Development of a Bio-based Hydrocarbon type

Insulating Liquid

Carl Wolmarans Bruce Pahlavanpour Robert Fairholm Jayme Nunes

Technical Development & Technical Development & Technical Development & Technical Development &
Market Support Market Support Market Support Market Support
NYNAS AB NYNAS AB NYNAS AB NYNAS AB
Johannesburg, South Africa Ahstead, UK Nynashamn, Sweden São Paulo, Brazil
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Abstract— This paper describes an innovative bio-based and low hydrotreatment was more common – and now is the main
viscosity insulating liquid, which has been developed and is technique for refining mineral oils for insulating applications.
compared to a high-grade mineral insulating oil and ester liquids.
Due to its very low kinematic viscosity, this new bio-based Alternative liquids such as Poly-chlorinated Biphenyls
hydrocarbon provides improved convective heat transfer in power (PCB), silicone fluids, synthetic esters and natural esters have
transformers. Depending on the transformer design, significant also been used in oil filled power transformers. PCB being the
temperature reductions of both winding and hot spot can be most notorious due to major health and safety issues that became
obtained as shown in a simulation of a 250 MVA transformer. This a worldwide issue and are now phased out. At present the
achievement could become a practical and accessible solution in landscape sees naphthenic mineral oils still as the majority, with
extending asset life by running transformers cooler, or a powerful some paraffinic oils also being used. Synthetic and natural ester
enabler to uprate transformers while still maintaining them at filled transformers are also used in certain applications.
their designed operating temperature.
The increased commoditization of both mineral insulating
In addition, this liquid opens new doors to transformer oils and ester-based fluids means to the transformer
designers in optimization and cost savings. For instance, as shown manufacturer or end-user often the approach to the insulating
in the paper, this new liquid allows faster and more complete liquid is “oil is oil”. Nonetheless – even within liquids sold to a
impregnation of the solid insulation, hence also ensuring there are certain standard (such as IEC 60296) there can be several
no trapped voids or air bubbles, which are common causes of differing products each with differing properties and
partial discharge. subsequently differing performance. These differences naturally
become larger when comparing liquids of significantly different
Finally, this liquid is readily biodegradable and has superior chemistry (i.e. between mineral oils and ester fluids). Therefore,
oxidation stability to existing mineral oils and vegetable-based it is essential that when selecting the materials used in a
insulating fluids in the market, making this innovation ideal for all transformer, optimizing its design and evaluating its total cost of
transformer types ownership the impact of the insulating liquid is considered.
Keywords— low viscosity, bio-based hydrocarbon, oxidation Furthermore, in this paper we will introduce a novel
stability, biodegradable, transformer, cooling. insulating liquid – based on bio-based hydrocarbons - with low
viscosity and biodegradability, but which complies with (and
I. INTRODUCTION exceeds) the IEC 60296 specification.
Majority of power transformers worldwide are mineral oil
filled where the oil serves dual primary purposes – insulation II. COOLING
and cooling. In the Americas it is common for mineral oil The deciding factor in a power transformer’s power rating is
according to the standard ASTM D3487 to be used and in the mainly the steady state winding and oil temperature rise (see
rest of the world predominantly to IEC 60296. Historically such IEC 60076-2). Consequently, the cooling efficiency of a
mineral oils meeting the historic standard equivalents were transformer is a critical design component. Oil-Natural and Oil-
mainly made up of refined naphthenic distillates and, to a lesser Directed cooling are the most common methods used today –
extent, paraffinic distillates. Refining technique improved since and for both the key parameter of the liquid influencing heat
1940s tremendously and become more efficient and transfer is the kinematic viscosity. Table I lists some viscosities
environmentally friendly these days. The refining techniques of different products for reference. NYTRO BIO 300X (bio-
used to produce such liquids were originally solvent extraction based hydrocarbon), NYTRO Gemini X (naphthenic oil), a
and acid clay treatment but in later years (late 1980s) severe

XXX-X-XXXX-XXXX-X/XX/$XX.00 ©20XX IEEE

common soy-based natural ester and a synthetic ester are used insulating liquids with lower viscosity can improve the dynamic
in this paper for comparison. performance and overload capability of power transformers.
Figure 2 compares the LV winding profiles of the transformer
Naphthenic oils such as NYTRO Gemini X and NYTRO where changes in average winding temperature can be observed.
10XN – have typically been favored due to their low viscosity From this example one can appreciate the major impact the
index, that is a drop in viscosity with increasing temperature. viscosity of the insulating fluid has on the temperature profile of
NYTRO BIO 300X provides an even lower viscosity profile. the transformer.
One major drawback of ester liquids is their high viscosity –
which leads to reduced cooling and therefore higher winding and
oil temperatures.
In figure 1 and figure 2 results from a Computational Fluid
Dynamic (CFD) simulation based on the model developed by
Susa [1] on a 250 MVA ONAF power transformer are shown.
Table 1: Typical properties and Kinematic Viscosities for various
insulating liquids

NYTRO NYTRO SYN. NAT.

