The smart use of charge injection to improve breakdown strength in transformer oil is demonstrated in this paper. Hypothetically, bipolar homo-charge injection with reduced electric field at both electrodes may allow higher voltage operation without insulation failure, since electrical breakdown usually initiates at the electrode-dielectric interfaces. To find experimental evidence, the applicability and limitation of the hypothesis is first analyzed. Impulse breakdown tests and Kerr electro-optic field mapping measurements are then conducted with different combinations of parallel-plate aluminum and brass electrodes stressed by millisecond duration impulse. It is found that the breakdown voltage of brass anode and aluminum cathode is ∼50% higher than that of aluminum anode and brass cathode. This can be explained by charge injection patterns from Kerr measurements under a lower voltage, where aluminum and brass electrodes inject negative and positive charges, respectively. This work provides a feasible approach to investigating the effect of electrode material on breakdown strength.

The ageing behaviour of trimethylolpropane trioleate was investigated at different temperatures in a modified rotary bomb test apparatus. Some physicochemical properties of ageing oil samples, such as acid value, kinematic viscosity, and iodine value, were measured. The oil samples were analysed using gas chromatography, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and gel permeation chromatography to assess the influence of temperature on the ageing behaviour of ester-based oils. The results revealed that an increase in temperature could greatly speed up the ageing reaction and increase the formation of decomposition products. However, the degree of oil ageing remained similar when the same quantity of oxygen was consumed.