Virginia Transformers ships 168 MVA transformer with FR3 fluid

2021-11-16 Virginia Transformer

Virginia Transformer Corp has shipped a 168 MVA transformer with FR3 fluid, breaking their own previous record for such a unit.

FR3 is a natural ester fluid that’s a derivative of vegetable oils. The fluid, designated as ultimately biodegradable by the EPA, maintains dielectric strength at low temperatures and serves as an alternative to mineral oil which is commonly used in power transformers. The electrical and thermal design considerations for FR3 require deep design and manufacturing expertise.

Previously, a 150 MVA unit with FR3 was the largest unit of its type in the US and was also made by Virginia Transformer.

Both the 150 MVA and 168 MVA transformers with FR3 fluid are being used to move energy for projects involving large data centres which are critical assets of today’s digital infrastructure. The application requirements of data centres are demanding and must be designed to achieve high-efficiency (to drive low PUE ratio), monitoring capability at DCIM level, zero downtime, low sound, and to be “green” (environmentally-friendly) and fire-retardant.