Evaluation of the chemical stability of methanol generated during paper degradation in power transformers

Paper degradation products dissolved in the oil are used as chemical markers for predicting the power transformers lifespan in paper-oil systems. For a compound to be useful as a solid insulation marker, it must be derived exclusively from insulating paper, must be thermally and chemically stable over time, and must have known migration behavior and paper/oil partitioning at different temperatures. Methanol was considered to be potentially useful as marker. The stability of methanol in the presence of organic acids formed by degradation of insulating oil and paper was evaluated in detail, using FTIR and Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrography (GC/MS), in samples of fresh mineral insulating oil (MIO) and high-acidity MIO removed from a transformer in the field, to which formic and acetic acid and methanol were added. The samples were subjected to thermal aging and the results showed that the main problem in using methanol as a marker for paper degradation was its high volatility, apart some possible esterification with low molecular mass acids formed with of paper and /or oil degradation.