Arab J Sci Eng

DOI 10.1007/s13369-014-0972-3

RESEARCH ARTICLE - ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

Analysis of Breakdown Voltage and Cost Reduction

of Transformer Oil by Using Nomex Paper and Filler
Arooj Rashid Abdur Rashid Nayab Pervez

Received: 11 October 2012 / Accepted: 31 January 2013

King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals 2014

Abstract AC breakdown voltage characteristics of different

insulation materials in transformer oil are investigated. The
aim is to reduce the quantity of expensive transformer oil by
adding Filler (insulation material) to reduce the cost of the
transformer oil without compromising its electrical proper-
ties. Experiments are conducted for two insulation materials,
aluminium oxide and silicon dioxide. Both of these materi-
als are tested in horizontal and vertical electrode arrange-
ments. After introducing the Filler and selecting its optimum
quantity, Nomex paper (E 56) is added to enhance the break-
down strength of the model. Combination of Nomex paper (E
56) and Filler acts as a barrier and thus enhances the break-
down strength of the model. Dielectric constant, resistivity
and conductivity are calculated to investigate the variations
in electrical properties of the model. Based on experimenta-
tion, optimum condition for the addition of Filler and Nomex
paper (E 56) in the transformer oil is proposed. Detailed result 1 Introduction
of using composite insulation is discussed in this paper.
In many electric power apparatuses, insulation is one of the
Keywords Breakdown strength Filler Breakdown major factors which provide support, cooling and high break-
characteristics Transformer oil Insulation barrier down strength as well. Many solids, liquids and gases have
Dielectric constant Conductivity been used as insulators in electric power systems [1]. Sul-
phur hexafluoride (SF6) [2] is one of such gases having high
breakdown strength and arc-quenching property. Its use in
transformers is increasing as compared to the transformer oil
but SF6 gas has high Global Warming Potential which makes
it a restricted gas as it is harmful to the environment [3]. It is
an important fact to be realized and electric power apparatus
should be designed accordingly.
Intensive research is being conducted on the insulating
properties of dielectric mediums, especially on the trans-
former oil due to its major implications in electric power
Abdur Rashid (B) Arooj Rashid N. Pervez
apparatus. Efforts are being put to reduce the cost of the trans-
Department of Electrical Engineering, Comsats Institute
of Information Technology, Abbottabad Campus, Abbottabad, Pakistan former by decreasing the quantity of transformer oil without
e-mail: drarashid@ciit.net.pk compromising the overall performance of the system. Con-

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 Arab J Sci Eng

cept of addition of insulation materials in transformer oil electrical properties of composite insulation model are cal-
which may result in significant cost reduction is investigated culated by using a famous method known as Polarization
in this paper. and Depolarization method [12]. At the end of the paper,
There are two main reasons to carry out this research. First the outcome of the experiments is discussed.
is to develop an insulation combination which is economi-
cally and technically suitable for the practical application in
transformers and the second is to have a better understanding 2 Experimental Setup
of the behaviour of the insulation material in transformer oil.
Hosticka [4] in 1979 conducted experiments using AC breakdown tests are performed for two types of assem-
anthracene as additive and obtained high breakdown volt- blies:
age when non-uniform field was applied. Satoru [2] in 2008
placed spherical glass beads as Filler in the silicon oil. He 1. Horizontal electrode configuration
improved the breakdown strength by using paper and then 2. Vertical electrode configuration.
calculated the field distribution. In [5], a new polyester com-
posite insulation has been developed which can fulfill the In horizontal electrode configuration, two spheresphere
electrical, physical and thermal needs of power transform- brass electrodes each having 12 mm diameter were used
ers. In the mentioned research, the use of polyester (QUM- as shown in Fig. 1. The gap between these two electrodes
Tek 163) is compared with the use of cellulose and aramid is 2 mm. In vertical electrode configuration, as shown in
papers. The QUM-Tek 163 has better cycle hi-pot withstand, Fig. 2, one electrode is sphere and the other is plane. In this
impulse withstand, dielectric constant and dissipation factor electrode configuration, the diameter of sphere electrode is
compared to the kraft material. In [6], an insulating varnish 12 mm while diameter of plain electrode is 30 mm. The gap
has been introduced with silicone elements. It is unsaturated between these two electrodes is 7 mm. All tests are conducted
polyester vanish. This varnish can be used to enhance the at atmospheric pressure level and at temperature of 5 C.
initial and long-lasting dielectric properties. Lv [7] in 2010 Amount of the Filler is varied by varying the ratio of h and
suspended titanium oxide in transformer oil and came to d. In horizontal electrode configuration, h is the height of the
know after experimentation that it increases the breakdown Filler and d is the distance from the base of the container to
strength of the transformer oil. In [8], ceramic nano-particles the centre of the electrodes.
are selected as they have better electrical insulating property.
There is an increase in the breakdown voltages in titania as
compared to the zirconia.
Wang et al. [9] studies surface flashover of micro-TiO2
epoxy composite dielectric under nanosecond pulse in trans-
former oil. They concluded that the flashover strength can be
enhanced by adding huge amount of micro-TiO2 . Flashover
characteristics affected by fluid pressure and steepness of the
pulse.
Nano-fillers were also used to improve the thermal con-
ductivity in solid dielectric [10]. Epoxy resins with filler
Fig. 1 Horizontal electrodes configuration
showed improved thermal conductivity. In addition to that,
filler was also used in solid to reduce the cost of unit and
reinforcing the mechanical strength [11].
In this current research, the effects of adding materials
having high as well as low permittivity in the transformer
oil are investigated. However, this research differs from the
previous in a way that it emphasizes mainly on the overall
cost reduction of transformer oil without compromising its
insulating properties.
This paper illustrates the selection of two materials, alu-
minium oxide and silicon dioxide to be used as fillers in
transformer oil. Their behaviour is investigated in two types
of electrodes configurations. After the selection of suitable
filler, experimentation is conducted for the selection of appro-
priate number of Nomex papers. Finally, variations in the Fig. 2 Vertical electrodes configuration

