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Assessment of Power Transformers Conditions Based on Health Index

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 CIGRÉ Regional South-East European Conference
October 10th - 12th 2012, Hotel Hilton, Sibiu, Romania, (RSEEC 2012)

Paper 110

Assessment of Power Transformers Conditions Based on Health Index

G. TANASESCU1*, O. DRAGOMIR1, L. VOINESCU1, B. GORGAN2, P. V. NOTINGHER2,

T. SURU3, C. MELINTE3
1SC
Simtech International SRL
2University
Politehnica of Bucharest
3HIDROELECTRICA SA – SH Bistrita

Romania

SUMMARY
Power transformers are important assets in electrical power grids, in terms of both reliability and costs. The
conditions of these assets have to be known, in order to avoid any possible outages and to choose the appropriate
maintenance operation that could be done. The health index of a power transformer is one single overall indicator
that represents its condition and is derived by a weighting process of all available indicators.
This paper presents a case study on several power transformers from Romanian Electrical Grid, discussing
the benefits of using health index and failure probability as overall diagnostic tools. Moreover, a remaining lifetime
calculation based on the transformer failure probability is defined.

KEYWORDS
Insulation - Health index - Failure probability - Maintenance - Remaining lifetime

1. INTRODUCTION

Power transformers have a critical role in energy grids. As transformers age, their internal condition
degrades, which increases the risk of failure. To prevent these failures and to maintain transformers in good
operating condition is a very important issue for utilities [1-2].
Many diagnostic and monitoring methods are being used in order to prevent catastrophic failure and
minimize outages by knowing the condition of a power transformer. The most common monitoring and diagnostic
techniques used to make decisions regarding the maintenance and replacement activities are based on dissolved
gases analysis, dielectric response measurements, windings displacement and deformation measurement, partial
discharge measurements, infrared thermography, furfural analysis etc. [1-3]. The life of a power transformer mainly
depends on the condition of the paper-oil insulation system [5-7]. According to present statistics, tap-changers and
bushings can also contribute to transformer failure [4, 8, 9]. However, they can be more easily repaired or replaced
than transformer windings and their insulation.
Nowadays, the possibility of using the health index to assess the condition of power transformers is more
and more discussed. This quantity, allowed the development of more effective maintenance policies [10-11]. The
starting point of the research activities regarding the health index is given by Jahromi et al. [11]. For the calculation
of the health index, the authors use a model which contains 24 parameters that give information about the condition
of the insulating system (especially mineral oil), ground connections, tap changer, windings etc. A further
development of the Jahromi model is presented by Gorgan et al. in [12-13]. The authors take into account other 4
parameters in addition to the existing 24. These parameters are polarization index (kp), conductivity factor (kc), loss
factor at 1 mHz (tgδ) and DC electrical conductivity (σ0) and they result from measurements of
absorption/resorption currents.
This paper presents a case study on several power transformers, discussing the advantages of using health
index and failure probability as overall diagnostic tools. Moreover, a remaining lifetime calculation based on the

*
gtanasescu@simtech-international.ro
transformer failure probability is defined.

2. HEALTH INDEX CALCULATION

Health index (HI) can be used to evaluate the general condition of a power transformer. This quantity is
calculated using some of the most representative elements of diagnosis that characterize the condition of the
transformer and is converted into a quantitative index that provides information about its health status [12]. For
calculating the health index it has been used the relation [11]:

n 3 n

 c  DI i i  c  DIi i
HI  A1  i 1
n 3
 A2  i nn3 , (1)
 4  ci
i 1
 4  ci
i n 3

where ci is the rating given to each state element (on a scale from 1-10, 10 being the maximum rate), DIi is the
value of the diagnostic index (on a scale from 0-4, 4 is the maximum rate), n is the number of considered diagnostic
factors, A1 and A2 are the corresponding weights which describe the transformer, and the load tap changer
respectively.

