Investigation of the effects of fast transients on a transformer's paper insulation

Identifying future trends in the power grid is vital in the extension of the life of its already aging components. Fast transients are the new factors that need to be taken into consideration as their high repetitive frequencies and fast rise times accelerate the aging of the paper insulation in devices such as transformers. As will be outlined below, an aging set-up has been proposed to study these effects on paper insulation in relation to the time to failure. The aging waveform generation is discussed together with the steps taken to assess the influence of the fast transients. Initial test results will be presented on paper samples used in a transmission transformer showing that the transient waveform has a factor of 2 in shortening the life time of the cellulose.