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Transformer Condition Monitoring & Health Checkup

Mentor Mr. Sanjay Thakur B Chinna Rao GET- ELECTRICAL

Contents
Importance Transformer Faults Methods to Determine Transformer Health & Condition Oil Diagnostics Dissolved Gas Analysis Origin of Gases in Transformer Oil Interpretation

Importance
Electrical power systems play a key role in production and services in both the industrial and commercial sectors and significantly affect the private lives of citizens A major asset of any power delivery system is the transformer Transformers represent extensive investment in any power delivery system, and because of the notable effect of a transformer outage on system reliability, careful management of this type of asset is critical

Transformer Faults
The four main types of transformer faults are: Arcing (high current break down) Low energy sparking, or partial discharges Localized overheating, or hot spots General overheating due to inadequate cooling or sustained overloading

No. 1

Part Bushings

Faults Detectable Partial breakdown between capacitive graded layers, cracks in resin-bonded insulation Aging and moisture Open or compromised measuring tap connection Partial discharges in insulation Loss of oil in an oil-filled bushing Moisture in solid insulation Aging, moisture, contamination of insulation fluids Partial discharges

Insulation Materials

Leads

Contact problems Mechanical deformation

No. 5 OLTC

Part

Faults Detectable Contact problems in tap selector and at diverter switch Open circuit, shorted turns, or high resistance connections in the OLTC preventative autotransformer, series autotransformer or series transformer Contact problems in the DETC

Windings

Short circuits between windings or between turns Strand-to-strand short-circuits Open circuits in parallel strands Short circuit to ground Mechanical deformation Contact problems, open circuits
Mechanical deformation Floating core ground Shorted core laminates

Core

Surge Arrestor

Deterioration and aging

1
2 3 4 5

6 7

Methods to Determine Transformer Health & Condition


The following methods are used for determining the overall health of a transformer:
Oil Diagnostics Dissolved Gas-in-Oil Analysis(DGA) Electrical Diagnostics Visual Inspection Maintenance Record Review Operating Record Review

Oil Diagnostics
Perhaps the simplest and least costly method of quickly assessing the general health of a LPT is to take a sample of the insulating oil One major advantage of oil testing is that the sample can easily be taken while the unit is on-line, eliminating the need for an outage

S. No. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Test Description Dielectric Breakdown Neutralization Number Interfacial Tension Color Water Content Specific Gravity Visual Examination Power Factor

Dielectric Breakdown

The test involves applying a voltage at a controlled rate to two electrodes immersed in the insulating fluid Clean dry oil has an inherently high dielectric strength but this does not necessarily indicates the absence of all contaminates, it may merely indicate that the amount of contaminants present between the electrodes is not large enough to affect the average breakdown voltage of the liquid TEST METHOD: IEC 156

Neutralization Number

Acids in the oil originate from oil decomposition/ oxidation products An increase in the acidity is an indication of the rate of deterioration of the oil with SLUDGE as the inevitable by-product of an acid situation which is neglected. The acidity of oil in a transformer should never be allowed to exceed 0.25mg KOH/g oil Test Method: ASTM D974

Interfacial Tension
The Interfacial Tension (IFT) measures the tension at the interface between two liquid (oil and water) which do not mix and is expressed in dyne/cm Good oil :40 and 50 dynes/cm The IFT test is a powerful tool for determining how an insulating oil has performed and how much life is left in the oil before maintenance is required to prevent sludge. Test Method : ASTM D971

Dissolved Gas-in-Oil Diagnostics

Insulating oils under abnormal electrical or thermal stresses break down to liberate small quantities of gases The qualitative composition of the breakdown gases is dependent upon the type of fault By means of DGA, it is possible to distinguish faults such as partial discharge, overheating and arcing in a great variety of oil-filled equipment

Information from the analysis of gases dissolved in insulating oils is valuable in a preventative maintenance program A number of samples must be taken over a period of time for developing trends Data from DGA can provide
Advance warning of developing faults A means for conveniently scheduling repairs Monitor the rate of fault development

Origin of Gases in T/F Oil

PARTIAL DISCHARGE:
fault of low level energy which usually occurs in gas-filled voids surrounded by oil impregnated material The major gas produced is Hydrogen The minor gas produced is Methane

THERMAL FAULTS:
A small amount of decomposition occurs at normal operating temperatures. As the fault temperature rises, the formation of the degradation gases change from Methane (CH4) to Ethane (C2H6) to Ethylene (C2H4) Fault at low temperature (<300 oC) produces mainly Methane and Ethane and some Ethylene Fault at higher temperatures (>300 oC) produces Ethylene. The higher the temperature becomes the greater the production of Ethylene

Origin of Gases in T/F Oil

ARCING is a fault caused by high energy discharge


The major gas produced during arcing is acetylene(C2H2) Heavy arcing can cause temperatures of over 3000 oC to be developed

The gas concentrations in transformer oil depend upon:


The volume of oil involved (dilution factors) The age of the transformer (new or old) The type of transformer
Generator or Transmission Sealed or free breathing Construction of Tap changer

Interpretation
Gas 1. Hydrogen 2. Methane 3. Ethane 4. Ethylene 5. Acetylene Normal <150 <25 <10 <20 <15 Abnormal >1000 >80 >35 >100 >70 Interpretation Arcing corona Sparking Local Overheating Severe Overheating Arcing

6. Carbon Monoxide
7. Carbon Dioxide

<500
<10000

>1000
>15000

Severe Overloading
Severe Overloading

Recommended Levels (max. ppm)


Gas IEEE Recommended Conc. 100 Age Compensated 20n+50

1.

Hydrogen

2. 3.
4. 5. 6.

Methane Ethane
Ethylene Acetylene Carbon Monoxide

120 65
50 35 350

20n+50 20n+50
20n+50 5n+10 25n+500

THANK YOU

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