10 September 2021
Barrierboard Technology
When Hans Tschudi-Faude in 1952 created the worlds very first production line for pre-compressed Transformerboard at Weidmann in Rapperswil, Switzerland, little did he know the impact this product would have on the transformer industry globally. But the innovation didn’t stop that day. Variations of Transformerboard and a variety of products based on this material were created over the years that followed.
Weidmann Barrierboard: Celebrating 35 years of protecting transformers and tap changers.
One of those products developed from the pre-compressed Transformerboard is the Barrierboard, developed and used as a leak-proof separation of the oil in the transformer tank from the oil in the tap changer chamber that provides significant safety improvements.
The tap changer is one of the most complex parts of a transformer. Out of all the elements of a transformer in operation, it has one of the highest rates of failure occurrence and severity. Careful and regular maintenance is a basic requirement to facilitate the trouble-free operation of transformers. The separation of the tap changer from the main tank is one way of reducing any potential issues and can also bring additional advantages.
In the event of a failure, if the tap changer is in a separate tank the windings and leads in the main tank are protected. Furthermore, if there is a failure, being in a separate tank can enable a more effective diagnosis of issues through the analysis of dissolved gases. Installing a Weidmann Barrierboard as an interface between the two tanks makes it possible to achieve both a separate oil sampling in the tap changer tank and maintenance on the tap changer without emptying the main tank or interfering with it in any other way. Additionally, decomposition products which are generated by the switching operation of the tap changer will not contaminate the oil in the main tank.
Weidmann Barrierboard meets the requirements up to the highest voltages and currents. They are designed according to mutually defined dimensional, electrical, and mechanical frame conditions. The finished product is supplied vacuum-dried and oil-impregnated. Deflection of the board and oil leaking rate can be tested in hydraulic pressure tests in compliance with customer requests.
For convenient assembly, the customer can choose between a standard bolted connection or a high-current plug-in contact.
Click here to download the latest infosheet: Barrierboard
For further reading, please find below a selection of technical papers relating to Barrierboard technology:
Design Method for Insulation Structures (7th International Symposium on HV Engineering)
Statistical Evaluation (The 7th BEAMA International Electrical Insulation Conference)
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