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The evaluation of the lifetime of transformers and their maintenance

Article · December 2022

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Sacotte Michel
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 The evaluation of the lifetime of transformers
and their maintenance.

1 Introduction
The state of health of your transformers: A strategic issue for companies!

Transformers are involved in all primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors. Their reliability is
fundamental for each of these sectors.

The power supply of electrical equipment is an essential element of the company's life on
the operational level where a power cut can lead to production or service stoppages. Making
a periodic diagnosis of its transformers makes it possible to significantly reduce the risk of
failure, the associated costs and to improve predictive maintenance to extend the life of the
devices. Interventions can thus be planned if necessary.

Transformers fleets are getting older and there are uses ranging from 20 to over 60 years.
The older the devices, the more their health needs to be assessed. A method proposed by
the CIGREE also makes it possible to determine an index of the state of health of the
transformer and indicates an idea of the remaining lifespan for it.

It should also be noted that in recent years there have been solutions to monitor all the
aging parameters of large power transformers by adding a few components during their
manufacture. These solutions, which can also be partially integrated into existing devices,
provide permanent information on the state of health of the transformers without giving a
precise diagnosis of the physical causes that could be the cause of any damage in the short
medium or long term. Only a measurement of all gases provides detailed access to the
causes of future damage using the Duval method which can even if those are less accurate
be supported by the methods of Doernenburg, Rogers, IEC, and KGM.

Beyond the aspects of power supply failure, the owners and users of transformers must
consider the economic aspects of the cost of use which can become with the oldest
technologies very important and must be analyzed.

A diagnosis of an installation makes it possible to have a clear idea of the maintenance plan
or to plan the replacement of the devices in a scheduled manner taking into account both
the state of health and the economic cost of the transformers.

2 The data necessary for diagnosis.

2.1 What is needed for this diagnosis?
A global approach can be made on an installation at a lower cost by considering the
elements of the specification or the nameplate, the analyzes that could have been made at
the oil level, or even the degree of polymerization or even the electrical tests all
accompanied either by a visit of the installation or targeted photos of the transformers.

Information relating to the use of transformers (load, electricity consumed, oil temperature,
daily variations in loads) make it possible, depending on the data obtained, to diagnose the
cost of use.

The maintenance carried out can also help to interpret the condition of the transformers.

As a result, a visual inspection or targeted photos, oil analyses, knowledge of the charge
level, the price of the electricity consumed, make it possible to make a reliability diagnosis
accompanied by an economic diagnosis.

All these data make it possible to determine the health index of the transformer with a value
between 0 and 100, by giving a health status criterion between very sick, bad, normal, good
health and very goodhealth, to diagnose a lifespan between more than 10 years, between 3
and 10 years, with less than 3 years, or a very close end of life. The analysis also makes it
possible to indicate a graduation of the interventions to be carried out according to the
criticality of the diagnosis of the consequences of a failure, one can then maintain the
standard maintenance cycle, increase the diagnostic tests, and make corrective work,
consider the necessary replacement, or finally begin the planning process to replace or
rebuild.

2.2 What can be detected by visual inspection?

Very important elements such as leakage, dust, rust, tension on connections, electric arc
traces, cooling, installation ... General condition can be detected, and the analysis of these
elements can generate maintenance indications of certain parts of the transformer and thus
avoid a loss of function of the device in a more or less long time!

A visit to the installation by an expert makes it possible to identify the above points. It is also
possible to indicate the few photos to take to remotely check these elements. Photos of the
transformer environment, the upper and lower parts of the transformer, accessories,
terminals also make diagnosis possible. That can lead to increase possible diagnostic tests or
to launch corrective actions or a replacement work required based on criticality

2.3 What can be detected by oil analysis and

measurements?
The analyses of gases dissolved in oil carried out on a few centilitres of oil make it possible to
detect anomalies in construction, use or premature aging that could be linked to hot spots,
partial discharges, etc.
Other important characteristics can be obtained such as breakdown voltage, water content,
IFT, power factor, acidity, and oil color

This same oil sample can also make it possible to go further on the insulation internal to
windings and others and their possible decompositions (furan)

In the case of transformers with on load tap changer, the same analyses can be carried out.

2.4 What can be detected with knowledge of the load at the

aging level of the device?
By having the load profile of the transformer, it is possible to calculate the life consumption
of the transformer related to its load and the ambient temperature where the device is
installed.

The ideal is to have the power consumed hour by hour, but more general elements such as
daily cycles can make it possible to calculate a good approximation of the lifetime
consumed! In the worst case, if no precise information exists, it is possible to estimate this
remaining service life in a mini/maximum range just from the total kWh invoiced, possibly
with the oil temperature visualized on the transformer thermometer.

These elements are very important and make it possible to anticipate an imminent end of
life and to make decisions that can avoid a power failure of the user and the associated
consequences.

2.5 What can be detected with knowledge of the load at the

economic level and investment plan?
The load elements of the transformers described above make it possible to have an
economic evaluation of the cost of use and to have a vision of the actions to be taken or not
on the park!

Indeed, progress in terms of energy efficiency of transformers has been made thanks to eco-
design, which has also forced transformer suppliers to deliver low-loss appliances. The
studies carried out by the commission were intended to show that with greatly improved
energy efficiency, it was possible to replace transformers and amortize this replacement
within a few years. In addition, this replacement makes it possible to make the power supply
of the transformer that has been replaced more reliable.

3 Conclusions
A check-up of the transformer fleet allows at very low cost to have a vision of the state of
health of this transformer fleet and to diagnose the type of anomaly. A health index can be
calculated and also give the estimated remaining lifetime, the maintenance cycle and or see
the study of a replacement of the device. This check-up can avoid serious and permanent
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power cuts and equipment replacement where the lead time can be several months with
very high direct and indirect costs. Indeed, during serious incidents, it is often impossible to
repair the transformer.

In addition, this check-up will make it possible to have a real vision of the costs of use and to
plan a replacement that will reduce the expenses of use but also to strengthen the reliability
of the installation and the planning of the non-energized period to carry out the
maintenance.

SACOTTE PARTNERS can carry out all these analyses and check-ups.