DEVELOPMENT OF TRANSFORMER BUSHINGS WITH NON-CERAMIC INSULATORS A VIABLE ALTERNATIVE TO PORCELAIN Peter D. Zhao and Keith P.

Ellis Trench Limited

Abstract: Effective transmission of high voltage electricity has depended from the beginning upon ceramic insulators. Without ceramic insulators the transmission of electricity would present serious engineering problems. With over 100 years of experience using ceramic insulators everyone knows its capabilities and limitations. The limitations has driven a search for a viable alternative and today a, combination of insulating materials, has become available as an alternative. This new combination of insulating materials is commonly known as Composite Insulator. Applying a Composite Insulator to an oil filled transformer bushing as a substitute for ceramic insulators presented a number of technical challenges. These challenges will be explored in this paper. (Key words; bushing, composite, porcelain) I. Introduction The traditional air side insulation of a transformer bushing is provided by a hollow ceramic insulator. During operation the insulator provides a multitude of functions, e.g. electrical insulation, structural support of the bushing, environmental mitigation and cosmetic appearance. Ceramic insulator capabilities in the areas of vandalism, weight and environmental mitigation are limited. Another limitations of traditional ceramic insulators are the effects of collateral damage in the event of a bushing failure. The development of an acceptable substitute for the traditional ceramic insulator needed to include all of the attributes of the ceramic insulator and provide acceptable improvements in the following areas: Environmental performance Vandalism Weight Safety

The substitute must also meet the historic capabilities of ceramic insulators such as: Electrical insulation Structural support of the bushing Cost An additional consideration for a non-ceramic insulator is improved performance during a seismic event. These capabilities with non-ceramic insulators have been proven in developments in 1994 and are in service today. Figure 1 shows one of these bushings, 500 kV, 3,000 amp bushing during seismic qualification test. The technical data of the bushing and test is as follows: 500 kV Class, 1550 kV BIL. oil paper insulation, composite insulator 1 g 10 cycle sine beat, 1 g - time history

2003 Doble Engineering Company All Rights Reserved

FIGURE 1 These bushings exceed the high seismic performance level defined in IEEE 693 - 1997. However, due to the extra high level seismic design of these bushings they represent a substantial cost increase over traditional ceramic insulated bushings. This substantial cost increase for these non-ceramic bushings limited their application as substitute in other areas where non-ceramic insulator has advantages over porcelain. The objective was to develop a second line of nonceramic bushings, which would address these areas of application with a more economical design. This paper introduces the development of this new line of non-ceramic insulator bushings. II. Selection of a Non-ceramic Insulator The previous work completed in the development of high seismic capable IEEE/ANSI bushings was used as a base for this development project. In this development, the traditional ceramic insulator was replaced with an insulator that consisted of a composite of materials that included an explosion resistant fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) core with silicone rubber sheds. This combination of materials is now commonly known as Composite Insulator. (Refer to IEEE C57.19.00 - 2003, definitions) The typical structure of a composite insulator consists of a FRP tube for the mechanical support of the bushing with silicone rubber sheds molded over the FRP tube with the required creepage for the specified environmental concerns. The interface with other components of the bushing is provided through metal flanges on both ends of the FRP tube. (See Figure 2) The selection of the composite insulator for a specific bushing design is critical to achieving a reliable and economical bushing design. The following design considerations where made during the bushing design process: The maximum mechanical strength requirement of FRP tube
2003 Doble Engineering Company All Rights Reserved

The insulators physical dimensions The hydrophobicity effectiveness of silicon rubber material The insulators sheds profile, creepage distance, and arcing distance The metal flange structure and bonding The insulator life expectancy Applicable industry Standards Available quality suppliers

FIGURE 2

III. Development Objective and Test Plan The following voltage classes with current ratings up to 3,000 amps were selected for the development project: 25 kV to 230 kV

Higher current rating development will be carried out upon completion of this project. The following objectives for this development project were: Develop a line of IEEE/ANSI Standard bushings through 230 kV class with non-ceramic insulators Meet all the dimensional, electrical and performance characteristics required by the IEEE/ANSI Bushing standards Provide the marketplace with an economic alternative to ceramic insulated bushings Be able to offer a competitive short lead-time. Meet the seismic requirements of IEEE 693 1997 for bushings Be cost competitive with ceramic insulated bushings

The following test plan for the prototype designs would be carried out:
2003 Doble Engineering Company All Rights Reserved

Internal pressure and vacuum Draw-lead bushing cap pressure Cantilever strength Snap test for seismic analysis Capacitance measurement Power factor Full-wave lightning-impulse Chopped-wave lightning-impulse Rated frequency wet Rated frequency dry Capacitance measurement Power factor

