Why do high voltage transformers need oil?
Someone tells me you need oil for the transformers because it prevents arcing. But isn't air the strongest in terms of dielectric breakdown? I remember from uni that as the dielectric constant increases, the breakdown voltage decreases. Is this correct?
power transformer dielectric-breakdown ionization
asked 1 hour ago
PJazz
350310
add a comment |
Someone tells me you need oil for the transformers because it prevents arcing. But isn't air the strongest in terms of dielectric breakdown? I remember from uni that as the dielectric constant increases, the breakdown voltage decreases. Is this correct?
power transformer dielectric-breakdown ionization
asked 1 hour ago
PJazz
350310
Air is quite low actually extremeelectronics.co.uk/tables/…
– JonRB
24 mins ago
add a comment |
Someone tells me you need oil for the transformers because it prevents arcing. But isn't air the strongest in terms of dielectric breakdown? I remember from uni that as the dielectric constant increases, the breakdown voltage decreases. Is this correct?
power transformer dielectric-breakdown ionization
asked 1 hour ago
PJazz
350310
Someone tells me you need oil for the transformers because it prevents arcing. But isn't air the strongest in terms of dielectric breakdown? I remember from uni that as the dielectric constant increases, the breakdown voltage decreases. Is this correct?
power transformer dielectric-breakdown ionization
power transformer dielectric-breakdown ionization
asked 1 hour ago
PJazz
350310
asked 1 hour ago
PJazz
350310
asked 1 hour ago
PJazz
350310
asked 1 hour ago
PJazz
350310
asked 1 hour ago
PJazz
350310
350310
Air is quite low actually extremeelectronics.co.uk/tables/…
– JonRB
24 mins ago
add a comment |
Air is quite low actually extremeelectronics.co.uk/tables/…
– JonRB
24 mins ago
Air is quite low actually extremeelectronics.co.uk/tables/…
– JonRB
24 mins ago
Air is quite low actually extremeelectronics.co.uk/tables/…
– JonRB
24 mins ago
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
Transformer oil not only prevents arcing but it also prevents the transformer from over heating at its operating temperature.
So isn’t air the best against voltage breakdown?
Well the answer to that is no. According to my experiments It shows me that yes air does have a voltage breakdown in the gap of 1 inch at a voltage of 20,000 volts. But transformer oil has a voltage breakdown of 70,000 volts per inch.
If you put it this way, as the distance from the two conductors gets larger and larger the dielectric breakdown voltage needed to arc across that distance gets larger.
Then yes you are correct.
edited 15 mins ago
pipe
9,94542554
answered 1 hour ago
Scientist Smith YT
513
add a comment |
How do you keep the wires in place? Air won't help. It's done with cardboard soaked in oil.
In addition, gases have a nasty property: they have very low pressure so randomly ionized atoms are easily moved by the electric field. If the gas pressure is low enough for the voltage, the ions and free electrons reach the counter electrode before they could recombine so you have a conducting channel, and the heat from the current flow will ionize even more atoms. Oil prevents that simply by its viscosity.
If you want to have excellent isolation with a gas, you had to use a hard to ionize gas with high viscosity, for example Sulfur hexafluoride.
answered 45 mins ago
Janka
8,2951820
add a comment |
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2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
Transformer oil not only prevents arcing but it also prevents the transformer from over heating at its operating temperature.
So isn’t air the best against voltage breakdown?
Well the answer to that is no. According to my experiments It shows me that yes air does have a voltage breakdown in the gap of 1 inch at a voltage of 20,000 volts. But transformer oil has a voltage breakdown of 70,000 volts per inch.
If you put it this way, as the distance from the two conductors gets larger and larger the dielectric breakdown voltage needed to arc across that distance gets larger.
Then yes you are correct.
edited 15 mins ago
pipe
9,94542554
answered 1 hour ago
Scientist Smith YT
513
add a comment |
Transformer oil not only prevents arcing but it also prevents the transformer from over heating at its operating temperature.
So isn’t air the best against voltage breakdown?
Well the answer to that is no. According to my experiments It shows me that yes air does have a voltage breakdown in the gap of 1 inch at a voltage of 20,000 volts. But transformer oil has a voltage breakdown of 70,000 volts per inch.
If you put it this way, as the distance from the two conductors gets larger and larger the dielectric breakdown voltage needed to arc across that distance gets larger.
