AS 1883—1992

IEC 422:1989

Australian Standard
This is a free 7 page sample. Access the full version at http://infostore.saiglobal.com.

Guide to maintenance and

supervision of insulating
oils in service

[IEC title: Supervision and maintenance guide for mineral insulating

oils in electrical equipment]
 This Australian Standard was prepared by Committee EL/8, Power Transformers. It was
approved on behalf of the Council of Standards Australia on 25 February 1992 and
published on 22 June 1992.

The following interests are represented on Committee EL/8:

Australian Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers Association

Confederation of Australian Industry

This is a free 7 page sample. Access the full version at http://infostore.saiglobal.com.

Electrical Testing Laboratories

Electricity Supply Association of Australia

Electricity Supply Engineers Association of New South Wales

Institute of Technology, S.A.

Institution of Engineers, Australia

Railways of Australia Committee

Review of Australian Standards. To keep abreast of progress in industry, Australian Standards are subject to
periodic review and are kept up to date by the issue of amendments or new editions as necessary. It is important
therefore that Standards users ensure that they are in possession of the latest edition, and any amendments thereto.
Full details of all Australian Standards and related publications will be found in the Standards Australia Catalogue
of Publications; this information is supplemented each month by the magazine ‘The Australian Standard’, which
subscribing members receive, and which gives details of new publications, new editions and amendments, and of
withdrawn Standards.
Suggestions for improvements to Australian Standards, addressed to the head office of Standards Australia, are
welcomed. Notification of any inaccuracy or ambiguity found in an Australian Standard should be made without
delay in order that the matter may be investigated and appropriate action taken.

This Standard was issued in draft form for comment as DR 90165.

 AS 1883—1992

Australian Standard
This is a free 7 page sample. Access the full version at http://infostore.saiglobal.com.

Guide to maintenance and

supervision of insulating
oils in service

First published as AS CC11-1965 (being endorsement

of BS CP 1009-1959 without amendment)
Revised and redesignated AS 1883-1976.
Second edition 1992.

PUBLISHED BY STANDARDS AUSTRALIA

(STANDARDS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA)
1 THE CRESCENT, HOMEBUSH, NSW 2140
ISBN 0 7262 7403 8
 2

PREFACE

This Standard was prepared by the Standards Australia Committee on Power Transformers, to
supersede the 1976 edition. It is identical with and has been reproduced from IEC 422:1989,
Supervision and maintenance guide for mineral insulating oils in electrical equipment.

The purpose of this Standard is to give guidance to assist users of electrical power equipment filled with
or immersed in mineral insulating oils supplied in accordance with AS 1767, Insulating oil for
transformers and switchgear, in monitoring and evaluating the condition of oil by recommended
standardized tests and procedures and maintaining the oil in serviceable conditions by reconditioning
and reclaiming.

It is recognized that oils in service may become contaminated with PCBs. It is not the intention of this
Standard to specify the degree of contamination which may be permitted. Reference should be made
to the appropriate legislation.
This is a free 7 page sample. Access the full version at http://infostore.saiglobal.com.

Under arrangements made between Standards Australia and the International Standards Bodies, ISO
and IEC, as well as certain other Standards organizations, users of this Australian Standard are advised
of the following:

(a) Copyright is vested in Standards Australia.

(b) The number of this Standard is not reproduced on each page; its identity is shown only on the
cover and title pages.

(c) There may be occasional dual language sections, but English is always one of the languages
reproduced.

(d) Where any cross-references to page numbers appear within the text, these relate to page
numbering in the International Standard and are to be disregarded.

Statements expressed in mandatory terms in notes to tables and figures are deemed to be requirements
of this Standard.

For the purposes of this Australian Standard, the IEC text should be modified as follows:

(i) Decimal markers Substitute a full point for a comma as a decimal marker.

(ii) References Replace reference to IEC publication 296, Specification for unused mineral
insulating oils for transformers and switchgear by reference to Australian Standard AS 1767,
Insulating oil for transformers and switchgear.

 Copyright STANDARDS AUSTRALIA

Users of Standards are reminded that copyright subsists in all Standards Australia publications and software. Except where the Copyright Act
allows and except where provided for below no publications or software produced by Standards Australia may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system in any form or transmitted by any means without prior permission in writing from Standards Australia. Permission may be
conditional on an appropriate royalty payment. Requests for permission and information on commercial software royalties should be directed
to the head office of Standards Australia.
Standards Australia will permit up to 10 percent of the technical content pages of a Standard to be copied for use exclusively in-
house by purchasers of the Standard without payment of a royalty or advice to Standards Australia.
Standards Australia will also permit the inclusion of its copyright material in computer software programs for no royalty payment
provided such programs are used exclusively in-house by the creators of the programs.
Care should be taken to ensure that material used is from the current edition of the Standard and that it is updated whenever the Standard is
amended or revised. The number and date of the Standard should therefore be clearly identified.
The use of material in print form or in computer software programs to be used commercially, with or without payment, or in commercial
contracts is subject to the payment of a royalty. This policy may be varied by Standards Australia at any time.
 3

CONTENTS

Page

1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

2. Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

3. Properties and deterioration of oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

4. Oil tests and their significance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

5. Sampling of oil from equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

6. Categories of equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

7. Evaluation of mineral insulating oil in new equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

This is a free 7 page sample. Access the full version at http://infostore.saiglobal.com.