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Arab J Sci Eng

Fig. 3 Lab circuit for producing AC voltage

In vertical configuration, h is the height of the Filler

between high and low voltage electrodes and d is the total
distance between two electrodes. In horizontal configuration, Fig. 4 Breakdown voltage versus h/d (silicon dioxide used in horizon-
when h/d = 1, the insulating material touches the electrodes. tal configuration)
When h/d > 1, the electrodes get immersed in the insulating
material.

3 Experimental Results

The test circuit shown in Fig. 3 is used for the production

of AC voltage. The components required are testing trans-
former, connecting rods, measuring capacitor, testing cup
and control desk. Testing Transformer HV (9015) is used
with coupling winding to produce AC high voltage. A 100 pF
measuring capacitor is used as high-voltage divider capacitor
for measurement of AC voltage. Testing cup is used to find
the breakdown strength of insulating oil. The control desk is
used to control the high-voltage AC, DC and impulse equip-
ment. It is a measuring instrument as well as a triggering
device. Fig. 5 Breakdown voltage versus h/d (aluminium oxide used in hori-
zontal configuration)
3.1 Horizontal Electrode Configuration

The selection of Filler is based on its dielectric constant as
silicon dioxide has dielectric constant lower than that of the
transformer oil while aluminium oxide has dielectric constant
higher than that of the transformer oil. Tests are conducted
for both silicon dioxide and aluminium oxide. The result
for horizontal arrangement using silicon dioxide is shown in
Fig. 4.
It was expected that there will be an improvement in the
breakdown voltage of this composite insulation as dielectric
constant is below than that of the transformer oil, but in reality
it was found opposite. Since silica gel absorbs water content
from its surrounding, its electrical properties are changed.
When the amount of Filler is increased, the breakdown volt-
age decreases gradually instead of increasing. This is visible
at Region 1 of Fig. 4. On the other hand, by increasing the
value of h/d, the amount of oil decreases. It is observed that
at h/d = 0.8, i.e. in Region 2 of Fig. 4, the breakdown voltage
decreases more as compared to the Region 1. At this stage
the Filler touches the high-voltage electrode.
Figure 5 shows results for using aluminium oxide as Filler
for the same horizontal electrode configuration. In Fig. 5,
graph is divided into two regions. In Region 1, it can be seen
that when aluminium oxide is not touching the surface of
two electrodes, the breakdown voltage continues to decrease
with the increase in value of h/d. When the Filler reaches
the space between two electrodes, it acts as solid insulator
material and the breakdown strength increases prominently.
This is marked as Region 2 in Fig. 5. The behaviour of alu-
minium oxide is not surprising as oil treats aluminium oxide
as foreign particles. The decrease in breakdown voltage can

