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Home / Technical Articles / Troubleshooting Buchholz relay and recommended actions when it operates

Buchholz relay operation

This technical article provides guidance on the possible causes of Buchholz relay operation and recommends actions following the receipt of a Buchholz surge trip or gas collection alarm. It covers both operational situations and situations that arise during the commissioning of new transformers.

Troubleshooting Buchholz relay and recommended actions when it operates
Troubleshooting Buchholz relay and recommended actions when it operates (on photo: The Buchholz-relay, mounted between the transformer and conservator tank; credit: www.oil-fuelconsultancy.nl)

Buchholz relays installed on the transformer main tank have two elements: Gas Collection and oil surge element described in more detail below. We will also try to investigate possible reasons for the operation of both elements.

Table of Contents:

  1. Gas Collection Element
  2. Oil Surge Element
  3. Possible Reasons for Operation of the Gas Collection Element
    1. Low Oil Level
    2. Partial Discharge (Sparking) within the Transformer
    3. Overheating
    4. Air Trapped in the Transformer Following Oil Handling
    5. Air Entering the Transformer from Outside
    6. Vibration or Shock
    7. Light Current Faults
  4. Possible Reasons for Operation of the Oil Surge Element
    1. Electrical Breakdown
    2. Low Oil Level
    3. Pump Operation
    4. Buchholz Mounted Incorrectly
    5. Vibration and Shock
  5. Actions to be Taken Following a Buchholz Alarm or Trip Operation
    1. Buchholz Alarm
    2. Buchholz Trip or Once the Transformer is De-Energized Following a Gas Alarm

1. Gas Collection Element

The gas collection element collects any gas escaping from the transformer and closes a contact when the gas volume reaches a certain limit. If gas continues to be produced after this limit is reached, it will escape out of the relay into the conservator and no further operation will take place.

The transformer must be carefully designed to avoid any internal pockets where gas can collect so that any gas bubbles will rise through the pipework to be collected in the relay.

The gas collection element operates when a certain volume of gas is collected. Therefore it gives no direct indication of the rate of gas production.

Gas Collection Element
Figure 1 – Gas Collection Element

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2. Oil Surge Element

Primarily, this element is pre-set to operate and close contact at a certain oil velocity through the relay. This will correspond to the oil flow expected during an arcing fault where oil surges from the main tank towards the conservator.

However, this element will not operate on the gas collection because the relay is designed to accumulate only a set volume of gas before allowing all excess gas to pass on to the conservator. This releases the excess gas before it can reach the level of the surge element float, allowing an oil surge event to be discriminated from a gas collection event.

Secondly, if for any reason the oil level in the relay should drop (for example if the oil is escaping from the transformer and the oil level drops below the level of the relay), then this element will also operate.

Pressure relief device
Figure 2 – Pressure relief device

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3. Possible Reasons for Operation of the Gas Collection Element

If gas is actually found in the relay following an indicated operation, then the following possible causes need to be considered.


3.1 Low Oil Level

If the oil level has dropped below the Buchholz relay, then first the alarm and then the trip elements will operate. This condition will also be confirmed by the oil level indicator on the conservator. Care needs to be taken to ensure that a residual mark on the sight glass is not obscuring the fact that the oil level has actually dropped.

Low oil level must be investigated to determine the cause. A low oil level alarm commonly manifests as the combination of two effects; a slow oil leak causing subtle diminution of the oil level, together with an unusually low ambient temperature.

However, it is possible that oil has escaped from explosion vents or damage to the tank following a major internal failure. The latter possibilities should be investigated before concluding that a benign slow leak is a cause.

Gas collecting device mounting sketch
Figure 3 – Gas collecting device mounting sketch (drawing credit: cedaspe.com)

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3.2 Partial Discharge (Sparking) within the Transformer

The energy released from electrical discharges in the oil, causes the oil to decompose into hydrocarbon gases. Normally these gases are absorbed into the oil, but if the activity is severe then these gases can form bubbles.

