Effects of thermal aging on moisture equilibrium in oil-paper insulation

Recent studies have reported that thermal aging of insulation paper affects its moisture absorption property, which can affect moisture equilibrium in oil-paper insulation. In engineering practice, Fessler's model is one of the most widely used methods to estimate the moisture content of paper through measurement of moisture content of oil. However, this model lacks consideration of the thermal aging effect on equilibrium moisture. This study comprehensively investigated the effect of thermal aging on moisture equilibrium in oil-paper insulation. Based on the accelerated ageing and moisture measurements, the equilibrium moisture content of insulation paper with different aging and temperatures were obtained. The effects of aging condition and the temperature on equilibrium moisture are discussed and Fessler's model was modified accordingly. The results show that: 1) the decreasing of specific surface area is the dominant factor that affects the moisture equilibrium in oil-paper insulation, which is caused by thermal aging; 2) the modified Fessler model is reasonable and suitable to estimate the equilibrium moisture content of insulation paper with different aging.