F E A T U R E A R T I C L E

Drying of Transformer Insulation

using Zeolite
Key Words: Power transformers, in-service drying procedure, lifetime extension.

P ower and distribution transformers are some of the most

important components in the power network. Compared to
other equipment, they require very little maintenance since they
I. Fofana 1, V. Wasserberg 2, H. Borsi 2, E.
Gockenbach 2, Fellow and M. Farzaneh 1
have no continuously moving parts. However, the insulating and Senior Member
other materials in a transformer degrade with time in service. Many 1
Research Group on Atmospheric Environment Engineering, Uni-
of the degradation products are soluble in the insulating liquid and versity of Quebec in Chicoutimi, QC, Canada
their occurrence is reflected in, for example, the interfacial tension, 2
Institute of Electric Power Systems, Division of High Voltage En-
acid number, and water content of the insulating liquid in a trans- gineering, Schering- Institute
former as it ages. During the normal breathing process due to the University of Hanover, Germany
oil expansion and contraction of a free-breathing transformer, mois-
ture can enter the transformer insulation. Especially in the case of a
rapid cooling, during which time the incoming air cannot be suffi-
ciently dried, moisture can contaminate the insulating liquid and Power and distribution transformers
thus the solid insulating materials immersed therein. are some of the most important
Excessive adsorption of moisture will saturate the insulation and
increase its conductivity. Also, at high temperature, vapor may de-
components in the power network.
velop, which may be potential source for partial discharges (PD)
and increase the feasibility of breakdown. Water increases electric
conductivity and dissipation factor, and worsens electric strength.
Moisture also has a great influence on the life expectancy and load
capacity of a transformer. Water is not only detrimental to the di- oil–cellulose equilibrium curves (the so-called “Norris Curves”)
electric properties of the liquid paper insulation system, it also de- under equilibrium conditions [4]. Assuming a transformer is in equi-
creases its resistance to aging [1]-[8]. The presence of moisture in a librium operation, this provides a quick way to examine the mois-
transformer deteriorates the transformer insulation by decreasing ture content in paper in order to predict failure by measuring the
both the electrical and mechanical strength of the solid insulation. moisture in oil. The condition of a transformer insulation system
In general, the mechanical life of the insulation is halved for each can be monitored by routine oil sampling and laboratory analysis.
doubling in the water content [4]; the rate of thermal deterioration The moisture level in the fluid is “an indicator” of the dryness level
of the paper is proportional to its water content [5]. of the solid insulation as well. Since equilibrium is extremely sen-
Since moisture is recognized to be “enemy number one” of liq- sitive to temperature, equilibrium is generally never reached in an
uid-filled transformers [9], it is of great importance to pay attention operating transformer [7], [9]. The best way to check the condition
to the moisture content of composite insulation systems. In order to of the insulation would be to take a sample of the paper from inside
maintain low dielectric loss, high dielectric breakdown strength, the transformer and to measure its water content using the Karl-
and low rates of degradation of the insulating system in HV equip- Fischer titration method. However, as removal of paper samples is
ment, considerable efforts have to be made to maintain low water not feasible for in-service transformers, it is necessary to find other
concentrations. reliable methods. The need for an on-line moisture sensor for trans-
In a new transformer, the water content of the paper is about formers has up to now only led to a sensor for the water content in
0.5% and will gradually increase during use. It is useful to know the oil. New methods based on measurements of the dielectric re-

