water separation house. The oil pits are made of concrete and placed under machines with large amounts of oil to capture the oil in case of a breakdown or leakage. In the oil-water separation house oil is separated from water and the clean water is sent to a lake in the vicinity. The most severe environmental risks found are the filter in the oil-water separation house and the risk of oil leakage from the open water-cooling system of the synchronous generator. In addition, there is no way to catch oil spill from current and voltage transformers and it is not known if the pipe system that transports water and oil spills is completely sealed. Finally, there is no permanent installation to catch spills from tank filling areas and Svenska kraftnät does rarely follow up the environmental work of the entrepreneurs. Svenska kraftnät is recommended to use the products and services from the companies Qlean Scandinavia AB and TTL Miljöteknik AB to attend to the noted environmental risks. Qlean Scandinavia AB offers an environmental friendly cleaning procedure with ultraclean water and sealing of concrete, which can be used for the transformer pits and oil-water separation house. They also sell profile planks as a fire-extinguishing layer for transformer pits. These are considered better and safer than the conventional stones used. The price is almost the same, however the maintenance costs are lower for the profile planks, since they are easier to clean and do not require heavy transports to landfill. They also require less space than the stones, therefore a smaller transformer pit can be built, and cost savings can be made on concrete. TTL Miljöteknik AB has products based on environmental friendly oil solidifying polymers placed in different textiles and filters. They let water and other substances pass, but react with hydrocarbons, like oil, forming a tight rubberlike mass. These installations are new to Europe, but more than 12 000 installations have been made, mainly in the United States and Australia. For the inspected substation in this thesis it is recommended to manage oil spill at each machine and to clean the pipe system. An HFF-filter should be installed in cleaned and sealed transformer pits. The filter lets water from precipitation pass, but binds oil, thanks to the solidifying polymers. The clean water is further transported through the pipe system to the oil-water separation house and from there water is pumped to the lake. Wells must be sealed and the pipes from the substation house led to a septic tank. Agent X, a type of filter mat, should be placed on the substation area to catch oil spills from current and voltage transformers, since previous breakdowns show that oil can be spread over a large area. For plants without a pipe system the water will be released outside the transformer pits. For new constructions it is suggested that transformer pits are built with a polyvinyl mat in the bottom and a filter on the sides, which will capture the oil. A concrete fundament still needs to be built to support the machine; therefore the price will almost be the same as for the conventional transformer pit in concrete, although less concrete is needed. However, with this technique the transformer pit will not require any maintenance.

The ability of Chromolaena odorata propagated by stem cuttings and grown for six weeks in the greenhouse to thrive in soil containing different concentrations of PCB congeners found in Aroclor and transformer oil, and to possibly remediate such soil was studied under greenhouse conditions. Chromolaena odorata plants were transplanted into soil containing 100, 200, and 500 ppm of Aroclor and transformer oil (T/O) in 1L pots. The experiments were watered daily at 70% moisture field capacity. Parameters such as mature leaves per plant, shoot length, leaf colour as well as the root length at harvest were measured. C. odorata growth was negatively affected by T/O in terms of shoot length and leaf numbers, but no growth inhibition was shown by Aroclor. At the end of six weeks of growth, Plants size was increased by 1.4 and 0.46%, but decreased at -1.0% in T/O, while increases of 45.9, 39.4 and 40.0% were observed in Aroclor treatments. Mean total PCB recoveries were 6.40, 11.7, and 55.8μg in plants tissues at Aroclor treated samples resulting in a percentage reduction of PCB from the soil to 2.10, 1.50, and 1.10 at 100, 200, and 500mg/kg Aroclor treatments respectively. There was no PCB recovery from plants in transformer oil treatments as a result of its inhibition to growth. Root uptake was found to be the probable means of remediation of PCB-contaminated soil by C. odorata, this was perhaps aided by microbes. This study has provided evidence on the ability of C. odorata to remediate PCB contaminated soil. However, the use of C. odorata for phytoremediation of PCB contaminated soil under field condition is therefore advised. / Environmental Sciences / M.Sc. (Environmental Science)

