Cargill FR3 natural ester fluid field transformer filling.

[Simonwilsongt]

Has anyone retrofilled FR3 fluid into a distribution or power transformer on site.
How complicated or any special equipment required to carry out field services.

 

[waross]

Have you checked the Cargill website?

Here: https://www.cargill.com/doc/1432076501983/r2010-retrofill-tds.pdf

And here:

Transformer Mineral Oil Replacement | Cargill Dielectric Oil | Cargill

www.cargill.com

While I have no experience with FR3, a key difference that I noted while browsing the Cargill guides was that FR3 does not like exposure to air.
FR3 must be handled in such a way as to avoid contact with air, and hot air drying of FR3 filled transformers is forbidden.
Apparently FR3 is prone to polymerization in the presence of air.
And.
See also the silicon warning.

 

[stevenal]

Have you checked the Cargill website?

And here:

While I have no experience with FR3, a key difference that I noted while browsing the Cargill guides was that FR3 does not like exposure to air.
FR3 must be handled in such a way as to avoid contact with air, and hot air drying of FR3 filled transformers is forbidden.
Apparently FR3 is prone to polymerization in the presence of air.
And.
See also the silicon warning.

That's the point of biodegradability. Expose it to oxygen and moisture and it degrades to something else. I once asked the Cooper rep why we wanted degradable insulation, and he had to think about it awhile.

 

[thermionic1]

"How complicated or any special equipment required to carry out field services."

OP hasn't mentioned the voltage rating or size of the unit, which dictates what type of equipment is used.

From the https://www.cargill.com/doc/1432076502266/r2040-retrofill-guide-power-tds.pdf page 4/5 the procedure is outlined.

In general, for large power transformers, vacuum filling is a must. Many utilities own their oil processing rigs which contain vacuum chambers. Others will hire a contractor to provide the equipment and the skilled labor to pull and hold vacuum as well as vacuum fill which is required for FR3.