IV. Development Progress and Obstacles As was learned during the development of the extra high seismic bushings designed with Composite Insulators in 1994 a key design feature was the attachment of the FRP tube to the metal fitting of the bushing. The solution was to have the metal fittings heated and use temperature shrinkage over the FRP tube ends. Using this approach metal end rings were designed that mirrored the actual dimensions of the ceramic insulators. A major obstacle was determining the required thickness of the FRP tube. As indicated before, ceramic insulators provide a substantial part of the structural support of the bushing. FRP tube is much less rigid and therefore does not provide the same level of structural support. The bushings developed for the high seismic requirements in 1994 had very thick walls, which represented a substantial cost factor. It was determined that wall thickness of the FRP tube would need to be adjusted based on the length of the tube, i.e.; voltage class. The FRP tube wall thickness was broken down into three groups, 25 to 69 kV, 115 to 161 kV and 230 kV. Another minor obstacle was encountered during the assembly of the first prototype, a 161 kV, 1,400 amp bushing, was the cementing of the insulator to the bushings mounting flange. With ceramic insulators the first shed would be located several centimeters above the cementing of the insulator to the flange allowing for easy application of the cement. However, because of how the silicone rubber is molded to the FRP tube the first shed appears only a few millimeters above the cementing location making it very difficult to apply the cement. This obstacle was resolved because of the high flexibility of the silicone rubber sheds. The technicians developed a method of folding the silicone rubber sheds out of the way without causing damage to the sheds. V. Final Bushing Design Features The Composite Insulator design provided the following features: Explosion resistance for safety Less susceptible to vandalism Lower weight Improved environmental performance The following overall bushing features where achieved: Meets all present IEEE/ANSI bushing standards Lead-times comparable to bushings with ceramic insulators Interchangeable with bushings in the field with ceramic insulators Manufacturing processes and procedures are unchanged. (Except when cementing) Testing procedure and process unchanged. Less possibility for ceramic damage during assembly and installation on the transformer.
2003 Doble Engineering Company All Rights Reserved

Figure 3 & 4 show the bushings under mechanical and dielectric tests.

FIGURE 3

VI. Conclusion The test results indicate that the prototype units have met our design criteria and performance expectations. Subsequent production runs and deliveries have confirmed that most of the development objectives have been met. Calculations have shown that these new designs meet the requirements of IEEE 693 - 1997, for high level seismic areas. (Additional full scale shaker table testing is being considered for the 230 kV design for the high level) The use of silicone rubber as an outdoor insulator began in the 1970s with good results. The one objective that so far has fallen short of expectations is being cost competitive with bushings with ceramic insulators. (See table 1 for cost comparisons)

2003 Doble Engineering Company All Rights Reserved

FIGURE 4 These cost factors may come down as the volume in the marketplace increases. It is feasible that it could reach par for bushings 115 kV class and above with an increase in present volumes. TABLE 1 Cost Comparisons Bushing with ceramic insulator = 1.0 Voltage Class Cost Factor 25 kV 1.50 34.5 kV 1.42 46 kV 1.36 69 kV 1.31 115 kV 1.17 138 kV 1.15 161 kV 1.10 230 kV 1.07 VII. REFERENCES 1. 2. 3. 4. IEEE General Requirements & test Procedure for Outdoor Power Apparatus Bushings, ANSI/IEEE Std C57.19.00.1991 and 2000. IEEE Recommended Practices for Seismic Design of Substations, IEEE Std 693-1997 IEC Composite Insulators for use in outdoor and indoor electrical equipment, IEC 61462-1998 Composite Insulators, Trench Brochure E205.

2003 Doble Engineering Company All Rights Reserved

VIII. BIOGRAPHY Peter D. Zhao obtained his B.Sc. with Deans honor in Electrical Engineering in 1983, his M.Eng. in Power Transformers in 1986, and his M.Sc in High Voltage in 1993. The areas of his professional practice include transformer products design and development, high voltage and insulation engineering, electrical testing and QA. He is a registered professional engineer, a member of IEEE, and a member of IEEE/PES Transformer Committee. Presently, he is with Trench Limited Canada as Engineering Manager at Bushing Products Division. Keith P. Ellis graduated from Mare Island Navel Shipyard, Vallejo, California with a journeyman certificate in machine technology. Attended University of California, majoring in Mechanical Engineering. After serving in the US Navy during the Vietnam War, he joined RTE/ASEA, Waukesha, WI. While with RTE/ASEA he worked in the engineering and marketing. He was then promoted to field sales for RTE and RTE/ASEA in upstate New York where he achieved the position of Senior Sales Engineer. He then returned to ASEA Electric, Waukesha, WI as Manager of Transformer Components, Marketing and Sales. He was then transferred to ABB Power T & D Company where he held the position of OEM Sales Manager for the Components Division. He then joined Trench, as Product Manager, Bushings and now has responsibility for North and South America. He is a Member of IEEE/PES and takes particular interest in component applications to power transformers with special interest in high voltage bushings and on-load tap changers.

2003 Doble Engineering Company All Rights Reserved