8. Evaluation of used oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

8.1 Frequency of examination of oils in service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

8.2 Testing procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

8.3 Classification of oils in service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

8.4 Corrective action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

9. Mutual compatibility of mineral insulating oils . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

10. Handling and storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

11. Treatment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

11.1 Reconditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

11.2 Reclaiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

11.3 Re-refining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

12. Replacement of oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

13. Hygiene and environmental precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

TABLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

APPENDIX A - Determination of sediment and sludge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

APPENDIX B - General guidance for oil reclaiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

 AUSTRALIAN STANDARD 4

STANDARDS AUSTRALIA

Australian Standard
Guide to maintenance and supervision of insulating oils in service
[IEC title: Supervision and maintenance guide for
mineral insulating oils in electrical equipment]

1. Introduction

Monitoring and maintaining oil quality are essential in ensuring the reliable operation of
oil-filled electrical equipment. Codes of practice for this purpose have been established by
electrical power authorities and power companies in many countries.

A review of current experience reveals a wide variation of procedures and criteria. It is

This is a free 7 page sample. Access the full version at http://infostore.saiglobal.com.

possible, however, to compare the value and significance of standardized oil tests and to
recommend uniform criteria for the evaluation of test data.

Much greater difficulties exist in deciding frequency of testing and permissible oil degradation
levels which are acceptable for all applications of insulating oil in relation to differences in
operating policies, reliability requirements and type of electrical system. For example, large
power companies will normally find uneconomical the full application of these recommendations
to distribution transformers and tend to accept a higher failure risk. Conversely, the industrial
user whose activities,depend on the reliability of his power supply, may wish to institute more
frequent and stricter controls of oil quality as a means of guarding against power failures.

If a certain amount of oil deterioration is exceeded, there is some erosion on safety margins
and the question of the risk of premature failure must be considered. While the quantification of
the risk may be very difficult, a first step involves the identification of potential effects of increased
deterioration. The philosophy underlying this guide is to furnish users with as broad a base of
understanding of oil quality deterioration as is available, so that they can make informed decisions
on maintenance practices.

The guidelinesgiven in the following clauses, while technically sound, are mainly intended to
serve as a common basis for the preparation of more specific and complete codes in the light of
local circumstances. Sound engineering judgement will have to be exerted in seeking the best
compromise between technical requirements and economic factors.

Reference should also be made to instructions from the equipment manufacturer.

COPYRIGHT
 5

2. Scope

This guide applies to mineral insulating oils, originally complying with the requirements of
IEC 296, in transformers, switchgear and similar electrical apparatus where oil sampling is
practicable and where the normal operating conditions specified in the equipment specifications
apply.

The purpose of this guide is to assist the power equipment operator in evaluatingthe condition
of oil in equipment and in his efforts to maintain oil in serviceable condition. To this end, the guide
recommends standardized tests and evaluation procedures and outlines methods for
reconditioning and reclaiming oil whenever necessary.

Note - It is recognized that the oil in cert ain types of equipment may contain dissolved gases, the analysis of which
may be useful in assessing the conditi on of the insulati on system. It is not the intent of this guide to cover this
subject. The interested reader is referr ed to IEC 567 and 599.

3. Properties and deterioration of oil

This is a free 7 page sample. Access the full version at http://infostore.saiglobal.com.

The reliableperformance of mineral insulatingoil in an insulation system depends upon certain

basic oil characteristics which can affect the overall performance of the electrical equipment.

In order to accomplish its multiple role of dielectric, heat-transferagent and arc-quencher, the
oil must possess certain basic properties, in particular:

- high electric strength to withstand the electric stresses imposed in service;

- sufficiently low viscosity so that its ability to circulate and transfer heat is not impaired;

- adequate low-temperature properties down to the extreme of climatic conditions expected at

the installation site;

- proper oxidation resistance to ensure long life in service.

Mineral oil in service is subject to deterioration due to the conditions of use. In many
applications, insulating oil is in contact with air and therefore subject to oxidation reactions
accelerated by elevated temperature and the presence of metals, organo-metallic compounds or
both acting as oxidation promoters.
Change in colour, formation of acid compounds and, at an advanced stage of oxidation,
separation of sludge may occur. Dielectric properties may be impaired.

COPYRIGHT
 This is a free preview. Purchase the entire publication at the link below:

AS 1883-1992, Guide to maintenance and

supervision of insulating oils in service
This is a free 7 page sample. Access the full version at http://infostore.saiglobal.com.

Looking for additional Standards? Visit SAI Global Infostore

Subscribe to our Free Newsletters about Australian Standards® in Legislation; ISO, IEC, BSI and more
Do you need to Manage Standards Collections Online?
Learn about LexConnect, All Jurisdictions, Standards referenced in Australian legislation
Do you want to know when a Standard has changed?
Want to become an SAI Global Standards Sales Affiliate?

Learn about other SAI Global Services:

LOGICOM Military Parts and Supplier Database

Metals Infobase Database of Metal Grades, Standards and Manufacturers
Materials Infobase Database of Materials, Standards and Suppliers
Database of European Law, CELEX and Court Decisions

Need to speak with a Customer Service Representative - Contact Us