20 IEEE Electrical Insulation Magazine

sponse [10] and recovery voltage measurements (RVM) [11] to One gram of zeolite provides up to several hundred square meters
measure the water in the solid insulation are still under investiga- of surface area for chemical reactions to take place. This character-
tion and discussion. istic of zeolites gives them great adsorbing power. Zeolites are
A drying of the transformer is recommended when the suggested able to adsorb up to 30% of their dry weight in gases such as nitro-
water-saturation limits have been reached. The transformer can ei- gen and ammonia, over 70% in water, and up to 90% in certain
ther be dried on-site using removable portable drying units for online hydrocarbons [16], [19]. Zeolites are used in many industries for
or offline operation or dried offline at the workshop. Offline proce- the selective removal of gases from composite gaseous mixtures.
dures will increase costs and cause long outages. A representative empirical formula of a zeolite is:
In this article, another approach to the problem, recently pro-
posed as an alternative [12], [13], is presented. With the application M2/nO · Al2O3 · xSiO2 · yH2O (1)
of a synthetic hygroscopic mineral (molecular sieve zeolites)—a
revolutionary, environmentally friendly, multipurpose mineral—a where M represents the exchangeable cation of valence n. There
continuous drying process of the transformer oil during operation are numerous naturally occurring and synthetic zeolites, each with
without the need for a service interruption is achieved. Some ex- a unique structure. There are over 40 different kinds of natural
periments with zeolite 3A and 5A on the aging of transformer insu- zeolite found in various parts of the world and over 100 synthetic
lation have already been performed by H.P. Moser et al. [14], [15], ones [19]. The pore sizes of commercially available zeolites range
which showed reduced aging in the presence of zeolites especially from ~3 Å to ~30 Å. The rate of diffusion of a molecule through a
for mineral oil and cellulose based transformer board. However, zeolite is therefore determined by a combination of the size of the
there are no published data on the effects of zeolite on the electrical substrate and the type of zeolite used. Not all zeolites have been
and dielectric behaviour available. studied, but extensive studies have been made on type A zeolite
due to its use in consumer products [19]. These studies have dem-
Description of the Synthetic Mineral onstrated that zeolite A is essentially nontoxic via oral, dermal,
Zeolite is a porous material that was originally discovered by a ocular, and respiratory routes of exposure; zeolite A was also found
Swedish mineralogist, A.F. Cronstedt, in 1756 [16]-[19]. He found, to be safe for the environment [18],[19]. The cavities are connected
that the mineral lost water rapidly on heating and thus seemed to by pores with exactly defined diameters (3, 4, 5, 10 Å) according to
boil. The name zeolite comes from the Greek word zeo (to boil) and the type of the zeolite, the name of which corresponds to the pore
lithos (stone). Zeolite is a natural volcanic mineral with a number diameter. When the Na+ ion is exchanged for the larger K+ ion, the
of unique characteristics. It was formed when volcanic ash, depos- pore diameter is reduced to 3 Å, so that only very small polar mol-
ited in ancient alkaline lakes, interacted with the salts in the lake ecules will be adsorbed (zeolite 3A). Depending on the size of the
water and changed into various zeolite minerals. pores, molecules may be rapidly adsorbed, slowly adsorbed, or com-
Zeolites are naturally occurring aluminosilicate minerals with pletely excluded.
three-dimensional structures based on [SiO4]4- and [AlO4]4- polyhe-
dra (Figure 1a). The silicon and aluminium atoms are tetrahedrally Water Molecule Adsorption/Desorption
coordinated with each other through shared oxygen atoms. These Zeolites possess a high affinity for water and are able to adsorb
polyhedra are linked by their corners to produce an open structural and desorb it without damage to the crystal structure. This property
form that has internal cavities in which molecules of various sizes makes them useful in desiccation as well as in other commercial
can be trapped. The elements are arranged within the minerals in a systems, such as heat storage. In many industrial and commercial
manner that gives the crystal a honeycomb framework of channels applications, zeolites have been found highly effective in control-
and cavities. By controlling the ratios of cation exchange and the ling moisture levels particularly in low humidity ranges, where other
cation used, it is possible to synthesize zeolite crystalline structures desiccants are less effective [19].
with varying pore size and thus to regulate adsorption selectivity. The zeolite structure (Figure 1) can only be penetrated by mol-
The internal voids, engineered to have specific opening size ranges, ecules when the diameter of the micropores is larger than or com-
trap and hold a variety of molecules that enter the structural matrix parable to the dimensions of the diffusing molecules. Figure 2 shows
(Figure 1b). The adsorbed molecules can be removed by heating as an example the correlation between the effective pore sizes of
and/or evacuation. Because of their regular and reproducible struc- various type A zeolites and the dimensions of molecules penetrat-
ture they behave in a predictable manner. ing the adsorbent.
Water and nitrogen are two of the smallest molecules that can
easily penetrate almost all structures. As can be seen in Figure 2,
the only zeolite that can exclude other molecules in liquids is the K
type (type 3A), which is a zeolite with most of the naturally occur-
ring smaller sodium cations replaced by larger potassium cations.
The dimension of a water molecule is 2.65 Å [16], [17]. Secondly,
besides this geometric effect, the selectivity is determined by the
dipole moment of the molecules.
It has been well established that faults in transformers are very
often accompanied by gases, which may or may not be dissolved
(a) (b)
according to the condition of the insulating liquid. Such a feature is
Figure 1. Structure of a polyhedral Zeolite.

