Silica gel Desiccants
A silica gel breather design is simple and easy to install. The arrangement is placed inside the transformer conservator and includes a pot or tube filled with fresh silica gel. This is placed above the oil level, to remove maximum moisture from the air. By protecting the insulating oil, silica gel assures insulation to the entire transformer parts.
silica gel bead acts as a drying agent for the transformer insulation oil, it traps the moisture from the air released as a result of the transformer breathing. Silica gel blue and orange are the best choices for this purpose.
Silica gel desiccants used in power transformers might be highly saturated and may require thorough reactivation. It is thus advised to process the desiccant bed for 4-6 hours at a temperature between 105-110 degrees Celsius. This process will reactivate the entire silica gel bed by reducing moisture to below 2% by weight.
Breathing is a phenomenon in which a transformer Breathe-In or Breathe-out the air from its body due to thermal tightening; or extension of oil mass.
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