The following article by Sarika Andee, marketing leader: field service at Schneider Electric, looks at transformers as vital components in the fields of electrical engineering and power distribution. It is Part 2 of a two-part series.
Proper condition monitoring-based maintenance can prevent emergency and breakdown maintenance, as any potential risks can be identified and addressed before they become serious problems. This, in turn, can eliminate costly downtime that can have widespread and severe impacts.
Condition monitoring provides transformer owners and operators with detailed real-time analytics via a remote dashboard, enabling them to not only see an asset’s current condition but also its lifespan. For example, owners who operate a fleet of transformers at their site can receive a status summary that shows how many are in good condition, how many are at risk and whether any of them are in a critical state.
Recommended interventions
Each insight is linked to a specific condition index on a transformer, providing details about potential or existing problem areas, such as deteriorating insulation, high water content in the oil and hotspot temperature. Each alert is coupled with recommendations of what should be done in terms of maintenance.
Additionally, by providing an overview of each transformer’s lifespan, condition monitoring can help owners prepare and plan their capex spending accordingly, prioritising the replacement of transformers that are near the end of their life. Another benefit of condition monitoring is that it can be done remotely, while a traditional maintenance approach requires a technician to physically be on site to take an oil sample.
Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Transformer Expert is a leading diagnostic online monitoring tool that is brand-agnostic and designed to provide oil transformer owners with real-time analytics that will alert them as soon as anything is out of range so that remedial action can be taken.
The solution consists of a hardware component, a probe or sensor, which is fitted to a transformer and connects via a SIM to Schneider Electric’s cloud based EcoStruxure Transformer Expert platform. This provides the customer with real-time information about their transformers.
By harnessing an online condition monitoring tool, such as EcoStruxure Transformer Expert, customers can not only improve their decision-making with automated data collection, analysis and recommendations but also optimise aged transformer fleet management and replacement programmes. Transformers are high-value capital investments – they should be adequately protected.
Source: Schneider Electric