January/February 2004 — Vol. 20, No. 1 21

very helpful for the correlation and identification of failure sources the molecule chain, thus being sufficient to make it attractable by
in liquid-filled transformers [20]. Safe transformer operation has zeolites.
become very dependent on dissolved gas analysis (DGA) as a diag- Moreover, Figure 2 clearly shows that acetylene (pore size of
nostic tool. From the gas components occurring in insulating liq- 3.3 Å) adsorption by zeolite 3A is only possible at high tempera-
uids (e.g., H2, CH4, C2H2, C2H4, C2H6, C3H6, C3H8, CO, CO2, O2, tures. The dotted line on this Figure along the ordinate axis (zeolite
H2O) [20], zeolite 3A can only adsorb H2O and H2 as the size of a 3A pore size) gives the pore size dilation in a temperature range
hydrogen molecule is 2.89 Å [18]. Although water and hydrogen varying from 77 to 420 K. Thus, C2H2 can be adsorbed by zeolite
molecules are roughly the same size (Figure 2), water is preferably 3A only at temperatures close to 400 K, which represents a hot spot
adsorbed by zeolites due to the higher dipole moment of the water inside the transformer. In the suggested online-drying procedure
molecule. The following order shows the adsorption preference of described later, the zeolite bed is intended to be installed as a sepa-
different molecules by type A zeolites [20]: rate unit. Its temperature will depend on the installation site. In
order to restrict the temperature rise inside the bed, a cooling unit
H2O>NH3>CO2>N2>CH4 could be considered to help keep the temperature below 60°C.
The zeolite is therefore expected to capture only water molecules
The higher the dipole moment, the higher the adsorption prefer- without affecting most of the other dissolved gases. Zeolite 3A was
ence. The dipole moment of a water molecule is 1.844 debye, chosen to be the drying agent for the transformer oil, whereas zeo-
whereas that of ammonia and hydrogen is 1.46 Debye and 0 re- lite 4A has been used for comparison, as this material has similar
spectively. Note that 1 debye = 3.336 × 10–30 C · cm. properties but a slightly larger pore size. Regeneration of zeolites
3A and 4A, which should be carried out at a water uptake of a
maximum of 20% by weight, takes place in an oven at tempera-
tures between 300 and 350 C, preferably in a vacuum.

Upgrading Mineral Oil

In order to estimate their drying efficiency, specific amounts of
type A zeolites were immersed in oil samples, and kept in a sealed
vessel to avoid any influence of the environmental conditions. The
water content was regularly controlled using the Karl-Fischer Ti-
tration method [22]. The samples were dried with 0.1, 0.5, 1, and
10 g/litre of zeolite 3A or 4A, respectively. The results of the inves-
tigations are summarized in Figures 3 to 8.
Figures 3 and 4 compare the drying efficiency of zeolites 3A
and 4A for different starting humidities of 28 and 47 ppm. At 65°C,
zeolite 3A in oil seems to desiccate slightly better than zeolite 4A
although its behavior is similar at 23°C. The reason may be found
in the thermal activity of the water molecules. With increasing tem-
perature, the mobility of the molecules increases so that water mol-
ecules trapped in a zeolite pore can leave their location more easily,
if the bonding forces are lower.

Figure 2. Chart showing a correlation between the effective pore

size of various zeolites for adsorption in equilibrium versus the
temperatures of 77 to 420 K (range indicated by - - -), with the
kinetic diameters of various molecules as determined from L-J
potential relation [17], [18].

The impact of zeolites on DGA has been reported by Daemisch

[21], who reported the adsorption of acetylene (C2H2) by molecu-
lar sieves. This is most probably not due to the dipole moment but
due to the very nonuniform charge distribution within the molecule.
The molecule is of a linear type (H-C=C-H), with a triple bond
between the two central carbon molecules. The charge distribution
thus has a negative maximum at the center, whereas the marginal
hydrogen molecules have a more positive character. Due to the lin-
ear and reversed left to right composition this does not result in a
dipole moment, but in a heterogeneous charge distribution along Figure 3. Comparison of oil drying velocities of zeolites 3A and
4A at room temperature for different starting humidities.

22 IEEE Electrical Insulation Magazine

Figure 4. Comparison of the oil drying rates using zeolites 3A Figure 7. Drying velocity of oil with an initial water content of 28
and 4A at 65°C for different starting humidities. ppm for different amounts of zeolite at 65°C.

Figure 5. Drying rates of oil with an initial water content of 28 Figure 8. Drying velocity of oil with an initial water content of 46
ppm for different amounts of zeolite at 23°C. ppm for different amounts of zeolite at 65°C.

As the size of the zeolite 3A pore is better suited to the size of a

water molecule than that of a zeolite 4A pore, the bonding forces
are also higher. Seen as a balance of water adsorption and desorp-
tion, the zeolite 3A can adhere the water molecules more easily
than the zeolite 4A, thus resulting in a faster adsorption. The higher
the zeolite amount, the higher the drying rate, as can be seen from
Figures 5 to 8. Figure 9 shows data of tests performed on highly
moistened mineral oil (90 ppm). The temperature influence on the
moisture uptake of zeolite is clearly shown—the higher the tem-
perature, the higher the sieving rate.

