HDO-CROATIAN MAINTENANCE SOCIETY,

MeditMaint 2018, VODICE, 16.-18.5.2018, CROATIA

MAINTENANCE AND FAILURE OF HV INSTRUMENT TRANSFORMERS IN
CROATIAN TRANSMISSION SYSTEM OPERATOR Ltd. (CTSO-HOPS)

Nikola JAMAN Transmission area Osijek*

Marin SCHÖNBERGER Transmission area Osijek*
Nediljko ZEBIĆ Transmission area Split*
Damir MIŠĆENIĆ Transmission area Rijeka*
Zoran MARTINOVIĆ Transmission area Zagreb*

*Croatian Transmission System

Operator Ltd., Zagreb, Croatia

Key words: ABSTRACT: This paper presents the

- HV instrument transformer methods of maintenance of high-voltage
- Maintenance instrument transformers in the Croatian
- Rules of maintenance transmission system operator Ltd. (HOPS).
- Failure Maintenance procedures displayed,
- Failure survey measurement methods and limit values, and the
- Best world practice assessment of maintenance costs. It is presented
statistical analysis of failures and comparison
with exploring the failures of the international
organization CIGRE Paris.

1. INTRODUCTION
The purpose of the high voltage instrument transformer (IT) is to separate the auxiliary (secondary) elements
from the primary to adjust the voltage and current values to a more appropriate value for measurement, protection,
and other secondary needs. Voltage values of several tens or hundreds of kilovolt (kV) convert to less than a
hundred volts (usually 0.1 / √ 3 kV) and several hundred or thousands of amps (A) into several amperes (usually 1
or 5 A). There are two basic functions where we use information from instrument transformers: for calculation of
high voltage electrical energy and the function of protection and regulation of the power system. When measuring
electrical energy, the accuracy of the transformation is defined as a class of accuracy, and in the function of
protection and regulation it is important to transmit the voltage and current information at extraordinary conditions
in the network (e.g. short circuits when currents amount to several of thousands of amperes).

Experience has shown that basic functions during the time of exploatation do not usually change, but the main
change occurs in high-voltage insulation. Very high voltage and current (thermal) stresses over time cause aging
insulation and reduce its insulation properties, which can cause electrical breakdown and destruction of the unit
with explosion and fire. Most of the maintenance procedures of high voltage IT are aimed at the control of high-
voltage insulation.
High-voltage insulation consists of paper embedded in transformer oil, and the usual appearance of the voltage
and current transformers are shown in Figure 1. [8]
 Figure 1. Usual appearance of the voltage (links) and current (right) transformers

2. CONCEPTION OF MAINTENANCE OF INSTRUMENT TRANSFORMERS

Maintenance of instrument transformers in CTSO is stipulated by the internal act "Rules on maintenance of power
plant and equipment of power transmission network construction" (Glasnik No. 5, Zagreb, May 2016) [1]. The
maintenance concept is a combination of scheduled maintenance with Time-Based Maintenance (TBM) and
Maintenance-Based Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM). In most cases, however, it is predominant to plan
maintenance where we keep the maximum prescribed time intervals. It is estimated that approximately 90% of
maintenance operations on ITs are performed by scheduled maintenance (TBM), and about 10% of the procedures
are performed outside the prescribed maximum time limits (CBM). The proposal to shorten or extend the prescribed
deadlines shall be made by person responsible for the maintenance of this type of equipment, and the proposal
shall be approved by the responsible manager. These Rules .... [1] are considered the most detailed rulebook for
maintenance of high-voltage equipment in Croatia, so if some companies do not have their own regulations, the
inspectorate is often referred to the CTSO rulebook.

Looking at the world practice, in the latest CIGRE Paris [2] report of 2012, where 75 users were surveyed in 25
countries around the world, it is stated that scheduled time-limited maintenance (TBM) is used in 53% of cases,
maintenance based on CBM in 30% of cases, and the combination of TBM and CBM is used in 15% of cases.
In the exceptional circumstances (lack of financial resources, long-term natural disasters, state of war ...), a decision
on "run to failure-RTF" can be made, which is of course undesirable and very rare (we had such a decision in 1991
and 1992 during Homeland war).

