Low-temperature behavior of synthetic oils

Synthetic oils are increasingly used in the insulation of power equipment, particularly in power capacitors where the use of polymer films has practically excluded mineral oils for compatibility reasons. However, little data are available on their behavior at low temperatures, -10 to -50/spl deg/C, representative of the climate in northern Quebec, Canada. This paper presents the results of a study comparing the behavior of typical synthetic oils with Volt-Esso 35 mineral oil over this range of temperatures.