ISSUE 35

March 2024 transformer-technology.com ISSN 2642-2689

MONITORING & DIAGNOSTICS

TECHNOLOGY,
DATA SCIENCE & AI
TXPERT HUB:
DIGITAL MADE REAL FOR
EVERY TRANSFORMER

Integration of DGA monitors AI-driven power Strategic Decision Support for Asset Management:
to more comprehensive transformer digital twins: Advancing Surge Arrester Diagnostics with
Transformer monitoring systems A SWOT analysis Leakage Current and Infrared Methods
 Laser focused on
arcing faults
Laser focused on
arcing faults

The InsuLogix® G2

C
The InsuLogix® G2 accurately measures low levels of
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The InsuLogix® G2 accurately measures low levels of
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acetylene, providing reliable detection of arcing faults in
to their transformers preventing costly unplanned outages.
their early stages. The InsuLogix® G2 empowers transformer
owners to take necessary actions to mitigate further damage
Monitoring acetylene, along with hydrogen and moisture,
to their transformers preventing costly unplanned outages.
provides you with the important actionable information
needed to help protect your power transformer.
Monitoring acetylene, along with hydrogen and moisture,
provides youkey
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 TRANSFORMER
Transformer Technology March 2024

Issue 35 COMPANY
YELLOW PAGES

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YOUR COMPANY
IN THE ONLY
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4 TABLE OF
CONTENTS

Contents 12
From the Editor

Table of
A Perspective:
Revolutionizing
Power Sector
Maintenance

Index
Table of Contents_04
Editors & Impressum_08
WPS: Coming in Spring Edition_11
From the Editor: A Perspective_12
Detection of Air Leaks with Total
Gas Pressure_14
Breakthrough in Protection when
Monitoring Bushings_20
Enhanced Asset Management and 14
Inspection Programs with NFC
Detection
Technology_26 of Air
Online Partial Discharge Monitor Leaks
Identifies Degraded Bushings on a with
345kV Gas Circuit Breaker_28 Total Gas
Company Spotlight: Delta X_34 Pressure
The Evolution of Transformer
Reliability and Maintenance and
the Relationship to Monitoring and
20
Diagnostic Technology_36
Breakthrough
in Protection
when Monitoring
Bushings
Transformer Technology March 2024 5

Issue 35

26
Enhanced Asset
Management
and Inspection
Programs with
NFC Technology

34
Company Spotlight: Delta X

28
Online Partial
Discharge Monitor
Identifies Degraded
Bushings on a 345kV
Gas Circuit Breaker

36
The Evolution of
Transformer Reliability
and Maintenance and the
Relationship to Monitoring
and Diagnostic Technology
6 TABLE OF
CONTENTS

Contents

Table of
Index
Understand the Condition of Power
42
Transformers and Optimize the
Understand the
Condition of Power
Maintenance Strategy_42 Transformers
Ensuring Grid Reliability: Integrating and Optimize
Digital HV Switchgear and Artificial the Maintenance
Intelligence_48 Strategy
Managing the Distribution
Grid and Cloud
Computing_54 48
Transforming the Power
of Ideas into Products_58
Ensuring Grid
A Profile of John McDonald:
Reliability:
Integrating
A Pioneer in Power
Digital HV
System Automation and
Switchgear
Leadership_64
and Artificial
Company Spotlight: Intelligence
Measurements International_70
Strategic Decision Support for
Asset Management: Advancing
Surge Arrester Diagnostics with
Leakage Current and Infrared
Methods_72
Monitoring and Diagnostics: When
Equipment Speaks Part 1 – Power
Panel Discussion_78
54
AI-Driven Power Transformer Digital Managing the
Twins: A SWOT Analysis_88 Distribution
Coming in April/May_96 Grid and Cloud
Computing
Transformer Technology March 2024 7

Issue 35

58
Transforming the
72
Power of Ideas into Strategic Decision
Products Support for Asset
Management: Advancing
Surge Arrester
Diagnostics with Leakage
64 Current and Infrared
Methods
A Profile of John McDonald:

78
A Pioneer in Power System
Automation and Leadership
Monitoring and Diagnostics:
When Equipment Speaks Part 1
Power Panel Discussion

70
Company Spotlight:
Measurements International

88
AI-Driven Power
Transformer Digital
Twins: A SWOT
Analysis
8 EDITORS &
IMPRESSUM

Impressum TAB Executive Advisor,

The Chair and Managing Editor
Alan M. Ross, CRL, CMRP
Transformer maintenance
and reliability

Content Editor
Paula Čivrak

Technical Advisory Board (TAB)

TAB Executive Advisors:

Alan M. Ross, CRL, CMRP TAB Executive Advisor
The Chair and Managing Editor Corné Dames
Corné Dames Independent transformer consultant
Independent transformer consultant Transformer oils
Transfomer oils
Ben Lanz, IEEE PES Senior Member
Power system reliability, asset management
and diagnostics
TAB Members:
Diego Robalino, PhD, PMP TAB Executive Advisor
IEEE Senior Member Ben Lanz, IEEE PES Senior Member
Power system reliability, asset
Tony McGrail
Asset management & Condition monitoring
management and diagnostics
Edward Casserly, PhD
Senior Scientist, Transformer oils
Maria Lamorey
Industrial OEM manufacturing TAB Member
Alan Sbravati, ME, MBA Diego Robalino PhD, PMP
Transformer insulating materials IEEE Senior Member
Marco Tozzi, PhD Transformer condition assessment
Diagnostics and asset monitoring and diagnostics
Curtus Duff
Power transformer design
Traci Hopkins, IEEE Member
Transformer Condition Assessment
Alexander Doutrelepont
High voltage bushings & insulators TAB Member
Ed Khan Tony McGrail, PhD
Power Systems, Relay protection, Training Asset management & Condition
Randy Williams monitoring
Bushings, Medium voltage
Martin Robinson
Power systems technology and safety
Ahad Esmaeilian
Grid edge solar
Jeff Donato TAB Member
Batteries and storage
Edward Casserly, PhD
Binesh Kumar Senior Scientist, Transformer oils
EV charging
Allan Rienstra
Ultrasound technology
Steven Watt
Networking and communications for utilities, Reliability
Seth Johnson
Power quality monitoring and correction TAB Member
Florent Giraudet Maria Lamorey
Surge arresters and lightning performance Industrial OEM manufacturing
Transformer Technology March 2024 9

Issue 35

Editors
TAB Member
Marco Tozzi, PhD
Diagnostics and asset monitoring

TAB Member
Curtus Duff
Power transformer design

TAB Member
Traci Hopkins
Transformer condition
assessment

TAB Member
Alexander Doutrelepont
High voltage bushings & insulators

TAB Member
Ed Khan
Power Systems, Relay protection,
Training

Publisher:
APC MEDIA LLC
2152 Caper Dr.
Marietta, GA 30064, USA
TAB Member
transformer-technology.com Randy Williams
Bushings, Medium voltage
Graphic design
BE Koncept Communication Boutique
Photo Cover
Hitachi Energy
Sales & Marketing TAB Member
Kevan Sears Martin Robinson
[email protected] Power systems technology
Pierre Barras
and safety
[email protected]
Ante Prlić
[email protected]
Sales & Marketing Americas
Jose Mora
[email protected] TAB Member
Marketing Global Chip Angus
Marin Dugandzic Transformers maintenance
[email protected] and reliability
10

Editors
TAB Member
Nancy Frost, PhD
Electrical insulation

TAB Member
Ahad Esmaeilian
Grid edge solar

TAB Member
Jeff Donato
Batteries and storage

TAB Member
Binesh Kumar
EV charging

TAB Member
Allan Rienstra
Ultrasound technology

ISSN 2642-2689 (Print)

ISSN 2642-2697 (Online)
DIGITAL Membership TAB Member
Free Steven Watt
Networking and communications
Power Systems Technology and Transformer for utilities, Reliability
Technology magazine is a magazine published
by APC MEDIA LLC, 2152 Caper Dr., Marietta, GA
30064, USA. Published content does not represent
official position of APC MEDIA LLC. Responsibility
for the content rests upon the authors of the
articles and advertisers, and not on APC MEDIA TAB Member
Seth Johnson
LLC. APC MEDIA LLC maintains the right to keep
Power quality monitoring and
the textual and graphical documents submitted
correction
for publication.
Copyright and reprint permission
Abstracting is permitted with credit to the source.
Libraries are permitted to photocopy isolated
pages for private use of their patrons. TAB Member
For other copying, reprint or republication Florent Giraudet
permission requests should be addressed to Surge arresters and lightning
[email protected] performance
 COMING
Transformer Technology March 2024 11

Issue 35 IN WPS

ARE WOMEN
IN POWER REALLY
IN POWER?
The power systems industry is traditionally male dominated, with
women making up around 22% of the workforce globally, and
occupying only 12% of leadership positions, according to reputable
sources. However, roughly 50% of energy consumers are women
– all of us charging our phones, heating our apartments and much
more.

Nowadays we see a truly commendable trend of women being in

more and more positions of power in the power systems industry.
However, a problem occurs when their titles are merely that - titles,
and they do not hold any real executive power. How do we address
this issue? This is the question we asked engineers, CEOs, team
leaders from leading companies.

The road towards a more equal representation is long, but we want

to be a part of the change by encouraging discussion and giving a
platform to women's voices in the industry.

Support the voices of women in power systems - be the voice of

women in power systems!

Contact Managing Editor: Paula Čivrak [email protected]

Contact Communications Manager: Lara Boljanović [email protected]

COMING IN
WOMEN IN POWER SYSTEMS
SPRING 2024
12 FROM THE EDITOR:
TOPIC
A PERSPECTIVE
MISSING

Revolutionizing Power Sector Maintenance:

The Shift from Reactive to Predictive Strategies

Predictive maintenance, preventative done and is typically based on manufacturer

maintenance, and proactive maintenance are recommendations and industry best practices,
all important strategies in the maintenance of rather than condition. Given the state of lead
equipment and systems in various industries, times for major assets, especially transformers,
including the power sector. I’ve spent many years condition monitoring and predictive
of my career as the President of the Electric maintenance must become the standard, as
Power Reliability Alliance (EPRA) watching opposed to time- based maintenance.
how the maintenance industry began to grasp That increases the demand for monitoring and
with, and eventually champion, reliability of diagnostics.
equipment, especially electrical assets.
Proactive maintenance takes preventative
Predictive maintenance involves using data and maintenance a step further by actively seeking
analytics to predict when equipment is likely to out and addressing potential issues before
fail so that maintenance can be performed just in they become problems. This approach involves
time. This approach helps to minimize downtime analyzing data, conducting risk assessments, and
and reduce costs associated with unexpected implementing strategies to mitigate risks and
failures. By monitoring the condition of improve the reliability of equipment.
equipment in real-time, predictive maintenance
can identify potential issues before they cause a Proactive maintenance aims to identify and
breakdown. address root causes of failures to prevent them
from occurring in the future and both Machine
Preventative maintenance, on the other hand, Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
is a scheduled maintenance approach that will play an increasing role since we know the
involves performing regular inspections, tests, advantages that AI and ML bring is the ability
and servicing of equipment to prevent failures to analyze vast amounts of data in real-time,
from occurring. This approach is designed to help allowing for more accurate and timely detection
extend the lifespan of equipment and reduce the of issues within the grid.
likelihood of unexpected breakdowns, however
there are too many situations where preventative Why is this important and vastly better than
maintenance has led to unnecessary work being scheduling maintenance based on time?

Photo: Shutterstock
Transformer Technology March 2024 13

Issue 35

By analyzing historical data on equipment Alan has decades of experience

APC Media
CRL, CMRP
Managing Editor
Technical Director
Alan M Ross
performance and failure rates, AI algorithms in the power systems industry
can predict when a piece of equipment is likely and is one of the greatest
to fail and alert operators to take preventative reliability experts out there.
action. This can help reduce downtime and
maintenance costs, as well as improve overall
grid reliability.

By analyzing historical data on equipment

performance and failure rates, AI algorithms
can predict when a piece of equipment is likely
to fail and alert operators to take preventative
action.

Additionally, AI and ML can be used for fault

detection and classification. By analyzing data
from sensors and other sources, AI algorithms
can automatically detect when a fault occurs
in the grid and classify the type of fault. This
information can help operators quickly isolate
the issue and take appropriate action to restore
power to affected areas.

AI and ML technologies have the potential to

revolutionize diagnostics in the electric grid
by providing more accurate, timely, and cost-
effective solutions. By leveraging these advanced
technologies, utilities can improve grid reliability,
reduce downtime, and ultimately provide a
more efficient and resilient power system for
customers.

Overall, the future of monitoring and diagnostics

in the distribution system of the power sector is
bright, with advancements in technology driving
improvements in reliability, efficiency, and
performance. By leveraging advanced sensors,
artificial intelligence, remote monitoring and
control systems, and proactive maintenance
strategies, operators can ensure that the
distribution system remains reliable and resilient
in the face of evolving challenges and demands.

Overall, the future of monitoring and diagnostics

in the distribution system of the power sector
is bright, with advancements in technology
driving improvements in reliability,
efficiency, and performance.
14 DETECTION
OF AIR LEAKS

Detection of air leaks

with total gas pressure
Photo: Vaisala

by Senja Leivo
Transformer Technology March 2024 15

Issue 35

Ambient air is the sole

source of oxygen in
transformers... Modern
power transformers
usually have sealed
designs, and older ones
are often upgraded
with sealing systems to
keep out oxygen and
moisture, extending
their lifespan.

Senja Leivo is the Senior Industry Expert

at Vaisala and an active member of CIGRE
working groups. Her professional focus is on
condition monitoring of power transformers.
With 20 years of experience, she is respon-
sible for identifying the strategic trends and
new monitoring needs within the industry,
as well as bringing customers’ voice close
to the Vaisala’s product development. Senja
holds a Master of Science degree in Materi-
als Engineering.
16 DETECTION
OF AIR LEAKS

Why aging of the insulation system for asset managers to ensure that
matters? the transformer tanks remain airtight,
requiring simple and straightforward
Transformers that employ cellulose methods to confirm their tightness.
based solid insulation are typically
expected to function for decades under Identifying the limits of traditional
their nominal load and specified ambient methods
temperature conditions. The aging
of a transformer is influenced by its Leaking happens over time and
design, materials, contaminants within creates varying rates of air ingress.
the insulation system, and operational Traditionally, finding air leaks involved
conditions. The combination of water, measuring oxygen and nitrogen in
oxygen, and acids within the solid standard DGA oil samples. However,
insulation speeds up the aging process the risk of sample contamination
and degrades cellulose molecules, with outside air has been a major
resulting in diminished mechanical challenge. When samples are taken
strength and a consequently shorter at the transformer site, transported,
lifespan for the transformer. and handled, they can pick up oxygen,
leading to wrong data interpretation.
Under normal operating temperature in
a water and oxygen free environment, Online measurement of oxygen
ageing processes are almost concentration in oil is a way to confirm
nonexistent. However, making a air entry, but it won't detect slow air
transformer completely free of oxygen leaks when active oxidation processes
and moisture is not practical or are simultaneously consuming
affordable. It’s been reported that if the oxygen. Additionally, interpreting
oxygen level in the oil stays below 2000 oxygen measurements requires an
ppm, the insulation system ages more experienced DGA specialist. Even
than five times slower than in a free after more than six decades of
breathing transformer. It's important to using dissolved gas analysis in the
know that aging isn't limited to cellulose; industry, there is still no recognized
the insulation oil also undergoes aging, standard or established common
mainly through oxidation, which forms practice for interpretation of oxygen
carboxylic acids that can speed up concentration.
paper aging.
Some DGA monitors include
Ambient air – the sole source of integrated oxygen measurement,
oxygen and moisture and nitrogen levels are calculated
based on those values. However,
Ambient air is the sole source of oxygen these calculations assume constant
in transformers. Simultaneously, the oxygen-nitrogen ratios in air-saturated
primary supply for water is atmosphere, oil, making them unsuitable in that
where humidity levels consistently respect for sealed transformers.
exceed those found within transformers.
To tackle this, transformers use What really matters for asset
preservation systems like a rubber maintenance teams?
bag or nitrogen blanketing, creating a
protective barrier between the insulation Aging of insulation system is not just
oil and the surrounding environment. about what happens in the paper; it
Modern power transformers usually also involves the liquid. To understand
have sealed designs, and older ones are the aging process, one can't rely solely
often upgraded with sealing systems on gas concentrations like O2, CO2,
to keep out oxygen and moisture, and CO. It's crucial to also consider oil
extending their lifespan. Air leaks, quality parameters, such as acidity,
usually caused by gasket or rubber bag and ageing markers like furans or
deterioration, have become a significant methanol. Assessing the remaining
concern, especially when transformers life of solid insulation is a complex
operate at higher loads. The increasing task that demands a higher level of
use of sealed designs makes it crucial expertise. Unlike transformer faults
 Transformer Technology March 2024 17

Issue 35

that may develop rapidly, oxidation Once the gases are extracted by the
is a slow process, usually taking DGA monitor, their pressure can be
years to show significant progress. measured. The key fault gases—
Therefore, real-time gas monitoring hydrogen, methane, acetylene,
isn't necessary for tracking oxidation, ethylene, ethane, carbon monoxide,
as it is for quickly evolving faults. and carbon dioxide—make up only a
tiny fraction of the pressure where
Ultimately, decision-makers in nitrogen and oxygen are dominant
transformer maintenance do not need factors. Increase in TGP in a sealed
to know precise oxygen or nitrogen transformer signals an air leak,
concentrations. What matters most without the need for specialized
is to know whether the insulation opinions or interpretations.
system of a sealed transformer is
exposed to air, the source of oxygen. For new transformers, the pressure
Leaking happens Based on that information, they can of dissolved gases should be
over time and creates plan for repair of the sealing system, very low due to degassing of oil
varying rates of air oil degassing or dry out and so forth. during commissioning. In a sealed
ingress... Online transformer, the pressure stays low.
Finding the solution – a step forward However, a noticeable increase in
measurement of oxygen in air leak detection pressure indicates a potential issue.
concentration in oil is a Even when oxygen sensors can't
way to confirm air entry, A simpler way to spot air entry is by catch slow air leaks due to oxygen-
but it won't detect slow measuring the pressure of all gases consuming reactions, the TGP value
air leaks when active dissolved in oil. Total gas pressure remains reliable. This is because the
(TGP), which sums up the partial proportion of nitrogen dominates
oxidation processes pressures of all these gases, is an and increases over time, as it is
Photo: Shutterstock

are simultaneously uncomplicated and easy-to-understand neither formed nor consumed in the
consuming oxygen. parameter. transformer.
18 DETECTION
OF AIR LEAKS

Seal leaks aren't a simple yes or no pressures of oxygen and nitrogen at

situation—they develop gradually, Ultimately, decision- 50°C, based on gas concentrations
leading to different rates of air entry makers in transformer determined by a laboratory from
over time. By measuring the pressure maintenance do not standard DGA oil samples with gas
of dissolved gases, utilities can easily chromatography. The data is from a
spot the entry of air if the TGP rises.
need to know precise new transmission transformer with
A properly sealed transformer should oxygen or nitrogen membrane sealing, with monitoring
maintain low gas pressure levels concentrations... initiated a few weeks after the
for its entire lifespan, well below What matters most is transformer commissioning.
atmospheric pressure 1000 hPa to know whether the
(14.5 psia). If the TGP value starts to Over 11 months, there was a 23 hPa
rise, it's a clear sign that air is making
insulation system of (0.33 psi) increase in TGP, having
its way in. This suggests an issue a sealed transformer respective increase in nitrogen (N2)
with the transformer's sealing system, is exposed to air, the 1500 ppm and none detected in
whether it's related to materials source of oxygen. oxygen (O2) in oil. The clear increase
or workmanship—especially if the in nitrogen concentration without
increase follows maintenance work. oxygen indicates an active ageing
If the data indicates a recent ingress process consuming oxygen probably
of air marked by an increase in total occurring. This highlights the
gas pressure, maintenance teams can decide whether they need to inspect sensitivity of pressure measurement
and repair the sealing system during to even minor air ingress. Additionally,
the next service break. This ensures the TGP measurement is inherently
there's no further deterioration of the free from air contamination, a
A simpler way to insulating paper due to oxygen. constant risk when using oil samples.
spot air entry is by
TGP measurement in practice
measuring the pressure
of all gases dissolved Properly membrane-sealed
in oil... Increase in TGP transformers in service typically have
in a sealed transformer a pressure of dissolved gases ranging
signals an air leak, between 100 to 300 hPa (1.45-4.4
psia). Figure 1 illustrates the TGP
without the need for measured using the Vaisala OPT100
specialized opinions or online DGA monitor. It also displays
interpretations. as reference calculated partial

O2/N2 ratio, is it important?

