Determinación de la tasa de reacción y de la energía de activación en los procesos de envejecimiento de papeles aislantes impregnados en aceites minerales

The purpose of this Paper is the implementation of a program to enable gathering parameters for the aging model proposed by Emsley based on an adjustment of the various values obtained from aging trials carried out at University Carlos III of Madrid. In order to tackle this work properly while gaining a better insight on transformers, a brief explanation has been given about the operation of a transformer and the elements comprising it. In view of the fact that continuous operation of a transformer depends on the condition of the insulation paper, an explanation has been provided on the composition of such paper, drivers for decay (moisture, temperature, oxygen) that gives rise to three chemical reactions (hydrolysis, oxidation and pyrolysis, and the related impact. These effects result a decreased polymerization level of the insulating paper, which in turn leads to a decreased mechanical resistance of the same. Throughout time, the industry has endeavoured to find an approximate numerical value for a transformer's life cycle in which solid insulation is an element determining the life of transformers by means of the implementation of various methods. A review of literature on such methods was made, which focused on the work carried out around the model published by Emsley as one widely accepted by the international scientific community to describe aging of cellulose insulation. Emsley published an aging model that provides a degree of polymerization of paper based on temperature. In order to be able to apply this model, a series of parameters must be obtained on an empirical manner; therefore, a review of literature on the various research made after publication of the Emsley’s model describing and the values of such parameters was undertook. Once the review of literature was completed, a program was developed consisting in a software application that includes a Matlab executable file and an Excel spreadsheet containing the data obtained from the aging trials performed. This application allows obtaining the values for the parameters of Emsley's models based on an adjustment of the various values obtained in the experimentation undertaken at University Carlos III. This way, we will be able to establish a model for calculation of the lifespan of cellulose insulation. Once the relevant adjustments have been made and results obtained accordingly, such results have been compared with results obtained by other authors (Lelekakis, Emsley y Lundgaard).Ingeniería Eléctric