Figure 6. Drying velocity of oil with an initial water content of 46

ppm for different amounts of zeolite 3A at 23°C.

January/February 2004 — Vol. 20, No. 1 23

 content in the liquid was reduced to 200 ppm after two weeks and
to 50 ppm after 36 days. The upgrading of ester liquid using 1g/
liter of zeolite requires more time and regeneration or change of
the zeolite bed. The first zeolite bed was saturated after about 13
days. The moisture content adsorbed was about 190 ppm, which
corresponded to 18.24% in weight of the dried zeolites. This value
was close to the saturation limit of 20% obtained for others appli-
cations of zeolite 3A [17], [19].
The arrows in Figure 10 indicate the time at which the zeolite
bed was changed. These investigations show the capability of zeo-
lite 3A for drying a hygroscopic liquid.

Influence of Zeolite on the Dielectric

Properties
To determine the influence of zeolite on the dielectric properties
Figure 9. Drying velocity of a highly moistened mineral oil of oil, a specific amount of zeolite was sealed in a filter paper and
(initial water content of 90 ppm) with 1g/liter of zeolite at 20 and directly immersed in oil specimens stored in a sealed vessel. The
60°C. oils were pretreated or dried in order to ensure the same initial con-
ditions for all investigations. The drying took place in two-stage
packed columns (Figure 11) [23]. The oil sample flowed succes-
The moisture saturation limit at room temperature for the inves- sively through a fine filter (3), a one-way valve pressure reducer,
tigated mineral oil is about 55 ppm. As the moisture content at the (4) a heat exchanger (5) into the first column stage (6). In this stage
start of the experiment exceeds the saturation limit at room tem- the oil flowed at a pressure of P1 = 1 mbar and a temperature of T1
perature, free water precipitated from the oil in suspension or drops = 50°C through Rasching rings, was degassed and dried before ar-
is present. Figure 9 shows that the water content of the oil rapidly riving at the second stage with P2 = 0.1 mbar and T2 = 60°C. Here
decreased from 90 to 60 ppm (30 ppm of moisture adsorbed in 4 the water and gas contents continued to reduce. The drying low-
days) compared to the situation in Figure 6, where 20 ppm was ered the water contents for ester liquid from approximately 80-200
desiccated in 7 days, starting from a moisture content of 47 ppm ppm and for mineral oil from approximately 15–20 ppm, to <30
when using 1 g/liter of zeolite. Undissolved water therefore seems ppm for ester liquid and <5 ppm for mineral oil [23]. At the same
to be rapidly removed by zeolites. time the total gas content was reduced to less than 1 percent by
volume. For investigations with higher water contents, the insulat-
ing liquid samples were stored in a water vapor atmosphere to reach
Upgrading an Ester Liquid the desired water content. For all investigations, the water content
Zeolite 3A was also used to dry a highly hygroscopic liquid.
was determined before each series of measurements started.
Figure 10 shows the results performed on an ester liquid at differ-
Note that the zeolite that was used for drying the samples was
ent temperatures and for different zeolite amounts. With an amount
sealed in a fine filter paper in order to avoid contamination of the
of 30 g/liter and starting with a water content of 633 ppm, the water
oil by the particles. The investigations were performed at various
temperatures and at water contents of 10 and 20 ppm.

Relative Permittivity (εε r ) and Dissipation

δ)
Factor (tanδ
The measurements were performed with a Schering-Bridge
(model Tettex 2801 together with a Wagner Auxiliary Branch model
2900, sensitivity 5·10-7) at 50 Hz. The relative permittivity results
are summarized in Figure 12, which shows a comparison between
the values obtained for specimens dried by standard methods and
those desiccated by zeolite for different temperatures and water
contents. The temperature and moisture content dependencies of
the dissipation factor of the specimens are summarized in Figure
13. It is evident from Figure 13 that zeolite has a beneficial influ-
ence in reducing the dissipation factor, especially at higher tem-
peratures. This may originate from the heating of the oil during
conventional drying, thus being associated with deterioration, gen-
eration of conductive molecules, and resulting in an increased tanδ.
Figure 10. Drying velocity of an ester liquid at an initial water
content of 633 ppm with different amounts of zeolite and at 23
and 60°C.

24 IEEE Electrical Insulation Magazine

 Figure 13. Comparison of the dissipation factor of mineral oil
samples dried by a standard method (two-stage processing unit)
and samples dried with 10 g/liter of zeolite 3A.

