Static electrification of pressboard/oil interface and transient phenomena

The static electrification phenomenon of insulating materials used in power transformers is investigated through two devices. The first is a cell with a rotating disk covered on both sides with a given pressboard and immersed in a metallic tank containing /spl sim/41 of oil; and second device enables us to measure the electrostatic charge tendency of oils. The electrostatic charge tendency (ECT) of insulating oils and the leakage current generated by the charge concentration gradient at the oil/pressboard interface are analyzed as function of temperature, water content and aging of oils, the nature of the pressboard, and the rotating speed of the disk. The influence of the surface roughness of the pressboard and antistatic additives on the aging and ECT also are considered. A correlation between ECT and the physico-chemical and electrical characteristics of the oil is established. It is shown that the temperature gradients and the water migration phenomena at the oil/pressboard interface play an important role in the charge separation. Transient currents are strongly affected by the presence of air in the pressboard and the aging of the oil.