IEEE standard C57.104-2019 includes O2/N2 ratios in its gas concentration tables (90th and 95th
percentile), which are often called as typical values of fault gases. Does this imply a need to start
calculating these ratios? No, it doesn't. The ratios were solely introduced to differentiate between different
transformer designs in the database of 1.5 million DGA results, where the transformer design information
was not available. To select relevant reference values for DGA data of a transformer, one only needs to
Photo: Shutterstock

know the design of their transformer in question. Sealed and nitrogen blanketed transformers fall under
the column with O2/N2 ratio <0.2, while free-breathing transformers fall under >0.2.
Transformer Technology March 2024 19

Issue 35

Figure 1
Total gas pressure
(TGP) and calculated
partial pressures of
oxygen and nitrogen
at 50°C with linear
fitting.

Figure 2 presents real-time TGP The TGP data for sealed GSU2 after
readings measured from two degassing presents a different scenario.
sealed generation step-up (GSU) Following degassing, there's a quick
transformers. GSU1 maintains a 30 hPa (0.43 psi) increase due to gas
consistently low TGP level in its initial coming from the oil-impregnated paper.
two years. Right after commissioning, Unlike GSU1, this increase doesn't
there's a release of gases into the stabilize; instead, there's a steady rise at a
oil due to air from the transportation significantly higher rate. Over the next two
phase, present in the oil-impregnated years, the rate of change is approximately
paper. This gradually moves to the 60 hPa/year (0.87 psi/a). If this rate
bulk oil, causing a slight increase in continues, it will take roughly 15 years
TGP, which then stabilizes at a low the oil to become saturated with air. It's
level. The average annual increase in apparent that more oxygen, and possibly
TGP after stabilization is only 7 hPa moisture, is entering the transformer
(0.1 psi), suggesting it would take continuously, potentially reducing
with the same rate around 130 years its lifetime. At this point, it becomes
to reach equilibrium with atmospheric important to weigh the expected lifespan
pressure. In the real transformer of the transformer against the costs of
application, achieving complete investigating and repairing the leakage or
gas-tightness without any minimal implementing other mitigation actions.
air ingress through diffusion is not Due to the nuanced nature of these
possible. However, the data indicates decisions, it may not always be practical
that GSU1 is well-sealed and doesn't or economically relevant to attempt
require any actions in this respect. fixing the leakage.

Figure 2
TGP data of two new
power transformers
right after transformer
commissioning.
20 BUSHINGS
MONITORING

BREAKTHROUGH IN PROTECTION WHEN

MONITORING BUSHINGS

The energy transition is a huge shift from fossil-based to fossil-free sources. Highlighting that today’s
This will mean moving to an energy system with electricity as the backbone that
can handle a growing demand from industry, buildings and transportation. We energy system is deficient
estimate that by 2050 we will need four times the generation capacity and our in security, equity and
electrical power systems will need to transfer three times more electrical energy
than today.
sustainability is not about
blaming the old system –
Highlighting that today’s energy system is deficient in security, equity and
sustainability is not about blaming the old system – we recognize that each era we recognize that each era
has its own economic and social constraints and its own technological limits. has its own economic and
Instead, we see these deficiencies as a recognition that the power system of
tomorrow cannot be the same as today, they show our imperatives for shaping
social constraints and its
a power system that is fit for our future. own technological limits.

We must strengthen the power system, making it more reliable and secure;
expand it in both reach and scalability; and evolve it to be more sustainable and
resilient.
Our role in this is critical, our purpose at Hitachi Energy is clear and crucial –
to advance a sustainable energy future for all. This article will share how we
combined our expertise in bushings and transformer monitoring to make the
grid more resilient.
 Transformer Technology March 2024 21

Issue 35

Transients affecting bushings equipped with monitoring equipment

High voltage capacitance graded bushings are critical components of power

systems, and their failure can result in significant economic and safety conse-
quences. According to CIGRE studies 5 to 50% transformer failures are bushing
related, and this percentage increase when we look at shunt reactors failures1.
A prominent failure mode is overstressing the bushing insulation, a phenomenon
that often happens in combination with transients or very fast transients (VFT)
in the grid.

Transients and very fast transients (VFT) are high frequency electrical dis-
turbances that occur in power systems and can lead to the degradation of
components such as bushings. The transient voltages are created in renewables
applications and mostly from switching operations of breakers and disconnector
Transients and very fast operations in gas insulated switchgear (GIS) but also from harmonics generated
transients (VFT) are by power electronics.
high frequency electrical
For safe bushing operation, it is important that the main insulation is properly
disturbances that occur in earthed. Most commonly this is done via a lid on the tap connecting the out-
power systems and can ermost conduction layer to the earthed flange. When exposed to transients,
lead to the degradation very fast transients or other high-frequency events, maintaining low impedance
to earth is crucial. In cases with failures due to high impedance to earth, the
of components such as failures occur in the tap region, cables connected to the tap or between the
bushings. outmost layer and earth.

1
A B

6
2
7

5
C2
4 C1

A. Test tap with standard 1. Test tap layer

lid mounted 2. Bushing tap
B. Online momitoring 3. Cover
connected to test tap 4. Condenser core
5. Central conducor
6. Added inductance
7. Online monitoring

Figure 1
Principal design of a test tap. Earth connection is done via the lid (A) or via monitoring equipment (B).
Photo: Hitachi Energy
22 BUSHINGS
MONITORING

With increasing complexity in the grid, transformers are also used for im-
proving power quality and network management, and today this means much
greater connectivity and digitalization. Hitachi Energy strongly supports the
adoption of high-quality monitoring equipment, including our TXpert Hub, to
enhance the reliability of electrical systems and support our customers in their
maintenance. However, it's important to acknowledge that most bushing mo-
nitoring systems require connection to the inner components of a capacitance
graded bushing through the tap. When the earthing cover is removed from
the tap, it exposes the latter to a new physical environment controlled by the
monitoring equipment. The application, grid topology and impedance should
be carefully evaluated when considering the implementation of any monitoring
system.

Monitoring equipment is usually connected to the bushing tap to measure

properties of the main insulation such as capacitance, C1, loss factor (tan δ)
or partial discharge. This usually causes an increase in the total impedance of
the tap, increasing the risk of failures in service. Our studies have shown that
most current online monitoring solutions offered on the market have insufficient
protection to safeguard the bushings from the added impedance to earth in
combination with VFT.

To illustrate the importance to understand the bushing operational environ-

ment, our service teams have worked with several customers during failure
investigations where bushing monitoring systems have been involved. Our teams
have conducted field and laboratory measurements, and extensive simulations.

We discovered that in several cases, due to the station layout in combination

with SF6 breakers (and in many cases GIS switchgear), the bushing was exposed
to high frequency transients. Together with the customer it was concluded that this
created voltage peaks in the test tap region much higher than the designed limits,
with durations between ten to hundred nanoseconds, due to the added impedance
of the bushing monitoring system.

To mitigate these issues, it is crucial to minimize the impedance between the

test tap and the earthing point. This can be achieved by reducing the impedance
of the cable or any attached measuring equipment. The most effective solution,
Figure 2
offering the lowest impedance, is the lid specifically designed for the bushing. Picture of failed 400 kV RIP bushing installed on
However, when additional monitoring equipment needs to be attached to the a shunt reactor with to high impedance to earth
test tap, it is important to maintain control over the impedance to earth. and exposed to VFT.and exposed to VFT.
 Transformer Technology March 2024 23

Issue 35

Figure 3
Table 1 from IEC 60071-1, no standard voltage shapes nor tests are defined for transients or very fast
transients with rise times below 100 ns and ringing frequency above 0.3 MHz.

The Bushing Tap Protector

Our extensive studies and full- We have demonstrated that it is crucial to control the voltage carefully when
the tap of a bushing is not solidly earthed to prevent the operating voltage or
scale tests made on most transient voltages from reaching dangerous levels. The acceptable voltage levels
devices available on the vary depending on the specific design of the bushing. While most monitoring
market, showed an inability systems incorporate voltage protection mechanisms, it is essential for the user
to verify that the chosen scheme offers adequate long-term protection, having
to fulfill our requirements. in mind also that in standards such as IEC there are no standardized tests for
Leading us to push the transients and very fast transients.
boundaries and develop a
Our extensive studies and full-scale tests made on most devices available on
patented innovative solution. the market, showed an inability to fulfill our requirements. Leading us to push the
boundaries and develop a patented innovative solution. We call it the bushing tap
protector (BTP).

The main objective for the BTP is to reduce the impedance to earth during
a transient event to protect the bushing. At the same time, it is does not affect
signals of both high and low frequencies at voltage levels below 200 V as not
to interfere with the monitoring systems. The BTP protection is fast enough to
handle the fast rise times of VFT, 1-10 ns, as well as slower transients in the
range of a few microseconds. It also needs to handle surge currents of up to
40 kA while limiting the transient pulses inside the test tap below the withstand
level of the insulation. Different variants of the BTP exist to accommodate dif-
ferent tap designs but obtaining the same protection level.
Photo: Hitachi Energy, Shutterstock
24 BUSHINGS
MONITORING

The Bushing Tap Protector will be offered together with either Hitachi Energy
Bushings or TXpert Hub monitoring systems.

TXpert Hub is the heart of Hitachi Energy’s TXpert Ecosystem. It enables the
user to take simple steps to digitalize a transformer; liquid filled or dry; new or
retrofit; regardless of its brand.

TXpert Hub collects data from sensors, watches interdependencies, and trends
their evolution based on configurable thresholds. It acts as the cyber secure bridge
for communication going up from or down to the transformer, allowing safe and
remote monitoring.

The new generation of TXpert Hub, powered by the latest CoreTec technology,
has been built from the ground up to ease transformer digitalization, focusing on:

• Incorporating the operative experience from users of earlier versions of the

system since 1991,
• The application of the latest technologies in communications and cyber
security,
• Off-the-shelf retrofit solutions for dry, distribution and power transformers.
As a global leader in bushing and transformer digitalization, Hitachi Energy
highly recommends the use of the tap protector, independent of the application
or the site topology. The device will be showcased in May 2024 at CIWEME in
Berlin and IEEE in Anaheim, to allow our customers and partners to see it and
discuss pilot installations.

Figure 4
Pictures of two of the different designs of the
BTP mounted on bushings.

Figure 5
TXpert Hub PT Basic+ includes bushing moni-
toring and will be offered with the Bushing Tap
Protector
 Transformer Technology March 2024 25

Issue 35

Dr. Henrik Löfås is a Product Specialist for

bushings at Hitachi Energy in Sweden and
has 10 years of professional experience in
the area, including design, R&D, engineer-
ing solutions and testing. He started as a
scientist in the corporate research organi-
zation and later moved to the engineering.
He has also been heavily involved in failure
investigations and questions related to con-
dition assessment of aged bushings. He is
a member of the PT 36414 working group
within IEC TC 36 as well as the newly ini-
tiated CIGRE WG A2.68. Henrik has a PhD
and a M. Sc. degree both from Uppsala Uni-
versity, Sweden.

Lony Tehini is Hitachi Energy’s Global Prod-

uct Manager for transformer accessories.
References His experience in product management and
[1] CIGRE studies TB 755/2019 sales over the last 10 years covers trans-
[2] “Impact of VFT on Bushings & Necessary Protection when Using On-line Monitoring”, H. Löfås former conventional and digital components
and R. Hedlund, INMR conference 2023 and services. He currently serves on the
[3] “Risk Mitigation through Transient Protection of Transformer Bushings when Using Online Canadian Electricity Advisory Council. Lony
Monitoring”, H. Löfås, R. Berg, L. Jonsson and R. Hedlund, to be presented at EIC 2024 is a professional engineer with a degree in
electrical engineering from McGill University.
Photo: Hitachi Energy, Shutterstock
26 PERSPECTIVES

Enhanced Asset Management

and Inspection Programs
with NFC Technology

This article explores the transformational role of Near in barcode and QR code systems that can be scanned
Field Communication (NFC) technology in advancing from a distance by any camera-equipped device.
asset management and inspection processes. NFC tags can also be encrypted, adding a layer of
By leveraging NFC tags' enhanced security, efficiency, security. This encryption ensures that even if data is
and seamless integration capabilities, companies can intercepted, it remains indecipherable to unauthorized
significantly improve their operations' safety, reliability, users. Moreover, NFC tags can be programmed to
and cost-effectiveness. This article also outlines the work only with specific devices or to trigger actions only
superior features of NFC tags over traditional barcodes after verifying the user's identity, thus providing
and QR codes, mainly focusing on their integration with a bespoke security solution that barcodes and QR
IoT sensors to streamline operations and the substantial codes cannot offer.
time and cost savings realized by businesses across
industries.

Introduction
In the realm of data management and asset inspection, NFC tags can also be encrypted, adding a layer of
Near Field Communication (NFC) technology security. This encryption ensures that even if data is
is transforming how companies approach their intercepted, it remains indecipherable to
operations' safety, reliability, and efficiency. NFC tags, unauthorized users.
which allow wireless communication between a tag
and an NFC-enabled device over a short distance, offer Another significant advantage of NFC over its
several advantages over traditional barcode and QR predecessors is its ability to facilitate two-way
code systems. This article explores NFC tags' enhanced communication. This capability allows for dynamic
security, efficiency, and integration capabilities, interaction with the stored data, including updating and
particularly in inspection programs. It also examines deleting, thereby enhancing the integrity and relevance
how their linkage with IoT sensors streamlines of the information associated with each asset.
operations, saving time and money for businesses In contrast, barcodes and QR codes are static, offering
across industries. no such flexibility and necessitating the generation of
new codes for updated information, which can lead to
Enhanced Security Features of NFC Tags data management inefficiencies and inaccuracies.
NFC technology inherently possesses superior security
features compared to barcodes and QR codes, primarily Efficiency in Data Control and Management
due to its short-range communication capability. NFC-based inspection programs significantly streamline
This feature minimizes the risk of unauthorized the process of data control and management.
scanning and data interception, a common vulnerability The simplicity of tapping an NFC-enabled device to
a tag for immediate data retrieval drastically reduces
the time and effort required for asset inspection.
This contrasts sharply with barcode and QR code
systems, where aligning a scanner or camera can be
cumbersome, especially in hard-to-reach or poorly lit
conditions. NFC's ease of use accelerates the inspection
process and minimizes the risk of human error,
ensuring more accurate data collection.

NFC-based inspection programs significantly

streamline the process of data control and
management. The simplicity of tapping an NFC-
enabled device to a tag for immediate data retrieval
drastically reduces the time and effort required
for asset inspection.

