Assessment of Insulation System State for Oil-Filled High-Voltage Transformers

Abstract

Assessing the state of insulating gaps in the form of particular numerical values may improve the maintenance efficiency of power equipment. This state is considered as a certain energy parameter that represents the amount of energy required to switch the gap into a state of complete failure or into a state wherein its further operation becomes impossible. The sets of electrophysical parameters of the insulating gap, the values of which correspond to its state, are considered as particular functions that underlie the formation of a complex parameter, the value of which is a quantitative characteristic of the state of a controlled insulating gap. The factors that have determined the main issue in assessing the gap state in the form of a structural and logical scheme are the set of possible aging mechanisms and the manifold significance of influencing factors, as well as the representation of the transformer life cycle in the form of a sequence of stages, each of which is characterized by its own aging mechanism and its own type of defect that develops within the insulating gap.