Customer shipments are underway for Vaisala’s new condition-monitoring probe that tracks early transformer faults.
Vaisala, a global provider of environmental and industrial measurements, offers a unique in-oil condition-monitoring probe that provides critical early warning information to track transformer faults. The new Moisture, Hydrogen, and Temperature Transmitter -MHT410 device is designed to help power and energy utilities minimize transformer-related downtime. Vaisala has already shipped the first customer orders.
High-voltage transformers are critical in the generation and transmission of electricity. For all key energy sectors, transformers remain a key point of vulnerability. This is because the downtime experienced will prevent the export of electricity and lead to substantial financial losses for asset owners and operators and energy shortfalls for national grids.
Lead times for transformer repairs and replacements can be several months, greatly exacerbating associated business interruption costs.
Transformer downtime
The industry currently is facing a number of challenges posed by aging transmission equipment, the impact of overload situations, and an increasing number of faults in the network. All of these factors magnify the risk of unexpected failures and outages.
This risk is a source of great concern not just for asset owners, but also for the insurers of energy projects. As the age of the fleet of transformers increases, the insurance industry is searching for proactive, on-site risk mitigation and monitoring equipment to reduce the probability of downtime.
If these measures aren’t in place, transformer asset managers are likely to experience high premiums and may even see declines in future insurance coverage.
Early warnings signs
Efficient condition monitoring is one of the only recognized means of proactively mitigating the risk of transformer downtime and its associated costs. Monitoring moisture content is an important indication of the condition of transformer insulation paper and the oil’s ability to act as an insulator. Measuring the hydrogen content in transformer oil and the speed of its formation lets a utility detect and assess the severity of a fault situation.
Vaisala’s Moisture, Hydrogen, and Temperature Transmitter (MHT410) continuously monitors changes in high-voltage transformer insulating oil. It provides accurate, real-time measurements and online trend data to facilitate reliable early decision-making.
The MHT410 recognizes transformer fault conditions and lets Vaisala’s customers diagnose and resolve potential problems before any further damage is done. This data subsequently allows operators to conduct thorough predictive maintenance planning to minimize expensive service shutdowns and outages.
MHT410 also benefits from a unique adjustable probe design that’s installed in the transformer oil. This places its sensors in direct contact with representative oil in the transformer, providing measurements and data with unparalleled accuracy. Information collected by the probe is instantly available to project operators and is designed to integrate seamlessly with most data acquisition systems.
Long-term maintenance
MHT410 has no complex pumps, hoses, batteries and other consumable parts. It is built to last and has no service or replacement needs that may affect the reliable long-term performance of the probe. Maintenance-free, with no calibration or adjustment required after installation, the MHT410 fits into a variety of transformer valves and can be installed and ready to use within minutes .
Maintenance Engineer Mikko Piironen from Vantaa Energy Electricity Networks Ltd said: “With Vaisala’s MHT410 transmitter, we have an altogether more practical and reliable means of monitoring transformer performance. It allows us to optimize the technical life cycle of our transformers and react to potential faults in the very early phase of their development — avoiding costly interruptions to production. The reliability and long-lasting nature of the MHT410’s technology make it a key part of our long-term maintenance strategy, helping to extend lifetimes of our transformers.”
Vantaa Energy Electricity Networks is one of Finland’s largest urban energy companies, producing and selling electricity and district heating. The company is responsible for the construction and maintenance of district heating networks in Vantaa, Finland.
The MHT410 is now available to purchase. For more product details, click here.
Vaisala
www.vaisala.com
Filed Under: News, Transformers
