The Kunlun Lubricants Transformer Oil Project won the First Prize of the 2022 Gansu Province Science and Technology Progress Awards.

Recently, the Gansu Provincial Department of Science and Technology announced the projects for the 2022 Gansu Provincial Science and Technology Awards. The “Development and Application of a Series of High-End Transformer Oil Products” project of PetroChina Lubricant Company’s Lanzhou Lubricant Research and Development Center won the First Prize of the Science and Technology Progress Award.
This project addresses the domestic production challenges for transformer oils supporting China’s Belt and Road export power transformers, as well as the demand for transformer oils for world-class power transmission projects such as ultra-high-voltage and flexible direct-current transmission. It developed a series of transformer oil performance evaluation methods compatible with ultra-high-voltage operating conditions. By studying the effects of base oil composition and additive formulations on transformer oil performance, it was the first in China and abroad to propose the ideal component compositions of different transformer oils and the hydrogen generation mechanism of metal passivators, thereby addressing the shortcomings of transformer oils, including poor oxidation resistance, high gas generation rates, and failure to meet international standards.
Invented the technology for transformer oil without antioxidants, breaking through the domestic technical barriers of the past 20 years. Developed Petro45U, breaking the international monopoly, and extensively replacing imported products as supporting oil for export transformers. Discovered the synergistic effects among aromatic hydrocarbons with different structures, developed a new generation of anti-gassing agent at an internationally leading level, and developed transformer oil that complies with both IEC and ASTM standards, filling an international gap. Developed an evaluation method for assessing the performance of DC transformer oil under ultra-high-voltage operating conditions, independently developed a new-generation production technology for high-end DC transformer oil, and formulated for the first time the “Quality of Operating Oil for Converter Transformers in Ultra-High-Voltage Direct-Current Transmission,” providing important guidance and standards for the highly reliable operation of world-class power transmission projects.
The series of naphthenic transformer oil products developed for this project have all passed evaluation and certification by DOBLE, SIEMENS, and ABB. The products have been successively used in world-class power transmission projects, including the key supporting project for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics—the ±500 kV “Zhangbei” renewable energy flexible DC power grid test and demonstration project; the “Liuzhou–Kunming–Longmen” ±800 kV ultra-high-voltage multi-terminal flexible DC project; Pakistan’s “Matiari–Lahore” ±660 kV high-voltage direct-current transmission project; and Turkey’s Van ±500 kV high-voltage direct-current interconnection project. They have also been exported to Pakistan, the Philippines, Greece, and other countries as supporting oil for export products supplied by major domestic transformer manufacturers and joint-venture transformer manufacturers.
The project achievements of “Development and Application of High-End Transformer Oil Series Products” have consolidated Kunlun Lubricants’ dominant position in the domestic high-end market for transformer oil, provided strong support for China’s energy transition, green development, and national energy security strategy, and offered robust backing for the development of China’s transformer manufacturing industry, the construction of UHV power transmission projects, and the implementation of China State Grid Corporation and transformer manufacturers’ initiatives to respond to the Belt and Road Initiative and increase their export share.