An Ultraviolet to Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopic analysis based on fuzzy logic approach has been developed for furan content measurement in transformer oil. Following the successful identification and quantification of furan derivatives in transformer oil by ASTM D5837 standard, the new approach is able to approximate the furan content more conveniently and economically. As furan concentration level would determine the absorption intensity in UV-Vis spectral range, the fuzzy logic software model developed would exploit this characteristic to aggregate the furans content level in transformer oil. The UV-Vis spectral response at other ambient temperature is also studied. The proposed technique provides a convenient alternative to conventional method of furan measurement by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) or Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) in ASTM D5837 Standard.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:01:43Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 AnaCMS.pdf: 1022234 bytes, checksum: 6525fbcf6f201d09af59285b78bcba6b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-12-18 / Naphthenic lubricating oils are used in transformers with the purpose of promoting electrical insulation and dissipating heat. The working temperature range of these oils typically lies between 60?C and 90?C and their useful life is 40 years in average. In that temperature range, the oils are decomposed during operation, whereby a small fraction of polar compounds are formed. The presence of these compounds may induce failure and loss of physical, chemical and electrical properties of the oil, thus impairing the transformer operation. By removing these contaminants, one allows the oxidized insulating oil to be reused without damaging the equipment. In view of this, an investigation on the use of surfactants and microemulsions as extracting agents, and modified diatomite as adsorbent, has been proprosed in this work aiming to remove polar substances detected in oxidized transformer oils. The extraction was carried out by a simple-contact technique at room temperature. The system under examination was stirred for about 10 minutes, after which it was allowed to settle at 25?C until complete phase separation. In another experimental approach, adsorption equilibrium data were obtained by using a batch system operating at temperatures of 60, 80 and 100?C. Analytical techniques involving determination of the Total Acidity Number (TAN) and infrared spectrophotometry have been employed when monitoring the decomposition and recovery processes of the oils. The acquired results indicated that the microemulsion extraction system comprising Triton? X114 as surfactant proved to be more effective in removing polar compounds, with a decrease in TAN index from 0.19 to 0.01 mg KOH/g, which is consistent with the limits established for new transformer oils (maximal TAN = 0.03 mg KOH/g). In the adsorption studies, the best adsorption capacity values were as high as 0.1606 meq.g/g during conventional adsoprtion procedures using natural bauxite, and as high as 0.016 meq.g/g for the system diatomite/Tensiofix? 8426. Comparatively in this case, a negative effect could be observed on the adsorption phenomenon due to microemulsion impregnation on the surface of the diatomite / ?leos lubrificantes naft?nicos s?o usados em transformadores tem com a finalidade de promover um isolamento el?trico e agir como fonte dissipadora de calor. A temperatura de trabalho destes ?leos est? entre 60 a 90?C e sua vida ?til ? de em m?dia 40 anos. Nesta temperatura, durante o servi?o, ocorre a degrada??o do ?leo, onde uma pequena fra??o de compostos polares ? formada. A presen?a desta fra??o pode provocar falhas e a perda das propriedades f?sicas, qu?micas e el?tricas do ?leo, impossibilitando o uso do transformador. A remo??o destes compostos permite que o ?leo isolante oxidado possa ser novamente utilizado, sem causar preju?zo ao equipamento. Nestes contexto, este trabalho prop?e-se a investigar a utiliza??o de tensoativos e microemuls?es, como extratantes, e a diatomita modificada, como adsorvente, na remo??o dos compostos polares existentes nos ?leos oxidados de transformador. A extra??o foi realizada pelo m?todo de contato simples ? temperatura ambiente. O sistema em estudo foi agitado por cerca de 10 minutos, em seguida mantido em repouso ? 