Dendritic erosion

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Dendritic erosion is a contamination in the organic oil of an oil filled circuit breaker or OCB. It gets its name 'dendritic' meaning tree-like, as the contamination grows in a very similar shape to a tree. This contamination, unlike the oil itself, is not an insulator and can cause short circuits within the switchgear. One way that this phenomenon can start is through human skin contact with the organic oil.