Monitoring of Transformer Ageing: Analysis of Furfural using Pulsed Amperometric Detection

High Voltage (HV) power transformers are expected to operate reliably for 40 years. The majority of faults within a transformer are design specific but the underlying life limiting feature of all units is related to the degradation of the paper insulation on the windings. Accurate condition monitoring of large electrical transformers can help reduce unwanted and unpredictable outages. Dissolved Gas Analysis (DGA) of the insulating oil is used to give an indication of electrical faults within a transformer, but it only gives limited information about the condition of the insulation paper. However, the paper's condition may be assessed by analysis of compounds such as the chemical group known as furans These are produced from the chemical degradation of the paper and they can be extracted from the oil and measured using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) (IEC61198 Using the electroanalytical technique of Pulsed Amperometric Detection (PAD) it is possible to measure furans directly in transformer oil This process could be carried out 'on-line', thus enabling the early prediction of transformer failure. Detection limits of 2ppm have been developed with a. linear correlation produced over the range of 2-10ppm for 2-furfuraldehyde.

کلیدواژه ها:

Furan ، Condition Monitoring ، Transformer ، Oil Analysis