Transformer Oil Treatment and Regeneration Methods

The article presents current transformer oil treatment and regeneration methods.  It determines the optimal sequence of methods to obtain the best treatment results.

GlobeCore technology restores and allows to reuse the product of regeneration for its intended purpose – as heat removing medium for transformers.

In 2013  global demand for base oil amounted to 36.3 million tons.   Where insulating oil played an important part, in providing reliable operation of  equipment, especially high voltage equipment.  A number of negative factors affect it during operation, which significantly reduce its service life.

Waste products are not only hazardous waste, but also a promising raw material for further processing.

To date, the most appropriate way of waste oil management – is its treatment and regeneration –  restoring oil to the quality level, allowing it to be reused for its intended purpose.  This approach provides benefits: in reducing expenses, saving fuel and energy resources, because obtaining the same amount of base oil requires processing more crude oil than waste oil.

Transformer oil treatment and regeneration are based on physical, chemical and physical-chemical processes. A specific sequence of these methods is used in practice to obtain good results: mechanical (removal of free water and solid contaminants) – thermophysical – physical -chemical.  If the quality of processed oil does not meet the requirements, then chemical methods are used.  Their implementation requires more sophisticated equipment and, therefore, high costs.

  1. Physical methods are used to remove particles, water microdroplets and a certain amount of tarry and coke-like substances from transformer oil. Evaporation allows removing low-boiling impurities.
  2. Settling is the simplest method based on natural precipitation of particles and water under  gravitational forces.
  3. Filtration is used to remove mechanical impurities and resinous compounds by forcing transformer oil through reticulated foams, microporous filters and  membranes.
  4. Centrifugal cleaning is realized using centrifuges and is considered one of the most effective and high-performance methods used to remove mechanical impurities and water.
  5. Coagulation, adsorption and selective treatment of  transformer oil  are the varieties of physical-chemical methods.

Coagulation – is coarsening of contaminants by special substances (coagulators).  Large size impurities are much easier to be filtered by forcing the oil through filter membranes.

Adsorption treatment is oil processing using special adsorbents, capable of trapping contaminants (bleaching clays, silica gel, aluminum oxide, bauxite, natural zeolites).

Selective treatment means selective influence on individual substances contained in waste oil: oxygen, sulfur and nitrogen compounds, as well as polycyclic hydrocarbons with short side chains.

  1. Chemical methods are based on the interaction between contaminants and reagents introduced into the oil.

Sulfuric acid refining is a leader in operation and  in volume of processed material, although it does have disadvantages.  The major disadvantage is that sulfuric acid is a hazardous substance.

Hydrotreatment – is oil treatment using hydrogenation processes.

The use of sodium and its compounds allows to purify waste oil from polycyclic compounds (resins), highly toxic chlorine compounds and oxidation products.

GlobeCore offers a full range of equipment for treatment and regeneration of used transformer oil. GlobeCore technology restores oil to the level of fresh oil.  This makes it possible to reuse the product of regeneration for its intended purpose – as an insulating and heat removing medium for transformers.

GlobeCore helps to make profit on the processes of waste oil treatment, ensures environmental safety and economise on fuel and energy resources!

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