A transformer's dielectric oil is much more than insulation and coolant: it is a chemical record of what happens inside. Reading it correctly lets you detect incipient faults — overheating, arcing, partial discharge — while the equipment keeps running, weeks or months before they show as a visible failure.
Dissolved gas analysis (DGA) quantifies the gases the insulation generates under stress: hydrogen, methane, ethylene, acetylene, carbon monoxide and dioxide. Each fault type leaves a distinct signature, interpreted with key gas, Doernenburg and Rogers ratios and the Duval triangle, under IEEE C57.104 and IEC 60599.
Acetylene signals high-energy arcing; hydrogen with methane, partial discharge; ethylene, severe overheating. But the absolute value matters less than the trend: an increasing gas generation rate (ppm/day) is the real alarm.
The physicochemical analysis complements DGA: dielectric strength, moisture, acidity, interfacial tension and color tell whether the oil needs filtering, regeneration or replacement.
At TEVKO we don't just deliver numbers: we sample with a protocol that avoids contamination, interpret against the asset's history and recommend action — monitor, reduce load, schedule an internal inspection. The trend, not a single value, drives the decision.