SIST EN 60599:2016

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-marec-2016
1DGRPHãþD
SIST EN 60599:1999
SIST EN 60599:1999/A1:2007
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Mineral oil-impregnated electrical equipment in service - Guide to the interpretation of
dissolved and free gases analysis
Matériels électriques imprégnés d'huile minérale en service - Guide pour l'interprétation
de l'analyse des gaz dissous et des gaz libres
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN 60599:2016
ICS:
29.040.10 Izolacijska olja Insulating oils
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EUROPEAN STANDARD EN 60599
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
January 2016
ICS 17.220.99; 29.040.10; 29.180 Supersedes EN 60599:1999
English Version
Mineral oil-filled electrical equipment in service - Guidance on
the interpretation of dissolved and free gases analysis
(IEC 60599:2015)
Matériels électriques remplis d'huile minérale en service - In Betrieb befindliche, mit Mineralöl befüllte elektrische
Lignes directrices pour l'interprétation de l'analyse des gaz Geräte - Leitfaden zur Interpretation der Analyse gelöster
dissous et des gaz libres und freier Gase
(IEC 60599:2015) (IEC 60599:2015)
This European Standard was approved by CENELEC on 2015-10-21. CENELEC members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC
Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration.
Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC
Management Centre or to any CENELEC member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by translation
under the responsibility of a CENELEC member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre has the
same status as the official versions.
CENELEC members are the national electrotechnical committees of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia,
Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Turkey and the United Kingdom.

European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization
Comité Européen de Normalisation Electrotechnique
Europäisches Komitee für Elektrotechnische Normung
CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Avenue Marnix 17, B-1000 Brussels
© 2016 CENELEC All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved worldwide for CENELEC Members.
Ref. No. EN 60599:2016 E
European foreword
The text of document 10/967/FDIS, future edition 3 of IEC 60599, prepared by IEC/TC 10 "Fluids for
electrotechnical applications" was submitted to the IEC-CENELEC parallel vote and approved by
CENELEC as EN 60599:2016.
The following dates are fixed:
(dop) 2016-07-21
• latest date by which the document has to be implemented at
national level by publication of an identical national
standard or by endorsement
(dow) 2018-10-21
• latest date by which the national standards conflicting with
the document have to be withdrawn

This document supersedes EN 60599:1999.
a) revision of 5.5, 6.1, 7, 8, 9, 10, A.2.6, A.3, A.7;
b) addition of new subclause 4.3;
c) expansion of the Bibliography;
d) revision of Figure 1;
e) addition of Figure B.4.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CENELEC [and/or CEN] shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such
patent rights.
Endorsement notice
The text of the International Standard IEC 60599:2015 was approved by CENELEC as a European
Standard without any modification.
Annex ZA
(normative)
Normative references to international publications
with their corresponding European publications
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and are
indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated
references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
NOTE 1 When an International Publication has been modified by common modifications, indicated by (mod),
the relevant EN/HD applies.
NOTE 2 Up-to-date information on the latest versions of the European Standards listed in this annex is
available here: www.cenelec.eu.

Publication Year Title EN/HD Year
IEC 60050-191 1990 International Electrotechnical - -
Vocabulary -
Chapter 191: Dependability and quality
of service
IEC 60050-192 2015 International electrotechnical - -
vocabulary -
Part 192: Dependability
IEC 60050-212 2010 International Electrotechnical - -
Vocabulary -
Part-212: Electrical insulating solids,
liquids and gases
IEC 60050-604 1987 International Electrotechnical - -
Vocabulary -
Chapter 604: Generation, transmission
and distribution of electricity - Operation
IEC 60475 -  Method of sampling insulating liquids EN 60475 -
IEC 60567 2011 Oil-filled electrical equipment - Sampling EN 60567 2011
of gases and analysis of free and
dissolved gases - Guidance
IEC 61198 - Mineral insulating oils - Methods for the EN 61198 -
determination of 2-furfural and related
compounds
IEC 60599 ®
Edition 3.0 2015-09
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
Mineral oil-filled electrical equipment in service – Guidance on the interpretation

of dissolved and free gases analysis

Matériels électriques remplis d'huile minérale en service – Lignes directrices

pour l'interprétation de l'analyse des gaz dissous et des gaz libres

INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
COMMISSION
ELECTROTECHNIQUE
INTERNATIONALE
ICS 17.220.99; 29.040.10; 29.180 ISBN 978-2-8322-2899-9

