Power Transformer Hot-Spot Monitoring

As the population increases so do the demands placed on our electricity generating and distributing networks. At peak periods transformers can experience rapid rises in temperature producing hot-spots within the transformer. Overheating can lead to the premature breakdown of the cellulose insulation between the transformer windings, which in turn can seriously reduce the life expectancy of a large transformer and if left unchecked can lead to failure. Reliable detection and monitoring of hotspots permits remedial action to be taken in the event of overheating and the life of the transformer to be extended with confidence. Conventional electrical temperature sensors may be placed at the top and bottom of a transformer to indicate global temperature changes but they cannot be used on the windings to detect hotspots directly. Only fibre-optic sensors, being all-dielectric, are permitted. A Smart Fibres sensor array can contain many sensors and can be designed so that the sensors are positioned at key locations within the transformer providing a stable and accurate multi-point temperature monitoring system.

Optical fibre array installed during transformer manufacture to directly monitor hot-spots. One array can have dozens of sensors, all sensors can be analysed by one instrument and just one fibre. With one multi-channel instrument multiple transformers can be monitored simultaneously

Direct winding multi-point temperature measuring Absolute spatial resolution Spiral PTFE wrap protects the fibre sensor and Greatly reduced cost allows ingress of transformer oil so maintaining Expandable systems the dielectric integrity of the transformer. High accuracy and sensitivity (0.1C Sensitivity) Zero drift no recalibration Sensors are totally passive and intrinsically safe Multiplexed systems a single instrument can read over 1000 sensors* A range of data handling and data storage solutions available to suit

*New switch extension modules allow for up to 2048 sensors to be measured simultaneously across one four channel instrument.