Breakdown Voltage (UB)

The power frequency electric strength is the most often used
parameter to describe the insulating property of a liquid. The mea-
suring procedure, according to IEC 60296 or VDE 0370, has been
described previously [24]. The temperature range (0–100°C) used
in the investigations was chosen in order to simulate normal oper-
ating conditions as well as critical situations in a transformer. The
results of the investigations are presented in Figure 14.

Figure 11. Schematic diagram of the fluid processing plant. In the Figure 14. Comparison of the electric strength of mineral oil
second stage, a final pressure of 5 Pa is achievable. Different samples dried by a standard method (two-stage processing unit)
water contents can be achieved through variation of the final and samples dried with 10 g/liter of zeolite 3A.
pressure, temperature, and flow rate.

As for the dissipation factor, zeolite 3A seems to have a small

beneficial influence on the electric behavior, as illustrated by the
higher breakdown voltage in comparison to conventionally dried
samples. It has been generally acknowledged that the life of an oil
in service depends primarily on its initial quality, but service condi-
tions also need to be considered.

Influence of Zeolite on Oil Aging Behavior

The evaluation of the aging behavior requires accelerated aging
tests. Transformer aging and the rate of aging are described in the
industry loading guides (e.g. [1], [2]), in particular, loads beyond
Figure 12. Comparison of the relative permittivity of mineral oil the nameplate rating. According to this guide, the main factor in-
samples dried by a standard method (two-stage processing unit) fluencing the aging and life expectancy is the thermal stress. How-
and samples dried with 10 g/liter of zeolite 3A. ever, aging is accelerated by contact with oxygen and by the mois-

January/February 2004 — Vol. 20, No. 1 25

ture content in the transformer [3], [5], [6], [9], [14]. For this rea-
son, the aging behavior of the mixed insulating fluids was tested at
high temperatures in the presence of oxygen. The method consisted
of storing oil specimens in opened vessels with the addition of 3 g/
L of copper, steel, aluminium and zinc chips, exposed in an oven at
a temperature of 110°C for a period of 1000 h. The catalysts, which
represented metallic components of the transformer, were sealed
inside fine filter papers (pore diameter <2 mm) and added to the oil
samples. To appraise the effect of zeolite, different amounts were
used (0.1, 1, and 10 g/liter). The zeolites were also sealed in a sepa-
rate fine filter paper and added to the oil samples, except for one
sample where the zeolites were directly added to the oil in order to
determine their effects under long term service conditions. Figures Figure 17. Comparison of the breakdown voltage of aged mineral
15 to 17 show the results of the investigations performed on the oil samples dried by a standard method (two-stage processing
aged samples. unit) and samples aged with different amounts of zeolite 3A.

As these Figures show the values (relative permittivity, dissipa-

tion factor and breakdown voltage) obtained for samples aged with
zeolites, both sealed in fine filter paper and in direct contact with
the oil, are not inferior to those of the samples aged without zeolite.
It can be concluded that, from the viewpoint of dielectric prop-
erties, zeolites do not have any negative influence on transformer
liquids. Zeolites can thus be used for continuously upgrading trans-
formers oils. At present, the majority of the power transformers in
operation in Germany have reached an age of 25 years or greater so
it is of great interest to investigate the drying capability of zeolite
using service-aged oil and thereby to explore the effects of con-
taminants and impurities. The results for two samples, where the
drying has been performed at 60°C, are presented in Figure 18.

Figure 15. Comparison of the relative permittivity of aged

mineral oil samples dried by a standard method (two-stage
processing unit) and samples aged with different amounts of
zeolite 3A.

Figure 18. Drying velocity of aged oil using zeolite 3A.

It can be seen that, compared to the samples of Figure 7, the

drying velocity is slightly reduced. The reason may be the presence
of fine impurities or particles or some other molecules present in
Figure 16. Comparison of the dissipation factor of aged mineral the aged oil samples, which have been adsorbed by the zeolites in
oil samples dried by a standard method (two-stage processing addition to the water molecules. When designing processes for con-
unit) and samples aged with different amounts of zeolite 3A. tinually drying transformer oils, it will thus be useful to precede the
zeolite beds with a very fine filter, in order to filter insoluble par-
ticles out of the liquid before they can enter the zeolite bed.

