Profiles - Michel Duval

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Dr Michel Duval obtained a B.Sc. in chemical engineering in 1966 and a Ph.D. in polymer chemistry in 1970. He has joined IREQ (Institut de recherche d’Hydro Québec) in 1970. Since then, he has made significant contributions in 3 mains fields of R&D: dissolved gas-in-oil analysis (DGA), electrical insulating materials and lithium-polymer batteries.

In the field of DGA, M. Duval is well-known for his «Triangle method» of DGA interpretation, used worldwide. He has developed and promoted the use of gas-in-oil standards, now commercially available, for evaluating the accuracy of DGA results (described in IEC and ASTM standards), and participated to the development of the « Hydran » on-line monitor for hydrogen in oil. He has established the typical levels of gas formation observed in various types of electrical equipment in service, now used as a reference by the industry, and the probability of equipment failure as a function of gas formation in service. He has been the Convenor of several IEC working groups and CIGRE task forces (the latest one, TF15, concerning on-line gas monitors, DGA in LTCs and in non-mineral oils) and the principal author of several IEC international standards on DGA (60567, 60599, 61181).

In the field of electrical insulating oils, M.Duval has shown how metal passivators can extend their service life, what is the optimal reclamation time for used oils, how to detect and protect unstable oils to avoid explosions of high voltage current transformers in service, what is the maximum admissible paraffinic content of oils for use at very low temperatures. He was the first to apply the HPLC techniques to insulating oils. He has also made contributions to the drying of HV transformers and the determination of their hot-spot temperature. He has co-authored the revision of Canadian standard CSA C50 for new insulating oils. He has also made contributions to the characterization of XLPE in HV cables and of HV outdoors insulators.

M. Duval holds 15 patents and is the author of more than 65 scientific and technical papers and books , 5 international standards (IEC, ASTM), and numerous technical reports and presentations in conferences. He is a Fellow of IEEE and of the Chemical Institute of Canada. He may be contacted at duvalm@ireq.ca.