Where to perform the dissolved gas analysis? – Part III
Oil tests are a very important tool in preserving the smooth operation of transformers and machines.
byMarius Grisaru
Oil tests are a very important tool in preserving the smooth operation of transformers and machines. Additionally, performing tests on most types of oil requires expensive devices and educated and experienced staff, which can generate high expenses. Many organizations around the world find that sending their oil tests to an external outsourced laboratory is far more rentable and adequate. As emphasized in the last column, the consideration of insulating oil tests is different from other oil tests and other chemicals. In insulating oil tests, for example, reacting time and accuracy at a low level and high concentration is crucial.
Transformer owners need to be able to obtain reliable oil tests from solid and reliable laboratories. Those tests are to be circulated at certain periods, from once per year to once per three months, but also at emergencies. Another important point is the ability to maintain a single database of all oil tests, with the history of all tests synchronized and made with a similar methodology, even if the laboratory was switched for financial or other reasons.
One of the great obstacles for this mission is the nonuniformity of most oil test methods, especially DGA. Another issue in this domain is the lack of certified materials with measured and verified values.
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