Water absorbtion in Oil Circuit breakers etc.

[lyledunn]

I know water absorbtion can be a problem in equipment that relies on oil as an insulation medium. What methods are employed to remove the water in situ? Regards,

Lyledunn

 

[MarkAthay]

Generally the oil is pumped through a series of specially designed filters that absorb the moisture. Systems are also out there that heat up the oil to drive out the moisture. Filtering it is probably the most popular and quickest.

Mark in Utah

 

[vector9]

If the circiut breaker is not too large , it may be more practical to drain the old oil and fill it with new oil. Make sure you test the oil before you refill and do not allow the breaker to remain without oil for long to prevent entry of moisture into the breaker.
Typically carry out a close - open operation to agigitate any carbon deposits and flush them out when draining.When the new oil is refilled care must be taken to keep bubbling to the minimum, again to avoid moisture ingress.
Normally oil filtration equipment is commonly bought to the size required for transformer oil purification, so I reckon it may not be possible to use the same for this application.
Check out the manufacturers procedure for their recommended practice.