Power Transformers

Dielectric Fluids

Leakers, What a Mess!

Electric Substation apparatus, transformers and circuit breakers, are the workhorses of the electric transmission grid. Our focus in this article is on the issue of dielectric media leaks. Specifically, oil in large power transformers and oil or SF6 gas in power circuit breakers. Oil and gas leaks...

Electrical Transformers

Zensol new instrument for OLTC testing

According to CIGRE A2.34, the dynamic resistance measurement or DRM (OFFLINE) is a test that offers diagnostics for several diverter or selector switch malfunctions such as: contact problems, broken springs, broken transition resistors, poor contact pressure, inadequate transition time, momentary...

Utility Transformers

FERC Complaint Targets Duke, PJM Transmission Planning

A coalition of large energy consumers and ratepayer advocates has filed a complaint with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), urging the agency to prohibit transmission owners from independently planning "local" transmission projects exceeding 100 kilovolts (kV). The coalition argues...

Transformer Testing & Maintenance

The Dissolved Gas Analysis Toolkit

Dissolved gas analysis: addressing the challenges of collecting samples BY DONAL SKELLY, GE’s Digital Energy business Dissolved gas analysis (DGA) is a technique for identifying and quantifying the gas formed in oil-filled electrical equipment because of either the natural aging of oil and paper...

Transformer Protection

Smart Transformers: Enhancing Grid Efficiency and Reliability

The evolving demands of modern power grids necessitate the adoption of advanced technologies that can provide enhanced efficiency, reliability, and flexibility. Smart transformers are at the forefront of this technological revolution, offering a range of capabilities that significantly improve the...

Transformer Monitoring

Distribution Transformer Loss Costs

A car owner must make some important decisions when purchasing a new vehicle—particularly if he or she has not bought one in decades. The features of the hundreds of 2015 models available can seem overwhelming. The budget-conscious owner, considering factors such as fuel efficiency,...

Home Transformation Power Transformers

Using Transformer Monitoring Via the IoT to Combat Electricity Theft

According to the annual Emerging Markets Smart Grid: Outlook 2015 study by the Northeast Group, LLC, the world loses US$89.3 billion annually to electricity theft, with the top 50 emerging market countries losing $58.7 billion annually compared with $30.6bn in the rest of the world, including the largest industrialized economies.

In one of the more widely publicized cases recently, B.C. Hydro in Canada estimates that it was losing about 850 gigawatt hours per year due to...