– 2 – IEC 60599:2015 © IEC 2015
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 5
INTRODUCTION . 7
1 Scope . 8
2 Normative references . 8
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviations . 9
3.1 Terms and definitions . 9
3.2 Abbreviations . 11
3.2.1 Chemical names and formulae . 11
3.2.2 General abbreviations . 11
4 Mechanisms of gas formation . 11
4.1 Decomposition of oil . 11
4.2 Decomposition of cellulosic insulation . 12
4.3 Stray gassing of oil . 12
4.4 Other sources of gas . 12
5 Identification of faults . 13
5.1 General . 13
5.2 Dissolved gas compositions . 13
5.3 Types of faults . 13
5.4 Basic gas ratios . 14
5.5 CO /CO ratio . 15
5.6 O /N ratio . 16
2 2
5.7 C H /H ratio . 16
2 2 2
5.8 C hydrocarbons . 16
5.9 Evolution of faults . 16
5.10 Graphical representations . 17
6 Conditions for calculating ratios . 17
6.1 Examination of DGA values . 17
6.2 Uncertainty on gas ratios . 17
7 Application to free gases in gas relays . 18
8 Gas concentration levels in service . 19
8.1 Probability of failure in service . 19
8.1.1 General . 19
8.1.2 Calculation methods . 20
8.2 Typical concentration values . 20
8.2.1 General . 20
8.2.2 Calculation methods . 20
8.2.3 Choice of normality percentages . 20
8.2.4 Alarm concentration values . 21
8.3 Rates of gas increase . 21
9 Recommended method of DGA interpretation (see Figure 1) . 21
10 Report of results . 22
Annex A (informative) Equipment application notes . 24
A.1 General warning . 24
A.2 Power transformers . 24
A.2.1 Specific sub-types . 24

IEC 60599:2015 © IEC 2015 – 3 –
A.2.2 Typical faults . 24
A.2.3 Identification of faults by DGA . 25
A.2.4 Typical concentration values . 25
A.2.5 Typical rates of gas increase . 26
A.2.6 Specific information to be added to the DGA report (see Clause 10) . 27
A.3 Industrial and special transformers . 27
A.3.1 Specific sub-types . 27
A.3.2 Typical faults . 27
A.3.3 Identification of faults by DGA. . 27
A.3.4 Typical concentration values . 27
A.4 Instrument transformers . 28
A.4.1 Specific sub-types . 28
A.4.2 Typical faults . 28
A.4.3 Identification of faults by DGA . 29
A.4.4 Typical concentration values . 29
A.5 Bushings . 30
A.5.1 Specific sub-types . 30
A.5.2 Typical faults . 30
A.5.3 Identification of faults by DGA . 30
A.5.4 Typical concentration values . 31
A.6 Oil-filled cables . 31
A.6.1 Typical faults . 31
A.6.2 Identification of faults by DGA . 31
A.6.3 Typical concentration values . 31
A.7 Switching equipment . 32
A.7.1 Specific sub-types . 32
A.7.2 Normal operation . 32
A.7.3 Typical faults . 32
A.7.4 Identification of faults by DGA . 32
A.8 Equipment filled with non-mineral fluids . 33
Annex B (informative) Graphical representations of gas ratios (see 5.10) . 34
Bibliography . 38

Figure 1 – Flow chart . 23
Figure B.1 – Graphical representation 1 of gas ratios (see [3]) . 34
Figure B.2 – Graphical representation 2 of gas ratios . 35
Figure B.3 – Graphical representation 3 of gas ratios – Duval's triangle 1 for
transformers, bushings and cables(see [4]) . 36
Figure B.4 – Graphical representation 4 of gas ratios – Duval's triangle 2 for OLTCs
(see A.7.2) . 37