3. MEASURED PROCEDURES FOR ITs MAINTENANCE

The works of maintenance of the instrument transformers and the deadlines of the internal rules are shown in Table
1. The works and deadlines in the Rulebook [1] are determined by a combination of manufacturers'
recommendations, past drive experiences, existing technical regulations in the Republic of Croatia and comparison
with best world practice. The ultimate goal is minimal internal and external maintenance costs, with high operational
safety at the level of other European and world power systems. Minimum cost and high-security requirements are
always mutually opposing, so time consuming and cost-effective comparison is required, with possible changes to
the rulebook. The CTSO internal maintenance order has been corrected five times in the last 27 years.
All maintenance procedures for all equipment in the plant are planned and recorded with the help of the ISOHOPS
information system, which is made solely for that function and has been actively used in the CTSO since 1995 [3].
 Table 1. Maintenance procedures for 110-400 kV instrument transformers and maximum deadlines

disconnection
Period

Required
Overhaul
overview

overview

Revision
periodic
Regular

Regular
No. List of works

1. Overview of transformer 2W 3Y
2. Exterior insulation, oil level and membrane position 2W 3Y
3. Thermovision recording 1Y 3Y
4. Ultrasonic measurement of partial discharge 3Y 3Y
5. Cleaning of exterior insulation 6Y +
6. Earthing check 6Y +
7. Check primary and secondary connections 6Y +
8. Attached check on the construction 6Y +
9. Check the membrane 6Y +
10. Measurement of insulation resistance +
first measurement of 220 and 400 kV transformers 9Y
first measurement of 110 kV transformers 12Y
second and every another measurement of 110, 220 and 400
6Y
kV transformers
11. Measurement of C+tg d +
first measurement of 220 and 400 kV transformers 9Y
second and every another measurement of 220 and 400 kV
6Y
transformers
12. DGA analysis of oil gases +
first measurement of 220 and 400 kV transformers 9Y
second and every another measurement of 220 and 400 kV
6Y
transformers
W=weakly; Y=Yearly

4. MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES, MEASUREMENT METHODS AND LIMIT VALUES

OVERVIW of transformer (2W-two weeks)

Although simplest, it has been shown that visual overviews reveal the most malfunctions, about 65%. It examines
the state of the insulator, primary electrical connections, traces of oil leakage and the position (level) of the dilatation
membrane. Visual inspection reveals mostly minor failures. The visual inspection is performed by the operating
personnel as part of a whole plant overview, without switching off the plant, and is done two weeks (2W) since we
have a large majority of the transformer stations in the remote control system and without a permanent crew.
THERMOVISION RECORDING (1Y- once a year)
The thermovision recording of the whole plant, and also the instrument transformers, is carried out once a year.
The plant has to be in operation, revealing overheating sites (mostly connections), assessing the temperature of
individual parts of the apparatus or comparing the temperature of the same correct element at adjacent phases.
The final rating of the repair is made after calculating the temperature at the rated current of the apparatus.

Figure 2: Photograph of the transformer (left) and its thermovision record (right)
The usual recommendations for deadlines for eliminating the cause of overheating are:
 overtemperature up to 5 ˚C - correct connection
- overtemperature 5 ˚C to 10 ˚C - remove at first revision
- overtemperature of 10 ° C to 35 ° C - to be eliminated at the first shutdown of the apparatus
 overtemperature above 35 ˚C – require urgent removal of lack.
There are few cases to measure the increased temperature of the entire body of the instrument transformer
compared with the same device in the adjacent phase under the same operating conditions (current, voltage,
outdoor temperature ...). In such cases, it is estimated that for over 5 ˚C there is a risk of internal failure and it is a
practice to disassemble the device as soon as possible and thoroughly examine it at the factory or in the test station.
By thermovision we detect about 40% of all current transformer failures.

ULTRASONIC MEASUREMENT OF PARTIAL DISCHARGE (PD) (3Y - three years)

Partial discharge measurement determines the existence of local partial electric discharge in high-voltage
insulation. Partial electrical discharges produce sound effects that are transmitted through the transformer oil to the
IT tank, where tank vibrations are captured by a portable ultrasonic probe that snaps into the ground tank. The
signal produced by the probe passes through a filter that removes all 50 Hz basic frequency signals and its
harmonics, and misses typical frequency of PD of 10 to 50 kHz. The filtered signal is led to an oscilloscope showing
the shape of the signal and its intensity. Detected signal of a typical shape and intensity indicates the existence of
partial discharges in insulation, and it is usually the case that a chromatographic analysis of dissolved gases in oil
is also performed in such cases to confirm the finding by another method. In the case of a confirmatory finding by
chromatographic analysis, the device is put out of operation, and in most cases there is irreversible degradation of
paper insulation. For this test (PD), the device must be energized.