Furthermore, NFC tags can store a more comprehensive

array of data types directly on the tag, from simple
identification information to detailed inspection
history. This capability allows immediate access to
comprehensive asset data on-site without needing
an internet connection to retrieve information from
Photo: Shutterstock

a central database. Such autonomy in data access

enhances the efficiency of inspection processes,
especially in remote or challenging environments
where connectivity may be an issue.
Transformer Technology March 2024 27

Issue 35

Seamless Integration with IoT Sensors intrinsic safety standards, NFC can safely operate in
Integrating NFC technology with Internet of Things areas where explosive materials are present, reducing
(IoT) sensors represents a leap forward in asset the risk of ignition. This feature is precious in industries
management and inspection programs. NFC provides such as oil and gas, chemical manufacturing, and
a straightforward and user-friendly means to bridge mining, where safety is paramount.
physical assets with their digital twins in IoT ecosystems.
By tapping an NFC-enabled device against a tag, data Conclusion
from IoT sensors—from temperature and pressure NFC technology is a beacon of innovation in asset
to location and movement—can be easily accessed, safety and reliability. Its encryption capabilities and
reviewed, and analyzed. short-range communication offer unmatched security,
mitigating the risk of unauthorized access and data
This integration facilitates real-time monitoring and breaches. The ease with which NFC tags can be read
predictive maintenance, as anomalies detected by IoT by smartphones, specialized readers, and tablets
sensors can be immediately flagged and investigated. enhances their practicality, ensuring that crucial asset
Such proactive approaches to maintenance prevent information is always at the fingertips of those who
costly downtimes and extend the lifespan of assets, need it. Furthermore, the compatibility of NFC with
thereby saving companies significant resources in intrinsically safe readers opens new avenues for its
the long run. application in hazardous environments, reinforcing its
role as a versatile and secure solution. As companies
Cost Savings and Operational Efficiency continue to navigate the challenges of efficient asset
Adopting NFC-based inspection and asset management management in an increasingly complex world,
programs yields considerable cost savings and adopting NFC-based programs is not just a strategic
operational efficiencies. The reduced time and labor advantage but a pathway to future-proofing operations,
involved in inspections, coupled with the enhanced embracing sustainability, and achieving operational
accuracy of data collection, translate into direct excellence.
cost savings for businesses. Moreover, the predictive
maintenance facilitated by NFC and IoT integration
minimizes unexpected breakdowns and the associated
repair costs and operational disruptions. Author:
Martin Robinson
In addition, the dynamic nature of NFC tags—allowing Founder, Owner and
for on-the-fly updates and interactions—eliminates
CEO of IRISS Inc.
the need for physical replacement or reprinting that
barcodes and QR codes require when information
changes. This reduces material and operational costs
and contributes to environmental sustainability efforts
by minimizing waste.

The transformational impact of NFC technology

on inspection programs and asset management
underscores a pivotal shift towards more secure,
efficient, and integrated operational frameworks.
NFC tags outperform traditional barcode and QR code
systems with superior security features. They also
streamline data control and management processes,
seamlessly integrate with IoT sensors, and drive Martin Robinson is the founder, owner, and CEO of
considerable cost savings and operational efficiencies. IRISS Inc., a leading manufacturer of infrared inspection
windows. Robinson focuses on innovation and is a
A critical advantage of NFC technology is its pioneer of Electrical Maintenance Safety Devices
compatibility with various devices, including (EMSDs) that help protect technicians from harm while
smartphones, specialized readers, and tablets. protecting their companies’ bottom line. He holds
This versatility ensures that NFC-based solutions are several patents for condition-based maintenance
accessible to a broad audience, facilitating widespread devices and has designed multiple maintenance
adoption across various industries. The ability to programs that include infrared, ultrasound, partial
use NFC with everyday devices like smartphones discharge testing, non-destructive testing (NDT) and
dramatically lowers the barrier to entry, enabling energy management strategies. He holds a NEBOSH
more organizations to leverage this technology certificate in Occupational Safety and Health, an IAM
without significant upfront investment in specialized Certificate in Asset Management, is a certified Level III
equipment. Thermographer, a Certified Maintenance and Reliability
Professional (CMRP) and a Certified Reliability Leader
Moreover, NFC technology presents an intrinsically safe (CRL). He is a member of IEEE, NFPA and is a standing
solution for operations in hazardous environments. member on the technical committee CSA Z463
When used with specialized readers designed to meet guidelines on maintenance of electrical systems.
28 PARTIAL DISCHARGE
MONITORING

Online Partial Discharge

Monitor Identifies Degraded
Bushings on a 345kV Gas
Circuit Breaker
by Mark Tostrud

Photo: Shutterstock
Transformer Technology March 2024 29

Issue 35

One of the earliest indicators that high

voltage electrical assets are beginning
to degrade is the presence of partial
discharges. IEC60270 defines partial
discharge as a localized electrical
discharge that only partially bridges
the insulation between conductors,
and which can or cannot occur
adjacent to a conductor. Partial
discharges can take several forms:

1. Void discharges occur in

defects in the solid insulation.
The discharges occur because
the breakdown strength of
the void is much lower than
the breakdown strength of
the solid insulation around
it. Void discharges typically
occur in cables, bushings, and
transformers. Void discharges
can be highly destructive to
insulation and in time will
typically result in complete
failure of the insulation.

2. Surface discharges occur along

the surface of insulation rather
than in voids in the insulation.
Repeated surface discharges
will often result in surface
tracking which is easily seen
by the eye. Surface discharges
can occur in air insulated
switchgear, on the external
weather sheds of insulators and
bushings, and in motors and
Mark Tostrud is the Technology Officer for generators. Surface discharges
Dynamic Ratings, Inc. located in Sussex, can significantly increase
Wisconsin. He joined Dynamic Ratings in in the presence of surface
the fall of 2006 and has been instrumental contamination, humidity, fog,
in helping Dynamic Ratings customers incor- and light rain.
porate online monitoring into their condition-
based maintenance programs. Mark’s goal
is to improve the understanding of the tech-
nologies and analytics the monitors offer so
3. Corona discharges occur when
the air surrounding a conductor
carrying high voltage becomes
customers can get the most out of their mon- ionized allowing the charge
itoring systems, improve their system perfor- to continuously bleed off the
mance and make better asset management conductor into the air. Corona
decisions. Prior to his present position, Mark often radiates from sharp
was a Construction & Maintenance Supervi- surfaces or irregularities on the
sor at We Energies. During his 19 years at surface of the conductor.
We Energies, Mark lead the implementation
of many of condition-based monitoring pro-
grams for substation equipment. Mark is a
past officer of the Doble Oil Committee, and
4. Arcing discharges are
prolonged electrical discharges
produced by the electrical
was an active member on various Doble breakdown of a gas. Plasma
Committees and Subcommittees including is an example produced when
the Transformers, Insulating Materials, DGA current flows through air, or any
of LTCs and others. Mark is a registered pro- other normally non-conductive
fessional engineer in the State of Wisconsin. medium.
30 PARTIAL DISCHARGE
MONITORING

Partial discharges (PDs) can pose can be measured. Of these, the

a significant threat to high voltage monitoring of electrical transients
electrical equipment. Partial (i.e. electrical partial discharge
Discharge is also typically the first monitoring) is the easiest and Partial Discharge
indicator that an electrical asset most cost effective to implement is typically the first
is degrading. If left undetected or continuously online. Electrical partial indicator that an
if corrective actions are not taken, discharge monitoring also offers the electrical asset
partial discharges can lead to ability to utilize a single sensor for is degrading.
costly electrical failures. Thankfully, both bushing monitoring as well as
technologies exist which allow the online partial discharge monitoring.
detection of partial discharges in
energized electrical equipment. PD As part of a comprehensive online
cannot be measured directly, however, monitoring program, an electrical
its energy by-products such as utility installed key gas DGA, bushing
electrical transients, electromagnetic and partial discharge monitoring on
emissions, sound, light, and heat their generator step up transformers.

Figure 1: Dynamic Ratings Comprehensive Transformer Monitoring System

Photo: Dynamic Ratings, Shutterstock

Figure 2: Bushing and Partial Discharge Sensor Installed on a GSU

Transformer Technology March 2024 31

Issue 35

Since the analysis

identified that the
discharges were
coming from outside
the transformer,
Dynamic Ratings
recommended that
the customer scan
the high voltage
yard with a corona
camera.
32 PARTIAL DISCHARGE
MONITORING

Using the corona camera, the

customer was able to identify multiple
sources of partial discharges. The
most concerning problem was an
issue that was identified with the
bushings on the high voltage SF6
breaker protecting the transformer.
Large amounts of partial discharge
were eminating from the bushing cap
and a visual inspection of the bushing
cap identified corrosion problems
on this bushing as well as 12 other
GCB bushings in the plant. As a result
of the partial discharge monitoring
and the follow up corona camera
inspections, the customer contacted
the breaker manufacturer to perform
Figure 3: Trend of the partial discharge intensity a visual inspection of the HV gas

Figure 3: Trend of the partial discharge intensity

The bushing and PD system receiving alarms due to high levels circuit breakers. The manufacturer
consisted of sensors installed in the of partial discharge intensity. Partial has recommended the replacement
test taps of the high voltage bushings, discharge intensity is an estimate of of 12 bushings on the GCB’s
Rogowski coils installed around the the energy of the partial discharge. protecting the transformers.
porcelain skirt closest to the bushing The trend chart shown in figure 3,
flange, and coupling capacitors shows that the partial discharge Online condition monitoring of high
connected to the bolted connections intensity from all sensors was voltage electrical equipment is an
of the flexible links connected to the acceptable except for periodic spikes effective way to identify degrading
LV bushings. Coupling capacitors associated with activity on channel electrical assets at an early stage.
were used to monitor the LV winding 2 of the monitor which exceeded the Utilizing a comprehensive approach
of the transformer since the LV warning and alarm thresholds. allows utilities to implement
bushings did not have test taps. technologies to identify and prevent
Pictures of the monitoring system Since the analysis identified that the nearly all failure modes typically
and sensor installations are provided discharges were coming from outside found in their high voltage electrical
Photo: Dynamic Ratings

in figures 1 and 2. the transformer, Dynamic Ratings assets. While technologies like
recommended that the customer DGA and online bushing monitoring
Shortly after the monitor was scan the high voltage yard with a have been used for years to identify
installed, the customer began corona camera. degrading high voltage electrical
Transformer Technology March 2024 33

Issue 35

Online condition
monitoring of high
voltage electrical
equipment is an
effective way to
Figure 5: Corona camera image of the transformer HV SF6 breaker identify degrading
electrical assets
assets, implementation of online
at an early stage.
partial discharge monitoring is References
not as common. However, since [1] IEC 60270 High Voltage Test Techniques – Partial Discharge Methods
partial discharge is typically the first
[2] IEEE C57.127 Guide for Detection, Location and Interpretation of Sources of Acoustic Emi9ssions
indicator that an electrical asset is
from Electrical Discharges in Power Transformers and Reactors
degrading, it makes sense to include
partial discharge monitoring as part [3] IEEE C57.143 IEEE Guide for Application for Monitoring Equipment to Liquid-Immersed
of a comprehensive approach to Transformers and Components
monitoring your high voltage assets.
34 COMPANY
SPOTLIGHT

COMPANY SPOTLIGHT
DELTA-X RESEARCH

Applying
science to
transformer
risk
management
Photo: Delta X Research
Transformer Technology March 2024 35

Issue 35

DELTA-X RESEARCH is trusted by

14 of the top 20 electric utilities
in the USA to help safeguard their
critical assets. Founded in 1992
and headquartered in Victoria, BC,
Canada, Delta-X Research provides
science-based decision-support tools
that help electric utilities and energy-
intensive companies assess the
health and operational risk of their
high-voltage apparatus.

Assessing high-value assets Our products and services are built

(like power transformers) using using the scientific method. This
conventional diagnostic methods means we welcome questioning
does not always detect fault and constructive criticism because
conditions and occasionally raises they help us improve our offerings.
false alarms. A better approach In a conservative industry, Delta-X
is to understand the relationship Research is trusted to innovate in a
between observable test parameters responsible way.
(e.g. dissolved gases) and actual
equipment failures. Using advanced We work hard to make it easy
statistical analysis, apparatus at risk-
of-failure is more correctly identified Interpreting test and monitor data
and the risk of continued operation can be hard... our job is to make the
can be explicitly quantified. complex simple. We invite customers
to talk directly to our scientists so
Pushing past conventional you can ask questions and get the
paradigms information you need to make critical
decisions with confidence. Our open,
Our decision-support tools – secure solutions give you unfettered
Transformer Oil Analyst™ (TOA) access to leverage your data 24/7.
and Monitor Watch – manage and
interpret insulating liquid test data, Our independence is your
including dissolved gas analysis independence
(DGA) to:
Commitment to science means
• More correctly identify abnormal commitment to objectivity, which gives
apparatus behavior to avoid us the freedom to be independent
unplanned outages and false and neutral. We work with all other
alarms. companies and laboratories, so
• Prioritize your transformer fleet for you can choose your suppliers to
repair-or-replace decisions; assemble a complete best-in-class
• Maximize return-on-investment and best-fit solution. Regardless of
on aging assets and capital the data source, knowing that your
expenditures; data is secure and is interpreted in
• Evaluate risk for better risk a consistent manner supported by
management and efficient sound science allows you to manage
maintenance. risk with confidence.

TOA uses Reliability-based Dissolved A community of peers

Gas Analysis, an innovative method
for interpreting DGA data that When you work with Delta-X Research, Contact information:
more correctly detects transformer you join a community of transformer General inquiries:
abnormalities earlier and avoids engineers committed to sharing +1 250.592.2998
false alarms. With Delta-X Research's knowledge, advancing science, and [email protected]
reliability-entered approach, a utility's helping one another. This collective
Sales:
maintenance and asset management not only has a remarkable 99%
[email protected]
strategies can be elevated without renewal rate but also plays a role in
changing any fundamental business advancing our scientific research and Marketing:
processes. We lead with science. refining our decision-support tools. [email protected]
36 TRANSFORMER
RELIABILITY AND
MAINTENANCE

The evolution of transformer

reliability and maintenance and
the relationship to monitoring
and diagnostic technology
by Todd Hurst

Photo: Shutterstock
Transformer Technology March 2024 37

Issue 35

THE MID-20TH CENTURY SAW THE INTRODUCTION OF DGA

(DISSOLVED GAS ANALYSIS) AS A POWERFUL DIAGNOSTIC TOOL FOR
ASSESSING THE CONDITION OF TRANSFORMER INSULATION.
DGA INVOLVES ANALYZING GASES DISSOLVED IN TRANSFORMER OIL
TO DETECT AND IDENTIFY INCIPIENT FAULTS SUCH AS OVERHEATING,
ARCING, AND PARTIAL DISCHARGES. THIS TECHNIQUE REVOLUTIONIZED
TRANSFORMER DIAGNOSTICS, ENABLING EARLY DETECTION OF
POTENTIAL ISSUES AND PROACTIVE MAINTENANCE STRATEGIES.

Todd Hurst is the Executive Vice President

at SDMyers, LLC, in Tallmadge, Ohio, where
he leads strategic growth and innovation.
SDMyers is an electric reliability company
specializing in transformer maintenance, flu-
id testing, field service, and training. As a dy-
namic leader in a broad range of roles and
industries, Todd is passionate about leading
teams to right-fit solutions for the industry
and customer needs. He presents a leader-
ship style that prioritizes serving the great-
er good through setting vision, empowering
team members, and building trust. Before
joining SDMyers, Todd had various executive
roles in the plastics and resins manufactur-
ing space and marketing leadership in con-
sumer goods. Todd holds a Bachelor’s de-
gree in Marketing & Management, Direct
Marketing, Entrepreneurship, and Economics
from the University of Mount Union.
38 TRANSFORMER
RELIABILITY AND
MAINTENANCE

Some History These inspections were limited of potential issues and proactive
in scope and effectiveness, often maintenance strategies.
requiring transformers to be taken
The evolution of monitoring and offline for detailed examination. With the advent of telecommunications
diagnostic technology for liquid- and computing technologies (late 20th
filled transformers has been marked The mid-20th century saw the century), remote monitoring systems
by significant advancements driven introduction of DGA (Dissolved Gas for liquid-filled transformers emerged.
by technological innovations and Analysis) as a powerful diagnostic These systems allowed for real-time

industry demands for improved tool for assessing the condition monitoring of transformer parameters
reliability and efficiency. In the of transformer insulation. DGA such as temperature, oil level, moisture,
early days, (late-19th century) of involves analyzing gases dissolved in and gas concentrations from a central
transformers, monitoring, and transformer oil to detect and identify control center. Remote monitoring
diagnostic practices primarily relied incipient faults such as overheating, systems improved the efficiency of
on visual inspections of transformer arcing, and partial discharges. This maintenance activities and facilitated
components such as bushings, technique revolutionized transformer potentially faster response to abnormal
windings, and insulation materials. diagnostics, enabling early detection operating conditions.
 Transformer Technology March 2024 39

Issue 35

Current State intervention, preventing potential access transformers' data regardless

failures, minimizing downtime, and of location. This facilitates timely
Early fault detection via multi-gas extending the life of the transformer. decision-making and allows for
monitoring systems allows for predictive maintenance strategies
the simultaneous measurement Many recently manufactured to be implemented. Integration
of multiple gases dissolved in the transformers implement advanced with asset management systems
transformer oil, such as methane, sensors within the transformer to provides a holistic view of transformer
ethane, ethylene, acetylene, hydrogen, provide real-time data on parameters health, maintenance history, and
operational data. This comprehensive
approach enables informed decision-
making regarding maintenance
schedules and resource allocation.
By combining data from various
monitoring technologies and
employing predictive maintenance
strategies, maintenance activities can
be scheduled based on the actual
condition of the transformer and
supplement predefined intervals when
required. This optimizes maintenance
efforts while maximizing reliability.

Predictive maintenance assisted by

AI (artificial intelligence) algorithms
can analyze large volumes of data
collected from sensors to identify
patterns indicative of impending
failures or abnormalities in
transformer behavior. By predicting
potential issues before they occur,
AI enables proactive maintenance
interventions, minimizing downtime
and reducing the risk of catastrophic
failures. AI-powered diagnostic
systems can automatically detect and
diagnose faults within transformers
by analyzing data from various
sources, such as dissolved gas
analysis (DGA), temperature sensors,
and load measurements. This
automated process accelerates fault
identification, allowing for corrective
actions to be taken.

