Davao Light uses plant-based oil for distribution transformers
Philippines: AboitizPower subsidiary Davao Light & Power Co. is embracing more “green” initiatives as it strives to deliver reliable electricity to customers.
Image source: Davao Light
Philippines: AboitizPower subsidiary Davao Light & Power Co. is embracing more “green” initiatives as it strives to deliver reliable electricity to customers.
Since 2015, the power distributor has been using natural ester oil as insulation fluid for all of its new distribution transformers. Davao Light sets aside $1.7 M (₱87 M) to purchase around 1,300 “green” transformers each year, mainly meant to serve the ever-growing demand of distribution transformer installations and to replace old units that use mineral oil due for decommissioning. The company now has 7,000 “green transformers” out of its more than 26,000 transformers in total.
“We had difficulties in looking for contractors that can safely dispose of our used transformer oil, which back then was still mineral. Since it was already widely used in the energy industry, natural ester was an attractive option to us,” said Davao Light’s Head of Substation and Electrical Equipment Arnel P. Bersabe.
Bersabe added that despite being 20–25 % more expensive than mineral oil, a major factor why the company opted for natural ester is its ability to prolong the life of transformers and its safety. The average lifespan of distribution transformers is 35 years, but ester oils are estimated to extend the longevity of units by up to 33 %, the company said.
Another initiative Davao Light is looking into, said Mr. Bersabe, is the use of amorphous steel instead of the current silicon steel for the core components of transformers.
He said amorphous steel can lower transformer losses, or the energy “wasted” due to resistance in the wire used to wind a coil, by up to 60 % for a typical 50 kVa unit.
“We are still validating these data. We will have a simulated installation of this transformer for actual measurement of its losses and verification of its in-service performance,” Mr. Bersabe said.
Source: Davao Light
#AboitizPower#Davao Light#distribution transformers#ester oil#Philippines