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Fig. 6 Breakdown voltage versus h/d (silicon dioxide used in vertical
configuration)
be explained in the light of Suspended particle mechanism
[1].
In Region 1 of Fig. 5, behaviour of aluminium oxide is
almost the same as that of silicone dioxide but in Region 2,
as it touches the high-voltage electrode, it starts behaving
like solid insulator and thus increases the breakdown voltage
of the composite insulation.
Silicone dioxide is selected as Filler after experiments due
to following reasons:
Low cost
Same behaviour as aluminium oxide up to h/d = 0.8
3.2 Vertical Electrode Configuration
In vertical arrangement, it can be observed that the break-
down voltage decreases as the value of h/d increases. In
Region 1 of Fig. 6, there is a slight decrease in the break-
down voltage as compared to its value in the horizontal con-
figuration. In Region 2, the Filler touches the electrodes and
as a result, the breakdown voltage is reduced to a much
lower value of 8 kV. Such a low value of breakdown volt-
age is beyond the consideration of the power equipment. To
make it useful for the power apparatus, the breakdown volt-
age needs improvement. Further investigation is required to
achieve better results and practical solution.
In [2] and [4], it has been investigated that insulating mate-
rial having dielectric constant less than that of oil and Filler,
can be used for the improvement of the breakdown voltage.
Previously wood, paper and tapes were used in the trans-
former oil to increase the breakdown voltage of the insula-
tion combination [13]. In this research, Nomex paper (E 56)
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Arab J Sci Eng
Fig. 7 Effect of Nomex paper (E 56) on breakdown voltage (h/d = 0)
is selected as it is synthetic paper and is available with differ-
ent electrical properties. The selected Nomex paper (E 56)
has dielectric constant lower than that of the transformer oil.
Further tests are conducted to obtain the following:
Appropriate h/d ratio.
Behaviour of the breakdown voltage in the presence of
Nomex paper.
Appropriate number of Nomex papers.
In start the behaviour of Nomex paper (E 56) is investigated
in oil without any Filler, i.e. h/d = 0. The result for this value
of h/d is presented in Fig. 7.
Region 1 in Fig. 7 represents the breakdown voltage when
no paper or Filler is added. With addition of even a sin-
gle Nomex paper, the breakdown voltage rises to 45.2 kV
thus indicating a significant increase as compared to the
breakdown voltage of virgin transformer oil. Figure 7 shows
improvement in breakdown voltage with the addition of
Nomex paper (E 56). The behaviour of the Nomex paper (E
56) is comparable to the barrier effect in the solid insulation.
Figures 8, 9 and 10 show results for different values of h/d
and effect of varying the number of Nomex papers.
Dielectric property is an important factor in selecting the
Fillers. Silicon dioxide is selected as Filler because of its
lower dielectric constant and low cost. It should provide
us with greater breakdown voltage. However, experiments
show different results. Breakdown voltage keeps on decreas-
ing as the amount of Filler increases. Breakdown voltage
decreases because of the nature of silicon dioxide. It has the
property that it acts as desiccant. It absorbs all the moisture
present in the oil and thus results in change of its properties.
As a result we get lower breakdown voltage. Therefore, in
order to increase the breakdown voltage, Nomex paper (E
Arab J Sci Eng
Fig. 8 Effect of Nomex paper (E 56) on breakdown voltage (h/d = 0.3)
Fig. 9 Effect of Nomex paper (E 56) on breakdown voltage (h/d = 0.5)
Fig. 10 Effect of Nomex paper (E 56) on breakdown voltage (h/d = 0.7)
Fig. 11 Proposed Filler model
56) is introduced in the Filler model. Nomex paper (E 56) is
placed between the high-voltage and low-voltage electrodes
as shown in Fig. 11. Nomex paper (E 56) can be used easily
because of its low cost. It also changes the voltage distribu-
tion. The proposed Filler model is given in Fig. 11.
From series of experiments (Figs. 8, 9, 10), it has been
found that h/d = 0.5 is an appropriate ratio that yields:
Improved breakdown voltage as required by the trans-
former.
Sufficient amount of Filler which may reduce the quantity
of oil.
After performing experiments for finding the appropriate
Filler ratio and number of Nomex papers, other electrical
properties like electrical conductivity and resistivity of the
proposed Filler model are investigated. The proposed Filler
model is not of homogenous composition but a complex mix-
ture of oil, Nomex paper (E 56) and Filler.
3.3 Electrical Conductivity of the Proposed Filler Model
