The world's first 500kV natural ester insulating oil transformer is launched

The world's first 500kV natural ester insulating oil transformer is launched

Implementing the "Dual Carbon" Strategy: German MR Company Accelerates the Development of Green Transformers

October 27, 2022, Shanghai, China – Recently, Shandong Electric Power Equipment Company, a subsidiary of Shandong Electric Power, successfully developed the world's first 500kV natural ester insulating oil transformer. As the world's first natural ester insulating oil transformer with the highest voltage level, largest capacity, greatest technical difficulty and most complex structure, it uses the DU tap-changer for natural ester insulating oil transformers produced by MR (Reinhausen Group), a global expert in transformer control.

Natural ester insulating oil is a high-ignition-point, safe, environmentally friendly, and renewable liquid insulating medium with a ignition point higher than 300°C, a heat resistance grade of K, and a natural degradation rate of more than 97% . Compared with traditional mineral insulating oils, natural ester insulating oils have better safety and environmental protection performance, longer service life, lower maintenance costs, and stronger overload capacity. For a long time, Shandong Electric Power Equipment Company, a subsidiary of Shandong Electric Power, has been committed to the development of green transformers with natural ester insulating oils to promote the sustainable and healthy development of the industry.

More than a decade ago, MR began to study the properties of natural ester insulating oil. For this purpose, a large number of experiments and analytical verifications were carried out, and the key technologies of natural ester insulating oil transformer tap changers were mastered, which involved electrical insulation properties, mechanical properties including lubrication and viscosity properties, heat dissipation performance of energized contacts in natural ester insulating oil, arc extinguishing performance in natural ester insulating oil, and technology to inhibit oxidation of natural ester insulating oil.

It is worth emphasizing that in view of the special properties of natural ester insulating oil, MR adopts a design different from that of traditional mineral oil tap changers, which completely solves key technical problems such as the difficulty in using natural ester insulating oil at high voltage levels. It has also accumulated a large amount of operating data, creating favorable conditions for the development of natural ester insulating oil transformers towards high voltage and large capacity levels.

In recent years, along with the global energy transformation and development, MR has deeply understood and grasped the "carbon peak and carbon neutrality", followed the trend of energy transformation and the general trend of industrial development, and made every effort to promote the upgrading and development of products. As oil resources are gradually depleted, natural ester insulating oil has become an ideal choice to replace mineral insulating oil. It can minimize carbon emissions and effectively extend the service life of power transformers, which is especially important for helping to achieve the "dual carbon" goal.

The successful development of the 500kV natural ester insulating oil transformer marks a new step for MR, further consolidating MR's leading position in the world in tap changers and even tap changers for natural ester insulating oil transformers . In addition, MR has helped Shandong Electric to enrich its product range, improve its market competitiveness and corporate reputation, and lay a good foundation for the subsequent development of similar products.

In the future, MR will focus on the "dual carbon" goal, devote itself to the research and development of high-end new products, promote green, low-carbon and sustainable development, accumulate more operating data of natural ester insulating oil transformer tap changers, provide protection for more power grids and transformer users, and strive to add "new forces" to power grid engineering construction and empower high-quality development.