BIO 300X GEMINI X ESTER ESTER

Bio-Based Pentaery-
Vegetable
Type Hydro- Naphthenic Thritol
Seed Oil
carbon Ester
Density at 0.785 0.870 0.920 0.968
20°C g/dm3 g/dm3 g/dm3 g/dm3 Figure 2: Simulated LV winding temperature gradient for the
Biodegrad-
different liquids (with same simulation parameters kept constant).
ability Readily Inherent Readily Readily The load is set at 1 PU, ONAF, ambient 20°C.
(OECD 301) Furthermore, low viscosity, as well as a faster drop in
Viscosity 73
20°C, cSt
6.13 20.66 74.7 viscosity over operational temperature range also favors the
Viscosity 35 onset of natural convection. This is particularly important in “Oil
3.77 9.57 29.5 Natural” cooled transformers (without pumps). The Grashof
40°C, cSt
Viscosity 8 number provides a dimensionless indication of the ratio of
1.44 2.45 5.3 buoyancy to viscous forces and is given in (1) [2].
100°C, cSt
∗ ∗ ∗ ∗∆
1
µ
Where L is the characteristic length, ρ is the density, μ is the
dynamic viscosity, g is the gravitational constant, β is the
thermal expansion coefficient, and Δθ is the oil temperature
gradient.
For the temperature range of most interest (20 °C to 100 °C)
the Grashof number was calculated for the three liquids and is
shown in figure 3. L was set to 1, and Δθ to 5 K nominally in
these calculations as it is for comparative purposes. The higher
increase of the Grashof number with temperature is clearly due
to lower viscosity. In practice fluids with higher Grashof
numbers in the temperature range of operation will lead to better
natural convective cooling in the transformer (due to higher flow
rate).
Figure 1: Simulated LV winding hotspot – based on work and
models developed in [1] – a 250 MVA ONAF (Oil Natural Air Looking at figures 1,2 and 3 it is quite clear that the higher
Forced) transformer with the same load and ambient conditions convective heat transfer expected by the liquids with lower
used for all liquid cases. The difference in viscosity primarily leads viscosity during natural convection translates into lower
to the difference in cooling. The load is set at 1PU until a step temperatures in the transformer.
change to 1.5PU for the remainder. Ambient 20°C.
In practice a transformer manufacturer can use liquids with
One immediately appreciates how not only the steady state lower viscosity to help optimize a certain design and save money
LV hot spot temperature is dependent on the oil viscosity but on cooling systems and conductor. On the other hand, one could
also once equilibrium is disturbed (the load is increased to rather choose to keep the design the same and effectively
1.5PU) NYTRO Gemini X and NYTRO BIO 300X provide produce a transformer with higher overload rating and lower
better cooling during the overload scenario. This implies that operating temperatures. This is particularly useful in hot climate
countries where many utilities specify more strict temperature In this paper the contribution of the losses on the total cost
rise requirements in order to consider the higher ambient one. of ownership will be briefly discussed. Generally, the cost of
energy losses is the most significant portion, assuming good
reliable equipment of course. The cost of Losses is made up of
the combined contribution of No-load Losses and Load Losses.
An example of the loss evaluation of a power transformer is
given herein. An example of a 40 MVA power transformer of
nominal voltage (highest voltage of equipment) of 132/22 kV
will be used. A 60K oil rise and a 65K winding rise will also be
assumed. In this example the same temperatures will be assumed
in both the LV and HV winding.
The nominal no-load losses are taken at 14kW and the
nominal load losses (at full load) at 75°C are given to be 165
kW. The following formulae are used to calculate the cost of
losses of a power transformer over its design life. These
formulae are based on best-practice regarding estimating loss
capitalization in power transformers [1].
Figure 3: The Grashof (Gr) number (divided by 10^6) No-load losses per year:
calculated for the temperature range 20-100°C for NYTRO BIO ℎ0 = 0 ∗ (2)
300X, NATURAL ESTER and GEMINI X. An increasing Grashof
number indicates higher flow due to natural convection.
Where kWh0 is the total energy (kWh) consumed by the no-
Different insulating liquids and different cooling regimes of load losses in one year, P0 is the no-load losses of the
a transformer can lead to differences in thermal performance in transformer, and nHUYear is the number of hours of use per
service [3, 4]. Therefore it is important to keep the above in mind year, taken conventionally at 8760 hours.
if a utility is considering to specify a particular type of insulating
liquid together with the temperature rise limits on the Load losses per year:
transformer – for example if a transformer design was left ℎ ∗ ∗ 2 (3)
unchanged and the insulating liquids were on the one hand a
high viscosity natural ester and on the other a low viscosity Where KWhk is the total energy (kWh) consumed by the
mineral insulating oil – there would be significant differences in load losses per year, Pk is the Load losses of the transformer,