25?C at? completa separa??o das fases. Por outro lado, os dados de equil?brio de adsor??o foram obtidos utilizando um sistema em batelada para as temperaturas de 60, 80 e 100oC. As t?cnicas anal?ticas de IAT (?ndice de Acidez Total) e espectrofotometria no infravermelho foram utilizadas no acompanhamento dos processos de degrada??o e recupera??o dos ?leos degradados. Os resultados obtidos indicam que o sistema de extra??o por microemuls?o utilizando triton X114 mostrou-se ser o m?todo mais eficiente na remo??o dos compostos polares, com redu??o no ?ndice de acidez total (IAT) de 0,19 para 0,01 mg KOH/g. Este valor se encontra dentro dos limites especificados para um ?leo de transformador novo (IAT m?ximo = 0,03 mg KOH/g). Nos estudos de adsor??o, os maiores valores de capacidade de adsor??o foram de 0,1606 meq.g/g na adsor??o convencional usando bauxita natural e de 0,016 meq.g/g para o sistema diatomita/tensiofix 8426. Comparativamente, neste caso, observou-se um forte efeito negativo apresentado sobre o fen?meno adsortivo devido ao processo de impregna??o com microemuls?o

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This work had the purpose to analyze the heat transfer, promoted by buoyancy forces, of colloidal dispersions of nanoparticles in transformer oil inside closed cavities. To achieve this purpose, measurements of some properties of the dispersions of diamond and carbon nanotubes in transformer oil, produced by a two-step method, were made: thermal conductivity, by the transient hot wire method; dynamic viscosity, by rheometers of concentric cylinders with shear stress controlled; and dielectric strength, with a dielectric strength analyzer of manual adjust. The results of these measurements were used in numerical simulations of the ows of the dispersions and of the transformer oil inside closed cavities. The numerical results were obtained via two numerical codes, based on Finite Volume Method (FVM), one for 2D ows, that had its development as part of this work, and the other for 3D ows, previously developed. The results showed that, in terms of heat transfer, the nanoparticles dispersions have increased about 23% the convection heat transfer coe_cient of the pure oil for a same Grashof number. However, the use of these nanoparticles led a reduce of 95% in the dielectric strength of the pure oil. Therefore, these results are very important in terms of the applicability of nanoparticles dispersions in electrical transformers. / Este trabalho teve o objetivo de analisar a transferência de calor, por convecção natural, de dispersões coloidais de nanopartículas em óleo de transformador elétrico no interior de cavidades fechadas. No cumprimento deste objetivo foram realizadas medições de algumas propriedades das dispersões de nanopartículas de diamante e nanotubos de carbono em óleo de transformador elétrico, produzidas por um método de dois passos: condutividade térmica, pelo método transiente do fio quente; viscosidade dinâmica, por meio de reômetros de cilindros concêntricos com tensão cisalhante controlada e rigidez dielétrica, com um analisador de rigidez dielétrica de ajuste manual. Os resultados destas medições foram utilizados nas simulações numéricas dos escoamentos das dispersões e do óleo de transformador elétrico em cavidades fechadas. Os resultados numéricos foram obtidos por meio de dois códigos numéricos, baseados no Método dos Volumes Finitos (MVF), um para escoamentos 2D, que teve seu desenvolvimento como parte integrante deste trabalho, e o outro para escoamentos 3D, desenvolvido anteriormente. Os resultados mostraram que, em termos da transferência de calor, as dispersões de nanopartículas incrementaram o coeficiente de transferência de calor do óleo puro em ate 23% para um mesmo numero de Grashof. Porem, o uso de nanopartículas levou a uma redução de 95% na rigidez dielétrica do óleo puro. Portanto, estes resultados são de grande importância em termos da aplicabilidade de dispersões de nanopartículas em transformadores elétricos. / Mestre em Engenharia Mecânica

The diploma thesis deals with the liquid insulators, their properties and their use in the electrical industry. The general aim is to study the physical essence of the dynamic viscosity, the electric conductivity and the diagnostic methods for monitoring these variables. The experimental part contains measuring the dynamic viscosity and the electric conductivity of the mineral transformer oils ESTO BNX, RENOLIN ELTEC and the biodegradable oil MIDEL 7131 during the degradation. The Walden rule is applied on measured results.