The effects of drying time during manufacturing process on partial discharge of 83.3 mva 275/160 kv power transformer

Power transformer (PT), essential equipment in electrical power system proceeds complicated manufacturing process to meet high standard design. During manufacturing process of PT, the drying stage is of importance to remove excessive moisture contaminant on the solid insulation. This study investigated the effects of drying duration on partial discharge test of 83.3 MVA 275/160 kV PT. The partial discharge test measurements were carried out using IEC 60270 standards comprising of the capacitive network model based on the main quantity apparent charge concept. We found that the lowest partial discharge of 21 pC was achieved at 68 hours drying duration, while the highest value of 60 pC was reached at 81 hours drying time. The longer drying time may lead to initial degradation of cellulose insulation due to excessive heating. The amount of water extracted during drying effect to partial discharge also investigated. We conclude that the drying time at a higher and lower than 68 hours significantly contributes to the increased partial discharge values of PT