Development of indicators for technical condition indexing of power transformers

Abstract

Reliable operation of a power transformer with a certain load depends on the technical condition of individual construction parts and the ability to prevent defects that can cause a failure. During the lifecycle of a transformer, valuable data is constantly accumulated, which forms the basis for technical or risk assessment of the equipment. Therefore it also serves as a ground for the decisions on further operation, or repairs, or replacement. To achieve this goal, data need to be systematized. Since technical condition indexing allows combining various types of data including results of diagnostic tests is used within the framework of this research. As part of a larger risk assessment methodology, algorithms for two indicators are proposed in this paper, and they are based on results of electrical measurements and analysis of oil parameters, respectively. The novelty of the algorithms for indicators introduced in this paper is based on analysis of features specific to the power system in Latvia such as large proportion of aged transformers, low loading level, significant variation in oil volumes, and statistics on typical faults. Proposed limits of parameters are verified with data from operation history. Taking into account the differences in the measurement periodicity, the indicator that is based on electrical measurements assesses the individual constructive parts of the transformer (windings and core, bushing and on-load tap changer) separately, whereas the other, indicator combines the results of oil parameters into a single assessment. These indicators were verified by using 30 transformers from the Latvian power system and the obtained results coincide well with the operation history.