Eletricity flow through oil

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#1 21672513 08 Oct 2014 05:28

jason poynton jason poynton

Anonymous

Post #1
21672513 08 Oct 2014 05:28

Hi All

Delited to join this forum
Had a situation today while working on a machine, found a junction box on the side of a 410 volt motor to be completely full of gear oil across the 3 phases when I opened up the cover,
My question is why did this not trip a breaker, is oil not conductive?

Thanks
Jay
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#2 21672514 08 Oct 2014 13:38

Ruben Proost Ruben Proost

Anonymous

Post #2
21672514 08 Oct 2014 13:38

Indeed, oil (with the exception of graphite oil) does not conduct electricity. It is often used to cool high power transformers.
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#3 21672515 15 Oct 2014 00:50

avon ampo avon ampo

Anonymous

Post #3
21672515 15 Oct 2014 00:50

Oil cannot conduct electricity. A fluid can become a conductor if it carries ions with it or would break down into ions like electrolytes. Oil is composed of hydrocarbons which do not break down into ions. Unlike other fluids, let's say water, which breaks into H+ and OH-.
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#4 21672516 23 Oct 2014 18:43

Sardiah Mae Mocorro Sardiah Mae Mocorro

Anonymous

Post #4
21672516 23 Oct 2014 18:43

Hi Jason,

Oil is a dielectric material resisting the flow of electricity. In a bigger scale, oil (specifically mineral oil) is used extensively inside electrical transformers to assist in cooling as a fluid dielectric.
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#5 21672517 24 Oct 2014 22:16

Mark Monsour Baulo Mark Monsour Baulo

Anonymous

Post #5
21672517 24 Oct 2014 22:16

You might find "THIS":https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DDW3RYVjko interesting...

Not just in high powered tools, there are other uses for oil in electronics. On the video I linked, the Motehrboard of the PC is submerged in temperature controlled Oil to serve as the coolant for the system.
#6 21672518 26 Oct 2014 06:02

Niteesh Shanbog Niteesh Shanbog

Anonymous

Post #6
21672518 26 Oct 2014 06:02

Oil is made of hydrocarbons which do not break down into ions as it is covalent.Therefore oil cannot conduct electricity.
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