26 IEEE Electrical Insulation Magazine

Proposal for Continually Upgrading
Transformer Oils
During the service of liquid-immersed, high-voltage transform-
ers, the oil used as coolant becomes contaminated with water, gases
and insoluble particles [3], [5], [6], [9], [14], which adulterate the
liquid and lead to an increasingly inefficient operation of the trans-
former. Thus it is desirable to remove the contaminants either peri-
odically or continuously as required. The dilemma of high-voltage
transformer drying is that good drying is a time-consuming and
expensive process, and is therefore controversial due to the increas-
ing market demand for shorter transformer outages and reductions
in costs. Some transformer drying procedures are presented in [24],
[25]. An important step to meet this request was made some years
ago with the introduction of vapor-phase technology. Also, a new
suggestion for careful vapor-phase drying was presented by Krause Figure 19a. Online drying procedure for a liquid-immersed
et al. [25]. The efficiency of the drying process of high-voltage transformer.
transformers depends on many parameters, the most important of
which are:
- process duration
- environmental impact or outdoor conditions (influence of sea-
son, etc.)
- attention paid to the connections between the transformer and
the drying units
- voltage rating and power of the transformer
- the capacity of the drying unit, etc.
Current equipment for upgrading transformer oils during ser-
vice require many moving parts such as pumps and vacuum cham-
bers, which require frequent maintenance and considerable space
[25], [26]. Accordingly, there has been a need for more satisfactory
means for continually upgrading the dielectric liquids with a mini-
mum of maintenance. With an oil strainer based on zeolite, these Figure 19b. Schematic representation of the drying process
requirements may be adequately fulfilled, as shown in Figure 19. through diffusion and zeolite adsorption.
The operating transformer is connected to a zeolite bed via a
pump and a fine filter for filtering insoluble particles out of the
liquid (Figure 19a). After the zeolite bed, which performs the dry- In an operating transformer, papers can contain much more wa-
ing, the insulating liquid is returned to the transformer tank through ter than the oil. For example, a 150-MVA, 400-kV transformer with
a second filter. The first filter is expected to prevent fine particles about 7 tons of paper may contain as much as 223 kg of water [4].
from accessing the zeolite bed, thus avoiding the obstruction of their The oil volume of about 80,000 L, assuming a 20-ppm moisture
pores, whereas the second filter is required for preventing particles concentration, will have a total mass of water of only 2 kg, much
from the zeolite grains from contaminating the upgraded liquid. less than that in the paper. In order to simulate the applicability of
The only moving part in such a system would be the pump whereas the proposed drying procedure a laboratory based-model has been
a regular exchange of the filter cartridge would ensure constant dry- investigated.
ing capabilities. The schematic representation of the inherent pro- The transformer model consists of a vessel filled with 3.2 L of
cesses is shown in Figure 19b. oil. To keep close to reality, 280 g of cellulose paper was impreg-
nated and immersed in the transformer model. The transformer
model, connected to a zeolite bed (an amount of 1g/L was used) via
a pump, was then continuously heated at a temperature of 60°C to
simulate an operating transformer. To appreciate the drying veloc-
ity, oil was sampled at two different points as shown in Figure 20.
Figure 21 shows the results obtained for a pump velocity of 10.9 L/
hour, the initial water content in the transformer model being 22.2
ppm.

January/February 2004 — Vol. 20, No. 1 27

 of zeolite A [18]. Since we are only interested in the saturation of
the zeolite bed used to upgrade the transformer, we considered this
simple idea leading to the development of a saturation sensor filled
with the same zeolite as the desiccator. To avoid interpretation er-
rors of the readout, precautions have been taken in order to avoid
displacement of the zeolite grain in the sensor.
The sensor was immersed in moistened oil having an initial wa-
ter content of 80 ppm, contained in a sealed vessel. The change in
resistance and capacitance related to the moisture reduction of the
zeolite sensor were measured using a RCL impedance-measuring
system. Figures 22 and 23 show the experimental results.

Figure 20. Laboratory simulation for continually upgrading Figure 22. Variation in sensor resistance versus time.
transformer oil—1: transformer model with cellulose papers, 2:
pump, 3: zeolite bed, 4: heating apparatus.

Figure 23. Variation in sensor capacitance versus time.

Figure 21. Water content of the oil measured in the transformer The investigations show a strong correlation between the resis-
model starting from a water content of 22.2 ppm. The velocity of tivity or capacitance (permittivity) of the impregnated zeolite bed
the pump is 10.9 L/h. Note that sample 1 and 2 refer to Figure 20. and its moisture content. The resistivity of the zeolite sensor changed
over the entire humidity range, between roughly 30 MΩ for an ini-
Features of a Zeolite Saturation Sensor tial moisture content in oil at 80 ppm, to 37 MΩ for a final moisture
The adsorption of water molecules by the dehydrated zeolite content in oil at 12 ppm—a variation of 27.6% with respect to the
structure produces a pronounced change in the electrical conduc- dry condition. The zeolite sensor capacitance over the entire hu-
tivity, for example, there is a nonlinear increase in the conductivity midity varied from 64 to 59 pF—a variation of 7.8% from the dry
condition.