Table I. Ratings for oil tests parameters based on IEEE C57.106-2006 [11].
Un Un ≤ 69 kV 69 kV < Un < 230 kV 230 kV ≤ Un ni pi
≥ 45 ≥ 52 ≥ 60 1
Dielectric strength kV 35 – 45 47 – 52 50 – 60 2
3
(2 mm gap) 30 – 35 35 – 47 40 – 50 3
≤ 30 ≤ 35 ≤ 40 4
≥ 25 ≥ 30 ≥ 32 1
Interfacial tension IFT 20 – 25 23 – 30 25 – 32 2
2
dyne/cm 15 – 20 18 – 23 20 – 25 3
≤ 15 ≤ 18 ≤ 20 4
≤ 0.05 ≤ 0.04 ≤ 0.03 1
0.05–0.1 0.04 – 0.1 0.03 – 0.07 2
Acid number 1
0.1–0.2 0.1 – 0.15 0.07 – 0.1 3
≥ 0.2 ≥ 0.15 ≥ 0.10 4
≤ 30 ≤ 20 ≤ 15 1
30 – 35 20 – 25 15 – 20 2
Water content (ppm) 4
35 – 40 25 – 30 20 – 25 3
≥ 40 ≥ 30 ≥ 25 4
≤ 1.5 1
1.5 – 2.0 2
Color 2
2.0 – 2.5 3
≥ 2.5 4
≤ 0.1 1
Loss factor 0.1 – 0.5 2
3
50 Hz [%] (T = 25 oC) 0.5 – 1.0 3
≥ 1.0 4

To illustrate the calculation of the quantities values ci and DIi which are to be found in equation (1), an
example for oil quality analysis is presented [11]. The recondition of the oil insulation is a process that has to be
made in order to extend the lifetime of a power transformer. A combination of electrical, physical and chemical
tests, namely water content and oxygen measurements, interfacial tension, acidity number, loss factor, dielectric
strength are used to evaluate the condition of the oil insulation [8].
A ranking method based on IEEE and IEC standards and recommended by CIGRE is suggested in Table I.
Based on that, oil quality analysis factor Fo is calculated with equation (2), where ni = 1…4 is the score (note)
given to the diagnostic factor i and pi - its weight factor.

2
 7
 ni  pi ,
Fo  i 17 (2)
 pi
i 1

Score ni corresponding to factor i is chosen depending on each value of the diagnostic factor (Table I) [11].
The quantities ni and pi allow the calculation of oil quality analysis factor Fo.
Depending on Fo values, a rating code is given to the insulation, noted with A, B, C, D or E. According to
[11], A is given for the best state (Fo < 1.2) and E for the worst (Fo ≥ 3) (Table II). The ratings corresponding to oil
quality analyses A, B, C, D and E are numbers 4, 3, 2, 1 and 0, used as diagnostic indexes (DIi) in equation (1). The
rating values of state element ci in equation (1) are given according to statistics on the considered element influence
on transformer failure. Thus, for oil quality analysis is given 6, for furans content – 5, for oil level – 1, etc.
Very useful information regarding the diagnostic factors calculation (dissolved gas analysis, load history,
oil quality, polarization index, conductivity factor, loss factor, etc.) is given in [11] and [12]. For a better
understanding of the calculation methodology of the DIi value, another example is presented briefly, namely
furfural content analysis. Furans are one of several chemical compounds that are produced as the paper insulation
in a transformer ages and degrades. Among the furanic compounds, furfural (2-FAL) is always considered as the
main compound in the analysis because of its relatively higher generation rate and stability inside a transformer
[14].
The diagnostic index DIi is estimated based on the data from Table III. It must be highlighted the fact that,
furfural content analysis allows the assessment of solid component states of the power transformers insulation
systems. This test is recommended to be performed when the transformer is overheated, has a high CO and CO 2
level or has more than 25 years of service [5-6].

Table II. Transformer condition assessment using Fo [11].

Description State State score Diagnostic index DIo
Fo < 1.2 Good A 4
1.2 ≤ Fo < 1.5 Satisfactory B 3
1.5 ≤ Fo < 2 Poor C 2
2 ≤ Fo < 3 Very poor D 1
Fo ≥ 3 Dangerous E 0

Table III. Values of the diagnostic index DIf corresponding to furans content test [11].
Diagnostic index DIf 4 3 2 1 0
Furfural content [ppm] 0 – 0.1 0.1 – 0.25 0.25 – 0.5 0.5 – 1.0 > 1.0

Based on HI values, Jahromi et al. [11] suggest a procedure of how to evaluate the condition of a power
transformer. This procedure is shown in Table IV.

Table IV. Evaluation of degradation condition of power transformers based on HI [11].

HI Condition Recommendations
0.85 < HI ≤ 1.0 Very good Normal maintenance
0.7 < HI ≤ 0.85 Good Normal maintenance
0.5 < HI ≤ 0.7 Fair Increase diagnostic testing
Start planning process to repair or
0.3 < HI ≤ 0.5 Poor
rebuild
Immediately asses risk; replace or
HI < 0.3 Very poor
rebuild based on assessment

3. FAILURE PROBABILITY ESTIMATION

It is possible to use the health index (HI) to estimate the probability of failure of the transformer. Each
transformer has a level of remaining strength (electrical and mechanical) which decreases as its condition
deteriorates with age and use. The transformer’s probability of failure depends on whether the stresses in the field
3
exceed the remaining strength. In other words, the failure probability is defined as the probability for the HI value
to be lower than the threshold value. The threshold value for the health index can be chosen in the range 0.2-0.3 [6,
10, 11, 15, 16].
The probability of failure is calculated as in [17] using as diagnostic factor the health index and is
described in detail in [13].

