Dielectric response of oil-impregnated cellulose from 0.1 mHz to 3 MHz

Pressboard and Kraft paper with and without moisture, with and without added acids have been tested with frequency domain spectroscopy up to 1 kHz. Kraft paper with three moisture levels has also been tested at various ageing levels. Moisture and low-molecular carboxylic acids cause shifts in the permittivity vs. frequency curves. In addition, in paper but not pressboard, moisture is associated with an extra relaxation in the low-frequency part. High-molecular carboxylic acids have little effect on the permittivity. The same is the case for reduction in chain length of the cellulose polymer. The method should be useful as a non-invasive field test method for destructive agents in transformers, but not for the ageing (chain scission) itself. The measurements up to 3 MHz are so far inconclusive, but have yielded a few results that blend in well with the measurements below 1 kHz.