Effects of degraded optical fiber sheaths on thermal aging characteristics of transformer oil

Abstract

With the development of fiber optic sensing technology, optical fiber sensors have been widely used in online monitoring of power transformers. To investigate the influence of aging fiber sheaths on transformer oil, two kinds of special optical fibers with thermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPEE) and poly tetra fluoroethylene (PTFE) as sheaths underwent thermally accelerated aging in transformer oil at 130 °C. The volume resistivity, dielectric dissipation factor (DDF), and breakdown voltage of the oil were measured to indicate insulation strength. The water content and acid value of the oil were measured and fitted to predict the aging tends. The thermal aging characteristics of the oil were quantitatively compared and results showed two kinds of optical fibers could exacerbate all the physical and chemical parameters of oil, and the TPEE sheath had a more significant impact on the oil. The reasons contributing to such phenomenon were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Both TPEE and PTFE were depolymerized in high-temperature transformer oils, producing water and small molecule hydrocarbon groups. The accumulation of small hydrocarbon groups promoted positive feedback of pyrolysis in the oil. The free hydrogen produced by oil pyrolysis increased the acidity of the oil, which in turn increased the solubility of the water produced by sheath depolymerization. The chain depolymerization of TPEE was more severe than that of PTFE, further exacerbating the deterioration of TPEE-containing oil.