Reclamation is deep restoration of used oil using adsorbents and vacuum regeneration. GlobeCore’s oil reclamation systems remove acids, sludge, and oxidation products – restoring oil to “as new” condition without disposal.

It’s also useful to distinguish between oil reclamation and simpler purification or filtration processes in terms of both purpose and long-term impact. While filtration and dehydration focus mainly on removing water and particulate matter to maintain acceptable operating conditions, reclamation goes a step further by removing oxidation products, sludge, and other deep-seated contaminants that have already altered the chemical structure of oil. This deeper treatment can significantly extend the service life of the fluid and reduce the frequency of complete oil changes, which offers clear economic and environmental benefits for utilities that manage large transformer fleets.
Another aspect worth keeping in mind is that reclamation is often most effective when paired with a robust condition monitoring program. Performing oil reclamation as part of a proactive maintenance strategy — rather than waiting until the oil fails the key diagnostic tests — can help you avoid costly failures and maximize the value of both the oil and the transformer.
For further insight into how oil reclamation equipment is designed and how it compares to other oil processing methods, you may use this article as a helpful source: https://globecore.com/oil-processing/oil-reclaiming/.

Transformer oil reclamation (regeneration) is a deep-cleaning process that goes well beyond simple filtration or dehydration: in addition to removing water and particulates it targets oxidation products, acids, sludge and other chemically altered breakdown products using adsorbents (e.g., Fuller’s earth or microporous sorbents), thermal treatment and vacuum degassing. The goal is to restore dielectric strength and other key electrical properties so the oil can be reused nearly to “as‑new” condition; some systems even allow in‑service treatment of transformer oil.

Filtration and dehydration primarily keep oil within acceptable operating limits by removing free water and solids, but they do not reverse chemical ageing. Reclamation chemically restores oil and therefore significantly extends fluid life, reduces frequency of full oil changes, and lowers disposal costs and environmental impact. For best long‑term results, reclamation should be part of a proactive condition‑monitoring program (DGA, BDV/TAN, interfacial tension, moisture) so treatment is scheduled before irreversible degradation occurs; reclamation equipment ranges from portable units for spot work to high‑throughput in‑plant systems with reactivatable sorbents for fleet maintenance.