Virginia Transformer Ships Record-Breaking 168 MVA Transformer with FR3
It’s always exciting and a great source of pride to break a record, but it’s a real adrenaline rush when you succeed in breaking the same record even further! Last year, we delivered a 150 MVA transformer with FR3 fluid which was the largest such unit in the US, and just recently, we outdid ourselves by shipping an even larger 168 MVA; 138-34.5kV (550 BIL) transformer with FR3 fluid!
FR3 is a natural ester fluid that’s a derivative of vegetable oils. The eco-friendly fluid, designated as ultimately biodegradable by the EPA, maintains dielectric strength at low temperatures, and serves as an alternative to mineral oil which is commonly used in power transformers. The electrical and thermal design considerations for FR3 require deep design and manufacturing expertise.
Both the 150 MVA and 168 MVA transformers with FR3 fluid are being used to move energy for projects involving large data centers which are critical assets of today’s digital infrastructure. The application requirements of data centers are demanding and must be designed to achieve high-efficiency (to drive low PUE ratio), monitoring capability at DCIM level, zero downtime, low sound, and to be “green” (environmentally-friendly) and fire-retardant.
With FR3, BIL can be more critical than MVA. We have built transformers with a maximum of 750 BIL so far, and have completed analysis for 900 BIL in major – minor and bulk oil clearances. We continue to advance our technology further for higher BILs.
Virginia Transformer Corp (VTC) is a leading supplier of power transformers to the data center market segment and is committed to continue our pursuit in designing the perfect transformer.
Congratulations to all our employees who helped make this specific project a spectacular success!!!
