Development and evaluation of nitrile rubbers seals for power transformer application

Abstract

Mineral insulating oil (MIO) and natural ester insulating (NEI) oil are used in power transformers as an insulating fluid, while elastomeric seals are usually composed of nitrile rubber (NBR). The proprieties of these seals can change in contact with insulating oil. Variation in sealant properties is undesirable in power transformers. In this work, the variation of some elastomer properties was evaluated before and after accelerated aging in MIO and NEI. The developed elastomeric compositions showed variation in the stress and strain at break after the aging test. It also appeared that MIO penetrated the samples and that dioctylphthalate (DOP) migrated or was extracted into MIO and NEI. The samples vulcanized with peroxide showed better results than those vulcanized with sulfur.