actual winding temperature for the same load. See [3,4] for some and K is Load factor of the transformer.
examples, in [3] the authors showed a 154kV 20 MVA ONAN
transformer had an average LV winding temperature difference Depreciation of the cost of the electricity:
&
$% &'( )*+,
of 17°C between the mineral oil and natural ester-based liquid (4)
!"# -
used in their experiment.
Where !. is the actual number of years of use of the
Another interesting aspect of lowering on-load temperatures transformer (usually estimated as the design life), I is the
of a transformer is the impact on load losses. The EU discount rate (interest rate related, assuming inflation and
ECODESIGN regulations are an example of increased pressure depreciation of money over time) and !"# is the equivalent
on utilities to reduce losses from their power transformers. number of years to be used to calculate the total cost of losses.
Although the conductor and winding design are probably the
most significant aspects determining load losses- lower winding Total losses per year:
temperature will still result in lower load losses. ℎ/= ℎ 0+ ℎ (5)
Where is total consumed energy from the losses per year.
III. TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP (TCO)
The purchase price of a transformer is not the only Total cost of losses over transformer life:
component to consider in the TCO of a power transformer, or L ℎ/ ∗ ℎ 12 ∗ !"# (6)
similar HV equipment. The cost of the energy losses over the Where L is the total cost of losses over the transformer life,
lifetime and the cost of liquid related maintenance on the kWhPrice is the cost of electricity for the energy losses (kWh)
transformer are two key aspects to consider. Especially for high in EURO (€) and !"# is the equivalent years from (4).
load factor transformers, the costs of losses can become
considerable when capitalized throughout the life of the
transformer. Therefore, the actual winding temperature and In the example the life of the transformer is to be taken at 40
actual load loss are important factors to consider when years and a cost of electricity of 0,28 EUR / kWh will be used
specifying and purchasing a power transformer. The insulating in the loss evaluation. Due to the depreciation of money over
liquid can have significant impacts on the thermal performance time a discount rate of 2% is considered – in practical terms this
of a transformer (and thus on both its purchase price and load changes the 40 year period to an effective 27.355 years for the
loss costs) as well as significant impacts on the maintenance costs of the electricity associated with the losses (in line with
requirements on the transformer. formula 4 above and a 2% discount rate)
 impregnation time of solid insulation depends predominantly on
Table 2: Comparison of the load losses energy per year for the 40 MVA the density of the solid insulation, the amount of solid insulation
transformer used in the abovementioned example, with a load factor of K
= 0.95 but considering different actual winding temperatures. This results
and the viscosity of the liquid. One of the reasons insulating oil
in different total cost of losses over the 40-year period. is normally heated during filling is exactly for this reason – in
order to reduce the viscosity – and in turn improve the rate of
Cost of losses over 40 years, different average winding temperatures at full impregnation. In a previous study [5] it was clearly shown that
load. Cost of electricity 0.28 EUR/kWh in terms of physio-chemical properties viscosity of the liquid has
Load Factor K = 0.95. Nominal cost of losses EURO 10 931 024,64. the most effect on impregnation times. The Lucas-Washburn
Average Winding Load Loss Change to the cost of Relation shown in (7) is often used to model the penetration of
Temperature Energy per year total losses 40yrs liquids into porous media.
at full load ∗ 4 ∗ 25
80°C (+5K) 1 327 302 kWh/yr € 174 854.04 3 ∗7 7
26
75°C (+0K) 1 304 474 kWh/yr € 0.00
A. Where l is the length of solid insulation, r is the effective
65°C (-5K) 1 281 645 kWh/yr -€ 174 854.04 capillary radius, η is the dynamic viscosity, Θ is the contact
60°C (-10K) 1 258 817 kWh/yr -€ 349 708.08 angle, and t is the time to impregnate.
55°C (-15K) 1 235 989 kWh/yr -€ 524 562.12 B. As shown in [5] in a practical oil/cellulose based insulating
material case it is sufficient to relate the impregnation time
to the amount of insulation and the dynamic viscosity – as
Table 2 and figure 5 provide an illustration of the effect of a shown in (8).
reduced winding temperature on the cost of losses.
7 ∝3 ∗6 8
As such the differences in viscosity between liquids are
directly proportional to the rates of impregnation. See figure 7, which
illustrates the relative impregnation time comparing the liquids.
Insulation impregnation remains a key factor of the oil filling
and transformer commissioning process. Compared to ester liquids,
which will require longer impregnation times, NYTRO BIO 300X will
be more rapid and effective, due to its lower viscosity [6].