Then yes you are correct.
edited 15 mins ago
pipe
9,94542554
answered 1 hour ago
Scientist Smith YT
513
add a comment |
Transformer oil not only prevents arcing but it also prevents the transformer from over heating at its operating temperature.
So isn’t air the best against voltage breakdown?
Well the answer to that is no. According to my experiments It shows me that yes air does have a voltage breakdown in the gap of 1 inch at a voltage of 20,000 volts. But transformer oil has a voltage breakdown of 70,000 volts per inch.
If you put it this way, as the distance from the two conductors gets larger and larger the dielectric breakdown voltage needed to arc across that distance gets larger.
Then yes you are correct.
edited 15 mins ago
pipe
9,94542554
answered 1 hour ago
Scientist Smith YT
513
Transformer oil not only prevents arcing but it also prevents the transformer from over heating at its operating temperature.
So isn’t air the best against voltage breakdown?
Well the answer to that is no. According to my experiments It shows me that yes air does have a voltage breakdown in the gap of 1 inch at a voltage of 20,000 volts. But transformer oil has a voltage breakdown of 70,000 volts per inch.
If you put it this way, as the distance from the two conductors gets larger and larger the dielectric breakdown voltage needed to arc across that distance gets larger.
Then yes you are correct.
edited 15 mins ago
pipe
9,94542554
answered 1 hour ago
Scientist Smith YT
513
edited 15 mins ago
pipe
9,94542554
edited 15 mins ago
pipe
9,94542554
edited 15 mins ago
pipe
9,94542554
9,94542554
answered 1 hour ago
Scientist Smith YT
513
answered 1 hour ago
Scientist Smith YT
513
answered 1 hour ago
Scientist Smith YT
513
513
add a comment |
add a comment |
How do you keep the wires in place? Air won't help. It's done with cardboard soaked in oil.
In addition, gases have a nasty property: they have very low pressure so randomly ionized atoms are easily moved by the electric field. If the gas pressure is low enough for the voltage, the ions and free electrons reach the counter electrode before they could recombine so you have a conducting channel, and the heat from the current flow will ionize even more atoms. Oil prevents that simply by its viscosity.
If you want to have excellent isolation with a gas, you had to use a hard to ionize gas with high viscosity, for example Sulfur hexafluoride.
answered 45 mins ago
Janka
8,2951820
add a comment |
How do you keep the wires in place? Air won't help. It's done with cardboard soaked in oil.
In addition, gases have a nasty property: they have very low pressure so randomly ionized atoms are easily moved by the electric field. If the gas pressure is low enough for the voltage, the ions and free electrons reach the counter electrode before they could recombine so you have a conducting channel, and the heat from the current flow will ionize even more atoms. Oil prevents that simply by its viscosity.
If you want to have excellent isolation with a gas, you had to use a hard to ionize gas with high viscosity, for example Sulfur hexafluoride.
answered 45 mins ago
Janka
8,2951820
add a comment |
How do you keep the wires in place? Air won't help. It's done with cardboard soaked in oil.
In addition, gases have a nasty property: they have very low pressure so randomly ionized atoms are easily moved by the electric field. If the gas pressure is low enough for the voltage, the ions and free electrons reach the counter electrode before they could recombine so you have a conducting channel, and the heat from the current flow will ionize even more atoms. Oil prevents that simply by its viscosity.
If you want to have excellent isolation with a gas, you had to use a hard to ionize gas with high viscosity, for example Sulfur hexafluoride.
answered 45 mins ago
Janka
8,2951820
How do you keep the wires in place? Air won't help. It's done with cardboard soaked in oil.
In addition, gases have a nasty property: they have very low pressure so randomly ionized atoms are easily moved by the electric field. If the gas pressure is low enough for the voltage, the ions and free electrons reach the counter electrode before they could recombine so you have a conducting channel, and the heat from the current flow will ionize even more atoms. Oil prevents that simply by its viscosity.
If you want to have excellent isolation with a gas, you had to use a hard to ionize gas with high viscosity, for example Sulfur hexafluoride.
answered 45 mins ago
Janka
8,2951820
edited 35 mins ago
answered 45 mins ago
Janka
8,2951820
answered 45 mins ago
Janka
8,2951820
answered 45 mins ago
Janka
8,2951820
8,2951820
add a comment |
add a comment |
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Air is quite low actually extremeelectronics.co.uk/tables/…
– JonRB
24 mins ago