Table 1 – DGA interpretation table . 14
Table 2 – Simplified scheme of interpretation . 15
Table 3 – Ostwald solubility coefficients for various gases in mineral insulating oils . 19
Table A.1 – Typical faults in power transformers . 25
Table A.2 – Ranges of 90 % typical gas concentration values observed in power

transformers, in µl/l . 26

– 4 – IEC 60599:2015 © IEC 2015
Table A.3 – Ranges of 90 % typical rates of gas increase observed in power
transformers (all types), in µl/l/year . 26
Table A.4 – Examples of 90 % typical concentration values observed on individual
networks . 28
Table A.5 – Typical faults in instrument transformers . 29
Table A.6 – Ranges of 90 % typical concentration values observed in instrument
transformers . 29
Table A.7 – Maximum admissible values for sealed instrument transformers. 30
Table A.8 – Typical faults in bushings . 30
Table A.9 – Simplified interpretation scheme for bushings . 31
Table A.10 – 95 % typical concentration values in bushings . 31
Table A.11 – Ranges of 95 % typical concentration values observed on cables . 32
Table A.12 – Typical faults in switching equipment . 32

IEC 60599:2015 © IEC 2015 – 5 –
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
MINERAL OIL-FILLED ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
IN SERVICE – GUIDANCE ON THE INTERPRETATION
OF DISSOLVED AND FREE GASES ANALYSIS

FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote
international co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To
this end and in addition to other activities, IEC publishes International Standards, Technical Specifications,
Technical Reports, Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) and Guides (hereafter referred to as “IEC
Publication(s)”). Their preparation is entrusted to technical committees; any IEC National Committee interested
in the subject dealt with may participate in this preparatory work. International, governmental and non-
governmental organizations liaising with the IEC also participate in this preparation. IEC collaborates closely
with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by
agreement between the two organizations.
2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an international
consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation from all
interested IEC National Committees.
3) IEC Publications have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted by IEC National
Committees in that sense. While all reasonable efforts are made to ensure that the technical content of IEC
Publications is accurate, IEC cannot be held responsible for the way in which they are used or for any
misinterpretation by any end user.
4) In order to promote international uniformity, IEC National Committees undertake to apply IEC Publications
transparently to the maximum extent possible in their national and regional publications. Any divergence
between any IEC Publication and the corresponding national or regional publication shall be clearly indicated in
the latter.
5) IEC itself does not provide any attestation of conformity. Independent certification bodies provide conformity
assessment services and, in some areas, access to IEC marks of conformity. IEC is not responsible for any
services carried out by independent certification bodies.
6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this publication.
7) No liability shall attach to IEC or its directors, employees, servants or agents including individual experts and
members of its technical committees and IEC National Committees for any personal injury, property damage or
other damage of any nature whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, or for costs (including legal fees) and
expenses arising out of the publication, use of, or reliance upon, this IEC Publication or any other IEC
Publications.
8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
indispensable for the correct application of this publication.
9) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this IEC Publication may be the subject of
patent rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
International Standard IEC 60599 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 10: Fluids
for electrotechnical applications.
This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition published in 1999 and
Amendment 1:2007. This edition constitutes a technical revision.
This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous
edition:
a) revision of 5.5, 6.1, 7, 8, 9, 10, A.2.6, A.3, A.7;
b) addition of new sub-clause 4.3;
c) expansion of the Bibliography;
d) revision of Figure 1;
e) addition of Figure B.4.
– 6 – IEC 60599:2015 © IEC 2015
The text of this standard is based on the following documents:
FDIS Report on voting
10/967/FDIS 10/973/RVD
Full information on the voting for the approval of this standard can be found in the report on
voting indicated in the above table.
This publication has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The committee has decided that the contents of this publication will remain unchanged until
the stability date indicated on the IEC website under "http://webstore.iec.ch" in the data
related to the specific publication. At this date, the publication will be
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
IEC 60599:2015 © IEC 2015 – 7 –
INTRODUCTION
Dissolved and free gas analysis (DGA) is one of the most widely used diagnostic tools for
detecting and evaluating faults in electrical equipment filled with insulating liquid. However,
interpretation of DGA results is often complex and should always be done with care, involving
experienced insulation maintenance personnel.
This International Standard gives information for facilitating this interpretation. The first
edition, published in 1978, has served the industry well, but had its limitations, such as the
absence of a diagnosis in some cases, the absence of concentration levels and the fact that it
was based mainly on experience gained from power transformers. The second edition
attempted to address some of these shortcomings. Interpretation schemes were based on
observations made after inspection of a large number of faulty oil-filled equipment in service
and concentrations levels deduced from analyses collected worldwide.

