Tata Power installs India's first natural ester filled transformers in Mumbai

As a part of its sustainability initiative, Tata Power, in partnership with Cargill and Schneider Electric, has installed two of India's first 25 MVA natural ester filled transformers in Mumbai.
 
Use of natural ester in transformers sets a new industry paradigm for the power sector across the country. Tata Power selected Cargill's Envirotemp FR3 fluid (the most widely used natural ester fluid) and Schneider Electric (specialist in energy management and automation) for its transformers. FR3 fluid provides improved fire safety, extended transformer life and additional loading capacity with a smaller footprint.
 
Natural esters fluids have a high fire point (360 degree Celsius) and reduces risk of fires in the electrical installation. In comparison to the conventional mineral oil filled transformers, this fluid provides improved fire safety for the densely populated areas within Tata Power's service area. The fluid is made from a carbon neutral renewable resource and is biodegradable, non-toxic and non-hazardous is soil and water.
 
  "We plan to refine the design to further decrease the footprint and improve performance. This could change the landscape of the power industry in India and create a new paradigm that can be adopted successfully anywhere in the world," commented Ashok Sethi, ED & COO, Tata Power.
 
Siraj Chaudhry, chairman, Cargill India, said, "Natural ester technology offers a number of important advantages over mineral oil. We are proud to collaborate with Tata Power for implementing this technology for the first time in India."
 
Prakash Chandraker, MD, Schneider Electric Infrastructure Ltd, added, "We are proud of our association with Tata Power and are privileged to have been able partner with one of the leading power companies of India to execute a first in India solution that brings a new meaning to the phrase 24/7 power."
 
Tata Power began working with Cargill's dielectric fluid team on a prototype in 2013 for a compact 25 MVA transformer filled with FR3 fluid, which would be comparable in size to a 20 MVA mineral oil filled transformer. The eventual transformer design provides increased capacity by 8 MVA, while reducing the footprint by 17 percent; it yields cost-saving of about 16 percent and reduces noise level from 73 decibels to 59 decibels, claims Tata Power press release.