2023 Power Transformer Technologies

45 minutes presentation includes 10 minutes of Q&A.

9:00am - 9:45am

H2Scan

Trends in Online Transformer DGA Monitoring
In this presentation, the audience will learn more about the challenges to safe and reliable power transformation of an aging transformer fleet and how the lower cost of distribution transformers makes it a hard economic decision to monitor those systems. The audience will learn about the different faults that can impact their transformer fleet and the damage they can cause. And finally, the presenter will address the latest trends in DGA monitoring.

9:45am - 10:30am

Delta-X  Research

The Importance of Risk Assessment and the Role of Reliability-based Dissolved Gas Analysis
You can apply the ISO 31000 standard to manage risk in a comprehensive manner and dissolved gas analysis (DGA), the leading indicator of incipient faults in transformers, can be an important risk assessment tool included in your risk management system. But conventional DGA is limited because it does not associate fault gas production with transformer failures. Therefore, if you wish to more correctly identify at-risk transformers and avoid false alarms, then you can use Reliability-based DGA to quantify the likelihood of a transformer failure and ensure that your limited maintenance resources are optimally deployed.

10:30am  – 11:15pm

Zensol Automation Inc.

Vibro-Acoustic as a Fast Diagnostic Tool for On Load Tap Changers
The functioning of an On-Load Tap Changer (OLTC) is complex, since a lot of mechanisms are operating at the same time. Classic testing techniques give very little information on mechanical problems occurring inside an OLTC while in service. This presentation shows how the vibroacoustic method is used as a fast diagnosis tool to easily detect mechanical problems in Tap Changers ON-LINE or OFF-LINE, before they create an outage. We will show also how simultaneous correlation of signals recorded by Vibroacoustic, Motor Current and Dynamic Resistance Measurement (DRM) allows a fast understanding of the internal movements of an OLTC. Each of these tests provides a piece of information that creates a complete picture of the OLTC's condition. Finally, we will present a real case showing how the electric utility New Brunswick Power uses this tool to properly adjust an OLTC.

11:15pm -12:00pm

Intellirent

Transformer Failures Relevant to Protective Relaying and Transformer Diagnostic Testing
It is only in rare instances, typically after a major failure, that we consider the relationship between transformer protective relaying and transformer diagnostic field testing. In this session, we will combine the art and science of the protective relay system and transformer diagnostic field testing to examine insulation and mechanical failures. For mechanical failures, we'll discuss certain causes, the benefits of through-fault monitoring provided by your relay system, and how we verify the possible presence of a mechanical failure. Excessive heat and moisture, combined with oxygen, are the three most influential conditions that determine the life expectancy of a transformer's insulation system. We'll look at the role of the protective relay system under these scenarios and, from the perspective of diagnostic testing, how to best access these conditions. A case study will be provided for each condition. Field technicians responsible for transformer testing can now learn about the interactions of the protective relay system, while protection test technicians can be exposed to transformer diagnostic testing.