4. REMAINING LIFETIME ESTIMATION

Based on health index (HI) and failure probability (P), the remaining lifetime of power transformers can be
estimated. Knowing the values of all the diagnostic factors, the uncertainties for diagnostic index IDi from
equation (1) (assumed to be 5% of the mean) and the threshold value for the HI (chosen 0.3 with an uncertainty of
30%) the curve variation of failure probability with HI values has been represented in Fig. 1.
From literature and different companies’ databases, based on failure statistics, the curve variation of the
failure probability with effective age of transformers is known (Fig. 2) [11, 18]. The effective age shows, in
comparison with transformer’s age, the time in service based on transformer’s degradation condition. For example,
a transformer which has functioned overloaded for 10 years (high temperature and failure probability) will have the
effective age much higher than a transformer which has functioned also for 10 years at a lower load (lower
temperature and failure probability).

50

40
Failure Probability [%]

30

20

10

0
1.0 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3
Health index
Fig. 1. Variation of failure probability with health index HI for power transformers.

100

80
Failure probability [%]

60

40

20

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Effective age [years]
Fig. 2. Failure probability versus effective age [11, 18].
4
 Knowing P based on HI (Fig. 1) and using Fig. 2, the transformer’s effective age is determined as function
of its degradation condition. Then, the remaining lifetime RL is estimated with the equation:

RL  EA( P  50%, end _ of _ life _ criterion )  EA(t ) , (3)

where parameter EA (P = 50 %, assumed to be the end of life criterion) is the age corresponding to the failure
probability for which the transformer has reached the end of its life (for P = 50%, resulting an effective age of 40
years, Fig. 2) and the parameter EA (t) is the effective age at moment t. Further, the remaining lifetime can be
estimated based on HI, variation that is represented in Fig. 3.

5. EXPERIMENTS

Table V. Measured data for power transformers from Romanian Electrical Grid.
T1 T2 T3 AT4
Rated power [MVA] 40 250 16 200
Year of commissioning 1974 2010 1981 1974
Number of windings 2 3 2 3
Transformers characteristics
Rated primary voltage [kV] 110 400 110 220
Rated secondary voltage [kV] 6.3 110 6.3 121
Rated tertiary voltage [kV] - 10.5 - 10.5
Insulation resistance [MΩ]
Characteristics of the 1629 6100 800 8768
between HV-LV at 20 oC
winding complex insulation
Loss factor tgδ, 50 Hz [%] 0.52 0.183 2.1 0.127
o
Flash point [ C] 143 - - -
Organic acidity [mgKOH/g] 0.0114 - 0.043 -
Water content at 20 oC [ppm] 12.4 2.64 5.1 -
Dielectric strength [kV/cm] 240 268 300 250
Loss factor tgδ at 20 oC,
0.9 0.08 0.8 0.7
50 Hz [%]
Interfacial tension [mN/m] 32.3 - - -
Resistivity at 20 oC [GΩm] 328.2 - - -
Mineral oil characteristics 2-furfural content [mg/Kg] 0.413 - - -
Hydrogen H2 [ppm] 1.2 - 52 68.5
Methane CH4 [ppm] 0.32 - 88.7 115.3
Ethan C2H6 [ppm] 64.1 - - 50.7
Ethylene C2H4 [ppm] 1.7 - - 223.4
Acetylene C2H2 [ppm] 1 - 4.8 108.13
Carbon monoxide CO [ppm] 37.3 - 237 -
Carbon dioxide CO2 [ppm] 14.8 - 756 -
Aspect clear - - -
Insulation resistance bushing 1
48.5 550 - 130
[GΩ]
Insulation resistance bushing 2
48.5 580 - 160
[GΩ]
Bushings characteristics Insulation resistance bushing 3
48.5 550 - 125
[GΩ]
tgδ bushing 1 [%] 0.33 0.351 - 0.22
tgδ bushing 2 [%] 0.75 0.342 - 0.2
tgδ bushing 3 [%] 0.58 0.99 - 0.9
Deviation from manufacturer
Windings resistances 1.85 0.31 - 0.44
[%]

To show the usefulness of health index in the evaluation of transformers degradation conditions, as well as
of the failure probability and remaining lifetime, the calculations were done on several power transformers from

5
Romanian Electrical Grid. These equipments have their insulation system made from Kraft cellulosic paper and
mineral oil.
For these transformers the insulation resistance, loss factor, water content, dielectric strength, interfacial
tension, H2, CH4, C2H2, CO gases contents, bushings insulation resistance etc. were measured (Table V).

