Designed to deliver value
Insulating oil is only a small part of what goes into a power or distribution transformer—in terms of materials and cost. But its performance impact is far from insignificant. What you put into your transformer as part of its insulating system can affect not only the kind of service you provide to your communities, but also the value it returns to your business.
Switching from mineral oil to FR3® fluid can bring greater value to your business. Get FR3 fluid details.
Better and more reliable performance. Cost efficiencies. The real deal.
Mineral oil has been the standard go-to dielectric insulating oil for more than 120 years—probably because the alternatives were not good enough. But mineral oil wasn’t designed to do all that today’s transformers have to do, and so it wasn’t designed to provide what today’s businesses, utilities, and communities need:
Exceptional fire safety. Optimized and flexible load capacity. Reliable performance in all climates. Sustainability and biodegradability. Longer insulation and asset life. |
More efficient and smaller design. Minimized maintenance and spill remediation costs. Fewer transformer replacements. Streamlined asset inventory. Sustainable supply chain. |
More than 20 years ago, we developed FR3 natural ester dielectric insulating oil specifically to deliver a safer, robust, reliable, efficient, better-for-the-earth, and cost-effective alternative to mineral oil. If you haven’t yet taken advantage of all the benefits, now’s your time.
The many ways FR3 fluid pays
Increased grid reliability, more effective transformer and fleet design, significantly improved fire safety, and minimized environmental impact come together to create tangible business value.
Increased grid resiliency
FR3 fluid extends the life of a transformer’s solid insulation system, including retrofilled transformers, anywhere from five to eight times (depending on the paper insulation used) compared to mineral oil due to its superior performance. FR3 fluid’s unique chemical properties allow FR3-fluid-filled transformers to run up to 20°C hotter and with a 20% increased load capacity compared to mineral oil. All of this can mean savings related to:
- Increased replacement cycles time, thus cutting the number of times you need to replace an asset.
- Reduced processing maintenance costs (since FR3 fluid doesn’t produce sludge).
- Reduced dehydrating maintenance costs.
- Reduced outages due to reduced risk of dielectric failure.
Interact with our higher thermal capacity graph to see how FR3 fluid beats mineral oil when it comes to increased load capacity and longer asset life.
Use our extended life cost savings calculator to estimate extended asset life expectancy and cost savings you can expect from using FR3 fluid instead of mineral oil.
Calculate for yourself
Our interactive tools provide more concrete ways to estimate the potential cost savings and efficiencies of using FR3 fluid. For more precise estimates, contact us.
Extended life cost savings calculator
Calculate the estimated extended transformer life expectancy and cost savings you’ll get by switching from mineral oil to FR3 fluid.
SKU reduction calculator
Calculate the possible reduction of transformer SKUs in your inventory and lower total investment in transformers purchasing due to the flexible load capacity of transformers filled with FR3 fluid.
Higher thermal capacity graph
Explore the relationship between hot spot temperature and asset life for both FR3 fluid and mineral oil, and see the advantages of FR3 fluid.
Related Resources
Increased Load-Capacity Benefits in Distribution Transformers
See how the expanded thermal capability of an FR3-fluid-filled transformer can lead to economic savings and other benefits for utilities.
Potential Benefits of Cargill FR3 Fluid Filled Transformers Expanded Capability for a MV Substation Design
Compare designs for two MV substations: one with mineral-oil-filled transformers and one with FR3-fluid-filled transformers to see FR3 fluid advantages.
Potential Benefits of Cargill FR3 Fluid Filled Transformers Expanded Capability for a LV System Design
Get details about design considerations for typical low voltage systems, and how using FR3 fluid as the insulating fluid creates new possibilities.
1. FR3 fluid is “readily biodegradable” according to Environmental Protection Agency OECD 301 B and OPPTS 835.3110, as well as “ultimately biodegradable” according to OPPTS 835.3110. It is nontoxic and nonhazardous in soil and water according to OECD oral and aquatic toxicity tests.
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