– 8 – IEC 60599:2015 © IEC 2015
MINERAL OIL-FILLED ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
IN SERVICE – GUIDANCE ON THE INTERPRETATION
OF DISSOLVED AND FREE GASES ANALYSIS

1 Scope
This International Standard describes how the concentrations of dissolved gases or free
gases may be interpreted to diagnose the condition of oil-filled electrical equipment in service
and suggest future action.
This standard is applicable to electrical equipment filled with mineral insulating oil and
insulated with cellulosic paper or pressboard-based solid insulation. Information about
specific types of equipment such as transformers (power, instrument, industrial, railways,
distribution), reactors, bushings, switchgear and oil-filled cables is given only as an indication
in the application notes (see Annex A).
This standard may be applied, but only with caution, to other liquid-solid insulating systems.
In any case, the indications obtained should be viewed only as guidance and any resulting
action should be undertaken only with proper engineering judgment.
2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and
are indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any
amendments) applies.
IEC 60050-191:1990, International Electrotechnical Vocabulary – Chapter 191: Dependability
and quality of service (available at http://www.electropedia.org)
IEC 60050-192:2015, International Electrotechnical Vocabulary – Part 192: Dependability
(available at http://www.electropedia.org)
IEC 60050-212:2010, International Electrotechnical Vocabulary – Part 212: Electrical
insulating solids, liquids and gases (available at http://www.electropedia.org)
IEC 60050-604:1987, International Electrotechnical Vocabulary – Chapter 604: Generation,
transmission and distribution of electricity – Operation (available at
http://www.electropedia.org)
IEC 60475, Method of sampling insulating liquids
IEC 60567:2011, Oil-filled electrical equipment – Sampling of gases and analysis of free and
dissolved gases – Guidance
IEC 61198, Mineral insulating oils – Methods for the determination of 2-furfural and related
compounds
IEC 60599:2015 © IEC 2015 – 9 –
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviations
3.1 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions, some of which are
based on IEC 60050-191, IEC 60050-192, IEC 60050-212 and IEC 60050-604, apply.
3.1.1
fault
unplanned occurrence or defect in an item which may result in one or more failures of the item
itself or of other associated equipment
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-604:1987, 604-02-01]
3.1.2
non-damage fault
fault which does not involve repair or replacement action at the point of the fault
Note 1 to entry: Typical examples are self-extinguishing arcs in switching equipment or general overheating
without paper carbonization or stray gassing of oil.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-604:1987, 604-02-09]
3.1.3
damage fault
fault that involves repair or replacement action at the point of the fault
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-604:1987, 604-02-08]
3.1.4
incident
event of external or internal origin, affecting equipment or the supply system and which
disturbs its normal operation
Note 1 to entry: For the purposes of the present standard “incidents” are related to internal faults.
Note 2 to entry: For the purposes of the present standard typical examples of “incidents” are gas alarms,
equipment tripping or equipment leakage.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-604:1987, 604-02-03]
3.1.5
failure
loss of ability to perform as required
Note 1 to entry: In electrical equipment, failure will result from a damage fault or incident necessitating outage,
repair or replacement of the equipment, such as internal breakdown, rupture of tank, fire or explosion.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-192:2015, 192-03-01]
3.1.6
electrical fault
partial or disruptive discharge through the insulation
3.1.7
partial discharge
electric discharge that only partially bridges the insulation between conductors
Note 1 to entry: A partial discharge may occur inside the insulation or adjacent to a conductor.

