MechChem Africa July-August 2024

⎪ Maintenance and asset management ⎪

Diagnostic online monitoring solutions

Online monitoring solutions and diagnostics are crucial to extending the lifespan of oil transformers and preventing costly downtime, argues Sarika Andee, marketing leader for Field Service at Schneider Electric.

other hand, require regular health checks and maintenance to prolong their lifespan. Unfortunately, the traditional approach to oil transformer maintenance is reac tive – when something goes wrong – and schedule-based, with an oil sample typically taken once a year to check issues such as dielectric strength, water content, acidity, sludge content and flash point. Snapshot of current status While a schedule-based maintenance ap proach can provide a snapshot of a trans former’s current status at the time, these insights are limited. Anything can change after the sample is taken, so this approach is not effective in predicting the failure rate of a transformer or when it will fail. More effective is a condition-based ap proach to maintenance, based on continu ous monitoring tracks several parameters in real-time, such as humidity, partial dis charge and temperature. Condition-based monitoring is done with an online digital so lution connected to a probe that is installed in the transformer to continuously gather data about its condition and recommend any interventions that may be required. Proper condition monitoring-based maintenance can prevent emergency and breakdown maintenance, as any potential risks can be identified and addressed before they become serious problems. This, in turn, can eliminate costly downtime that can have widespread and severe impacts.

Condition monitoring provides trans former owners and operators with detailed real-time analytics via a remote dashboard, enabling them to not only see an asset’s current condition but also its lifespan. For example, owners who operate a fleet of transformers at their site can receive a status summary that shows how many are in good condition, how many are at risk and whether any of them are in a critical state. Recommended interventions Each insight is linked to a specific condition index on a transformer, providing details about potential or existing problem areas, such as deteriorating insulation, high water content in the oil and hotspot temperature. Each alert is coupled with recommenda tions of what should be done in terms of maintenance. Additionally, by providing an overview of each transformer’s lifespan, condition monitoring can help owners prepare and plan their capex spending accordingly, pri oritising the replacement of transformers that are near the end of their life. Another benefit of condition monitoring is that it can be done remotely, while a traditional main tenance approach requires a technician to physically be on site to take an oil sample. Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Transformer Expert is a leading diagnostic online monitoring tool that is brand-agnos tic and designed to provide oil transformer owners with real-time analytics that will alert them as soon as anything is out of range so that remedial action can be taken. The solution consists of a hardware component, a probe or sensor, which is fitted to a transformer and connects via a SIM to Schneider Electric’s cloud based EcoStruxure Transformer Expert platform. This provides the customer with real-time information about their transformers. By harnessing an online condition monitoring tool, such as EcoStruxure Transformer Expert, customers can not only improve their decision-making with automated data collection, analysis and recommendations but also optimise aged transformer fleet management and replace ment programmes. Transformers are high value capital investments – they should be adequately protected. www.se.com/za/en/

T ransformers are vital components in the fields of electrical engineering and power distribution, as they play a key role in stepping up or down voltage levels, which ensures the efficient transmission of electricity. While the cost of a transformer can vary significantly based on numerous factors, they are typically huge investments for any operation. Additionally, not all transformers are off-the-shelf items but are often tailored to a customer’s unique specifications, which can push up costs and manufacturing lead times. Hence, when a transformer fails, it can result in prolonged and expensive downtime that can severely affect an entire opera tion – whether in a residential or industrial setting. This underscores the importance of performing regular maintenance on this equipment to mitigate risks such as coil degradation or high moisture content that can lead to failure. Dry transformers – unlike oil transform ers – do not rely on liquid to dissipate excess heat and meet temperature classification requirements and need very little in terms of maintenance. Oil transformers, on the

EcoStruxure Transformer Expert can help customers to better protect transformer assets through automated data collection, analysis and recommendations, while optimising fleet management and replacement programmes.

July-August 2024 • MechChem Africa ¦ 41