Detection of insulation degradation by-products in transformer oil using ZnO coated IDC sensor

Abstract

Condition monitoring of oil-immersed in-service transformers to facilitate preventive maintenance is still a challenge. Monitoring of 2-Furfuryldehyde (2-FAL), released in the transformer oil as a result of paper insulation degradation, and moisture ingress can provide insight into the health of the insulation of transformers. Since 2-FAL and moisture are high dielectric constant contamination, capacitive sensor-based detection is a potential solution. A novel Inter digital Capacitive (IDC) sensor is reported in this paper to measure the concentration of 2-FAL and moisture uses Zinc Oxide (ZnO) as a sensing film. The sensor shows good sensitivity, approximately linear characteristics, and low characteristic drift.