28 IEEE Electrical Insulation Magazine

 The experiments confirmed the feasibility of the method, par- [5] Working Group Report, “Background information on high voltage
ticularly for the conductivity measurement. More research is needed temperature insulation for liquid-immersed power transformers,” IEEE
to refine the methods and to collect more complete data. For ex- Trans. Power Delivery, vol. 9, No. 4, pp. 1892-1906, 1994.
ample, a non-uniform distribution of the moisture or other aging [6] I. Fofana, H. Borsi, and E. Gockenbach, “Results on Aging of Cellu-
lose paper under Selective conditions,” 2001 IEEE Conf. on Electri-
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cal Insulation and Dielectric Phenomena, Kitchener, Ontario
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however, with additional experience and knowledge of the service on some Transformers Liquids under various Outdoor Conditions,”
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pp. 1040-1047, 2001.
Conclusions [8] I. Fofana, V. Wasserberg, H. Borsi, and E. Gockenbach, “Retrofilling
Conditions of High Voltage Transformers,” IEEE Electrical Insula-
We have presented here a transformer insulation upgrading pro-
tion Magazine, Vol. 17, No. 2, pp. 17-30, 2001.
cess based on the beneficial effect of a mineral based desiccator [9] A Sierota, and J. Rungis, “Electrical Insulating Oils- Part 1: Charac-
(zeolite). Based on the type of the zeolite and its pore size, water terization and Pre-treatment of New Transformer Oils,” IEEE Electri-
can be preferentially removed from the insulating liquid. Long and cal Insulation Magazine, Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 8-20, 1995.
short term investigations showed that zeolite has no negative influ- [10] Y. Du, M. Zahn, and B.C. Lesieutre, “Dielectrometry measurements
ences on the dielectric properties of the insulating liquid. Different of effects of moisture and anti-static additive on transformerboard,”
amounts of zeolite have been investigated for upgrading transformer IEEE Conference on Electrical Insulation and Dielectric Phenom-
insulating liquids and, by combining the drying efficiency and zeo- ena, Minneapolis, MN, pp. 226-229, 1997.
lite bed size, it has been shown that 1 g/L of zeolite is suitable for [11] G. Csepes, I. Kispal, J. Fekete, Z. Romvari, R. Brooks, M. Szebeni,
A. Bognar, E. Uri, and S. Babos, “Correlation Between Electrical and
this application. A drying process for on-line operation has been
Chemical Testing Techniques for Assessing Degradation of Oil-paper
proposed, consisting of a device for dehumidification and filtering Insulation,” Intern. Conf. Large HV Electric Systems, CIGRE, Paris,
insoluble particles out of the liquid, which the fluid can be upgraded France, Paper No. 15-202, 1998.
and decontaminated in a continuous process. [12] V. Wasserberg, H. Borsi, E. Gockenbach, and I. Fofana, “An Alterna-
The advantages of this procedure are its simplicity, low cost and tive Method for Drying Insulating Liquids using a Synthetic Min-
applicability for on-line operation. No additional storage tank or eral,” 12th International Symposium on High Voltage Engineering,
vacuum chamber is required. The procedure also includes the op- Paper 4-73, Vol. 2, Bangalore (India), pp 497-500, 2001.
tion of using a filter to purify the liquid, thus additionally reducing [13] H. Borsi, E. Gockenbach, I. Fofana, and V. Wasserberg, “Verfahren
a possible source for PD or breakdowns. zur Filterung und Trocknung der Isolierung von flüssigkeitsgefüllten
Hochspannungsgeräten,” Deutsches Patentamt und Markenamt
Contrary to some dehumidifiers like silicagel, zeolites do not
DE10000147 A, July, 2001.
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D: Appl. Phys. Vol. 24, pp. 1060-1064, 1991.
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[17] M.R. Grover, M.O. Hilstad, L. M. Elias, K. G. Carpenter, M. A.
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January/February 2004 — Vol. 20, No. 1 29

[24] IEC 60296, “Specifications for new insulating oils for transformers former factory “Reza Transwerke” in Iran and was from 1982 to
and switchgear,” (similar to VDE 0370 Part 1), 1992. 1985 its technical director. Since 1986, he has been a lecturer for
[25] P.K. Gmeiner, “Transformatorentrocknung vor Ort,” MICAFIL Sym- high voltage measuring techniques and academic director at the
posium, Stuttgart, Germany, 1989. Schering Institute of the University of Hanover. He is a member of
[26] Ch. Krause, H. P. Gasser, J. Huber, and A. Sidler, “Effects of Mois-
VDE, different CIGRE Task Forces, and national Working Groups
ture in Transformerboard insulation and the mechanism of Oil Im-
pregnation of Voids,” Proc. Transform 98, Munich, pp. 1-13, 1998.
for standardization. He is author and co-author of more than 250
scientific publications and more than 20 patents.

