A study of aging property of pressboard in gas insulator transformer

Pressboard, a common kind of electrical insulating material, is widely used in the gas insulator transformer (GIT). While a GIT was in operation, the properties of the pressboard changed under the influence of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) and heat. In this paper, pressboard was subjected to an accelerated aging test in SF6 atmosphere at different temperatures for varying durations. In the research several tests were conducted, including thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), a bending test, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), a dielectric properties test, and a polymerization degree test. These were carried out to research the heat stability, mechanical properties, dielectric properties, and microstructure of the pressboard at different stages of aging: The reasons for these changes could be discovered by analyzing the results. The results showed that thermal degradation of cellulose at high temperature was the main aging factor in pressboard during the thermal aging process in a SF6 atmosphere, which also caused deterioration in the heat stability of pressboard. The mechanical properties of the pressboard deteriorated as thermal aging increased, while dielectric properties increased which were indicated by the decrease in electric inductivity and dielectric loss, and the increase in electrical resistivity. The main causes for these changes were the fracturing of the main chain of the cellulose molecules and a decrease in polar groups, such as hydroxyl, which caused a decline in the hydrophilia of the pressboard. As a consequence, the water content and the number of hydrogen bonds in the materials decreased, leading to structural degradation and a decrease in polarity of the pressboard.