– 10 – IEC 60599:2015 © IEC 2015
Note 2 to entry: Scintillations of low energy on the surface of insulating materials are often described as partial
discharges but should rather be considered as disruptive discharges of low energy, since they are the result of
local dielectric breakdowns of high ionization density, or small arcs, according to the conventions of physics.
Note 3 to entry: For the purposes of this standard the following consideration may also be added:
– Corona is a form of partial discharge that occurs in gaseous media around conductors that are remote from
solid or liquid insulation. This term shall not be used as a general term for all forms of partial discharges
– As a result of corona discharges, X-wax, a solid material consisting of polymerized fragments of the molecules
of the original liquid, can be formed.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-212:2010, 212-11-39]
3.1.8
discharge (disruptive)
passage of an arc following the breakdown
Note 1 to entry: The term "sparkover" (in French: "amorçage") is used when a disruptive discharge occurs in a
gaseous or liquid dielectric.
The term "flashover" (in French: "contournement") is used when a disruptive discharge occurs over the surface of a
solid dielectric surrounded by a gaseous or liquid medium.
The term "puncture" (in French: "perforation") is used when a disruptive discharge occurs through a solid dielectric.
Note 2 to entry: Discharges are often described as arcing, breakdown or short circuits. The following other
specific terms are also used in some countries:
– tracking (the progressive degradation of the surface of solid insulation by local discharges to form conducting
or partially conducting paths);
– sparking discharges that, in the conventions of physics, are local dielectric breakdowns of high ionization
density or small arcs.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-604:1987, 604-03-38]
3.1.9
thermal fault
excessive temperature rise in the insulation
Note 1 to entry: Typical causes are
– insufficient cooling;
– excessive currents circulating in adjacent metal parts (as a result of bad contacts, eddy currents, stray losses
or leakage flux);
– excessive currents circulating through the insulation (as a result of high dielectric losses), leading to a thermal
runaway;
– overheating of internal winding or bushing connection lead;
– overloading.
3.1.10
typical values of gas concentrations
gas concentrations normally found in the equipment in service that have no symptoms of
failure, and that are exceeded by only an arbitrary percentage of higher gas contents (for
example 10 % (see 8.2.1))
Note 1 to entry: Typical values will differ in different types of equipment and in different networks, depending on
operating practices (load levels, climate, etc.).
Note 2 to entry: Typical values, in many countries and by many users, are quoted as "normal values", but this
term has not been used here to avoid possible misinterpretations.