Further Reading – Power transformer testing procedures and schemes

Power transformer testing procedures and schemes

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3.3 Overheating

Overheating of the windings, either caused by an internal fault or overloading, can lead to the decomposition of the oil and gas production. Overheating of steel parts is possible as a result of overfluxing either from an excessive voltage or geomagnetically induced DC currents (solar flares).

Some other faults, such as core to earth insulation failure, will also cause gas production. All these conditions need to be investigated before a transformer is returned to service.

Recommended – How do faults develop in an HV transformer and why condition monitoring is important

How do faults develop in a HV transformer and why condition monitoring is important

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3.4 Air Trapped in the Transformer Following Oil Handling

This commonly occurs where oil filling is attempted without applying a vacuum, or with only partial vacuum applied. In contrast, proper vacuum oil filling procedures ensure that wherever trapped air bubbles or air spaces do form during an oil fill, that these rarefied gas volumes must reduce to very small air bubbles when they are finally compressed under static oil head following the release of vacuum.

These residual gas bubbles are usually fine enough to be easily absorbed by the de-gassed oil.

Nevertheless, gas bleed points are sometimes provided to bleed residual air pockets in larger trapped volumes such as bushings, oil pumps, and pipework, and should be bled immediately after any oil filling activity, and re-bled after the recommended stand time that follows an oil fill.

Any need for repetitive bleeding of air puts the integrity of the vacuum oil fill into doubt. In all cases, adhere to the OEM instructions when vacuum oil-filling the transformer.

Gas collected in the Buchholz relay of a transformer should always be thoroughly investigated. The gas should never be assumed to be just air and dismissed, even after recent oil filling activity.

Recommended – Integrated Transformer Vacuum Filling

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3.5 Air Entering the Transformer from Outside

This is very unlikely to occur because all parts of the oil circuit are normally under positive pressure. The only potential area where air may be drawn in is at the inlet side of an oil pump. If this is occurring, it is a very dangerous condition for the transformer as air bubbles in the winding will cause failure.

For those circumstances where there is no gas found in the relay and there is no possibility that any gas could have leaked out of the relay or petcock connection pipework, then the following causes should be considered.

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3.6 Vibration or Shock

If the operating element of the Buchholz relay is a mercury tilt switch, then these switches are susceptible to momentary operation if they experience very high levels of vibration or more likely a significant mechanical shock.

This explanation for Buchholz operation should only be considered if the contact operation was momentary and coincided with an identifiable event and no gas was found in the relay.

Further Reading – Practical implementation of the six most common transformer protection principles

Practical implementation of the six most common transformer protection principles

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3.7 Light Current Faults

It is possible for wiring or protection relay faults to cause spurious operation of the alarm circuit. This possibility should only be considered once the causes set out above have been dismissed.

This is especially important during commissioning when on occasion, damaged transformers have been re-energized because a wiring fault was assumed and the other possibilities were not examined.

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4. Possible Reasons for Operation of the Oil Surge Element

The following causes of oil surge element operation need to be considered:


4.1 Electrical Breakdown

A power arc within the tank will produce gas quickly enough to cause an oil surge. This surge can cause the surge element to operate. Normally, disruptive damage of this type will result in sufficient gas being produced to operate the gas collection element as well.

Surges, produced by this type of failure, are also likely to have operated pressure relief devices.

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4.2 Low Oil Level

Low oil level operation of the oil surge element arises for the same reason discussed above for the gas collection element.

Recommended[/highight2] – Why is liquid level important in a transformer?

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4.3 Pump Operation

Some designs of the transformer are susceptible to creating an oil surge through the Buchholz pipe when the pumps are started or stopped. The phenomenon is due to the slight flexibility of the coolers causing volume changes, which in turn cause oil flows to and from the conservator.

Generally pumps sucking oil from the coolers will cause a surge on startup and pumps delivering oil to the cooler (normally mounted at a high level) will cause a surge at shut down.

