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Home/Products & Services/... /All Applications/Dielectric Fluids/FR3 Natural Ester Fluid/Why FR3 Fluid/Cost Savings
  • FR3 Natural Ester Fluid
    • Why FR3 Fluid
      • Cost Savings
      • Grid Resiliency
      • Superior Performance
      • Fire Safety
      • Better for the Planet
    • Validation
    • FR3 Fluid Applications
      • Power Transmission & Distribution
      • Solar Power
      • Wind Power
      • Retrofilling
    • FR3 Fluid Technical Details
    • Resources
      • Extended Life Cost Savings Calculator
      • SKU Reduction Calculator
      • Higher Thermal Capacity Graph
      • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
      • Transformer Dielectric Fluid Comparison
      • Who Counts on You Video
    • Contact Us
    • Find FR3 Fluid
 

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.

Talk with an Expert

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.

  • Grid Resiliency
  • Effective Design
  • Fire Safety
  • Better for the Planet

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.

Effective transformer and fleet design

A transformer designed to run with FR3 natural ester dielectric fluid can be more compact than a mineral-oil-filled equivalent. In addition, the resiliency of a grid with FR3-fluid-filled transformers can allow you to have fewer, more load-flexible transformers in your inventory. All of this can mean savings related to:

  • Reduced materials in transformer construction (e.g., steel, copper, insulating fluid, cables, and wires).
  • Reduced total dissipated energy due to lower no-load losses.
  • Smaller substation footprint.
  • Easier, less expensive transport.
  • Optimized design for weight management for pole transformers or transformers in heights (as on wind turbines and offshore).
  • More efficient use of space, with a smaller transformer with higher load capacity.
  • Optimized inventory management, freeing up working capital.
  • Reduced liability reserves and insurance premiums.

Get details of our cost comparison study involving an FR3-fluid-filled 100MVA, 230kVA-69kVA transformer and its mineral-oil-filled equivalent.

Use our extended life cost savings calculator and SKU reduction calculator to estimate possible savings when using FR3 fluid instead of mineral oil.

Significantly improved fire safety

FR3 fluid, with flash and fire points more than two times those of mineral oil, offers better fire safety than most other fire-resistant insulating oils in the market today. Of course, fewer catastrophic failures involving explosions and fires result in less damage to equipment and people. But using FR3 fluid pays in other ways. Since FR3 fluid demonstrates self-extinguishing characteristics, indoor installations don’t require sprinkler systems or vaults. And installations won’t require fire walls, or complex fire suppression and containment systems. All this can mean savings related to:

  • Highly simplified or eliminated fire mitigation systems.
  • Diminished maintenance costs for fire mitigation systems.
  • Simpler containment systems.
  • More compact installation design with reduced clearance, for more efficient use of space.

Reduced environmental impact

Unlike mineral oil, FR3 fluid is biobased. It is biodegradable and nontoxic in soil and water, and will biodegrade in less than 28 days.1 With a viscosity higher than that of mineral oil, it won’t reach ground water as quickly as mineral oil will—if at all—in case of a leak or spill. These characteristics can allow for less complex and extensive containment systems, and much less expensive spill remediation. In fact, bioremediation (with active yeast and water, for example) can often be adequate in case of a ground spill of FR3 fluid. All this can mean savings related to:

  • Highly simplified containment systems.
  • Spill remediation, which for mineral oil spills can require excavation, the replacement of contaminated soil with clean soil, and replanting of indigenous plants.
  • Public relations/reputation management

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.

Calculate

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.

Calculate

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.

Explore


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.

Read

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.

Read

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.

Read

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.

The products and services described on this website may not be available in all jurisdictions or to all persons.

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