What’s Next

The future of monitoring and

diagnostic technology for liquid-filled
transformers is poised for further
advancements driven by emerging
technologies, evolving industry
needs, and the growing complexity of
power distribution networks. Future
monitoring systems for liquid-filled
and carbon monoxide. As noted, DGA such as temperature, oil level, pressure, transformers will likely incorporate
is a widely used method for detecting and gas concentrations. These sensors more advanced sensors capable
incipient faults within transformers. can be integrated with Internet of of measuring a wider range of
Increases in gas concentrations can Things (IoT) platforms for remote parameters with higher accuracy and
indicate various faults, including monitoring. precision. These sensors may include
Photo: Shutterstock

overheating, insulation degradation, advanced optical sensors, acoustic

partial discharges, and arcing. Early Leveraging remote monitoring sensors, nanotechnology-based
detection of these faults enables timely capabilities enables operators to sensors, and IoT-enabled devices,
40 TRANSFORMER
RELIABILITY AND
MAINTENANCE

providing comprehensive insights into analyze vast amounts of sensor data, The future of transformer
transformer health and performance. identifying patterns, anomalies, and maintenance will shift towards
trends indicative of potential faults predictive and condition-based
Data analytics and AI will continue or abnormalities. Predictive analytics monitoring approaches. Predictive
to play a crucial role in transformer techniques will enable proactive main- maintenance models will leverage
monitoring and diagnostics. Advanced tenance strategies, further improving AI and machine learning algorithms
AI algorithms will be deployed to reliability and reducing downtime. to forecast potential failures and

PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE ASSISTED BY AI (ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE)

ALGORITHMS CAN ANALYZE LARGE VOLUMES OF DATA COLLECTED FROM
SENSORS TO IDENTIFY PATTERNS INDICATIVE OF IMPENDING FAILURES
OR ABNORMALITIES IN TRANSFORMER BEHAVIOR. BY PREDICTING
POTENTIAL ISSUES BEFORE THEY OCCUR, AI ENABLES PROACTIVE
MAINTENANCE INTERVENTIONS, MINIMIZING DOWNTIME AND REDUCING
THE RISK OF CATASTROPHIC FAILURES.
 Transformer Technology March 2024 41

Issue 35

prescribe preventive measures based Remote monitoring and control facilitate real-time data transmission
on real-time data and historical trends. capabilities will be further enhanced, and remote diagnostics, improving
Condition-based monitoring systems enabling operators to access and operational efficiency and respon-
will enable continuous assessment manage transformers from anywhere siveness.
of transformer health, allowing for in the world remotely. Advanced
timely intervention and optimization communication technologies like Emerging technologies such as
of maintenance schedules. 5G and satellite connectivity will quantum computing, advanced
materials, and even robotics
may also influence the future
of transformer monitoring and
diagnostics. Quantum computing
algorithms could revolutionize
data analysis and optimization
tasks, while advanced materials
may lead to more durable and
reliable transformer components.
Drones may be employed to
inspect transformers in challenging
environments remotely.

The AI Reality

AI technology, specifically Generative

AI with Large Language Models
(LLMs), has grown exponentially
and can potentially provide
significant benefits to society.
However, these generative tools
have yet to be fully integrated into
all areas of transformer monitoring
and diagnostics. This presents an
opportunity for Reliability Engineers,
Electrical Subject Matter Experts, and
Asset Managers to enhance their
transformer diagnostic training and
substantially increase their knowledge
to support their transformer
reliability philosophy. By leveraging
Generative AI, they can gain a deeper
understanding of transformer
monitoring and diagnostics and
improve their reliability programs.
It's essential to invest the effort now
with the available technology to reap
the benefits in the long run.

Overall, the evolution of monitoring

and diagnostic technology for
liquid-filled transformers has been
characterized by advancements in
sensor technology, data analytics,
and limited artificial intelligence.
These advancements have
significantly improved the reliability,
efficiency, and safety of liquid-filled
transformers in power distribution
networks. The exact when and how
of the emerging technologies is yet
to be determined. What is known is
Photo: Shutterstock

that the evolution will continue, and

so will the need for a resilient electric
power system.
42 TRANSFORMER
MAINTENANCE
STRATEGY

UNDERSTAND THE OPTIMIZE THE

CONDITION OF POWER MAINTENANCE
TRANSFORMERS STRATEGY
 Transformer Technology March 2024 43

Issue 35

An aging fleet of power transformer with increasing fault susceptibility and

fluctuating transformer loads, due to the feed-in of renewable energy are just
some of the challenges facing the electric power industry. In addition, the constant
expansion of the grid leads to an increased demand for new transformers,
which in turn leads to higher costs and long delivery times. The bottom line is
that the installed old equipment is more loaded and new equipment takes time
to acquire.

Therefore, monitoring and diagnosis of transformers becomes more important

to understand the exact condition of the assets. Based on the accurate diagnosis,
life-extending measures can be initiated on existing transformers to keep them
on the grid for a longer time span, alleviating the supply shortage while maxi-
mizing the value of the assets. This ensures reliability for a safe operation.

MONITORING
AND DIAGNOSIS OF
TRANSFORMERS BECOMES MORE
IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THE EXACT
CONDITION OF THE ASSETS. BASED ON THE
ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, LIFE-EXTENDING MEASURES
CAN BE INITIATED ON EXISTING TRANSFORMERS
TO KEEP THEM ON THE GRID FOR A LONGER TIME
SPAN, ALLEVIATING THE SUPPLY SHORTAGE
WHILE MAXIMIZING THE VALUE OF
THE ASSETS.

Data is needed to know the condition! Understanding the condition of a

transformer is very similar to the human health. A diagnosis is also based on
symptoms. Measurements can help to categorize the symptoms and provide
information about possible diseases. Like the human blood count, the analysis
of the insulating medium oil provides information about the state of health and
indicates thermal and electrical faults.

According to IEC 60599, the dissolved and free gas analysis (DGA) is one of
the most widely used diagnostic tools for detecting and evaluating faults in oil-
insulated transformers [1]. The key gases can be measured either by taking a
sample and subsequently analyzing it in the laboratory, which is done at a certain
time interval (e.g. yearly). To minimize the uncertainty between these intervals
an additional option is to install a DGA sensor, which has been described as “the
heart of on-line monitoring” [2]. Sensors that collect real-time data under real
operating conditions enable continuous condition assessment, which facilitates
the transition to condition-based maintenance. The gained transparency supports
decision making and optimized planning of maintenance and repair measures.

Transformers generate a lot of data over their lifetime. But what does data
mean for a transformer and its health?

For an accurate diagnosis, it is best to include and combine several pieces

of information. The large amount of data produced by the transformer makes
it possible to determine its failure more precisely and at an early stage. Just
like humans, where the diagnosis of diseases is based on certain symptoms. In
the case of symptoms such as a runny nose, loss of taste and fever, the doctor
could suspect a corona infection. He can then confirm his assumption with
specific tests, such as a PCR test, in order to treat the disease correctly.

The same approach can be applied to the energy sector. Based on the early
Photo: Shutterstock

warning system, targeted on-site testing can be initiated. Maintenance is carried

out when it is needed and can be scheduled when the transformer is shut down
anyway.
44 TRANSFORMER
MAINTENANCE
STRATEGY

DURING
THE LIFE TIME OF A POWER
TRANSFORMER, A WIDE VARIETY
OF DATA CAN BE COLLECTED. MASTER
DATA, MEASUREMENT DATA FROM PHYSICAL
INSPECTIONS AND TESTS, AND CONTINUOUS
TIME SERIES FROM AN INCREASING
NUMBER OF INSTALLED
SENSORS.

Lots of Data can be Overwhelming!

During the life time of a power transformer, a wide variety of data can be
collected. Master data, measurement data from physical inspections and test,
and continuous time series from an increasing number of installed sensors.

In practice, this data is often scattered across different systems and drives.
This makes it difficult to maintain an overview and perform a holistic assess-
ment. But it is not just the distributed data that is a challenge - interpreting it
correctly is also a challenge. The ppm measurements from the laboratory report
are usually incomprehensible to the layperson, as most of the people looking at
the results have not studied chemistry. Digital solutions in the form of assistant
and analytical tool make the process easier!

TESSA®
ASSET PERFORMANCE
MANAGEMENT IS AN INTEGRATED
PLATFORM FOR COLLECTING AND STORING
ALL INSPECTION AND SENSOR DATA IN A
CENTRAL DATABASE, COMBINED IN A USER-
FRIENDLY INTERFACE PROVIDING CONCISE
INFORMATION AND AVAILABLE ON
ANY DEVICE.

Discover Data-Driven Asset Management

Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen offers a customized and modular automation

solution for monitoring and diagnostics of power transformers.

With the MSENSE® sensor portfolio you can digitize the transformer compo-
nents and receive all measured data in continuous time series. The connected
sensor information is consolidated and hard time synchronized in ETOS®, which
Reinhausen

is a transformer manufacturer independent operating system for monitoring,

controlling and regulating individual power transformers.
Photo: Maschinenfabrik

TESSA® Asset Performance Management is an integrated platform for collect-

Shutterstock

ing and storing all inspection and sensor data in a central database, combined
in a user-friendly interface providing concise information and available on any
device.
Transformer Technology March 2024 45

Issue 35

Figure 1: TESSA® APM software

This helps to identify and track the condition of power transformers. Gain an
overview of the condition of your fleet and gain meaningful insights into the health
of individual assets along with their individual components. Transform your
inspection and sensor data into advanced analytics and identify irregularities at
an early stage. Evaluations based on the latest standards and a unique algorithm
that provides actionable recommendations.

TESSA® APM supports Asset- and Service Manager in the ISO 55000 process by
simplifying the time-consuming, manual analysis process.

2. Identification of 3. Root Cause

critical measurements Analysis
............................................................ ................................................................

4. Derivation and
1. Monitoring the documentation
asset fleet of measures
............................................................ ............................................................

Figure 2: Supporting Process

46 TRANSFORMER
MAINTENANCE
STRATEGY

Transformers Digitalization

Benefits
• Save time with process automation
• Save cost through life-time optimization
• Understandable assessments and analysis for further decision making
• Based on transformer expert knowledge
Photo: Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen
Transformer Technology March 2024 47

Issue 35

Organize all the master data (e.g. nameplate information) relevant to the
assessment as each transformer is unique and must be analyzed according to its
individual characteristics. Store all measurement data in a structured way, either
time series from sensors such as MSENSE® DGA or point measurements from
laboratory oil test!

Recognize increasing values with configurable alarms that provide information

when thresholds are reached. Enable life-prolonging actions to be taken before it
becomes an expensive repair or even a failure with a power outage.

Visualize data automatically in a graphical or tabular trend view. A custom

selection of measured values, axes and time periods can be used for a detailed
analysis of historical trends. Compare past data with current data and identify
trends by assessing the deltas and the rate of increase over different time
periods.

Assess transformers and their components based on health indices according

to international standards such as CIGRE, IEC and IEEE. The condition of the fleet
is displayed in a condition and risk matrix with a prioritized ranking. This helps to
easily identify the critical units! A powerful visualization with an advanced grade
system displays single measurements with their respective thresholds either
in a table view or in graphical trend chart. Make comparisons of current and
historical measurements and trends of health and conditions indices.

Analyze root-cause using common failure classifi-

cation methods such as Duval Triangle and pentagon.
Unique algorithms show the probability estimate for the
most likely transformer problems with a fault description.

Define required actions with recommendations based

on standards such as IEEE C57.104 from 2019 or unique
algorithm. Support decision making process and optimize
maintenance planning.

Document the findings and generate easy interpreta-

Leonhard Link studied Business Admin-
tion reports with a single click. Customize the report lay-
istration at the OTH Regensburg. During
out to match your corporate design. All relevant files
his studies, he completed an internship at
of any type can be stored with the associated asset or
Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen in the field
component for quick access.
of software and business model develop-
ment, then stayed on as a student trainee
and wrote his bachelor's thesis on the topic
of requirements evaluation and documen-
tation in agile software development. He
has been a product manager of TESSA®
APM for more than one and a half years.

Bibliography
[1] IEC 60599:2022 “Mineral oil-filled electrical
equipment in service - Guidance on the Register and get meaningful insight
interpretation of dissolved and free gases into the health of your power trans-
analysis” IEC, Geneva, Switzerland, 4 edn., formers!
2022
[2] E. A. Mackenzie, J. Crossey, A. dePablo
and W. Ferguson, "On-line monitoring and Do you need more information?
diagnostics for power transformers," 2010 Contact us: [email protected]
IEEE International Symposium on Electrical Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen
Insulation, San Diego, CA, USA, 2010 www.reinhausen.com Sign up for free and get started!
48 ENSURING GRID
RELIABILITY

Ensuring Grid Reliability:

Integrating Digital HV
Switchgear and Artificial
Intelligence
by Saad Habib
and Saifa Khalid

• The US HV switchgear market is The power grid dynamics are have been crucial to upgrade HV
evolving with advancements in evolving in response to a shifting switchgear monitoring capabilities to
smart grid development, driven energy landscape, marked by a surge make it compatible with the evolving
by the deployment of renewable in energy demand from electric energy landscape. Integrating HV
energy sources and the widespread vehicle charging and the integration switchgear with these advancements
adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). of intermittent renewable energy is expected to facilitate grid
resources at high voltage (HV) levels. optimization, especially in the US,
• Using digital HV switchgear and This evolution necessitates intelligent where it will contribute positively to the
integrating artificial intelligence autonomous monitoring and control resilience of the energy landscape.
(AI) into HV switchgear will amplify solutions to manage the changing
the grid's capacity to cater to grid conditions effectively. Dynamics in the US Market
bottlenecks and provide tangible
results in addressing evolving High-voltage (HV) switchgear The US HV switchgear market
energy challenges. is a key equipment to maintain power is evolving with advancements in
grid stability; however, traditional smart grid development, driven
• HV switchgear is essential monitoring methods are becoming by the deployment of renewable
Photo: Shutterstock

to maintain grid stability and inefficient for HV switchgear. energy sources and the widespread
flexibility amidst high demand and Advancements in technology, data adoption of electric vehicles (EVs).
intermittent supply. science, and artificial intelligence (AI) The government is actively promoting
Transformer Technology March 2024 49

Issue 35

the deployment of grid infrastructure Grid Resilience and Innovation

to prevent fluctuation and strain Partnerships (GRIP) Program
due to the rising demand. Multiple The government has funded the Grid
challenges like intermittent power Resilience and Innovation Partnerships
outputs from renewables, fluctuating (GRIP) Program to modernize the
load patterns from EV charging, and grid infrastructure. On November 18th,
bidirectional power flow highlight 2022, the Department of Energy (DOE)
the importance of innovative grid unveiled a historic USD 10.5 billion
designs. There is a need to redefine investment plan through GRIP, supported
the operational structures of grid by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
management by incorporating This funding targets the expansion Saad Habib currently serving as a Market
advanced functionalities in HV and modernization of the national Analyst at PTR Inc. with a focus on High
equipment to overcome these electricity grid, marking the most Voltage (HV) and Medium Voltage (MV)
challenges. The US government has significant single federal investment in Switchgear within the Power Grid team,
introduced several grid management critical transmission and distribution brings a wealth of experience to his role.
and deployment initiatives, including infrastructure. The figure below shows Previously, as a Project Manager at Future
the GRIP Program, to cater to grid the investment division across multiple Gulf Tech. Cont., a prominent project man-
challenges. programs under GRIP Investment. agement and consultancy firm in Pakistan,
he demonstrated his expertise in the field.
Saad holds a Master's degree in Business
Administration from CBM and a Bachelor's
degree in Electrical Engineering from FAST
National University. His professional strengths

Investment Share Under include keenly analyzing market trends,

evaluating the impact of renewable energy
the GRIP Program updates, and assessing country policies
that shape the switchgear landscape.

Using digital HV switchgear and

integrating artificial intelligence
(AI) into HV switchgear will amplify
the grid's capacity to cater to
24% bottlenecks and provide tangible
results in addressing evolving
energy challenges.
48%

28%

Grid Innovation Program Saifa Khalid serves as Senior Analyst at

PTR Inc. Her main area of interest is power
systems. Currently, she leads the power
Smart Grid Grants grid research team in developing PTR’s
syndicated power grid services and man-
Grid Resilience Utility and Industry Grants ages custom research projects for Fortune
500 clients globally. The topics under her man-
date include HV switchgear, MV switchgear,
power transformers and distribution trans-
formers. With a background in Electrical
Figure 1: Investment Share Under the GRIP Program. Engineering, Saifa brings technical profi-
Source: PTR Inc. ciency to her role, ensuring impactful soluti-
ons in the dynamic realm of power systems.
50 ENSURING GRID
RELIABILITY

Through the GRIP investment, the

US allocated USD 2.5 billion for
Grid Resilience Utility and Industry
Grants, USD 3 billion for Smart Grid
Grants, and USD 5 billion for the Grid
Innovation Program. These funds
serve multiple purposes, such as
enhancing regional and community
grid resilience, improving electric
system flexibility and efficiency, and
deploying innovative transmission
and distribution infrastructure
approaches. Together, the GRIP
investment strengthens the smart
grid by focusing on multiple grid
optimization techniques, fostering
real-time adaptability and operational
efficiency. Additionally, using digital
HV switchgear and integrating
artificial intelligence (AI) into HV
switchgear will amplify the grid's
capacity, efficiency, and resilience.

Integrating digital technologies into

HV switchgear can revolutionize
energy infrastructure by enhancing
the smart grids' performance,
reliability, and sustainability.

Role of Digital HV Switchgear

HV switchgear is essential to maintain

grid stability and flexibility amidst
high demand and intermittent supply,
as discussed earlier. Integrating
digital technologies into HV
switchgear can revolutionize energy
infrastructure by enhancing the smart
grids' performance, reliability, and
sustainability.

Digitalization of HV switchgear
provides multiple advantages, such
as predictive and condition-based
maintenance, increased flexibility,
precise and remote monitoring, and
cost savings.

Predictive Maintenance
Digital HV switchgear enables real-
time data analysis and decision-
making, enhancing grid monitoring
capabilities and facilitating predictive
maintenance for efficient energy
management. Predictive maintenance
allows for eliminating unplanned
downtime and diminishing risks of
equipment failures.
 Transformer Technology March 2024 51

Issue 35
Photo: Shutterstock
52 ENSURING GRID
RELIABILITY

Increased flexibility
Digital HV switchgear enables
seamless integration of renewable
energy sources through dynamic
monitoring and control capabilities.
Moreover, it supports versatile
network configurations and is a
scalable platform for upcoming
modernization initiatives.

Remote operations
Digital HV switchgear allows for
real-time alerts, diagnostics, and
control through remote monitoring,
ensuring safety by reducing manual
intervention and personnel need to
operate in hazardous environments.