The surges will be worse if both pumps start simultaneously in a dual cooler (50% plus 50%) configuration. This is normally prevented by a delay relay in the pump control circuit, but supply interruptions and repeated operation of manual control have been known to cause spurious operation of the relay surge element even though the transformer is specified and tested to try to ensure this does not happen.

Pump starting or stopping will not result in gas production so it is important to check that no gas is present in the Buchholz before considering this cause as a possibility. Excessive air in the coolers can increase the magnitude of the oil surge on pump start, bleeding the coolers can help to solve the problem, but again it must not be assumed that this is the cause of the Buchholz trip unless the DGA is clear.

On very old transformers with a bursting disk type of pressure relief system situated above the level of the oil in the conservator, a failure of the disk for some reason, such as being knocked with a ladder during maintenance, can allow oil surges to occur when the pumps start.

The evidence of oil leaking from oil pump
Figure 4 – The evidence of oil leaking from the oil pump

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4.4 Buchholz Mounted Incorrectly

The Buchholz relay is designed to be mounted in sloping pipework inclined 3º from the horizontal to facilitate gas collection. This means the gas oil surge element is designed to operate with the Buchholz mounted in a slightly inclined attitude, and furthermore, is calibrated to operate for unidirectional expulsion of oil.

Accordingly, it is very important to mount the Buchholz relay correctly with its indicating arrow on the side of the relay pointing towards the conservator. Inadvertent reversal of the relay (during maintenance) could make the oil surge element unduly sensitive to pump start or pump stop.

Check for leaks in the Buchholz Relay by pouring soapy water to create bubbles Onto the connector and close the valve and wait about 3 minutes
Figure 5 – Check for leaks in the Buchholz Relay by pouring soapy water to create bubbles Onto the connector and close the valve and wait about 3 minutes

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4.5 Vibration and Shock

Vibration or shock may affect the surge element in the same way as the gas collection element. Again, this cause should only be considered if the contact operation was momentary and coincided with an identifiable event and no gas was found in the relay.

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5. Actions to be Taken Following a Buchholz Alarm or Trip Operation

5.1 Buchholz Alarm

After the Buchholz alarm, the transformer must be switched out as soon as possible. If the transformer cannot be immediately switched out, then it must be considered to be at risk of failure and a minimum 20m exclusion zone established preferably by evacuating the compound. On no account must the transformer be approached for oil sampling, or for any other reason, until it is known to be de-energized.

If the transformer is not switched out immediately, investigation actions that do not require the transformer to be approached can be carried out. On transformers with a tap changer, no further tap changing operations should be carried out.

When the alarm signal is given, the color of the gas should be observed through the inspection-windows. The gas may be released or samples can be taken for analysis.

It should be noted that:

  • Whitish gas: it is caused by electric arcing in contact with paper, cotton, and silk
  • Yellowish gas: it is caused by wood and cardboard
  • Greyish gas: it is caused by a breakdown of the magnetic circuit
  • Black gas: it is caused by free arcing in the oil

Note that there may be air in the transformer during commissioning or after an operation of oil refilling. In similar cases, the alarm is only temporary and should end in a short period of time.

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5.2 Buchholz Trip or Once the Transformer is De-Energized Following a Gas Alarm

Once the transformer has tripped, or been switched out, a decision has to be made as to the next actions. This section is intended to help guide that decision. At all times the precautionary principle must be applied. Until it can be conclusively proved otherwise, the transformer must be assumed to have suffered an internal failure and should therefore not be re-energized.

The following investigation actions are required to gather the information needed to make a decision on the next operational action. The list may not be exhaustive for a particular situation.

