Republic of the Philippines

Mountain Province State Polytechnic College

Tadian Campus
Tadian, Mountain Province

Department of Engineering

Power Transformer Field Test

Gremble Degay
BSEE V

Agosto M. Cuadla
Instructor

Febuary 11, 2019

 1. Analysis of oil dissolved gas
Dissolved gas analysis (DGA) is the study of dissolved gases in transformer oil.
Insulating materials within transformers and electrical equipment break down to liberate gases within the
unit. The distribution of these gases can be related to the type of electrical fault, and the rate of gas
generation can indicate the severity of the fault. The identity of the gases being generated by a particular
unit can be very useful information in any preventative maintenance program.
The collection and analysis of gases in an oil-insulated transformer was discussed as early as 1928As of
2018, many years of empirical and theoretical study have gone into the analysis of transformer fault
gases.
DGA usually consists of sampling the oil and sending the sample to a laboratory for analysis. Mobile DGA
units can be transported and used on site as well; some units can be directly connected to a transformer.
Online monitoring of electrical equipment is an integral part of the smart grid.
Large power transformers are filled with oil that cools and insulates the transformer windings. Mineral oil
is the most common type in outdoor transformers; fire-resistant fluids also used include polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCB)s and silicone.
The insulating liquid is in contact with the internal components. Gases, formed by normal and abnormal
events within the transformer, are dissolved in the oil. By analyzing the volume, types, proportions, and
rate of production of dissolved gases, much diagnostic information can be gathered. Since these gases
can reveal the faults of a transformer, they are known as "fault gases". Gases are produced
by oxidation, vaporization, insulation decomposition, oil breakdown and electrolytic action.
2. Winding Resistance Test
Winding resistance measurements are an important diagnostic tool for assessing possible damage to
transformers resulting from poor design, assembly, handling, unfavorable environments, overloading or
poor maintenance.
The main purpose of this test is to check for gross differences between windings and for opens in the
connections. Measuring the resistance of transformer windings assures that each circuit is wired properly
and that all connections are tight.
Winding resistance in transformers will change due to shorted turns, loose connections, or deteriorating
contacts in tap changers. Regardless of the configuration, the resistance measurements are normally
made phase-to-phase and the readings are compared with each other to determine if they are
acceptable.
Transformer winding resistance measurements are obtained by passing a known DC current through the
winding under test and measuring the voltage drop across each terminal (Ohm's Law). Modern test
equipment for this purposes utilizes a Kelvin bridge to achieve results; you might think of a winding
resistance test set as a very large low-resistance ohmmeter (DLRO).
3. Transformer Turns Ratio(TTR) Test
Power transformer turns ratio test is an AC low voltage test which determines the ratio of the high
voltage winding to all other windings at no-load. The turns ratio test is performed on all taps of every
winding.
The Transformer Turns Ratio tester (TTR) is device used to measure the turns ratio between the
windings (example shown below).
Voltage is applied on the H marked leads and measured of the X marked lead by the test set.
Ratio measurements are conducted on all tap positions and calculated by dividing the induced voltage
reading into the applied voltage value. When ratio tests are being made on three-phase transformers,
the ratio is taken on one phase at a time with a three-phase TTR until the ratio measurements of all
three phases are completed.
Measured ratio variations should be within 0.5% of the nameplate markings.
Some TTR can perform transformer ratio measurement and also assess if on-load tap
changer contacts are making satisfactorily during its transition from one tap position to the next
position.
4. Polarization(PI) Insulation Resistance Test
Megger is an electrical device which is used to measure the Insulation Resistance by performing
Insulation Resistance Test (IR Test). Basically Megger injects High DC Voltage across the Insulator and
ground due to which leakage current flows through the Insulator to the ground. By measuring this
Leakage Current, Megger calculates the Insulation Resistance. For High Voltage Transformer / High
Voltage Machine or Equipment, 5 kV range is selected to perform Insulation Resistance Test. Megger has
the provision to directly read the Insulation Resistance during Insulation Resistance Test.