Cost savings
Digital HV switchgear contributes to
cost savings by optimizing resource
allocation and minimizing disruptions
by optimizing maintenance schedules,
minimizing downtime, and improving
overall system efficiency.

Research suggests that AI-based

predictive maintenance can reduce
equipment downtime, leading
to substantial cost savings and
improved grid reliability.

AI Integration in HV
Switchgear

Introducing artificial intelligence

into HV switchgear, alongside
digitalization, unlocks a new era of
performance and efficiency. Unlike
reactive maintenance, where repairs
occur after failures, AI enables
predictive maintenance, anticipating
potential issues before they become
critical. This is achieved through
continuous monitoring of equipment
health and performance using
sensors and real-time data analysis.
For example, AI-powered anomaly
detection algorithms can analyze
vibration patterns, temperature
fluctuations, and other parameters
to identify early signs of wear and
tear in circuit breakers and other
critical switchgear components. This
allows for proactive interventions,
Photo: Shutterstock

like targeted maintenance or minor

adjustments, preventing major
breakdowns and significantly
extending the lifespan of vital assets.
Transformer Technology March 2024 53

Issue 35

Predictive vs Reactive In addition to predictive maintenance,

AI plays a crucial role in asset
HV Switchgear Maintenance management, optimizing the lifecycle
of components and ensuring their
sustained efficiency. Research
suggests that AI-based predictive
maintenance can reduce equipment
downtime, leading to substantial cost
savings and improved grid reliability.
Furthermore, AI goes beyond traditional
monitoring, facilitating real-time
condition monitoring, fault diagnosis,
Predictive Maintenance dynamic load management, and
cybersecurity. The combined benefits
Al enhances HV switchgear maintenance by predicting of AI with digital HV switchgear offer
and preventing failures through real time data analysis. promising prospects for the future
of the grid. With advanced predictive
maintenance, real-time monitoring,
and improved asset management and
cybersecurity, AI paves the way for a
more resilient, efficient, and reliable
power infrastructure.

Way Forward

The recent strides in technology, data

science, and artificial intelligence (AI)
Reactive Maintenance have ushered in a transformative
era for high-voltage (HV) switchgear
Minimum Al Integration, and maintenance done in monitoring. The integration of AI
reaction to faults and issues. addresses historical challenges
associated with manual inspections
and aligns seamlessly with the broader
smart grid revolution. Recognizing
Figure 2: Predictive vs Reactive HV Switchgear Maintenance. the pivotal role of HV switchgear in
Source: PTR Inc. ensuring a stable power supply, the
shift to AI-driven monitoring signals
a promising trajectory toward a more
resilient, responsive, and sustainable
power infrastructure.

The recent strides in technology, data science, and

artificial intelligence (AI) have ushered in a transformative
era for high-voltage (HV) switchgear monitoring.

The mutual relationship between AI

and digital switchgear streamlines
operations and opens avenues for
remote management, adaptive control
strategies, and insightful human-
machine collaboration. As we move
forward, embracing this transformative
integration is crucial for optimizing
power grid management, ensuring
efficiency, and meeting the evolving
needs of modern energy systems.
This marks a significant step towards
building a reliable, intelligent, and
future-ready smart grid ecosystem.
54 EXPERT OPINION:
DISTRIBUTION GRID

Managing the Distribution Grid

and Cloud Computing

By Bidesh Kar Director of Product Management

Sentient Energy

The US Electric Distribution Grid is connectivity while working from home to mitigate peak demand by feeding
the backbone of all other innovation or miss witnessing live a historic last- power back to the Utilities. The
that the country has delivered over minute touchdown in a Superbowl. increasing expectations of reliability
decades. Our reliance on the power Additionally, the grid has started and proliferation of Distributed Energy
Photo: Shutterstock

systems has increased to an extent to evolve in ways never imagined Resources has made it imperative to
where minutes of interruption can or planned such as bi-directional have near real-time know how of how
be crucial as it may interrupt internet power flow from residential homes the grid is operating.
Transformer Technology March 2024 55

Issue 35

Bidesh Kar is the Director of Product Man-

agement at Sentient Energy a Koch Engi-
neered Solutions company. He has about 20
years of experience working in the Electric
Utilities industry. He spent the first half of
his career in various engineering roles at
Infosys Technologies and Itron working on
areas such as Demand Response, AMI im-
plementation, Customer Care & Billing. In
the last eight years he has been in various
product management roles at S&C Electric
and most recently at Sentient Energy. Bidesh
has led several products from concept to
market and at Sentient Energy he leads the
portfolio of intelligent line sensors for Un-
derground Distribution and Ample Analytics
Platform. He has worked with utilities globally
to help them think through how to effectively
gain visibility of underground cables and equip-
ment in preparation for the transformation
led by DERs, EVs, and rooftop solar. Bidesh
also represents Sentient Energy at Power
Delivery Intelligence Initiative as a Partner
member.

THE INCREASING
EXPECTATIONS OF
RELIABILITY AND
PROLIFERATION OF
DISTRIBUTED ENERGY
RESOURCES HAS
MADE IT IMPERATIVE
TO HAVE NEAR REAL-
TIME KNOW-HOW
OF HOW THE GRID IS The Rise of Secured Cloud Computing The advances towards auto-scaling
IT infrastructure on Cloud means
OPERATING. With exponential advancements in the thousands of intelligent devices
virtualizing IT hardware in past few – sensors, reclosers, automated
decades, the rise of Cloud Computing switches can report data back to
has come as an aid to utilities seeking IT/OT systems without having to
to process and actionize high volume, worry about constantly upgrading
variety, and velocity of data. IT infrastructure.
56 EXPERT OPINION:
DISTRIBUTION GRID

Additionally, a Cloud deployed analytics possibilities will certainly be standard would tremendously
solution natively is “High Availability” a foothold for cloud use within Utility simplify and ease standards around
by leveraging multiple geographic operations IT systems. As per IDC’s solution acceptance prior to deploying
locations as hosting zones to protect IT/OT Convergence survey, over 30 on the Cloud.
from severe weather in one region. percent of North American utilities
prioritize the investment of cloud Another challenge is the need to
Moreover, in case of large IOUs based operational data and analytics reassess regulatory frameworks
where there are multiple operating within their IT/OT related initiatives. in conjunction with FASB rules
companies, a shared resources to support cloud investments as
architecture can bring in immense Challenges and Opportunities Capex. While FASB rules exist on
cost-effectiveness towards IT how to structure contracts that allow
investments. For smaller utilities like Despite the progress that has been capitalization, there needs to be clarity
Munis and Co-ops who have limited made, there are still some major around which costs may be subject
IT resources in house, they can now challenges that need to be addressed to deferral and do so in an objective
focus on business applications and to fully transition to a Cloud based manner. In addition, utilities must
let the IT infrastructure piece handled paradigm. One challenge is ensuring review the impact of these decisions
as part of Cloud deployed solution. data is as cybersecure on the on their financial indicators of
Cloud as it is On-premises. While performance. Therefore, a company
Finally, a cloud centric approach Cloud vendors such as Amazon wide look at cloud strategy would
supports consolidation of data from and Microsoft go through a variety be crucial to ensuring not only true
disparate sources and application of of compliance measures to meet financial impact but also organization
advanced analytics, which in the past requirements from standards relevant wide necessary change management
had been constrained by complex for the distribution grid such as NERC- to achieve successful transition.
Photo: Shutterstock

system integration and limited IT CIP, FRED-RAMP, and ISO-27001, However, as Utilities deploy more
hardware capacity on-premises. application providers must also systems on the Cloud and capture
Advanced analytics and the cloud go through stringent cybersecurity the value from those investments,
work beautifully together so new evaluation procedures. An industry we will see increasing adoption and
Transformer Technology March 2024 57

Issue 35

THE FUTURE HOLDS

EXPONENTIAL
INCREASE IN
streamlined compliance processes. To summarize, three key points to
ADOPTION OF CLOUD In addition, there is growing consider are:
COMPUTING FOR regulatory support for transitioning • The importance of a companywide
to cloud-based OT/IT systems for IT strategy and change
DISTRIBUTION GRID. the distribution grid and Utilities are management initiative.
starting to implement policies that • With increasing smart devices in
support moving a subset of systems the field, what will be the TCO on
into the Cloud, and it is a matter of premises vs. Cloud?
time when we would see a greater • Collaboration with regulators to
adoption. ensure cloud deployments are not
disadvantaged due to capex and
The Future of Cloud Computing for accounting rules.
Distribution Grid
We believe that there are a variety
The future holds exponential increase of applications in OT/IT that do not
in adoption of Cloud computing for control or deenergize circuits and can
distribution grid. The total cost of therefore be a candidate to reside
ownership has improved dramatically on the Cloud. Systems those can
for cloud deployed solutions when energize or deenergize circuits can be
compared to hosting on premises. looked at in the future and migrated to
While there are still challenges cloud on a case-by-case basis. Let’s
to overcome, with greater need empower every department within
to monitor the grid and analyze the Utilities to leverage streaming
petabytes of data you need a system of data from field devices and focus
that can auto-scale with increase in on business outcomes rather than
the volume of data flowing in from spending majority of time worrying and
the field. implementing complex IT projects.
58 INNOVATIONS IN
TRANSFORMER
COOLING SYSTEMS

TRANSFORMING
THE POWER OF IDEAS INTO
PRODUCTS

In 1932, Trantech embarked on its mission to provide a wide range of cus-

tomers with cooling products. We started with milk delivery truck cooling plates
Photo: Trantech

before evolving into transformer cooling radiators for Westinghouse. Today,

we continue to lead the industry with products and services that provide our
customers around the globe with trusted products.
Transformer Technology March 2024 59

Issue 35

The Power to Protect

Corrosion remains the largest contributor to transformer cooling system

failures; however, new threats have emerged for these components that keep
our assets cool. Ballistic attacks, fires, and other terrorist events, also known as
human incidents, have increased by +382% from 2017 to 2022 according to the
Department of Energy.

Over 60% of known ballistic attacks on transformers are directed at the radi-
ator cooling systems due to their large footprint and thin materials, we set our
sights on future product developments to meet these challenges.

In 2023, Trantech launched the TRANPROTECH® line of ballistic radiator

protection panels. From a distance, these innovative panels resemble normal
radiator plates but, they are actually UL 752 Level 8 ballistic panels.

These panels are also rated for 1-hour of direct flame fire and can absorb
bullets with no spalling or ricochet for rounds up to 7.62 (AK-47). They will
absorb 5 shots within a 5” square. Typical AR-15 rounds pose no threat to
these radiator-mounted panels, with no compromise in cooling efficiency. This
innovation showcases the ingenuity of the Trantech Engineering team.
60 INNOVATIONS IN
TRANSFORMER
COOLING SYSTEMS

The Power to Respond

While developing new products around grid support and protection over
the last two years, Trantech has never lost sight of the fact that our loyal
customers need reliable products and deliveries for their role in ensuring
grid resiliency. Our commitment to these efforts led Trantech on a path to
further upgrading our manufacturing processes. In 2023, following years of
development and large capital investment, we launched our new hybrid radiator
product. Partnering with Weldbot LLC, Trantech developed this innovative
piece of equipment to replace our Brazed Radiator Product line. It has been an
overwhelming success, continuously enhancing our efficiency, reliability, and
potential output.
 Transformer Technology March 2024 61

Issue 35

These hybrid radiators support a growing 50-3000kVA distribution transformer

market. State-of-the-art robotics integration, utilizing Fanuc robotics and Fronius
welding systems, lies at the heart of our one-of-a-kind CMT welding cell. This
process produces superior welded joints along with cleaner welded areas.
Additionally, the new process reduces the environmental footprint of integral
header radiator production by more than 30%. This combination of superior
product quality, enhanced reliability, longer lifespan, and environmentally friendly
manufacturing processes is a significant win for both Trantech and our customers.

This combination of superior product quality, enhanced reliability, longer

lifespan, and environmentally friendly manufacturing processes is a signifi-
cant win for both Trantech and our customers.
Photo: Trantech
62 INNOVATIONS IN
TRANSFORMER
COOLING SYSTEMS

The Power to Restore

In today’s global transformer manufacturing landscape, where components

come from various locations, this assurance provides peace of mind to Trantech
MAC unit owners.

Another breakthrough product to combat events such as overheating trans-

formers or attacks that compromise cooling systems is the Trantech MAC unit.
Offering a range from 40 to 215kW of cooling capacity per unit with 3-stage
capability (ONAN, ONAF, and OFAF), these units are designed to operate in the
harshest environments for decades. They are compatible with most transformer
styles. One notable feature of the Trantech MAC unit is the guaranteed stock of
all replacement parts, which can ship the same day in most cases. In today’s
global transformer manufacturing landscape, where components come from
various locations, this assurance provides peace of mind to Trantech MAC unit
owners. Feedback from our customers on these newly designed units has been
overwhelmingly positive, citing benefits such as:

• Providing protection for overheating transformers or those with compromised

cooling capacities
• Availability of emergency cooling for short periods
• Availability of long-term cooling solutions
• Potential to reduce downtime in the event of a terrorist attack
• Utilization of industry-standard cooling methods and technology
• Self-contained and portable design
• With mission-ready trailer packages available, Trantech currently has MAC
units in production for major utilities and will soon commence production on
a rental fleet.

In today’s global transformer

manufacturing landscape, where
components come from various
locations, this assurance provides
peace of mind to Trantech MAC
Photo: Trantech

unit owners.
Transformer Technology March 2024 63

Issue 35

How Trantech Views Reliability and Resiliency

While reliability and resiliency are crucial topics when discussing our current
power grid, these principles also apply to Trantech's manufacturing and product
development processes. Investments in innovative technology, improved process-
es, and our quality focused workforce have enabled Trantech to remain a trusted
source for transformer components for almost a century. Utilizing the Trantech
Operating System (TOS), we focus on improving reliability for our customers
using Lean Manufacturing principles. This same system, along with prioritizing
the deployment of new products and initiatives that support our customers’
future needs, adds to our resiliency as a company. Partnering with our suppliers
to ensure the continuity and availability of materials, just as our customers
partner with Trantech, are key steps in preventing high-consequence disruptive
events. These disruptions are becoming more frequent in the transformer
component market due to the unpredictability of factors such as ocean cargo
congestion, material shortages, and geopolitical issues. Trantech prepares for
these challenges, as any great supplier should, to protect our customer base.

Investments in innovative technology, improved processes, and our quality

focused workforce have enabled Trantech to remain a trusted source for trans-
former components for almost a century.

About Trantech

Trantech is the most customer-oriented and diverse manufacturer of power

transformer cooling systems in North America. Today, Trantech offers engi-
neering or re-engineering for any type of transformer cooling system solution
internationally. We provide cooling products, components, and services to a
wide range of global industries, including transformer manufacturers, fossil
fuel and nuclear power generating facilities, as well as petrochemical sites.
64 A PROFILE OF
John McDonald

A Profile of John McDonald

McDonald
Shutterstock
Photo: John
Transformer Technology March 2024 65

Issue 35

A Pioneer in
Power System

McDonald
Automation
and Leadership
From the Managing Editor: When I first met
John McDonald, he was emceeing a client
conference for GE. It struck me that his vast
knowledge of, and commitment to excellence in
his career, his volunteer life, and in his personal
life, is a model for what I believe we must try
to follow as engineers, as husbands, fathers
and as leaders. I got to know him a little at the
conference.

I got to know John a lot better at our lunches

at Seasons 52, an Atlanta restaurant we both
love, where I learned that John was a gift to
our industry and a gift to IEEE PES and CIGRE
based on his commitment to his career and his
willingness to share with others. At many events
John
John has been one of my “Go To” interviews
of thought leaders for insight into the power
industry.

When I read this profile published in PAC World

Magazine in June 2020, calling him a Guru,
I knew we had to share it with our community,
as a way of challenging each of us, especially for
those young engineers just entering the industry.

Many thanks to: PAC World Editor-in-Chief,

Dr. Alex Apostolov, himself a Guru, who
graciously allowed us to share this interview
they did with John.
66 A PROFILE OF
John McDonald

How did you become involved in the position open at GE, reporting to the CEO of its
development of energy management and T&D business. With changes underway at KEMA,
control systems? it seemed like a good time for a career change.
GE was the fourth automation system supplier

JM After nearly five years with Bechtel

Corporation, I joined Brown Boveri
Control Systems, Inc. (BBCSI) in Santa Clara,
(manufacturer) I worked for in my career.

