Doble In The News

An asset health index (AHI) summarises a lot of disparate data into a single value in order to estimate the condition of the asset, such as a transformer. The big question is: does everyone understand what the AHI really means? Technical information used to derive an AHI is lost. At the same time, looking at the AHI value, the end-user can get a feeling that they know all they need to know, which sometimes can be misleading.

Sweep frequency response analysis (SFRA) is a popular test to confirm the mechanical and electrical integrity of a transformer. However, the resulting traces can be difficult for field personnel to interpret due to the visual nature of the data. It is more straightforward to compare numbers against prior data or against a stated limit than to interpret subtle differences in SFRA traces. If setup-related issues are not addressed during the testing process, return trips are often required to take additional shots to represent the transformer more accurately. These trips cost time and resources, so being able to identify a setup problem early can keep extra work to a minimum. A trained eye can focus in on a problem area quickly and identify a test setup issue promptly. Such confidence only comes at the expense of hours spent analyzing data. This article discusses common setup problems and their impacts.

Health index (HI) approach has been adopted widely as a tool that assists the asset managers to prioritise their plans and actions. However, the conventional computation of HI, which is based on scoring and ranking, has several drawbacks. In this work, the fuzzy logic approach is utilised to build up an intelligent HI system to assess the condition of power transformers based on oil quality and DGA results.

The episode covers the importance of upscaling infrastructure and maintenance with the transition of renewables against the background of climate-driven weather events, the expansion of microgrids, and how Doble, specifically can support utilities through the transition.

A workforce that understands how the power grid works is foundational to the industry’s success.

Managing bushings presents challenges, but also opportunities. In his byline on Asset Solutions, Tony McGrail teams up with Dr. Ronald Hernandez, taking the concept of singularity and applying it to statistical analysis for bushings data.

Paul Griffin, vice president for professional services at Doble, recently joined with POWER to talk about his work at Doble and the company’s century-long history of support for power generation, as part of the POWER Insights video series.

The first dissolved gas analysis (DGA) interpretation algorithms were put forward in the 1960’s and the industry’s ability to measure these gases and use them to detect potential problems has come a long way since. Morgan Schaffer’s Stephan Brauer and Doble’s Paul Griffin and Tony McGrail share more about the critical role DGA plays in assessing and protecting transformer health.

Power transformers are large capital items with long lead times for production; they are critical to our electric infrastructure, and their reliability is an important subject for analysis. Reliability, however, doesn’t just ‘”happen” – it is a consequence of specifying and buying a well-built transformer and ensuring careful shipment to site, proper installation and subsequent life management.

Read more on how dissolved gas analysis (DGA) is one of the most powerful tools asset managers can use to determine the health of their transformers.

The latest participant in EL&P’s “How did you get your Start in the Grid?” series is G. Matthew Kennedy. He is Doble Engineering Co.’s Solutions Director: Enterprise and Data Products, overseeing the complete software and cloud product vision at Doble.

On New Year’s Day, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) imposed a new standard to protect the bulk electric system from the impact of GMDs. To comply, utilities and power companies must conduct ongoing assessments of their transformers to measure and monitor the impact of GMD events on the bulk power system. Compliance dates are spread out over the next few years, but as with any new program, the time to start planning is now.

Starting in April 2017, anyone who works on a utility or power company’s medium or high impact system, including contractors, needs to comply with the standards and use locked-down devices to prevent unauthorized access points to the network. Companies need to take steps now in order to avoid serious regulatory and financial consequences.

Planning, strategic thinking and cross-functional collaboration are required to avoid confusion and gain value from condition monitoring programs. Following are four questions that should be answered before implementing a condition monitoring program.

Condition monitoring programs provide meaningful, real-time information to help reduce risk, lower failure rates, anticipate issues and keep operations running smoothly. In order to improve methods for diagnosing transformer health and develop a successful condition monitoring program, it’s imperative to follow these four steps.