Buchholz relay on oil transformer with conservator

The Buchholz relay has two oil-filled chambers with floats and relays arranged vertically one over the other. If high eddy currents, local overheating, or partial discharges occur within the tank, bubbles of resultant gas rise to the top of the tank. These rise through the pipe between the tank and the conservator. As gas bubbles migrate along the pipe, they enter the Buchholz relay and rise into the top chamber.

As gas builds up inside the chamber, it displaces the oil, decreasing the level. The top float descends with oil level until it passes a magnetic switch which activates an alarm. The bottom float and relay cannot be activated by additional gas buildup. The float is located slightly below the top of the pipe so that once the top chamber is filled, additional gas goes into the pipe and on up to the conservator. Typically, inspection windows are provided so that the amount of gas and relay operation may be viewed during testing.

If the oil level falls low enough (conservator empty), switch contacts in the bottom chamber are activated by the bottom float.

These contacts are typically connected to cause the transformer to trip. This relay also serves a third function, similar to the sudden pressure relay.

A magnetically held paddle attached to the bottom float is positioned in the oil-flow stream between the conservator and transformer tank. Normal flows resulting from temperature changes are small and bypass below the paddle. If a fault occurs in the transformer, a pressure wave (surge) is created in the oil. This surge travels through the pipe and displaces the paddle. The paddle activates the same magnetic switch as the bottom float mentioned above, tripping the transformer.

The flow rate at which the paddle activates the relay is normally adjustable. See your specific transformer instruction manual for details.