IEC 60599:2015 © IEC 2015 – 11 –
3.2 Abbreviations
3.2.1 Chemical names and formulae
Name Formula
Nitrogen N
Oxygen O
Hydrogen H
Carbon monoxide CO
Carbon dioxide CO
Methane CH
Ethane C H
2 6
Ethylene C H
2 4
Acetylene C H
2 2
NOTE Acetylene and ethyne are both used for C H ; ethylene and ethene are both used for C H
2 2 2 4
3.2.2 General abbreviations
D1 discharges of low energy
D2 discharges of high energy
DGA: dissolved gas analysis
CIGRE Conseil International des Grands Réseaux Électriques
PD corona partial discharges
S analytical detection limit
T1 thermal fault, t <300 °C
T2 thermal fault, 300 °C T3 thermal fault, t >700 °C
T thermal fault
D electrical fault
TP thermal fault in paper
ppm parts per million by volume of gas in oil, equivalent to µl(of gas)/l(of oil). See
IEC 60567:2011, 8.7, note 1.
OLTC on load tap changer
4 Mechanisms of gas formation
4.1 Decomposition of oil
Mineral insulating oils are made of a blend of different hydrocarbon molecules containing CH ,
CH and CH chemical groups linked together by carbon-carbon molecular bonds.
Scission of some of the C-H and C-C bonds may occur as a result of electrical and thermal
faults, with the formation of small unstable fragments, in radical or ionic form, such as
• •
• • •
H , CH , CH , CH or C (among many other more complex forms), which recombine rapidly,
3 2
through complex reactions, into gas molecules such as hydrogen (H-H), methane (CH -H),
ethane (CH -CH ), ethylene (CH = CH ) or acetylene (CH ≡ CH). C and C hydrocarbon
3 3 2 2 3 4
gases, as well as solid particles of carbon and hydrocarbon polymers (X-wax), are other
possible recombination products. The gases formed dissolve in oil, or accumulate as free
gases if produced rapidly in large quantities, and may be analysed by DGA according to
IEC 60567.
– 12 – IEC 60599:2015 © IEC 2015
Low-energy faults, such as partial discharges of the cold plasma type (corona discharges),
favour the scission of the weakest C-H bonds (338 kJ/mol) through ionization reactions and
the accumulation of hydrogen as the main recombination gas. More and more energy and/or
higher temperatures are needed for the scission of the C-C bonds and their recombination
into gases with a C-C single bond (607 kJ/mol), C=C double bond (720 kJ/mol) or C≡C triple
bond (960 kJ/mol), following processes bearing some similarities with those observed in the
petroleum oil-cracking industry.
Ethylene is thus favoured over ethane and methane above temperatures of approximately
500 °C (although still present in lower quantities below). Acetylene requires temperatures of
at least 800 °C to 1 200 °C, and a rapid quenching to lower temperatures, in order to
accumulate as a stable recombination product. Acetylene is thus formed in significant
quantities mainly in arcs, where the conductive ionized channel is at several thousands of
degrees Celsius, and the interface with the surrounding liquid oil necessarily below 400 °C
(above which oil vaporizes completely), with a layer of oil vapour/decomposition gases in
between. Acetylene may still be formed at lower temperatures (<800 °C), but in very minor
quantities. Carbon particles form at 500 °C to 800 °C and are indeed observed after arcing in
oil or around very hot spots.
Oil may oxidize with the formation of small quantities of CO and CO , which can accumulate
over long periods of time into more substantial amounts.
4.2 Decomposition of cellulosic insulation
The polymeric chains of solid cellulosic insulation (paper, pressboard, wood blocks) contain a
large number of anhydroglucose rings, and weak C-O molecular bonds and glycosidic bonds
which are thermally less stable than the hydrocarbon bonds in oil, and which decompose at
lower temperatures. Significant rates of polymer chain scission occur at temperatures higher
than 105 °C, with complete decomposition and carbonization above 300 °C (damage fault).
Carbon monoxide and dioxide, as well as water, is formed, together with minor amounts of
hydrocarbon gases, furanic and other compounds. Furanic compounds are analysed
according to IEC 61198, and used to complement DGA interpretation and confirm whether or
not cellulosic insulation is involved in a fault. CO and CO formation increases not only with
temperature but also with the oxygen content of oil and the moisture content of paper.
4.3 Stray gassing of oil
Stray gassing of oil has been defined by CIGRE [6] as the formation of gases in oil heated to
moderate temperatures (<200 °C). H , CH and C H may be formed in all equipment at such
2 4 2 6
temperatures or as a result of oil oxidation, depending on oil chemical structure. Stray
gassing is a non-damage fault. It can be evaluated using methods described in reference [6]
and [12].
NOTE Stray gassing of oil has been observed in some cases to be enhanced by the presence in oil of a metal
passivator or other additives.
4.4 Other sources of gas
Gases may be generated in some cases not as a result of faults in the equipment, but through
rusting or other chemical reactions involving steel, uncoated surfaces or protective paints.
Hydrogen may be produced by reaction of steel and galvanized steel with water, as long as
oxygen is available from the oil nearby. Large quantities of hydrogen have thus been reported
in some transformers that had never been energized. Hydrogen may also be formed by
reaction of free water with special coatings on metal surfaces, or by catalytic reaction of some
types of stainless steel with oil, in particular oil containing dissolved oxygen at elevated
temperatures. Hydrogen, acetylene and other gases may also be formed in new stainless
steel, absorbed during its manufacturing process, or produced by welding, and released
___________
Numbers in square brackets refer to the Bibliography.

