Dissolved gases analysis in relation to the energy of electrical discharges in mineral oil

This paper deals with the characterization of discharges initiated in mineral oil and the gases that they generate depending on their energy levels. Different types of discharges are identified in function of the electrode geometry and the applied voltage. Each type of discharge is analysed through the generating gases and the processes implicated in oil degradation are discussed according to different standard specifications. By estimating the forms of energy that can be involved in the gas formation, it was evidenced that vaporisation processes are as important for discharges of weak energy as for those of high energy.