What is more cost-effective - dispose of insulating oil or recycle it?

If insulating oil in transformers has aged and parameters such as the dielectric loss factor, colour number, interfacial tension or neutralisation number are poor, the insulating oil should be replaced. The question is whether it is more economical to simply dispose the aged transformer oil and to replace it with new oil or to ensure that it is reconditioned directly on site in the transformer. After all, oil reclamation contributes to resource conservation and greater sustainability - and is also reflected positively in the costs. Read more about this.

Dispose of insulating oil or recycle it? What are the arguments for recycling?

In general, recycling insulating oil is more environmentally friendly than its disposal. In addition, recycling is also more cost-efficient. Read these facts:

The cost of disposing of transformer oil is usually higher and varies by region:

Generally speaking, new oil has higher financial costs due to the process of exploration, extraction, transportation and refining of the raw material and the final product. Also, new insulating oil depends on the international oil market and currency fluctuations, while reclaimed oil is less under pressure from global trade and can be reprocessed with local resources.
The cost of insulating oil disposal is determined by the amount of oil concerned, the recycling services available and local regulations. It is best to check with regional disposal service providers to find out exact prices for your specific case.

There is no reason to doubt the quality of recycled certified insulating oil:

Both new, unused and recycled insulating oils must follow the same specifications for transformers and switchgear in the IEC 60296:2020 standard. Certified recycled transformer oils is therefore just as good as new, unused insulating oils.

Disposing of insulating oils and not recycling them increases waste and contributes to global warming:

Insulating oil recycling optimally reuses what would otherwise be irrevocably lost in waste incineration. In this way, resources are available for longer. In principle, all mineral insulating oils made from naphthenic material can be fully recycled. Exceptions here are transformer oils that are unsuitable for recovery due to cross-contamination with other substances or that show exceptionally severe signs of ageing.

Companies are well advised to recycle transformer oil

The legal requirements with regard to environmental protection are increasing and are now also reflected in the costs.

Therefore, measures for environmental protection or for energy efficiency and recycling are increasingly at the centre of many corporate targets. They are an integral part of corporate policy and are systematised by integrated management systems, such as the ISO 14001 environmental management system standard. The recycling of transformer oil is among such environmental protection measures.

Read the following article to find out when to choose recycled insulating oil and what to look for at the manufacturer or recycling service provider.

• How cost-efficient and sustainable is the recycling of transformer oil?

This article explores the following points in more depth:

• Why transformer oil recycling is not only cost-efficient and sustainable, but also promotes your image.
• How you can safeguard the quality of recycled transformer oils.
• Which standards and certificates are important when dealing with transformer oil.

Conclusion

In the event that you really need to dispose of your transformer oil, Electrical Oil Services (EOS) will be happy to assist you. Because EOS works - cost-transparently - with fully documented and approved procedures and testing mechanisms: EOS is a certified specialist transformer oil disposal company. We can dispose your insulating oils including a disposal certificate and send you all the documents. 

But we are also experts and certified in this:

EOS reconditions your transformer oils - with a complete oil regeneration or with an oil processing that includes drying, filtering and degassing. Both can be done on site - even during operation.

In addition, Electrical Oil Services offers you a high-quality recycled transformer oil product (EOS^® Premium Insulating Oil), which is an attractive alternative for companies. This reclaimed transformer oil helps small and large companies from the energy supply sector and industry to protect the environment and reduces waste and greenhouse emissions from insulating oils to a minimum.

Find out more in this blog article:

• For transformers: recycled EOS^® Premium insulating oil proves its worth.
  

There you will find, among other things, the advantages and technical specifications of our recycled EOS^® Premium Insulating Oil.

If you have any questions, please feel free to send us a message. We will contact you directly: