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Re: Power steering fluid as capacitor oil?
From: Jim Lux[SMTP:jimlux-at-earthlink-dot-net]
Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 1997 9:53 AM
To: Tesla List
Subject: Re: Power steering fluid as capacitor oil?
> Has anyone tried using power steering fluid as a capacitor oil. I
> purchased a few bottles of Pyroil Power Steering Fluid which, on the
back,
> features and extensive list of ingredients: petroleum oil. No additives,
> according to the label. It appears to be very low viscosity (lower than
> the mineral oil I looked at during the same shopping trip. I didn't buy
> the mineral oil because it listed tocopherols(sp?), which I believe is
> vitamin E, as an additive.
We buy a lot of mineral oil at work (1000's of gal a year) because we
manufacture a machine which produces a fine atmospheric haze for enhancing
theatrical lighting or increasing atmospheric perspective. All of our oil
has a small amount of tocopherols added as an antioxidant, essentially a
preservative. The amount is miniscule and shouldn't have any effect on
electrical properties.
You can buy straight white mineral oil in just about any viscosity you
want, from as runny as water to thick as asphalt. The lighter grades tend
to be more volatile, which is an issue in a non-sealed environment. A large
manufacturer is Witco.
However, why not buy insulating oil. I use Diala AX from Shell for my HV
insulation stuff. This is "transformer oil", and I understand there are
better products for use in your capacitors where there are high E-fields at
high frequencies. It costs me about $4/gal in 5 gal buckets. All the oil
companies sell something equivalent.