1.0

0.9

0.8
Health index
0.7

0.6

0.5

0.4

0.3

0 5 10 15 20 25
Remaining lifetime [years]
Fig. 3. Health index versus remaining lifetime for power transformers.

6. RESULTS. DISCUSSIONS

The results regarding the calculations of health index, failure probability and remaining lifetime, done on
the four power transformers from Table V are shown in Table VI. It can be seen that transformers T1, T2 and T3
have close values regarding the health index HI (0.65, 0.7, and 0.6) and remaining lifetime RL (respectively 21, 22
and 20 years), and in the case of autotransformer AT 4, the health index HI is 0.88 and the estimated remaining
lifetime RL is approximately 24 years. It results that, according to Table IV, the analyzed equipments (transformers
T1, T2 and T3) are in fair condition, respectively very good condition (autotransformer AT 4), but it should be done
some diagnostic tests, especially in the case of parameters which are close to the admissible limit values given by
different standards and/or regulations (Table VII).

Table VI. Tests results.

Transformer T1 T2 T3 AT4
Health Index 0.65 0.7 0.6 0.88
Failure Probability [%] 5.45 5.1 6.5 4.1
Remaining lifetime [years] 21 22 20 24

Table VII. Comparison of gas limits recommendations [11].

Bureau of
Gas [ppm] Dornenburg IEC IEEE
Reclamation
Hydrogen H2 200 100 100 500
Methane CH4 50 75 120 125
Ethan C2H6 35 75 65 75
Ethylene C2H4 80 75 50 175
Acetylene C2H2 5 3 35 7
Carbon monoxide
500 700 350 750
CO
Carbon dioxide
6000 7000 2500 10000
CO2

6
 In the case of transformer T1, as the water content is close to the maximum admissible limit given by the
IEC 60422 Standard - 2005 (respectively 15 ppm at a rated voltage between 72.5 kV and 170 kV) it is
recommended the drying of the insulating oil. For transformer T2, as the bushing loss factor value is close to the
maximum admissible limit given by [19] (respectively 1 % at a rated voltage of 400 kV), it should be done
maintenance work to the bushing insulation. For transformer T3, the winding insulation resistance is close to the
minimum admissible value (600 MΩ at a rated voltage of 110 kV [19]) and the loss factor value for the winding
complex insulation has exceeded the maximum admissible value given by [11] (respectively, 2 %).These values
indicate a deterioration or a contamination of insulation systems from by-products such as water, carbon, or other
conducting particles [8]. Test values must be compared to previous or factory tests and an internal inspection
should be considered before re-energized [8].
It should be emphasized that health index shows the overall degradation condition of a power transformer.
If a diagnostic factor does not exceed the maximum permissible limit, the value of the health index shows a
realistic condition of a transformer. If a diagnostic factor exceeds the permissible limit, according to a standard, the
value of the health index may mask the true condition of the asset. This is the case for the autotransformer AT4. If
the dissolved gasses in oil are analyzed it can be seen that important quantities of ethylene C2H4 and acetylene C2H2
are present (quantities which exceeds the acceptable limits given by IEEE Standard C57.104-2008, respectively 50
for ethylene and 35 for acetylene). According to this Standard, ethylene shows thermal decomposition of the oil
(overheated oil) and acetylene shows electrical arcing in the oil. Consequently, continued operation could result in
failure of the transformer. Thus, the transformer should be removed from service.

7. CONCLUSIONS

Health index is a helpful tool, which can be used to assess the overall condition of a power transformer, to
obtain a good maintenance plan and good ways of prioritizing investments. The health index values depend on the
conditions of the two principal components of transformer insulation system: paper and oil.
Because the health index shows the overall condition of the asset, its value depends on all the diagnostic
factors involved in the calculation. This is the reason why, if a condition factor exceeds the admissible limit, the
health index value will not change very much. Consequently, the diagnosis procedure should be made based on
each component more in detail.
Based on health index and failure probability, the remaining lifetime of power transformers can be
estimated.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work has been supported by the Romanian Ministry of Labour, Projects POSDRU/88/1.5/S/60203,
and Romanian Ministry of Education, Research and Youth, PNCDI II Programme.

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