Acids generated and influence on electrical lifetime of natural ester impregnated paper insulation

Acids have attracted an increasing interest from researchers for the standard evaluation of transformer oil, especially in natural ester. This study aims to investigate the types of generated acids in natural ester under hydrolysis, oxidation, and accelerated thermal aging tests with varying paper moistures. The oxidation and hydrolysis degrees were evaluated by acid number and kinematic viscosity, and acids were distinguished from aging condition hydrolysis of oil paper insulation by combining pH values. Meanwhile, the electrical lifetime of oil-paper insulation with seven types of acid were analyzed by step-stress test. The two-parameter Weibull distribution was used to analyze the mean lifetime of specimens statistically. Experimental results reveal that the majority of acids generated from hydrolysis and the main acids are long-chain fatty acids of natural ester impregnated paper insulation. Furthermore, the electrical lifetime models of oil-paper insulation with different types acid were established, and the voltage endurance coefficient with seven types of acids were also obtained. The electrical lifetime test indicated that acids can reduce the electrical lifetime of natural ester impregnated paper insulation and that the effect of low-molecular-weight acids on insulation lifetime is approximately 2–3 times higher than high-molecular-weight acids.