The German group Siemens has managed to make the world’s first power transformer, insulated and cooled using vegetable oil.
The special feature of this environmentally friendly transformer is the material that it is filled with. It is the first time that vegetable oil has been used with this voltage category instead of mineral oil for insulation and cooling. This vegetable oil is not only more environmentally friendly, but is also much less flammable than mineral oil.
“The use of this groundwater-neutral and bio-degradable insulating oil, with its high level of environmental compatibility was the decisive factor for us choosing this transformer”, stresses Michael Schäfer, head of systems technology at TransnetBW.
The insulating oil for this new transformer is produced solely from renewable, plant resources and is completely bio-degradable. This transformer can be installed and operated in water conservation areas or in zones subject to stringent environmental protection restrictions.
“The properties of this vegetable oil are not only beneficial to the environment, but also offer the customer cost advantages over transformers cooled with conventional mineral oil”, explained Beatrix Natter, CEO of the Transformers business unit at Siemens Energy. “The bio-degradability of the insulating oil means that additional collecting vessels and separation systems are no longer required at the installation location, resulting in cost savings for these items.”