Electrical conductivity of the proposed model is investigated
by the well known Polarization and Depolarization method
[12]. It is a user-friendly method and provides authentic
results especially in the case of composite insulating mate-
rials. In addition, it is a non-destructive method. Its cir-
cuit diagram is shown in Fig. 12. The value of conductivity
is obtained by finding the difference between polarization
and depolarization current. The observations are shown in
Figs. 13 and 14.
A 2 kV dc source is applied for 10,000 s to find the polar-
ization current and then the source is removed to find the
depolarization current for further 10,000 s.
From [12], the equation for the estimation of the conduc-
tivity is given as:
0  
ipol (t) idepol (t) (1)
U0 C0
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Fig. 12 Polarization and depolarization circuit diagram
Fig. 13 Polarization current graph
Fig. 14 Depolarization current graph
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Arab J Sci Eng
Table 1 Calculated values of conductivity, resistivity and dielectric
constant
Parameter Value
oil 0.73 1011 S/m
oil 1.36 1011  m
Paper 0.18 1011 S/m
Paper 5.5 1011  m
Dielectric constant 2.8
Fig. 15 Proposed model
Here is the estimated conductivity, C0 is the capacitance of
the test object,U0 is the step voltage and 0 is the permittivity
of free space.
From [12], dielectric constant can be obtained using
Eq. (2):
11.4 C L
= (2)
A
Here C is the capacitance. L is the distance between two
electrodes and A is the area of container. The values obtained
after calculations are given in Table 1.
The obtained values of conductivity and resistivity of pro-
posed Filler model are comparable with the values of the
conductivity and resistivity of the virgin transformer oil and
Nomex paper.
3.4 Practical Implementation
After performing a series of experiments and thorough inves-
tigation, a model is proposed as shown in the Fig. 15. In pro-
posed model, the main winding of transformer is immersed
in oil as in the case of a conventional transformer while Filler
is separated from the transformer oil by using Nomex paper
(E 56). Nomex paper (E 56) acts as a barrier. It not only
improves the breakdown voltage, but also prevents direct
mixing of Filler with transformer oil. This Filler does not
create any hurdle in the core for replacement or dehydration
of transformer oil. Nomex paper (E 56) acts as a barrier. It not
Arab J Sci Eng
only improves the breakdown voltage but also prevents direct
mixing of Filler with transformer oil This Filler does not cre-
ate any hurdle in the core for replacement or dehydration of
transformer oil.
Dark blue colour in Fig. 15 shows the mixture of trans-
former oil and silicon dioxide, whereas the white colour
shows the transformer oil only.
4 Conclusion
After performing a number of experiments, it is concluded
that silicon dioxide can be used as filler for reducing the
amount of transformer oil. This results in a reduced cost of
the insulation material. The obtained values of conductivity,
resistivity and dielectric constant are comparable with those
of virgin transformer oil. This technique can be implemented
by making chambers on the wall of transformer oil. Trans-
former oil, Nomex paper (E 56) and silicon dioxide act as
buffer zone. Addition of this buffer gives us better break-
down strength as compared to the use of virgin transformer
oil. It is low cost as silicon dioxide is cheap.
A 20/26 MVA power transformer is selected for the cost
analysis of the proposed Filler model. The cost of transformer
oil for the tank of transformer is 52,809.4 $, while the cost for
the proposed Filler model (transformer oil + Nomex paper
+ Filler) is 47,700.0 $. The economical benefit is of utmost
importance in this proposed Filler model as we get an approx-
imate cost reduction of 10 %. This meets the target of reduc-
ing the cost of the transformer oil. In addition, the mentioned
technique also results in improved breakdown strength of the
composite insulation as compared to the virgin transformer
oil.
Acknowledgments I (Arooj Rashid) would like to extend gratitude to
my respected supervisor Dr. Abdur Rashid for his supervision. He has
guided me well by giving his valuable time throughout in this project.
He helped me in this research for making it successful and his presence
made me stand against the challenges in crucial times. I would also like
to pay thanks to my colleague Mr. M. Arif for helping me in making
necessary arrangements during the experiments. I would also like to
pay my thanks to Miss Nayab Pervez for her help in experimentation.
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