When I was interviewed at GE, I was 56 years old,

California, in 1979. The parent company with 34 years of experience in T&D and 17 years
Brown, Boveri & Compagnie (BBC) was a power of experience with three automation system
engineering company with a new SCADA suppliers. I had held many leadership positions
subsidiary. I became the first power engineer in in IEEE, IEEE PES and IEEE-SA (Standards
BBC’s SCADA subsidiary. That role introduced Association). I had vastly more experience than
me to the development of energy management anyone in the GE T&D business. GE’s executive
and control systems. On my first day, the top team saw the value I could bring to their business.
executive told me that BBCSI was short listed Thus, I started working for the largest company
on a $1 million proposal for a SCADA/Automatic in my career at the end of my career, which is
Generation Control (AGC) system for a Midwest the opposite of what I recommend to young
municipal utility. The proposal included professionals.
four power system applications: Automatic
Generation Control, Economic Dispatch You had started working with RTU-based
Calculation, Interchange Transaction Scheduling EMS and have seen the transition to IEDs and
and Interchange Transaction Evaluation integration-based systems. Was that transition
(Economy A). BBCSI had a meeting scheduled difficult?
in one week with a consultant steeped in power
system application experience. BBCSI had no Yes. Our focus, for
previous experience with SCADA/AGC systems. decades, was on data
the RTU collected,
I had one week to learn about SCADA and the processed, and sent
four power system applications to convince the upstream to the
consultant that BBCSI could successfully operators in the control
perform the project. We won the project. center. With the advent
of IEDs, we had two
After about 15 years work on energy and different types of
distribution management systems (EMS/DMS) data in the device to
you decided to become a consultant. What manage – operational
triggered the change? and non-operational.
However, our expertise,

JM By 1995, if you add in another four

years working for McGraw-Edison
Power Systems, I had worked on SCADA/EMS/
business processes,
and organizational
structure and skill
DMS for 17 years. I had been active in the IEEE sets were based
PES Substations Committee, leading standards on the traditional
development in substation automation and RTU data flowing to
communications protocols. I had been active the operators. IEDs
in developing the Utility Communication produced data that was
Architecture (UCA) in North America, later not being utilized. The
integrated with Europe’s IEC 61850. I knew a lot industry simply wasn’t
of people across the power industry. I had never prepared to use it.
thought about going into consulting. But I felt
well prepared to leverage my experience in a Eventually, the industry had to transition from
new way. I wanted to stay in Atlanta. Through an RTU-centric substation architecture to a
a friend, I learned of a need at the precursor to network-based, distributed architecture with
KEMA Consulting and signed on in 1995. IEDs and data concentrators that could also
route non-operational data to business groups
In 2007 you joined GE Energy and you were across the utility. At that time, I led the IEEE PES
there for 16 years, until retiring on November 30. standards development in substation automation
What led you to work for a manufacturer? as the IEEE PES Substations Committee
Subcommittee C0 Chair. When we updated

JM By 2007, I had enjoyed working for

KEMA Consulting for 12 years and
thought I’d do that for the rest of my career.
IEEE Std C37.1 (for SCADA) in the early 1990s
we introduced the term “Intelligent Electronic
Device (IED)” so we would have an industry-wide
A friend alerted me to an executive level term for the new microprocessor-based devices.
 Transformer Technology March 2024 67

Issue 35

I introduced the concepts of operational and generation and load on the open market. The
non-operational data in a guest editorial I new SCADA system we implemented paid for
wrote for IEEE Power & Energy Magazine (March/ itself in months.
April 2003) titled “Substation Automation:
IED Integration and Availability of Information”. You have been actively involved in the
Even today, utilities are not realizing all the development of the Smart Grid. How did that
potential benefits from the available non- happen?
operational data throughout their enterprise.
Sorry, I can’t stop evangelizing for non-
operational data! JM Actually, when the term “Smart Grid”
first appeared, I took offense to it.
Adding intelligence to the electric grid was not
During the more than 40 years of your career, new. Many of us had been adding intelligence
what was the most challenging project that you to the grid for decades. At Purdue my focus on
have been involved in? digital computer modeling and analysis was truly
new. I spent 50 years of my career on power

JM When I joined BBCSI in 1979 and helped

win the SCADA/AGC project with a
municipal utility, BBCSI had no power application
system automation – adding smarts. So, I
developed a PowerPoint slide I call the “Smarter
Grid”, which reflects already existing intelligence
software and no experience with SCADA/AGC as well as the intelligence we were adding as part
system projects. I had to source the four power of “Smart Grid”. It is important to recognize this
application software programs we needed, then point.
integrate them with our SCADA platform. I spent
two months at corporate parent BBC in Baden,
Switzerland, evaluating their power application
Much of our work is art
To young engineers

software. Meanwhile, the project had already

begun. I learned that Power Technologies, Inc. rather than science. One has
(PTI) in Schenectady, NY had developed the to master the science, but
needed power applications for a utility in the
Midwest, and they would run on the identical
it takes many years to learn
computer platform as our project. I licensed the art – the application of
the four applications from PTI, did source code
the science.
training at PTI, then worked with our software
programmers at BBCSI to integrate the four
applications with our SCADA platform. Since this In the last 25 years we have been developing
was a “first” for BBCSI I wrote the documentation, IEC 61850. It is used today in thousands of
test procedures and training material. I was 27 substations around the world. What do you
years old and had learned about SCADA and think about its role in the Smart Grid and why
these four power applications a few months are some people still not using it?
earlier. This was a very challenging project,

JM
with a lot of pressure to succeed, and we did. The need for standard communications
protocols and networking exists at three
And the most satisfying one? levels. For control center to control center data
exchange, the one global standard is the Inter-

JM During my years with KEMA Consulting,

three SCADA projects stand out.
control Center Communications Protocol (ICCP).
For control center to field communications, the
two standards globally are IEC 870-5-101 and 104
One was a municipal utility, which had never had for European suppliers and IEEE 1815 (DNP3) for
SCADA and lost a substation to a transformer North American suppliers. For communications
explosion. I guided their SCADA implementation within the field, North American suppliers and
and substation automation. utilities use IEEE 1815 (DNP3) and are beginning
to adopt IEC 61850. The remainder of the world
Another municipal had SCADA, but it relied uses IEC 61850 to a much greater extent. I’ve seen
on a proprietary communications protocol a lot of global convergence in the past 25 years.
from a defunct supplier. I helped them replace
the SCADA master, implement substation Globally, except for North America, utilities are
automation and use protocol converters to use comfortable with turnkey substation projects.
an industry standard protocol. Utilities in North America have standardized
on one supplier’s protective relay, a different
Photo: John McDonald

The third was a municipal agency with aging supplier’s transformer monitoring and diagnostic
SCADA and a very slow scan rate. They needed device, yet another supplier’s tap changer
a more accurate indication of customer load monitor and control. With the turnkey approach
because they sold the difference between their the supplier has full control over all components,
68 A PROFILE OF
John McDonald

therefore it’s much easier to implement IEC My professional roles enabled my volunteer work,
61850, due to long-established interoperability just as volunteering advanced my career. And I
of components. The North American approach manage these two roles in order to enjoy family
requires an integrator. That poses more risk due time and respond to collegial requests for help.
to potential lack of interoperability and that In addition, I mentor over 20 students and young
hampers greater implementation of IEC 61850. professionals worldwide on a regular basis. You
find the time to do the things you want to do.
When and why did you join the IEEE?
You are still very active also in CIGRE. What

JM I joined IEEE in 1971 as an

undergraduate EE student at Purdue.
When Professor Ahmed El-Abiad suggested that
do you think is its role for the electric power
industry compared to IEEE?

we join IEEE, we didn’t question him! Looking

back, it has been invaluable to my career and
2024 marks 53 years of membership!
JM The two organizations are
complementary by having different
approaches. First, CIGRE taught me a more global
perspective on technology, as functionality
You have been very actively involved for many and business cases differ by region. Second,
years at all levels of the IEEE PES. How did you participation in CIGRE by C-level executives
manage your high-level management positions translates to global networking opportunities.
at GE with all your responsibilities at the top Third, CIGRE’s focus is practical, not academic.
levels of the IEEE PES? Though IEEE is moving towards the policy
implications of technology choices, it has vast

JM Briefly, it’s about time management

and staying ahead of deadlines to do
quality work for either job or volunteer work.
and deep technical expertise. I would contrast
them, but not compare them. Long ago I realized
being a “complete” power engineer requires
When collaborating, reach out early. active involvement in both.
 Transformer Technology March 2024 69

Issue 35

What do you consider your greatest professional Award in 2015, bestowed by past winners for
achievement? those who’ve made outstanding contributions in
leadership, technical activities, and educational

JM All the education and professional work

I’ve done has enabled me to help others.
No matter how busy I am, I will find time to help
activities of IEEE PES. That was humbling.
And now I’m chair of that award committee.

others succeed, without expecting anything in In 2022 I was elected to the National Academy
return. I’ve earned the opportunity to pay back of Engineering “for leadership in smart
the help I’ve received. grid development and for advancing the
professional growth of power system engineers”.
Election to the National Academy
My professional roles enabled of Engineering is among the highest
professional distinctions accorded to an
my volunteer work, just as
To young engineers

engineer. Academy membership honors those

volunteering advanced my who have made outstanding contributions to
“engineering research, practice, or education,
career. And I manage these including, where appropriate, significant
two roles in order to enjoy contributions to the engineering literature”
family time and respond to and to “the pioneering of new and
developing fields of technology, making
collegial requests for help. major advancements in traditional fields of
engineering, or developing/implementing
innovative approaches to engineering
What do you consider your greatest personal
education”.
achievement?
You have so much knowledge and experience.

JM Being happily married for over forty

years with two children who are both
happily married and having three grandchildren.
How do you share it?

I’ve managed my work/life balance, including

extensive travel, in order to participate in my
JM I write, talk, teach, travel and mentor.
After 50 years in the business, I have
assembled my thoughts on career decisions in a
family’s activities. By extension, that includes
talk titled “Key Insights to Career Management”,
my own, my son’s and my volunteer participation
to help young professionals, in an interview on
in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, as well as
mentoring for IEEE-HKN as Career Conversation
promoting STEM education for girls and boys.
Episode 2, and a talk titled “Building and Leading
My son and I are Eagle Scouts.
a Volunteer Organization”.
You have received many awards. Is there
a specific one that you consider the most
important? Much of our work is art rather
To young engineers

than science. One has to

JM Three stand out. I was named an IEEE
Fellow in 2003 “for technical leadership master the science, but it
in the development of substation integration takes many years to learn the
Photo: John McDonald

and automation”. I helped pioneer the field of IED

integration and substation automation and being
art – the application of the
named an IEEE Fellow recognized that work. science.
I received the IEEE PES Meritorious Service
 70

COMPANY SPOTLIGHT

Power:

Advantage
The AccuLoss®
Precision in
Measurements International
COMPANY
SPOTLIGHT

Photo: Shutterstock
 Transformer Technology March 2024 71

Issue 35

MEASUREMENTS INTERNATIONAL electrical power escalates, so does

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72 ADVANCING
SURGE ARRESTER
DIAGNOSTICS

Strategic Decision Support

for Asset Management:
Advancing Surge Arrester
Diagnostics with Leakage
Current and Infrared Methods
by Mario Augusto Caetano dos Santos
and Florent Giraudet

Photo: Itaipu Binacional

Transformer Technology March 2024 73

Issue 35

Introduction: and safety of power networks. Station

Status Quo Today Class Surge Arresters, especially
those in generation power plants and
Surge arresters are crucial in sensitive substations, necessitate a
safeguarding power systems, heightened level of reliability to ensure
protecting electrical equipment the operation of these vital centers of
against transient overvoltages by electrical infrastructure.
diverting excessive voltage to the
ground. This prevents the voltage One common failure mode is internal
from traveling through the power short-circuiting caused by internal
system, where it could damage degradation, wherein the surge Mario Augusto Caetano dos Santos received
transformers, insulators, and other arrester can no longer withstand the his BSc in Electrical Engineering from UNI-
critical components. Despite their applied voltage. This deterioration DERP, Brazil in 2010 and his MSc in Tech-
robust design, surge arresters can may result from several factors nology Development from LACTEC Institute,
fail for various reasons, leading to such as moisture ingress, aging of Brazil in 2017. He joined AES Corporation as
serious implications for the reliability Metal-Oxide Varistor (MOV), thermal Area Maintenance Coordinator for distribu-
tion power grid in 1998. After that he joined
Eletrosul – Eletrobras focusing in maintenance
of high voltage equipment in 2002. Since
2011 he take place in Maintenance Engineer-
ing Division of Itaipu Binacional managing
high voltage assets. He is also secretary of
the CIGRÉ Study Committee A3 (Brazil) and
coordinator of the Technical Group for Sub-
station Equipment – Association of Brazilian
Power Transmission Companies.

S urge arresters are

crucial in safeguarding
power systems, protecting
electrical equipment against
transient overvoltages by
diverting excessive voltage
to the ground.

Florent Giraudet is a renowned expert in

surge arrester technology and lightning per-
formance on power systems with over a
decade of experience in the surge arrester
industry, primarily with Siemens Germany.
Specializing in the engineering and imple-
mentation of Line Surge Arresters and over-
head lines applications, Florent has played
a pivotal role in numerous large-scale pro-
jects, driving innovations in the protection of
overhead lines from lightning-induced distur-
bances. Today, as an independent consult-
ant, Florent leverages a comprehensive ap-
proach that spans the analysis of lightning
data, through the strategic implementation
of LSA solutions, to their ongoing monitor-
ing, ensuring enhanced reliability and perfor-
mance of power systems for clients world-
wide. With an engineering degree in electrical
engineering, Florent's technical expertise is
matched by a deep commitment to advanc-
ing the field through knowledge-sharing and
strategic guidance.
74 ADVANCING
TOPIC
SURGE
MISSING
ARRESTER
DIAGNOSTICS

devices themselves are not subject

to strict testing and constraints by
standardization groups.

In this context, Itaipu Binacional,

managing the electrical production of
one of the world's largest hydro power
plants between Brazil and Paraguay,
has developed an advanced approach
that leverages modern technologies
and enhances the efficiency of
monitoring methods.

Surge Arresters and

Maintenance Strategy

U nderstanding these failure

modes is crucial for the
maintenance and reliability of
in Itaipu

At Itaipu Binacional (refer to Figure

2), there are 174 outdoor high-voltage
power systems. surge arresters in operation (500,
220, and 66/69 kV) and 114 indoor
Figure 1. Catastrophic failure of a 420 kV MO Porcelain Surge Arrester GIS (Gas-Insulated Switchgear) high-
voltage surge arresters (500 kV), all of
runaway from excessive surge duty, third harmonic method for extracting which are Metal-Oxide (MO) type.
and physical damage to MOVs. This resistive currents and temperature The average age of these surge
degradation may not immediately measurement. Both methods aim to arresters is approximately 27 years,
lead to critical short-circuit conditions evaluate the evolution of the resistive with some reaching up to 39 years.
and system failure. However, it could current responsible for power losses
elevate the surge arrester's protection and heat increase. An increase in Two predictive maintenance
level, referred to as residual voltages, resistive current would result in techniques are utilized for these
potentially failing to provide the suspicious degradation of the MOV. surge arresters: the measurement
required safety margin for critical
equipment like power transformers.
Ultimately, depending on the design
and reliability of surge arresters,
such failures might jeopardize
nearby equipment and potentially
injure people following an overload,
explosion, and potential fragment
projections. Figure 1 illustrates a
catastrophic failure of a 420 kV
MO surge arrester at the Itaipu
Hydroelectric Power Plant in 2010,
underscoring the potential severity of
such incidents.

Understanding these failure modes

is crucial for the maintenance and
reliability of power systems. Regular
monitoring and maintenance can
help identify early signs of potential
failures, such as changes in resistive
Figure 2. Overview of the Itaipu Power Plant
currents, which could indicate
moisture ingress, MOV degradation,
or other issues. To address these Caution is advised in this area, of the third harmonic component
vulnerabilities, the power industry as individual solutions may have of the leakage current to extract the
has developed dedicated monitoring limitations, making it challenging for resistive part (using an instrument
solutions to assess the condition users to interpret the data accurately. based on the B2 method according
Photo: Itaipu Binacional

of the arrester's core: the MOV. Although the method of extracting to the IEC 60099-5 standard) and
Among available solutions and resistive current based on the third- the thermography inspection
technologies on the market, two order harmonic is described in (only for outdoor surge arresters).
fundamental methods stand out: the the IEC standard, the monitoring Both techniques are performed
Transformer Technology March 2024 75

Issue 35

semiannually and aim to cover the

most common failure modes.

For many years, Itaipu has analyzed a

significant amount of data to assess
the health of the surge arresters
based on resistive leakage current.
The thermography inspection was
a qualitative approach that did
not generate data for temporal
analysis. Faced with these
challenges, Maintenance Engineering
began to seek a methodology to
integrate both techniques and
develop a computerized tool for
implementation. Furthermore, the
need to transition the thermography
approach from qualitative to
quantitative became evident.

These changes aim to keep your

original tone while ensuring clarity Figure 4. Flowchart of the diagnostic process by APL2v
and coherence in the description of
the maintenance strategies at Itaipu measurement lines positioned at Diagnostic Method of
Binacional. each section. Surge Arrester Using Apl2v
Quantitative Thermography Following specific guidelines, the The Annotated Paraconsistent Logic
Approach thermography professional captures (APL) presents itself as a contender
thermal images of each surge to classical logic, altering some of
Thermography inspection involves arrester at night, typically a few hours its foundational principles, including
using infrared radiation detector before sunrise, to minimize solar the principle of non-contradiction. In
classical logic, it is impossible for an
argument to be both true and false

T
at the same time.
he innovative
methodology developed, Paraconsistent logic brings forward
leveraging the Annotated two key notions:
Paraconsistent Logic of two
essential measurements, • Paraconsistency: This concept
emerges in scenarios where
has demonstrated a there's evidence pointing towards
promising avenue in the a contradiction based on one
diagnostics of MO surge criterion (e.g., resistive leakage
arresters, utilizing advanced current) but not on another (e.g.,
temperature delta). It essentially
predictive techniques
addresses situations where
through the measurement contradictions are present.
of resistive leakage current
and thermography-derived • Paracompleteness: In contrast,
temperature deltas. paracompleteness is observed
when evidence on both accounts
is false, resulting in a state of
Figure 3. Example of quantitative thermal analysis on a 420 kV surge arrester
incompleteness.

cameras to capture and analyze radiation interference. Subsequently, In summary, paraconsistent logic
the thermal profile of an object. these images are analyzed, and the diverges from classical logic by
The quantitative approach includes temperature delta is determined by accommodating contradictions
measuring, for instance, the calculating the difference between and incomplete evidence. This
temperature difference (delta) across the highest maximum temperature flexibility makes it an invaluable
the body of the surge arrester. Figure and the average of the average framework for evaluating complex
3 illustrates the thermal image of temperatures across the sections of situations, such as surge arrester
a 420 kV MO surge arrester, with the surge arrester. assessments.
76 ADVANCING
SURGE ARRESTER
DIAGNOSTICS

The values of resistive current and to the final diagnosis, is depicted in The SDPR integrates seamlessly with
temperature delta act as logical a flowchart presented in Figure 4. Itaipu’s Maintenance Support Systems
annotations. Based on these values, (SAM), as indicated by its Portuguese
we can determine the degrees of As illustrated in Figure 4, from acronym. Below are the primary
belief (μ) and disbelief (λ) related to the resistive leakage current and capabilities and features of the SDPR:
the proposition: 'The surge arrester temperature delta data collected
is degraded.' The degree of belief during campaigns 1 and 2 (which are a) Access to Equipment
quantifies the confidence in the surge any subsequent campaigns spaced Management Data: Via SAM-GE,
arrester's degradation. Conversely, six months apart), the mean and the SDPR accesses equipment
the degree of disbelief measures the standard deviation for each family management data, specifically
level of skepticism regarding this of surge arresters are calculated. retrieving details about registered
assertion. Both degrees span from It is crucial to note that prior research surge arresters.
0 to 1, within the realm of real was conducted to determine the
numbers. most suitable probability distribution b) Service Request Records
model to represent the data, utilizing Retrieval: The platform can access
Utilizing the degrees of belief the Anderson-Darling test. The both routine (SAM-SSP) and non-
and disbelief, one can ascertain findings indicated that the Gaussian routine (SAM-SSA) service request
the degrees of certainty (Gc) and distribution was more representative records. These records offer crucial
uncertainty (Gi), as delineated by for the majority of surge arrester insights for the diagnostic process.
equations (1) and (2), respectively. families (those of the same
manufacture, model, and year). c) Diagnostic Functionality for
Gi = μ + λ − 1 Surge Arresters: Utilizing the
(1) The degrees of belief (μ_lres and gathered data, the SDPR enables
μ_ΔT) for the data from campaign 2 maintenance engineers to conduct
Gc = μ − λ are calculated through normalization diagnostic evaluations of surge
(2) from the mean and standard arresters.
deviation (where I_res represents the
A diagnostic method for surge resistive leakage current and ΔT the d) Thermographic Image
arresters utilizing APL2v was devel- temperature delta from thermography Processing: The SDPR includes
oped and implemented computa- inspection). On the other hand, the an image processing module that
tionally through a collaborative degrees of disbelief (λ_lres and extracts temperature data from
research and development (R&D) λ_ΔT) are derived by comparatively thermographic images of surge
project between Itaipu Binacional evaluating the evolution of values arresters, thus improving the
and the Itaipu Technological Park from campaign 2 (current) in relation accuracy of diagnostic analyses.
Foundation (FPTI, from its Portuguese to campaign 1 (previous).
acronym). This collaboration resulted Figure 5 illustrates the software
in the creation of a web application The resulting degrees of belief and architecture of the SDPR.
named Surge Arrester Diagnostic disbelief (μ_R and λ_R) are determined
System (SDPR, from its Portuguese by applying maximization and Accurate temperature measurements
acronym). minimization functions, respectively. are pivotal for the SDPR, serving as
Finally, the degrees of certainty and essential input data. This precision
The operational workflow of the tool, uncertainty are calculated according is attained through the meticulous
from the input of measurement data to equations (1) and (2). analysis of thermal images from each
campaign by professionals proficient
in both the equipment and the
principles of infrared thermography.
However, this approach entails
significant implications:

• The process demands a consider-

able allocation of man-hours.