Figure 5: Bar chart comparison of the change in total cost of losses

from Table 1 based on changes on the average winding
temperature. The potential savings in cost of losses from improved
winding temperatures can be comparable to the purchase price of
the transformer.
In summary, the above example shows that especially for
high load factor transformers one must weigh up the design
temperature limits of a transformer together with what insulating
liquid is chosen. If a low viscosity liquid like NYTRO BIO
300X is chosen on a transformer design with the standard
temperature rise limits then improvement in average winding
temperature can be expected and then these will translate into
load loss savings in service. Likewise, if a natural ester is used
and the utility allows higher temperature rise limits than the
standard IEC 60076 requirements then they should consider load
loss increases in service. Figure 7 – An example of the approximate relative duration of insulation
impregnation at 60°C. The natural ester will take 3.8 times longer than
IV. PAPER IMPREGNATION NYTRO Gemini X.
A critical role of the insulating liquid in a cellulose/porous V. OXIDATIVE, HYDROLYTIC AND THERMAL
media based high voltage insulation system is impregnation. In
STABILITY
order to ensure there are no voids in the insulation or micro-
bubbles (which can lead to catastrophic failure due to weakened In a power transformer heat, oxygen and water are the main
dielectric strength) power transformers are filled under vacuum factors that influence ageing of the liquid insulation.
and the oil heated. Moreover, there needs to be enough settling Oxidation stability is the most relevant in mineral oils
time/impregnation time to ensure sufficient impregnation before at the common temperatures of power transformers currently –
commencing HV testing or commissioning the transformer. The but since different chemical reactions will occur at different
temperatures, have different activation energies, as well as insulating liquid which is readily biodegradable environmental
different products and by-products for different liquids with impact assessments can be improved as well as potential cost
different chemistries. savings due to less requirements on the oil containment
Table 3: Some requirements for different insulating liquid types based on infrastructure of the sub-station or power station. By using
current IEC standards when evaluated to IEC 61125 showing relative NYTRO BIO 300X, end users can employ a readily
oxidation stabilities of them. biodegradable liquid, but with the specification compliance of
Fluid Type Specification Ageing Maximum acids mineral oils IEC 60296 and thus many similarities to mineral
duration allowed after oils.
ageing
VII. CONCLUSION
Mineral IEC 60296 164 hours 1.2 mgKOH/g
Uninhibited Viscosity of insulating liquid plays an important and
critical role in the cooling ability of liquid and hence cooling of
Mineral IEC 60296 500 hours 0.3 mgKOH/g power transformers. Convection – especially natural
Inhibited convection, which is critical in Oil-Natural (ON) cooling type
transformers, almost entirely depends on the liquid’s viscosity.
NYTRO IEC 60296 500 hours Typical <0.1
Ultimately, a transformer’s dynamic rating may be increased –
BIO 300X mgKOH/g
without a significant increase of the hot spot temperature. There
Synthetic IEC 61099 164 hours 0.3 mgKOH/g is also potential for design optimization thanks to improved
Ester1 heat transfer offered by the liquid. Low viscosity liquids are
very promising innovations to enhance better thermal
Natural IEC 62770 48 hours 0.6 mgKOH/g performances of a transformer. Transformers with higher load
Ester1 factors will have much higher cost of load losses over their
1
Most commercially available natural and synthetic esters design life and henceforth a higher TCO, comparing to those
should be regarded as inhibited fluids with low load factors. Load losses and power efficiency are
intimately related to the winding temperature and cooling
For example, esters have a much poorer hydrolytic
system of the transformer, in which the choice of (a low
stability than hydrocarbon based insulating liquids [7] and must
viscosity) insulating liquid is an integral component of the
be considered when determining an ester liquid’s ageing
behavior. Based on current standards, as shown in Table 3, the electrical equipment (transformer).
typically relatively poorer oxidation stability of natural and REFERENCES
synthetic esters is evidenced by the less stringent requirements
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Doctorate, Helsinki University of Technology, Espoo, 2005.
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1013-1020, 2012.
VI. BIODEGRADABILITY [4] 4] C. Wolmarans and R. Abrahams, "Widening the landscape of
transformer utilisation & optimisation using a novel insulating liquid,"
Sometimes the use of a power transformer in an presented at the Advanced Research Workshop on Transformers 2019,
environmentally sensitive area is unavoidable – for example, an Cordoba, Spain, 7-9 October, 2019.
offshore wind farm or near a protected area. For this reason – [5] [5] P. Wiklund and P. Wedin, "Functional properties of insualting
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