Polarization Index (PI):

Polarization index is the ratio of Megger value taken for 10 minutes to the Megger value taken for 1
minute.
Therefore, PI = Megger value after 10 minutes / Megger value after 1 minute
Significance of PI Test:
Let I = Total initial current during Polarization Index Test or PI test.
IC = Charging current due to Capacitance of Insulator.
IR = Resistive or Conductive Current.
IS = Surface leakage current.
IP = Polarization Current of the Insulator.
Therefore,
I = IC + IR + IS + IP
The value of Megger or Insulation resistance Test / IR Test after 1 minute,
R1minute = V/( IR+ IS + IP) …….IC= 0 after 1 minute
Similarly, Megger Value after 10 minutes,
R10minute = V/( IR+ IS) ………….IP = 0 after 10 minutes
So, from Polarization Index Test or PI Test,
PI Value = R10minute / R1minute
= (IR+ IS + IP)/( IR+ IS)
= [1+ IP/( IR+ IS)]
So,
PI Value = [1+ IP/( IR+ IS)]
From the above it is clear that, if the value of (IR + IS) >> IP, the PI of insulator approaches to 1. Large
value of IR or IS or both indicate unhealthiness of the insulation.
The value of PI becomes high if (IR + IS) is very small compared to IP. This equation indicates that high
Polarization Index of an insulator implies healthiness of insulator. For good insulator resistive leakage
current is very very small.
The value of Polarization Index of an insulator should be more than 2. If the value of Polarization Index is
less than1.5 then it means Insulator is unhealthy and shall not be used.
5. Megger Test
The Megger test is a method of testing making use of an insulation

Insulation Tester
resistance meter that will help to verify the condition of electrical insulation. This is certainly not a new
test, and has been in use for a number of years. One of the reasons that it is still such a popular option is
because it is nondestructive. The test does have a limit of between 500 and 1000 volts, so it may not
always be able to detect some insulation punctures. It will usually show the amount of moisture, the
leakage current no the moist or dirty areas of the insulation, and winding faults and deterioration.
The best way to make sure that you have the right information and readings is to make sure that you are
using the right test equipment. Fortunately, quite a bit of high quality equipment is on the market today.
 6. High Potential (HIPOT) Test

Hi-Pot test is a contraction for high potential HV testing.

Hipot Test is short name of high potential (high voltage) Test and it is also known as Dielectric
Withstand Test. A hipot test checks for “good isolation.”
Hipot test makes surety of no current will flow from one point to another point.
Hipot test is the opposite of a continuity test.
Continuity Test checks surety of current flows easily from one point to another point while Hipot Test
checks surety of current would not flow from one point to another point (and turn up the voltage really
high just to make sure no current will flow).
Importance of HIPOT Testing
The hipot test is a nondestructive test that determines the adequacy of electrical insulationfor the
normally occurring over voltage transient. This is a high-voltage test that is applied to all devices for a
specific time in order to ensure that the insulation is not marginal.
Hipot tests are helpful in finding nicked or crushed insulation, stray wire strands or braided shielding,
conductive or corrosive contaminants around the conductors, terminal spacing problems, and tolerance
errors in cables. Inadequate creep age and clearance distances introduced during the manufacturing
process.
7. Chromatography Test
Chromatography is a laboratory technique for the separation of a mixture. The mixture is dissolved in a
fluid called the mobile phase, which carries it through a structure holding another material called
the stationary phase. The various constituents of the mixture travel at different speeds, causing them to
separate. The separation is based on differential partitioning between the mobile and stationary phases.
Subtle differences in a compound's partition coefficient result in differential retention on the stationary
phase and thus affect the separation.
Chromatography may be preparative or analytical. The purpose of preparative chromatography is to
separate the components of a mixture for later use, and is thus a form of purification. Analytical
chromatography is done normally with smaller amounts of material and is for establishing the presence or
measuring the relative proportions of analytes in a mixture. The two are not mutually exclusive.