• It relies on various proprietary

software solutions.

• There is a potential risk of

misinterpreting thermal images,
contingent on the analyst's training
Photo: Itaipu Binacional

and experience.

In response to these challenges,

Figure 5. SDPR software architecture
the Surge Arrester Detector (SAD)
Transformer Technology March 2024 77

Issue 35

was developed. This innovative

component of the SDPR utilizes
Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance
efficiency and accuracy. Operating
as a robust REST API, the SAD
accepts thermal images, employs
a trained AI model to identify
surge arrester segments, extracts
measurements, and then provides
temperature data to the user. Figure
6 illustrates this process.

The AI model identifies surge

arrester segments and extracts
temperatures from the thermal data Figure 6. SAD-API steps
contained in the images. Specialized
functions further refine this
extraction process by filtering out exemplifies the pivotal role across the power transmission and
background elements. Ultimately, the of automation in field diagnostics. distribution sectors.
processed information is compiled
into a report, and the image set is Throughout its deployment, Itaipu's Future Improvements
returned, each tagged with unique Maintenance Engineering team & Perspective
identifications in the metadata. has successfully utilized the SDPR
to perform a series of diagnostics, Itaipu is at the forefront of enhancing
Key Outcomes: Next-Gen revealing no critical statuses transmission system reliability and
Diagnostics for Surge across two successive campaigns. safety through a extensive program,
Arresters This observation was further replacing outdated MO porcelain
corroborated by additional analyses, surge arresters with modern
The innovative methodology including online partial discharge polymeric ones equipped with
developed, leveraging the measurements via high-frequency monitoring devices. This upgrade
Annotated Paraconsistent Logic current transformers, which yielded facilitates the transition from manual
of two essential measurements, no noteworthy findings. While Itaipu to automated daily data collection
has demonstrated a promising has yet to decommission any surge of resistive leakage current, enabling
avenue in the diagnostics of MO arresters solely based on SDPR deeper analytical insights and
surge arresters, utilizing advanced indications, there is a proactive improving maintenance efficiency.
predictive techniques through the strategy to further investigate
measurement of resistive leakage units with high SDPR scores, In a parallel stride towards innovation,
current and thermography-derived indicative of potential critical status, Itaipu, in collaboration with the Itaipu
temperature deltas.This dual- subsequent to their replacement. Technological Park Foundation
measurement approach These examinations, slated for an (FPTI), is pioneering the development
comprehensively addresses the independent high-voltage laboratory of a cutting-edge system for the
most prevalent failure modes, followed by meticulous internal automatic, online acquisition of
providing a robust framework inspections, are anticipated to be a resistive leakage current data. This
for navigating through complex cornerstone in a comprehensive system is poised to seamlessly merge
diagnostic scenarios that may long-term study aimed at validating comprehensive monitoring data with
present undefined or contradictory the effectiveness and reliability of vital SCADA information, offering
evidence. the APL2v-based diagnostic method. a holistic view of surge arrester
behavior over time.
A standout feature of the Surge This approach not only underscores
Arrester Diagnostic System (SDPR) Itaipu's commitment to pioneering in Moreover, a partnership with a leading
is the incorporation of the Surge the realm of electrical infrastructure surge arrester manufacturer aims to
Arrester Detector (SAD) module. maintenance but also sets a test and refine an online monitoring
This module exemplifies techno- benchmark for the industry, heralding device and its data management
logical ingenuity by identifying a new era of precision, efficiency, platform, aiming to improve analytical
surge arresters within thermal and reliability in the diagnostic tools and provide actionable insights
images and autonomously assessment of surge arresters. The to the engineering team. These efforts
extracting temperature data, thereby potential findings from this long- underscore Itaipu's commitment to
streamlining the diagnostic process term validation study are expected leveraging cutting-edge technology
and significantly reducing the to contribute significantly to the for superior system reliability and
workload for field technicians. This field, offering a scientifically robust operational safety, setting new
advancement not only enhances framework that could revolutionize industry standards for infrastructure
operational efficiency but also asset management practices management.
Nathan Jacob Tony McGrail
78

Senior Asset Specialist, Camlin Energy Senior Solutions Director, Doble Engineering Company

POWER PANEL DISCUSSIONS

MONITORING
AND DIAGNOSTICS
Transformer Technology March 2024 79

Issue 35

Managing Editor, APC Media

Alan M Ross

Monitoring and Diagnostics:

When Equipment Speaks
Where are we now?
80 MONITORING
AND DIAGNOSTICS

Condition based
maintenance means
not just having an early
warning to failure, but
to really optimize the
asset.
Nathan Jacob

Alan Ross: My two guests for our Power Panel Nathan Jacob: In the early stages of monitoring,
today are Tony McGrail, Senior Solutions I think a lot of people conceived these as devices
Director of Asset Management and Monitoring at to alert and alarm primarily. They were like
Doble, and Nathan Jacob, Senior Asset Specialist protection systems, where it was just binary
for Camlin Energy. Gentlemen, thank you for states. Is the alarm alarming or not?
joining us.
Now there's a shifting perspective where people
Gentlemen, we will present the first part of our are looking to gain more value from the data
Photo: Doble Engineering Company, Shutterstock

Power Panel discussion in this Issue and Part Two they're collecting, and they're wanting to use this
in our April/May Issue. We will look at where the data to make maintenance decisions. Condition-
industry is going in the use of advanced testing, based maintenance means not just having an
AI and ML. For now, please share your experience early warning of failure, but to really optimize
and your perspective on where we have been the asset. If there is a way to be predictive in their
and where we are now, as an industry, when we maintenance, they're really focusing on that as well.
consider asset monitoring.
Another key distinction today is greater
Let me start with you, Nathan. integration, moving the data to the cloud
Transformer Technology March 2024 81

Issue 35

and having better visualization of the data combined in their analytics to make more
and better interpretability of the data. With effective decisions from that data.
the data being more accessible, and easy to
visualize in a single interface, they can have
their SMEs review that data more effectively
and make better decisions on that basis.
AR Thank you. Tony, your perspective?

Tony McGrail: I think it's a journey of what you

I think the last point I would make is that for might call a triumph of hope over expectation.
single assets, like transformer DGA monitoring, Many years ago, when you got into condition
there's also a lot of motivation to do more monitoring, it was a box with lights on. It was
holistic monitoring, combining sensors for something that they did over there. Over time
different components on a single asset. people have realized that monitoring is a useful
For power transformers specifically, it's the thing rather than an engineering toy.
combination of DGA monitoring with partial
discharge monitoring, with bushing monitoring, As the photo above indicates, this goes back
with monitoring of arcing and other system with development at National Grid UK of a
events, and really having all that data multi-gas DGA system, 25 plus years ago. It was
82 MONITORING
AND DIAGNOSTICS

in the real world. It worked. It did what it had are aware of, for example, ISO 55000 asset
to do. management, which has as a requirement that
you monitor the performance of your assets. It
The main concern I had was that the transformer doesn't prescribe how to do it, but it says, as you
that we were examining overheated substantially. have these assets, you need to know which ones
My main concern was that to analyze the oil I had are in good condition, and you need to know
to take the oil out of the main tank, take it into what the plans are for each asset.
my little examination cabin, which I would call a
relocatable DGA device, not necessarily portable, That has changed things where the context has
but relocatable, where we did lots and lots of changed. Condition monitoring becomes a lot
analysis and experiments, with all the available more vital for the whole organization, and it needs
devices that were on the market including our to be embedded in the organization. People have
own devices. to understand what value it can bring.

My main concern was that the oil would leak When we talk to, for example, insurance
out from that and get into the local reservoir, companies, they will tell us that the big loss
which would be feeding northeast London, and payouts, for example transformer failures or
I'd be on the 06:00 news. So, my own monitoring substation asset failures, it's not to do with the
was to get up on the first night I stepped in replacement cost of the asset, but it's to do with
the cabin and walked around the whole thing the business interruption. That identification,
every 30 minutes. And what this does is it not just of the technical need, but the business
reminds me of not just the fact that we're doing need and the asset management context, is
something beautifully technical, but there are hugely important in deciding which box, with
consequences if this thing goes wrong, and there which lights, and then how we use it; what our
are consequences not just if the data is not expectations are, how to make sure that we get
valid or correct or precise or relevant, but if we value from it so we don't go “from ignorance
analyze it without reference to the context, and to negligence”. This is a quote from Tommy
if we analyze it just in independence. Salmon, formerly of Dominion Energy, now at
GE, because they did have cases where the data
What I've seen over the years is the move away implied one thing, and they did something else.
from condition monitoring being something People who are making the decisions need to
that they do to being something that the have something which is useful, contextual,
organization does, for organizations which and supports decision making.

Condition monitoring
becomes a lot more
vital for the whole
organization, and it
needs to be embedded
in the organization.
Tony McGrail
 Transformer Technology March 2024 83

Issue 35

DATA-DRIVEN DECISION MAKING As slide on the left shows, this is very simple
condition monitoring from something which is

AR Let’s go from the idea of machines

collecting data to data-driven decisions
with subject matter experts. Tony, I'm going to
less abstract than a power transformer. This is
from just an automobile, a car, and we're looking
at the tire pressures. I've got four tires; I've got
start with you on that one. Where are we right three at 37 and one at 39. Did one of them rise or
now with that? did three of them fall? Condition monitoring on
the tires is based on, in this case, what I expect it

TM I think it depends on where you look,

since the whole role of condition
monitoring is to provide data for supporting
to be.

In the right case, I've got four tires, two at

decisions. These decisions previously were often 38, one at 29, and one at 51. This is condition
made by default. If no one's complained that it's monitoring data. I have got it. It's valid. What on
gone dark in their town, then our transformer earth do I do with it? So not only do you have
in our substation is likely to be okay, so let's just to have expectations, you also have to have a
leave it alone. Now that we have data, it behooves plan to respond. And to have a plan to respond,
us to make sure that we do something useful with you need to know what levels or trends or
it. And it's also a case of there's no point in putting diagnostics are included in a way that you can
a condition monitoring device on anything, say, I need to do something now.
unless we have some expectation as to what the
numbers should be. That plan has to be in place from when you
install the monitor, because if it
isn't, what will happen is you'll get
an alert, come in, and then you'll
call a council of the wise and come
together and we'll start to discuss
data and timescales and rates of
change and consequence, and the
thing will fail in the meantime.
You've got to be very, very careful
that condition monitoring is seen
as something which is managed
ahead of time.

For power transformers

specifically, it's the
combination of DGA
monitoring with partial
discharge monitoring,
with bushing
Photo: Doble Engineering Company, Shutterstock

monitoring, with
monitoring of arcing
and other
system events.
Nathan Jacob
84 MONITORING
AND DIAGNOSTICS

bump or the other one at 29 pounds had gone

flat because it was already going flat, you're the
guy stuck out there wondering, what am I going
to do now?

Nathan, same question for you, as we look at this

There's no point in idea of data, and data-driven decision making.

putting a condition
monitoring device on
NJ I like the sentiment in Tony's comments,
it makes a lot of sense in terms of
a monitoring strategy. A lot of utilities will

anything, unless we approach the problem knowing that they just

want better reliability out of their asset and
have some expectation then they'll deploy monitoring, but without
understanding the impact of that on their
as to what the numbers organization, like where the data is going, who
will respond to alarms, how you respond to
should be. alarms as part of a larger strategy.

Tony McGrail It is an important consideration to really think

about what your overall strategy for monitoring
is, but then also for the asset manager, and
We used to say that there were two main reasons the use of data, and the analysis of the large
to do condition monitoring. One was to learn volumes of data.
about the monitor and one was to learn about
the asset. These days, there's a third reason, In the slide on the next page we see an example
and that's to learn whether the organization is of a kind of an intelligent algorithm that utilizes
capable of managing the whole of the condition data from multiple sources. This is a real example
monitoring process, from specifying a monitor of our algorithm that's processing data from
through to gathering the information and making the original online monitoring information. In
decisions with it. That's a big if, because a lot of the upper left corner, we see online trends of
people are not prepared for this. They install the DGA information. We can see clearly later in the
monitor and it really is just a box with lights. trend that there's a sudden rise and some step
increases in gassing. Right now, of course, the
I would say that people who are good at monitor alerted the users to that condition, but
condition monitoring tend to be good asset just that bit of information alone.
managers as well. There is a corollary to that
from Guy Don Schubert of Marsh Insurance who Knowing that there was an alarm doesn't
said: “People who are good at asset management determine the actions we must take immediately.
are also good at condition monitoring. But the We have a few analytical tools kind of displayed
reverse, just applying condition monitoring here, but in the bottom left, you actually
does not make you a good asset manager.” It just see what's called the DGA matrix. That is an
means you're good at spending money. You must evaluation of the different concentrations of
be very careful spending money. gas by different industry standard diagnostic
methods. You can see most of them indicate

AR Going back to the tire pressure illustra-

tion, were the 51 and 29 bad and the 38
was normal? Tony, you can't just leave us hanging.
a thermal fault. There's some variability in the
diagnostics. Different methods will determine
different classes or outcomes for the type of
diagnosis or the severity of the fault, but it is at

TM For most people, two of them were

okay, slightly down. This was an actual
rental I had, where one tire was blown up at
least a clue.

When you look at this, what does a thermal fault

the garage, the 51, so it was way too high. When there mean actually? The fact that the monitor
I called the rental agency, they said I'd be fine, detected something, it did its job, you're still not
just leave it for a week since you've got the car really any further ahead in terms of diagnosing
for a whole week. Just leave it, you'd be fine. the actual problem. In terms of integrating a kind
The theory is they know what they're doing, and of holistic solution and having more information
since my knowledge on these things is relatively working together in concert with each other, to
limited, I had to trust the SMEs. give a clearer picture of what the issue is inside of
an asset, that's really what we're going for here.

AR That's an interesting point. The asset

owner didn't really have a plan. If that
51-pound tire had blown up because you hit a
And when that data, the DGA information, is
processed, it immediately throws a couple of
Transformer Technology March 2024 85

Issue 35

suspected potential fault conditions. That is very

important because it at least equips the asset
manager with the information to know these are
TM Nathan, that is a good example. I had
a question about the step in the data
and how long it was between the step appearing
potential areas they could look at next. There are and the transformer being taken out of service,
a few suggestions for potential faults indicated because it looked as if it was about ten days from
in yellow, and then to a lesser degree, or lesser the axis.
confidence of identifying the other potential
faults indicated by green. In the green highlighting
in the wheel you can see some of the suggested
potential faults: overheated cellulose, overheated
NJ Yes, that is correct.

bare conductors, overheating structures, and

then core insulation failure. The identification of
potential faults indicates to the asset manager, I
TM When you have the data suddenly rise,
to wait to get more data is a decision
that has to be made or not made, since it is in a
should attempt one of the recommended actions default situation, which is keep it. That step by
here, the core insulation test. We can see above in itself should be an indication that there needs to
the table where the arrow is pointed to the yellow be a plan in place to respond to, because you've
arrow, that two of the tests failed, indicating a had a change in the DGA levels. How long was
short between the frame and the core. it left in service and energized before it was
removed?
Clearly there's a core insulation failure with
a higher degree of confidence that this is the
identified failure mechanism. This is the type of
visualization we have, the type of concept we
NJ Utilities aren't always so responsive
to take an outage, so it is a kind of
assumed risk which they may feel is necessary
have, indicating that you should really integrate to take in certain moments. We talked about
all the tests, all the monitoring data, all the the strategy and responding to alarms. That
maintenance that's applied on the transformer is certainly something that could be defined
or any asset, and attempt to have this kind of in the strategy. What is the change in gassing
decision support tool that an asset manager can on a monitoring device that has us respond
use to help them determine the next step. But and interrupt the unit immediately? Some
then, when they have a larger body of data to do of that should be managed through alarm
analytics on, it will give a clearer picture of what management, right? You should not just wait
the potential fault conditions are. A lot of it is on feedback from the diagnostic tool and the
like a logical model, applying logic and applying additional data that's collected over a period of
correlations that a human expert would apply. time, but you should have criteria set out as a
This is the type of tool that could be used for that part of your larger strategy when you take an
type of purpose to integrate all the data that's outage in response to an alarm condition, and
being collected. what the thresholds are for that.