Issouf Fofana received his electro-mechanical Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ernst Gockenbach (M’83 -
engineering degree in 1991 from the University SM’88- FM’01) received his Diplom degree in
of Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire), and his Master’s and 1974 and his Ph.D. in 1979 from the Technical
Ph.D. degrees respectively in 1993 and 1996 University of Darmstadt. From 1979 to 1982,
from the École Centrale de Lyon – France, where he worked at the High Voltage Test Laboratory
he was a postdoctoral researcher in 1997. From of the Switchgear Factory Siemens AG, Berlin,
1998 to 2000, he was a researcher (Fellow of and was responsible for the high-voltage outdoor
the Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung from No- test field. From 1982 to 1990, he worked with
vember 97 to August 1999) at the Schering Institute of High Volt- E. Haefely AG in Basel, Switzerland, as chief
age Engineering Techniques (University of Hanover, Germany). engineer for high voltage test equipment. Cur-
Presently, he works as a research professor on grant within the rently he is professor of high voltage engineering and director of
NSERC/Hydro-Quebec/UQAC Industrial Chair on Atmospheric the Schering-Institute of High Voltage Technique and Engineering
Icing of Power Network Equipment (CIGELE) at UQAC, Quebec, at the University of Hanover. He is member of VDE and CIGRE,
Canada. He is appointed to the IASTED Technical Committee on secretary of the CIGRE Study Committee D1 Materials and Emerg-
Energy and Power Systems for the term 2002-2005. His main re- ing Technologies, secretary of the CIGRE Working Group D1-33
search interests include high-voltage phenomena, electromagnetic High Voltage Test and Measuring Technique, and member of na-
compatibility, modeling, and computer simulation, electrical insu- tional and international Working Groups for Standardization of High
lation, and dielectric materials. He has authored/co-authored more Voltage Test and Measuring Procedures.
than fifty technical papers and three patents.
Masoud Farzaneh received his electrical engi-
Volker Wasserberg, born in 1965, studied elec- neering degree from the École Polytechnique of
trical engineering and high voltage technology Iran. He was then chief engineer at the National
at the University of Hanover in Hanover, Ger- Power Transmission & Generation Company
many. After receiving his Master’s Degree (Dipl.- (TAVANIR), Iran. He received successively a
Ing.) he worked as an independent employee for doctoral degree in engineering and a Doctorat
the Schering-Institute of High Voltage Tech- d’État from Université Paul Sabatier, France. In
niques and Engineering, where he was occupied 1980, he spent two years as Associate Professor
with different industrial research subjects in the at Université des Sciences et de la Technologie
fields of transformer diagnosis, PD-monitoring d’Oran, Algeria. He came to Canada in 1982,
and insulating liquids. Since 1998, he has worked on his Ph.D. the- where he joined Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC) as a
sis on transformer insulation monitoring and operation reliability research professor. Following this, he became a full professor, and
enhancement at the Schering-Institute of the University of Hanover. director of the Master’s Degree Program in Engineering. Presently,
The main topics related to this work are insulation diagnosis and he is chairholder of the NSERC/Hydro-Quebec Industrial Chair on
upgrading as well as new systems for condition monitoring. He Atmospheric Icing of Power Network Equipment, as well as Direc-
holds a scholarship of the Minna and James Heinemann founda- tor of the research group on Atmospheric Environment Engineer-
tion which supports his Ph.D. thesis. ing (GRIEA) at UQAC. Dr. Farzaneh is author and co-author of
more than 300 scientific publications. He is a Fellow of the Institu-
Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Hossein Borsi (1946) re- tion of Electrical Engineers (IEE), Senior Member of IEEE, as well
ceived the Dipl.-Ing. degree in electrical engi- as a member of the New York Academy of Sciences, the American
neering in 1972, Dr.-Ing. degree in 1976 and Association for the Advancement of Sciences, the Canadian Insti-
habilitation with “Venia legendi” for tute for Neutron Scattering, the International Association of Sci-
“Hochspannungs-meßtechnik” in 1979 at the ence and Technology for Development (IASTED), the French Ca-
University of Hanover/Germany. From 1979 to nadian Association for the Advancement of Sciences (ACFAS) and
1985, he was Professor for Power Engineering a charter member of ISOPE, the International Society of Offshore
at the University of Mashad/Iran, from 1980 to and Polar Engineering. He is also the Chairman and member of
1982, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, and several working groups and task forces of IEEE and CIGRÉ deal-
from 1981 to 1985, scientific adviser at the Ministry of Energy in ing with atmospheric icing of HV equipment.
Iran. He is one of the four founding members of the current trans-

30 IEEE Electrical Insulation Magazine