IEC 60599:2015 © IEC 2015 – 13 –
slowly into the oil. Internal transformer paints, such as alkyd resins and modified
polyurethanes containing fatty acids in their formulation, may also form gases.
Gases may also be produced, and oxygen consumed, by exposure of oil to sunlight.
These occurrences, however, are very unusual, and can be detected by performing DGA
analyses on new equipment which has never been energized, and by material compatibility
tests. The presence of hydrogen with the total absence of other hydrocarbon gases, for
example, may be an indication of such a problem.
NOTE The case of gases formed at a previous fault and remnant in the transformer is dealt with in 5.4.
5 Identification of faults
5.1 General
Any gas formation in service, be it minimal, results from a stress of some kind, even if it is a
very mild one, like normal temperature ageing. However, as long as gas concentration is
below typical values and not significantly increasing, it should not be considered as an
indication of a "fault", but rather as the result of typical gas formation (see Figure 1). Typical
values are specific for each kind of equipment.
5.2 Dissolved gas compositions
Although the formation of some gases is favoured, depending on the temperature reached or
the energy contained in a fault (see 4.1), in practice mixtures of gases are almost always
obtained. One reason is thermodynamic: although not favoured, secondary gases are still
formed, albeit in minor quantities. Existing thermodynamic models derived from the petroleum
industry, however, cannot predict accurately the gas compositions formed, because they
correspond to ideal gas/temperature equilibria that do not exist in actual faults. Large
temperature gradients also occur in practice, for instance as a result of oil flow or vaporization
along a hot surface. This is particularly true in the case of arcs with power follow-through,
which transfer a lot of heat to the oil vapour/decomposition gas layer between the arc and the
oil, probably explaining the increasing formation of ethylene observed in addition to acetylene.
In addition, existing thermodynamic models do not apply to paper that turns irreversibly to
carbon above 300 °C.
5.3 Types of faults
Internal inspection of hundreds of faulty equipment has led to the following broad classes of
visually detectable faults:
– partial discharges (PD) of the cold plasma (corona) type, resulting in possible X-wax
deposition on paper insulation;
– discharges of low energy (D1), in oil or/and paper, evidenced by larger carbonized
perforations through paper (punctures), carbonization of the paper surface (tracking) or
carbon particles in oil (as in tap changer diverter operation); also, partial discharges of the
sparking type, inducing pinhole, carbonized perforations (punctures) in paper, which,
however, may not be easy to find;
– discharges of high energy (D2), in oil or/and paper, with power follow-through, evidenced
by extensive destruction and carbonization of paper, metal fusion at the discharge
extremities, extensive carbonization in oil and, in some cases, tripping of the equipment,
confirming the large current follow-through;
– thermal faults, in oil or/and paper, below 300 °C if the paper has turned brownish (T1), and
above 300 °C if it has carbonized (T2);
– thermal faults of temperatures above 700 °C (T3) if there is strong evidence of
carbonization of the oil, metal coloration (800 °C) or metal fusion (>1 000 °C).

– 14 – IEC 60599:2015 © IEC 2015
5.4 Basic gas ratios
Each of the six broad classes of faults leads to a characteristic pattern of hydrocarbon gas
composition, which can be translated into a DGA interpretation table, such as the one
recommended in Table 1 and based on the use of three basic gas ratios:
C H CH C H
2 2 4 2 4
C H H C H
2 4 2 2 6
Table 1 applies to all types of equipment, with a few differences in gas ratio limits depending
on the specific type of equipment.
Table 1 – DGA interpretation table
Case Characteristic fault
C H CH C H
2 2 4 2 4
C H H C H
2 4 2 2 6
a
PD Partial discharges (see notes 3 and 4) NS <0,1 <0,2
D1
Discharges of low energy >1 0,1 – 0,5 >1
D2 Discharges of high energy 0,6 – 2,5 0,1 – 1
>2
a
a
T1 NS
Thermal fault t <300 °C >1 but NS <1
T2 1 – 4
Thermal fault 300 °C < t <700 °C <0,1 >1
b
T3 Thermal fault t >700 °C <0,2 >1 >4
NOTE 1 In some countries, the ratio C H /C H is used, rather than the ratio CH /H . Also in some countries,
2 2 2 6 4 2
slightly different ratio limits are used.
NOTE 2 Conditions for calculating gas ratios are indicated in 6.1 c).
NOTE 3 CH /H <0,2 for partial discharges in instrument transformers. CH /H <0,07 for partial discharges in
4 2 4 2
bushings.
NOTE 4 Gas decomposition patterns similar to partial discharges have been reported as a result of stray
gassing of oil (see 4.3).
a
NS = Non-significant whatever the value.
b
An increasing value of the amount of C H may indicate that the hot spot temperature is higher than
2 2
1 000 °C.
Typical examples of faults in the various types of equipment (power transformers, instrument
transformers, etc.), corresponding to the six cases of Table 1, may be found in Tables A.1,
A.5, A.8 and A.12.
Some overlap between faults D1 and D2 is apparent in Table 1, meaning that a dual
attribution of D1 or D2 must be given in some cases of DGA results. The distinction between
D1 and D2 has been kept, however, as the amount of energy in the discharg
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