AR Tony, do you have a comment?

AR Which is having a plan, a strategy,
right?
86 MONITORING
AND DIAGNOSTICS

TM I've got from a case of a bushing

and the owners of, I think, about 70
transmission class transformers. They had a lot
thoughts that maybe you could have an AI
applied just to trends like this and identify
faults. I tend to think that's unlikely, so the
of the bushings, which fail quickly. And they kind of guidance to do, first the warning
had the bushing monitor. When the bushing from the monitoring system, then the kind
gave top level alert, operations had to switch of initial diagnostic and the decision support,
a transformer out in two minutes. Now, these what should we do next? I think those are all
are transmission units, it is like trying to stop key elements, and I think you do need SMEs
a battleship. It's a lot of work to do. They don't working with tools like this to make those sorts
stop very easily. And so that was their written of decisions.
and agreed policy when they install a monitor.
That, to me, makes sense, because they knew
they were going to fail. They knew that they had
this failure mode. And that's the trench bushing
TM I think Nathan's got a very good case
there. It's an interesting example of
the diagnostics coming into support and getting
problem. The plan was put in place when the contextual data. The problem on the asset
monitor was installed, and it was two minutes. management side is if you take a transformer
Admittedly, they did have some false positives, out because you found condition monitoring
but they worked out why. Then the false data that indicates a possible problem, and
negatives were avoided, and the false positives you don't find a problem, when you go and
are the price you pay to avoid false negatives. dive inside and you do all the testing that can
The result was they saved transformers, and happen, you get yelled at for the fact that
they saved multi-multi-millions of dollars as a you're not using the transformer to generate
result. They're still doing so now. But as soon money somewhere. If you don't take it out
as I saw that step, I'm like, why aren't we doing and it fails, you also get yelled at. And yes, I've
something right there? been yelled at. So, there are two places that
you really don't want to be, and you're stuck
What was done then? Did they think, okay, between them, the rock and the hard place.
we'll just leave it and see what happens?
Because we've had that as well. And then it
fails, and then people say, your monitor didn't
do anything. But yes, it did. Look, it told you,
AR
22, right?
Well, in your example, you get yelled
at whichever you do, so it’s a Catch

and you hit the button saying, do something,

acknowledge, acknowledge. The plan must be
agreed and in place by all parties as early as
possible.
TM Yes. The decision maker isn't
necessarily going to be an expert
in the condition monitoring, or the technical
application, or the individual measurements

AR Yeah, you're hitting the point that

when the equipment speaks, we are
supposed to listen. Sometimes it speaks very
and the failure modes analyzed, and what
might be wrong. It does get to be a difficult
decision.
loudly, and sometimes it speaks a little less
loudly, but trending. I think, Tony, that's kind of
your point. When in the trend, do you suddenly
take a piece of equipment out of service?
AR Gentlemen, this has been a
fascinating discussion about where
we are now when the equipment speaks, but we
Because if you begin to see it, that step function, must end Part One here. In our April/May issue
as you said, was big. In Nathan’s slide, that first we will address the rest of our conversation, on
step function was pretty mean if you looked at, AI, ML, advanced monitoring and how things
and I can't read exactly what gas was. That first are changing, discussing “Where We Are Going:
step function, you're pointing to the top left, is When the Equipment Speaks.” Thank you very
that correct, Tony? much, Nathan and Tony.

TM Yes.

NJ So, in the initial step, both ethylene

and methane, are quite dramatic.
The ethylene increase may be a clue already
in the DGA that maybe this is a metal-to-
metal contact that's causing the heating, but
it still requires the additional evaluation, the
additional testing to be confident to the failure
mode. I know we're going to go into machine
learning and AI as part of the discussion as Watch te full Power Panel Discussion
we proceed here, but I think there are some on our website.
 POWER
Transformer PANELS
Technology March 2024 87

Issue 35

MONITORING
& DIAGNOSTICS
BATTERIES AND ADVANCES
IN ENERGY STORAGE
GRID MODERNIZATION: EV CHARGING,
RESILIENCY MOBILE SUBS
...and much more!

JOIN
POWER PANEL
DISCUSSIONS
WITH INDUSTRY THOUGHT
LEADERS AND EXPERTS

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VISIT OUR CHANNELS:

Web powersystems.technology
YT youtube.com
88 DIGITAL TWINS

AI-driven power transformer

digital twins: A SWOT analysis
by Sruti Chakraborty

Introduction approaches towards design recommendations for the future

optimization, monitoring, and asset development of such technologies.
The emergence of digital twin management.

A
(DT) technology in the power
sector has improved the grid A transformer DT differs from its transformer DT differs
operators’ confidence to visualize simulated model by its forecasting from its simulated model
the asset state in real-time and abilities over time-series feedback by its forecasting abilities
provide decision-support that using bi-directional communication
particularly aligns with the smart between the physical and virtual over time-series feedback using
grid objectives. According to Conseil assets. However, errors in scaling- bi-directional communication
International des Grands Réseaux down of the physical asset, between the physical and virtual
Electriques (CIGRE), a DT is the abstraction of the phenomena assets.
virtual replica of a physical asset under investigation, and obscure
that can foster a dynamic shift in objectives can significantly affect
managing its operational efficiency its performance. Overall various Building an AI-driven digital twin
and reliability in real-time. It is useful factors contribute towards the
when the equipment (or process) design of a transformer DT which The present-day smart grid is a complex
changes over time, or the data requires a wide range of data, cyber-physical labyrinth comprising of
associated with this change can be devices, protocols, and expertise various IoT devices, advanced robotics
captured and analysed. This brings thereby increasing its cost and and automation. The integration of
the necessary traction for the use complexity. The focus of CIGRE artificial intelligence with typical DGA-
of DT in the transformer industry joint working group A2/D2.65 is to based fault detection methods can
to revolutionize the traditional address this reality gap and provide offer a nuanced predictive analysis.
 Transformer Technology March 2024 89

Issue 35

Dataset at a glance assessment functions for analytics,

or predict remaining life.
Sruti Chakraborty is a Product Manager at A transformer DT should have access
Omicron Electronics GmbH and has previous- to its feature database integrated Data preparation:
ly served as the domain expert in Seetalabs with supervisory control and data pre-processing, normalization
srl. She holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering acquisition (SCADA) systems where & mining
from MNIT-Jaipur, India. Her area of operation information travel securely through
includes digital transformation of traditional IoT (internet of things) pipelines in to Transformer data may be sparse,
condition monitoring practices and develop computational spaces that are either structured or unstructured, static
low-cost solutions for risk management and cloud or edge based for modelling or dynamic, and non-comparable
failure mitigation of industrial assets includ- and analytics. Some utilities also i.e. lacking normalization. Data pre-
ing power transformers. She is hugely pas- build comprehensive internal processing refers to the initial cleaning
sionate about optimizing asset reliability and databases that are representative of and transformation of raw data into
reducing data complexities in transformer in- various operational scenarios of their useful format. It includes managing
dustry using artificial intelligence (AI). She is assets by combining, for example, missing data by removing redundant
the working member of CIGRE WG A2/D.65 IEC TC 10 database with condition or inconsistent information and
and A2/D1.67 where she is contributing to- monitoring data to enhance its future imputing missing fields. Normalization
wards developing recommendations to solve use. The user can visualize their can be achieved by strictly defining the
various AI-driven data handling and analytics asset and fleet information through upper and lower limits of attributes
charts, graphs, and even geographical or diving the numerical value of
Photo: Shutterstock

bottlenecks. She also hosts periodic tech-talks

with industry professionals on various chal- maps. The user can either examine features with their IEEE and IEC limits
lenges and solutions in the field of clean tech- the asset characters on static and [1]. Managing unclear attributes
nology, AI, cyber-security, and smart grids. dynamic scales, add-up various and arranging data into structured
90 DIGITAL TWINS

formation increases the full potential

of various data mining algorithms viz.,
regression, classification, clustering,
and association to effectively explain
the system behaviour. In data-driven
modelling terms, regression refers to
the process of quantifying relationship
between two or more variables;
whereas, classification is finding
different classes from a dataset that
share a common attribute. Similarly,
association is the co-occurrences of
values for different variables; whereas,
clustering is the act of finding groups
of similar observations within a
dataset [2].
Figure 1:
Feature extraction and CIGRE’s realisation of transformer digital twins
selection

Feature scaling through extraction using one or more algorithms and analysis (LDA) is a supervised machine
and selection is a significant step with additional learning to address learning approach that is a classifier
in AI-driven model frameworks to uncertain scenarios [3]. Often AI and feature selection tool. Similarly,
reduce data collection cost, avoid sub-fields e.g. deep learning and Random Forest (RF) algorithms are
computational bias and optimize neural networks overlap to form classifiers, regressors, as well as
model performance. Feature new technologies to address other model optimizers. Additional examples
extraction is the logical or rule-based advanced challenges. For example, are illustrated by Figure 2 to represent
creation of sub-features from an generative AI is another subset of the use of various algorithms in
existing dataset. Whereas, feature AI that creates new content, data, or mining (solid lines) and feature
selection refers to the act of choosing solutions autonomously by learning scaling (dashed lines). Therefore, it is
a set of features or attributes from the from the existing data. Popular imperative to understand the problem
parent dataset based on the quality, generative AI model such as Chat GPT objective, data characteristics,
continuity, impact, significance etc. excel in natural language processing computational affordability, and cost
Dimensionality reduction is another tasks to produce coherent and relevant before choosing a suitable method.
helpful technique to reduce the feature text upon receiving related inputs and
dimensions of a parent dataset by prompts. There is a similar rise in the Error and accuracy
removing irrelevant information use of generative adversarial network
without compromising its distinctive (GAN) for synthetic image generation Most comprehensive frameworks use a
significance. and synthetic minority oversampling combination of various models known

F
technique (SMOTE) or borderline- as ensemble to improve accuracy and
eature scaling through SMOTE (B-SMOTE) for numerical data reduce errors. It also leverages boosting
extraction and selection generation. The latter is of particular and bagging of data to reduce error and
interest in transformer industry due to uncertainty tolerance during training of
is a significant step in AI- its ability to generate reliable synthetic the dataset. The trade-off between bias
driven model frameworks to dataset for compensating various and variance in choosing any method
reduce data collection cost, avoid inconstancy issues. Figure 1 shows a depends on its generalization impact
computational bias and optimize simplified summary of various AI sub- on the model performance. Additional
model performance. fields that finds diverse application in factors such as strategic positioning
energy sector. of algorithm stack (model learnability)

O
is especially decisive in designing an
Knowledge extraction ften AI sub-fields e.g. AI-driven framework such as a multi-
through AI deep learning and neural layered neural network to perform
particular jobs while avoiding overfitting
networks overlap to form risks. Often the use of robust libraries
Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to
new technologies to address other within a programming environment can
the learning ability of machines to
simulate human intelligence and advanced challenges. help to achieve this task.
perform complex tasks, particularly
when it is beyond the human scope. Data security and privacy
Whereas, machine learning (ML) is the There is an additional weak description
development of a model’s capacity on the dividing boundaries between It is pivotal to ensure data integrity
to predict better outcomes based some methods within an AI sub-field. while protecting its privacy, particularly
on its training on the past data by For example, linear discriminant in AI models that handle sensitive or
Transformer Technology March 2024 91

Issue 35

Figure 2:
Commonly used AI sub-fields in solving energy
problems

proprietary information. According to multi-objective delivery suitable for does not depend on the advantage
the General Data Protection Regulation real-world scenarios in optimum cost. of one method over another. Instead,
(GDPR), pseudo-anonymisation of data what really drives this discussion is the
can dissociate its personal identity Deployment balance between scalability, cost, and
such as test results from the data resources for infrastructural support.
subject (e.g. nameplate information, The global expert opinion on the
manufacturer etc). This can ensure deployment model of transformer Digital twins predicting
that AI-driven training of datasets for DT is divided between cloud, edge, transformer health index
a transformer DT can still allow the and on-premise. For instance, cloud
model to learn and make accurate computing can be seamless, robust, Various organizations use an in-house
predictions without compromising and highly scalable but with latency or proprietary health index algorithm
security. The choice between popular and data-privacy issues. Conversely, to rank transformers based on its
pseudo-anonymisation techniques edge computing can offer better reliability, risk, replacement and/or
such as encryption and tokenisation data processing in close proximity of refurbishment needs. This requires
depend on requirement, robustness the device and robustly automated an extensive usage of nameplate
of method, storage requirement, and decision support by triggering alarms data, operational and maintenance
computational resources. or sending alerts. However, the choice history, various test and inspection

Reliability assurance
Strength Weakness
The reliability of any AI-driven
transformer DT focuses on the
• Enhanced predictive capabilities • Lack of data quality and quantity
integrity of its model, training • Real time performance monitoring • Model interpretability
data-quality, interpretability and • Improved fault diagnosis • High data contingency cost
reproducibility. Sparse and low-quality • Robust decision support • High deployment cost
• Cost effective • Require continuous expenditure for
data not only lowers accuracy but also
infrastructural support
restricts model scalability. Developing
model ensembles with adequate
Opportunity Threats
stacking of algorithms for pre-
processing and feature scalability can
also overcome the risk of overfitting • Potential for proactive maintenance • Cybersecurity concerns
• Integration with other smart grid technologies • Ethical consideration of AI
during development. This enormously • Market expansion and increased adoption • Lack of regulatory protocols
improves the efficiency of AI-based rate • Compliance issues
mining algorithms and promotes
92 DIGITAL TWINS

A
observations, expert opinion etc [4], and AI model validation before its n AI-driven approach
[5]. Often health index algorithms are release on unseen and real-world towards health indexing is
based on non- ubiquitous frameworks data to avoid over/under-fitting risk.
that align well with PAS 55 and Finally, the user should be able to
definitely a loose use-case
ISO 55000. For example, a health- engage with the physical asset by of transformer DT that requires
index classification of “good”, “bad”, uploading data and visualizing the additional efforts (in terms of
“moderate” transformers may use analytics through an interactive model stacking, data storage, and
data from DGA, moisture, breakdown interface. This will ensure the user management) to experience its full
voltage, interfacial tension, acidity (or asset manager) to take necessary
etc., of oil and furan analysis. A actions on the physical asset and
potential.
deeper classification on the same immediately update its status to
may require additional information observe future changes. Furthermore,
on tap changers, bushings, physical the data transmission between the In case of transformer DT, accuracy is
observations, maintenance history etc. core model and the user-interface not merely a reflection of the model's
should be encapsulated within well- adept predictive capabilities but an
Depending upon the asset manager’s defined security protocols to avoid illustration of a calibrated balance
requirements these algorithms may cyber vulnerabilities. between adhering to training data
provide a decision support with a and maintaining adaptability to new
perpetual risk of producing misleading An AI-driven approach towards and real-world data scenarios. The
information with low-integrity input. In health indexing is definitely a loose interpretability and reproducibility
case of its application on real-world use-case of transformer DT that of DT outcomes will determine its
transformers, the training data should requires additional efforts (in terms relatability and reliability. Furthermore,
be clean, useable, heterogenous and of model stacking, data storage, it is difficult to propose that a single
pseudo-anonymized. The training and management) to experience its DT can mirror the status of all
model should assure robustness and full potential. Therefore, an obvious transformers in a fleet, considering
accuracy of knowledge extraction matter is to decide if a single DT even physical twins may behave
using best features or sub-features. reflecting health index is sufficient differently. Therefore, successful
There should be sufficient know- for all transformers in a fleet, or not? deployment and industrial scale
how on parameter evaluation, tuning, Also, if the DT is relatable enough? transformer DT offering health index

Photo: Shutterstock
Transformer Technology March 2024 93

Issue 35

will not only depend on various the choice of AI methods will depend References
practical considerations discussed on the handling strategies between [1] K. Benhmed, A. Mooman, A. Younes, K.
above, but also on its calibration static and non-comparable data. Shaban, and A. El-Hag, “Feature Selection for
towards uncertainty tolerance The accuracy and performance Effective Health Index Diagnoses of Power
and data influx, particularly if data of model can improve by structed Transformers,” IEEE Transactions on Power
sources vary. There is a wide scope stacking and addressing the bias- Delivery, vol. 33, no. 6, pp. 3223–3226, Dec.
of investigation on the sensitivity variance trade-off between various 2018, doi: 10.1109/TPWRD.2017.2762920.
analysis on the impact of data methods based on data complexity. [2] “CIGRE TB 292 Data mining techniques and
availability rate on the predictive Maximizing return on investment applications in the power sector.”
accuracy of such DTs. A summary (ROI) for an AI implementation can be [3] A. Subasi, Practical Machine Learning for Data
of the full potential of an AI-driven challenging and involves do- or buy- Analysis Using Python. Academic Press, 2020.
transformer DT with reference to the decisions. This would mean that the [4] CIGRE WG A2.49, “Condition assessment
knowledge shared is proposed below. asset manager must decide whether of power transformers,” CIGRE, Technical
to leverage in-house know-how on Brochure 761, Mar. 2019.
Conclusion building AI models or use existing [5] A. Naderian, S. Cress, R. Piercy, F. Wang,
solutions. This cost and expertise for and J. Service, “An Approach to Determine
An AI-driven transformer digital twin such customization depends on the the Health Index of Power Transformers,”
can adapt to various smart grid downtime impact assessment, internal in Conference Record of the 2008 IEEE
objectives by real-time analysis, budgets and user adoption rate. Based International Symposium on Electrical
predictions, and bi-directional on the evident findings, adoption Insulation, Jun. 2008, pp. 192–196. doi:
communication between the physical of transformer DT can be a game 10.1109/ELINSL.2008.4570308.
and the virtual asset. However, changer for the smart grid operators.
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