[Power Transformer Asset Management] Live Online Forum

45 minutes presentation includes 10 minutes of Q&A.

12:00 pm - 12:45 pm ET

Intellirent

Through Faults Causing Mechanical Failure in Transformers

Mechanical failures involve physical displacement or damage of parts within a transformer, and happen for several reasons, including but not limited to transportation, seismic activity, improper synchronizing, switching, and through faults. In this presentation we will define a through fault, discuss through fault monitoring, and how we detect mechanical damage to the transformer due to through faults.

Speaker: Drew Welton, Vice President of Business and Technical Development

 

12:45 pm - 1:30 pm ET

SDT Ultrasound

NFPA70B Updates & Electrical Failure Mode Detection Utilizing Ultrasound

During this presentation, Allan Rienstra, CRL explores recent updates to NFPA 70B, highlighting how electrical inspections have gone from recommended practice to enforceable standard. Allan will outline key updates on inspection intervals, equipment condition assessments, and electrical maintenance programs. Attendees will learn how ultrasound helps detect electrical failures like arcing, tracking, partial discharge, and corona.

Speaker: Allan Rienstra CRL, Director, International Sales

 

1:30 pm - 2:15 pm ET

Dynamic Ratings

The Critical Role of Transformer Monitoring in Today's Transformer Supply Chain Issues

With supply chain constraints and aging electrical infrastructure, transformer reliability is more critical than ever. This webinar explores how transformer monitoring helps utilities and industrial operators extend asset life, reduce unexpected failures, and maintain grid stability.

Recent CIGRE Technical Brochure TB 939 (September 2024) analyzed 425,000+ transformer-years of operation, revealing that windings (44%), bushings (25%), and tap changers (21%) are the primary failure points. The data confirms that time-based maintenance is ineffective for substation transformers—maintenance should instead be condition-based, using diagnostic measurements and online monitoring.

The webinar will discuss implementing online monitoring systems for the three highest-risk components: main tank active parts, bushings, and OLTCs. These systems provide near real-time technical assessments, enabling fact-based maintenance priorities rather than reactive approaches.

Key takeaways include technical fleet assessment from a criticality perspective, understanding current transformer conditions, and establishing maintenance priorities based on actual component risk rather than assumptions.

Speaker: Brian Sparling, Senior Technical Advisor

 

2:15 pm - 3:00 pm ET

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.

Speaker: Fouad Brikci, President

 

3:00 pm - 3:45 pm ET

Integrated Engineering Software

Simulation of Open Region Electrical models using Boundary Element Method solvers COULOMB for 3D and ELECTRO for 2D and Axisymmetric cases

High voltage transmitting towers are very big in size and use very long insulator strings for supporting the power lines. In addition, these insulator strings are associated with complicated conducting hardware and corona rings. Simulation of a complete transmitting tower along with power lines that are supported by the insulator strings is very important for the estimation of the electric field levels on the insulators and on the corona rings, etc. The two simulation methods, namely, the Boundary Element Method (BEM) and the Finite Element Method (FEM) are very popular for analyzing the electric field models. Of the two methods, BEM is the best suited for the simulation of the transmitting towers because of their model nature. Usually, the distance between towers would be about 200m to 300m and the height of the tower would be about 20-30m from ground. Such big open region problems are extremely difficult or almost impossible to simulate using FEM solvers. 

COULOMB, a 3D-Electric field solver, can efficiently handle open region problems using BEM solver. In addition to BEM’s advantage of meshing only on the surfaces of the material interfaces and the boundary surfaces, its formulation allows the use of Parallel Computation. That means, the speed of the solver can be increased by many folds by increasing the number of CPUs used in a personal computer on which COULOMB is run. Because of these two factors, the transmission tower along with lines can only be simulated in COULOMB. 

When the electric fields are invariant along one of the Principal Axes, use of ELECTRO, a 2D and Axisymmetric filed solver is recommended. For this type of models ELECTRO is about two orders, more efficient compared to COULOMB.

In this webinar we will highlight the advantages of Boundary Element Method solver for handling open region models.

Speaker: Ms. Yasamin Mardani and Dr. K. M. Prasad