Tag Archives: trailer mounted oil purifier

Buying and Storing Transformer Oil

Purchasing transformer oil is an important financial decision for your company.  It should be done very responsibly.

First, the buyer must a choose a brand of oil.  This requires careful consideration based on the type of equipment being used and the operating conditions the oil and the oil’s abilty to meet those conditions.

Second, the cost of the oil must be considered.  A small price difference in the cost of just one liter small can turn into a significant amount of money when purchasing a large volume of oil.

There are no universal recommendations for buying transformer oil. There are however, online services allowing buyers to compare transformer oil prices from various suppliers.  It is up to the buyer to research and choose a reliable wholesale distributor or retailer.

If you have already purchased transformer oil that meets the correct specifications and quality standards, then it is time to think about oil storage.

The practical way to store the oil is to use clean and dry, steel air tight vessels.  The tanks are usually coated with an oil resistant material inside.  The outside of the tanks should have anticorrosion and light reflecting coating.  The acceptable range of temperatures for storage of transformer oil is -40ºС to +60ºС/-40ºF to +140ºF.

The vessels should be equipped with valves for filling and draining as well as a manhole for cleaning, inspection and repairs.  Breathing systems must be equipped with silica gel or zeolite cartridges that can be monitored by special monitoring devices.

Three days after putting the oil into a storage tank, samples are normally taken for laboratory analysis.  Transformer oil in storage should be tested at least once a year for the following parameters:

  •  flashpoint;
  • dielectric strength at 90ºC/194ºF;
  • water extract reaction;
  • acid neutralization number;
  • particulate matter content in mircons; and
  • free water and moisture content.

It is also recommended to test the dissipation factor at 90ºС/194ºF at least once a year.

Each time the oil is tested for quality and purity, the results must comply with the parameters of fresh transformer oil regardless of the length of storage. Otherwise, the oil must be purified and regenerated to restore the oil to its new and clean condition.

GlobeCore offers a line of oil purification units under the CMM classification. These units improve color, remove acids, bases, and other aging products from any turbine, dielectric insulating oil, and industrial oils.

One of the advantages of the GlobeCore CMM line of units is their ability to regenerate oil on an energized transformer.  Another important advantage is the ability to reactive the fuller’s earth sorbent inside the unit many times over, reducing downtime for sorbent replacement and replenishment.

After the processing of transformer oil with GlobeCore equipment, transformer insulating oil is restored to an as good as new condition.

Purchasing a GlobeCore CMM unit gives you a modern efficient machine that is easy to operate and service.  The use of GlobeCore equipment and GlobeCore Process will extend the service life of the oil and the transformer significantly.

Selling Transformer Oil: The Right Way to Supply, Receive and Accept the Product

In any business, be it a toy store or transformer oil sales, there are many fine points to consider.  Knowing them will save you time and money.  In this article, we will look into the process of supply and receipt of transformer dielectric insulating oil.

Every sale of transformer insulating oil must be accompanied by the correct technical documentation.  The information required on the batch can be given in original certificates or in official extracts from the original documents.

Receipt and acceptance occurs before removing the oil for use from the shipping container or tank. Ooil samples must be taken and analyzed for compliance with  the product’s claimed and documented performance specifications.  Among the parameters that must be varified are:

  • dielectric strength;
  • flashpoint;
  • acidity;
  • water soluble acid and base content;
  • particulate matter; and
  • water.

An analysis of the oil’s oxidation stability and dissipation factor at 90ºС/194ºF should be performed for electric power transformers of 110kV and above.  This analysis should also include transformers of especially important facilities regardless of the voltage class or level.  If the oxidation stability analysis is to be performed after the oil leaves the shipping container, it is recommended to take samples in the presence of the oil supplier.

For the protection of your company whether buying or selling, and to facilitate arbitration in the matter, should the need arise, one of the samples should be sealed and stored.  This will provide all the parties with an used sample of the oil so that the initial oil quality may be detemined even after the oil has been used.

Samples are taken in the following cases:

  •  If supplied in rail road or truck tanks, samples are taken before draining from each tank
  •  If supplied in barrels, the number of samples is determined by the terms of supply, however, there should be at least 1 sample per 10 tons of supplied oil.

If the results of the laboratory analysis are favorable, the transformer oil is taken to the client and pumped into the buyer’s tanks.  The oil is then either stored or treated before being used in oil filled equipment like transformers and oil filled switches.  Transformer insulating oil is transferred from tanks through hoses using additional special equipment at the storage facility.

If the lab results show that the purity of the oil is not in compliance with the established standard(s), the product must be purified immediately or prior to placement in the oil filled equipment.  Failure to do so will most likely result in preamture equipment failure and unscheduled equipment down time.

GlobeCore manufactures and supplies mobile oil treatment units such as the Mobile Oil Station type CMM-M.  The GlobeCore CMM-M units are designed for degassing, removal of particulate matter and heating of dielectric insulating oils used in electric power transformers of up to 1150 kV.  The CMM-M units can be used to heat oil filled electrical systems with hot oil as well as for vacuum drying and vacuumizing of oil filled equipment.

The following advantages of the GlobeCore CMM-M units should be noted:

  • Purification of dielectric insulating oil in one cycle;
  • Significant service life extension of insultaing oil and equipment;
  • Wide range of equipment options; and
  • Simple operation and servicing.

The CMM-M units can operate in one of three modes:

  • filtration;
  • filtration with heating; and
  • thermovacuum purification and oil degassing.