  1. Take oil samples from the main tank, all selectors, and any other oil-filled compartments containing high voltage parts (except diverter switches) and send them for urgent laboratory DGA.
  2. Check for the presence of gas in all Buchholz relays and record the volume of any gas found.
  3. Sample any collected free gas and send the sample for laboratory analysis.
  4. Check all pressure relief devices, either check for the operation of the button indicator in spring operated types or check for rupture of the diaphragm in explosion vent types.
  5. Check for leakage of oil particularly around pressure relief devices but also at tank joints.
  6. Check for signs of distortion of the tank including tap changers.
  7. Check and record oil levels in all conservator tanks. Care is needed to ensure that tide marks are not disguising the fact that the conservator is empty.
  8. Check and record the level of oil in bushings.
  9. Check and record the level of oil in tap changer diverters.
  10. Check electrical protection for operation.
  11. Check fault recorders for operation.
  12. Check and record tap-position and times of tap changer operation from the data logger.
  13. Note the position of cooler and tap changer controls including maximum temperature indications on WTI dials and whether the electrical protection on any of the auxiliary motors is tripped.

Further Reading – Voltage Regulation By Transformer Off-Load Tap Changer, On-Load Tap Changer and AVR

Voltage Regulation By Transformer Off-Load Tap Changer, On-Load Tap Changer and AVR

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Source: Guide for Transformer Maintenance by Working Group A2.34 – C. Rajotte ( CA) – (Convener), TF Leaders: M. Foata (CA), P. Jarman (UK), F. Larese (FR), P. Lorin (CH), B. Pahlavanpour (UK), J.P. Patelli (FR), J. Velek (CZ), R. Willoughby (AU), R. Barrento (PT), P. Boman (US), I. Diaconu (RO), A. Drobyshevski (RU), Y. Ebisawa (JP), T. Fagarasan (RO), N. Fantana (DE), H. Gago (ES), J. Gebauer (DE), P. Gervais (CA), M. Krüger (AT), G. Lawler (IR), R. Maina (IT), C. Moldoveanu (RO), P. Mueller (CH), D. Olan (CA), L Paulhiac (FR), M. Pena (BR), E. Perez-Moreno (ES), S. Quintin (ES),V. Samoilis (GR), F. Simon (FR), A. Shkolnik (IS), B. Sparling (CA), P. Warczynski (PL)

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author-pic

Edvard Csanyi

Electrical engineer, programmer and founder of EEP. Highly specialized for design of LV/MV switchgears and LV high power busbar trunking (<6300A) in power substations, commercial buildings and industry facilities. Professional in AutoCAD programming.

10 Comments


  1. olani balisa
    Jun 12, 2023

    the above transformer are very quality b/c of the first cheek before the energaezed erergy


  2. olani balisa
    Jun 12, 2023

    my name is olani balisa my departement are electrical and computer engineering


  3. Dereje Getachew
    Sep 23, 2022

    Dear Edvard, i need your valuable information about transformer with PRV & Bucholze transformer , how can refill trafo oil. so many faults happens & damage Chines transformer.


  4. Paresh Ghike
    May 07, 2022

    Excellent article. Thank you.


  5. Anil V
    May 14, 2021

    Have anyone noticed operation of Bucholz relay due to through fault, no pump was operating


  6. Manjnatha R
    Feb 16, 2021

    Excellent airticals are really good knowledge


  7. Ghan Chandrakant
    Feb 16, 2021

    Extremely useful information. I wish we could have had such portal during our education when I was doing engineering course. Anyway I am happy that present generation is lucky.
    Thanks for useful information.

    Chandrakant Ghan


  8. Vaitheeswaran
    Feb 16, 2021

    Brifily explain smart transformer using above the relay operation


    • MD YOUSUF AHMAD
      Feb 16, 2021

      It’s puzzling me. Everything went over my head. The explanation is too desultory, I couldn’t figure out how Buchholz relay operate through the different sections of the article. It’s looks like I am reading a technical jargon for Buchholz relay. Though I have read many technical articles prior to it, on different electrical topics on various other sites, but here things are quite different on EEP. Please think of every section of students and teachers those who need clear and simple explanation. I also noticed at some points that the continuity of sentence, broken and hence not easy to crack meaning out of it. Hey easy man! write articles of our vocabulary level.


  9. Samuel Nii Sodjah Laryea
    Feb 15, 2021

    Thanks for showing me more about it
    I really want to kwon more about transformer
    How it works thanks

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