Girolamo Bellocchio

Leakage reduces oil level and can expose windings or insulation, increasing overheating and dielectric breakdown risk. Leaks can also introduce moisture and oxygen, accelerating oil oxidation and paper aging. Environmentally, oil can contaminate soil and water and trigger regulatory reporting and cleanup obligations. Fire risk increases if oil contacts hot surfaces or electrical arcs. Operationally, leaks can lead to forced outages and expensive repairs. Even small chronic leaks matter because they often worsen with thermal cycling, so early detection and repair reduce both reliability and environmental risk.

The price of electric transformer oil (mineral, IEC 60296) ranges $1.2-1.6 USD/liter depending on region. Regenerated oil (via Fluidex/GlobeCore) costs significantly less – ~$0.25-0.4 USD/liter – with similar dielectric properties after proper treatment.

Oil degasification is the process of removing dissolved gases (like oxygen, hydrogen, CO, acetylene) that can lead to arcing and thermal faults. Fluidex systems use high-vacuum chambers and degassing columns. Essential after oil aging, contamination, or before transformer energizing.

Oil purify means to remove water, gases, and solids that degrade performance. For transformers, this includes vacuum degassing and BDV recovery. For hydraulics, it includes varnish and water removal. Fluidex offers systems tailored to each application.

The breakdown test (BDV) measures the voltage at which oil loses insulation properties and sparks across electrodes. It’s a quick way to assess oil quality. After Fluidex purification, BDV typically increases from <40 kV to >60 kV, indicating safe oil condition.

Oil treatment plants usually include full cycles: heating, degassing, filtration, dehydration, and sometimes regeneration. Oil purification units may focus on basic filtration. Fluidex combines both in modular setups – mobile or stationary – ideal for any maintenance level.

For safety-critical transformers, Fluidex supports integration with SCADA and protection systems. Their oil treatment units can be equipped with temperature probes and logic relays that trigger circuit breakers or alarms if overheating occurs. This is especially useful in remote substations or high-load industrial transformers.

When choosing a transformer oil filtration plant for on-site work, look for features like ? 6000 L/h flow rate, high-vacuum capability (? 5 Pa), fine filtration to 5 ?m, and safe heating control. Fluidex offers trailer-mounted units with all of the above, plus built-in monitoring of BDV, flow, and temperature. These plants are designed for real-world field conditions: rain, dust, or altitude – no problem.