A vacuum transformer oil purifier maintains the insulating properties of transformer oil, preventing the alarm conditions and short circuits caused by poor insulation. Transformer oil serves as a dielectric and a thermal regulator, protecting the transformer from overheating by absorbing the heat of the windings and the core.
Transformer oil is essential for maintaining the safe and stable operation of transformers, that’s why it is so important to keep it pure.
Causes of transformer oil contamination
Transformer oil is exposed to electrical, thermal, and mechanical stresses. Thermal stress is a significant stress factor, because the typical operating temperatures for power transformers range from 60 to 100°C. Under such conditions, both liquid and solid insulations of the windings experience gradual degradation, releasing gases, impurities, and other aging products.
Gases have a major effect on oil quality and transformer performance. They result from thermal decomposition of insulating materials and chemical reactions under high temperatures and electrical stresses. Gas bubbles may also develop due to ingress of air into the system during maintenance or due to faulty sealing of a transformer. The presence of bubbles in transformer oil is hazardous, because they reduce its insulating properties and may lead to development of corona or arc discharges, which increases the risk of short circuits and damage to the transformer.
However, moisture has the greatest adverse effect on transformers. It enters the system due to irregularities in production, transportation, installation, or results from oxidation of transformer oil during operation. Moisture induces transformer oil to conduct electricity, which leads to transformer leakage and shortens the service life of other insulating fibers. At the same time, moisture causes rust and oxidation products to develop, which leads to formation of particulate matter.
Metal impurities and paper insulation fibers result from wear of parts. They not only affect the service life of transformer oil, but also deteriorate the insulating properties of a transformer, reducing its heat dissipation, which leads to overheating and a number of alarm conditions.
Use of vacuum in transformer oil purification
While the transformer is in operation, a number of reactions occur in transformer oil, during which there develop impurities or gases not conducive to transformer performance. A vacuum transformer oil purifier can help in filtering out these gases and impurities.
In transformer oil purification, vacuum oil filtration technology is a fairly popular process now. The purpose of vacuum oil filtration is to remove impurities and moisture that develop while transformer oil is in service to ensure normal and safe transformer operation.
The main process of vacuum oil filtration involves heating of transformer oil, which must be treated under vacuum to evaporate the water, so as to achieve oil and gas separation.
The operation principle of a vacuum oil purifier is to heat the oil under a high vacuum, so as the internal water can be evaporated and separated.
CMM-4/7 vacuum transformer oil purifier
The GlobeCore CMM-4/7 vacuum transformer oil purifier is designed to purify transformer oils by removing impurities, moisture, and gases. The purification process consists of several stages:
- Oil feed pump — feeds oil into the belt heater where it is heated to 50–55°C.
- First fine filter — having the filtration fineness of 5 microns, it removes coarse impurities. 3. Vacuum chamber maintains a medium with a pressure of about 2.5 mbar, where the oil is heated and sprayed into a thin film with water and gases released therefrom when exposed to activator filters.
- Second fine filter — having the filtration fineness of 1 micron, it removes residual impurities.
Thus, vacuum filtration of transformer oil results in production of pure oil ready for use in a transformer. The CMM-4/7 vacuum transformer oil purifier ensures a high-quality oil purification, which is an important condition for safe and efficient transformer operation.
Advantages of CMM-4/7 vacuum transformer oil purifier
The GlobeCore CMM-4/7 vacuum transformer oil purifier is one of the most efficient systems for ensuring a high quality of transformer oil. Its advantages include the following:
High purification efficiency — the CMM-4/7 vacuum transformer oil purifier ensures deep purification of transformer oil, removing both coarse and fine impurities through the use of filters with different fine purification rates.
Process automation — the CMM-4/7 plant is equipped with modern automated systems that ensure easy operation and control of the purification process. This reduces the need for manual intervention and improves the efficiency of transformer maintenance.
Reduced maintenance costs — the regular use of CMM-4/7 transformer oil purifier helps in narrowing down a transformer repair and replacement schedule, which in turn reduces the equipment maintenance and operation costs.
The GlobeCore CMM-4/7 vacuum transformer oil purifier is an important tool for ensuring the durability and reliability of transformers.