Aug 12 2010
DAI's Drysphere(TM) offers superior drying capabilities over any other desiccant product on the market, providing maximum performance and extended life of high efficiency oil transformers for energy transmission.
The electrical grid relies upon transformers' continuous delivery of power. When a transformer fails, a power outage occurs. Power outages and other interruptions in the electrical grid cost the U.S. economy at least $150 billion annually, computing to an annual loss of $500 per every woman, man and child in the U.S. Therefore, the removal of moisture and other byproducts of insulation degradation using high quality adsorbents is imperative for overall transformer life.
Both laboratory and field testing prove the most effective method for removing moisture from transformers is the use of desiccants and adsorbents. After examining a variety of methods in both categories, activated alumina is proving most effective in maintaining electrical transformer life and efficiency.
DAI Drysphere(TM), a specialized edition of activated alumina developed for the electrical transmission industry extracts and absorbs three times more water than any other alumina product on the market.
Oil transformers require advanced drying capabilities to ensure the system remains devoid of moisture, which interrupts energy transmission. Water degrades a transformer's insulation system, leaving it vulnerable to mechanical stress and breakdown. Each doubling of water content inside a transformer reduces the system's life by half.
Water can accumulate in transformers due to improper sealing, poor maintenance, leaking gaskets and welds, and natural aging of insulation materials. When moisture is present in transformer oil, the dielectric strength of the transformer is decreased, resulting in significant decline in performance.
"Drysphere(TM) will provide oil transformer systems with the best drying capabilities guaranteeing maximum performance from the system," Dr. Mark Moskovitz, CTO and President of Dynamic Adsorbents said. "The product will not only keep the system running smoothly, but promotes extended life while transferring energy at high efficiency levels."
Drysphere(TM) removes water in transformer oil to a level less than 10ppm. Once all water is removed from the oil, water contained in the insulating paper and paperboard diffuse into the transformer oil, and the water is once again removed.
DAI manufactures a full product line of specialized uniform alumina spheres for the drying of industrial liquids and gases. These spheres offer regeneration properties and can be customized in size according to specific industrial demand.
"There's no reason to use any other desiccant other than Drysphere(TM) to keep oil transformers running smoothly," Dr. Moskovitz said.