REVISION OF INSTRUMENT TRANSFORMERS (6Y-six-year)

Under the revision of the instrument transformer, we consider the interventions that are performed once in six years
and the following actions are prescribed: insulator cleaning, ground checking, primary and secondary connections
check, fixing on construction and dilatation membrane checking.
Works are performed in disconnection state and at the same time are repaired, if necessary, minor faults,
malfunctions and lacks, e.g. repairs of small leaks of oil, refill of oil to the required level, removal of bird's nest, etc.
Works covered by revision applies when measuring insulation resistance or capacity and angle of loss (C tg d)
measurement, and the timing cycles of these measurements and revisions are intentionally aligned to ensure that
all work and measurements requiring disconnection bay are made together.

MEASUREMENT OF INSULATION RESISTANCE (6Y-six-year)

Measurement of insulation resistance of IT is not a common world practice, but it has a long tradition in Croatia and
proved to be a very efficient method. Namely, comparative measurements have confirmed that the measurement
of insulation resistance is about ten times more sensitive method for detecting insulation humidity than in the world
usual method of measuring the angle of insulation losses tan .

Figure 3: Measuring connection for insulation resistance measurement for current (left) and voltage (right)
transformer
Insulation resistance measurement is performed using a classical UI method, where the current is measured
through insulation and the voltage source is 1000 VDC. The characteristic insulation resistances range is from ten
gigaohm (GΩ) to several thousand gigaohms, so at a voltage of 1000 VDC near a strong electric field it is necessary
to measure the nanoampers (nA) current. Because of the very high insulation resistance, the internal resistance of
the measuring circuit or the measuring device should be greater than 15,000 GΩ. In order not to measure sneak
current, the transformer must be disconnected primary and secondary, and the transformer insulator must be
thoroughly cleaned. Also, it is necessary to know the internal structure of the IT to correctly determine the
measurement connection, to measure the current through the HV isolation. In the lower part of the insulator there
is a conductive strip that drains the sneaking currents outside the measuring circuit. At current transformers, the
current between the primary terminals and the tank is measured, while for voltage transformers the resistance is
measured between two capacitive coating whose ends are drawn in the connecting secondary box.

For the calculation of insulation resistance, the current data is taken in the tenth minute of the measurement when
the stationary state occurs and the result is finally corrected by the calculation at 20 ° C. The evaluation of the
isolation state is given in Table 2, and the limit values are determined on the basis of more than forty years of
experience in using the UI method on the ITs. With this method, together with C i tg  test, we find about 15% of
all failures.

Table 2: Evaluation of insulation status according to measured insulation resistance

Evaluation Current transformer Voltage transformer

Correct
Ri > 150 GΩ Ri > 30 GΩ
Replace or reconsider within 1 year
100 < Ri < 150 GΩ 15 < Ri < 30 GΩ
Replace within 6 months
50 < Ri < 100 GΩ 5 < Ri < 15 GΩ

Faulty Ri < 50 GΩ Ri < 5 GΩ

MEASURING THE CAPACITY AND ANGLE OF INSULATION LOSSES (C and tg  (6Y-six-year)

Measurement of the capacity and angle of insulation losses is a common method used in the world practice, and
the method determines the aging and humidity of the insulation. The bridges used must be adjusted to measure
grounded objects. In this method, the measurement connection should be selected to measure the HV insulation
characteristics so that the measuring points for the current and voltage transformers are the same as for the
measurement of insulation resistance. For current transformers the test voltage is 10 kV AC, and for voltage
transformers 2 kV AC. The method is less sensitive to the external electric field and the sneaking currents, although
for this method the transformer should be disconnected primary and secondary and clean the insulator. After the
measurement, a temperature correction is performed at a value of 20˚C.

Figure 4: Measuring connection for C i tg d measurement for current (left) and voltage (right) transformer
The usual values of tg  of the new IT are < 1% , and the limit values on site are given in Table 3.

Table 3: Evaluation of insulation status according to measured tg d

Evaluation Current transformer Voltage transformer

Correct tg  < 1,0 % tg  < 1,3 %
Replace or reconsider within 1 year 1,0 % < tg  < 1,2 % 1,3 % < tg  < 1,4 %
Replace within 6 months
1,2 % < tg  < 1,4 % 1,4 % < tg  < 1,7 %
Faulty tg  > 1,4 % tg  > 1,7 %

The limit values are determined experientially and are consistent with world practice. Testing C and tg  we only
perform on 220 kV and 400 kV ITs.

DGA ANALYSIS IN OIL (6Y-six-year)

Electrical and thermal destruction of solid (cellulose) and liquid (transformer oil) insulation creates gaseous products
that dissolve in oil, and by analyzing the gases in the oil can detect the types and intensity of the destruction. Seven
gases are analyzed and their concentrations (in ppm - part per million) are analyzed on the state of isolation.

Table 4. Oil gas concentration (ppm) for a correct IT depending on duration in operation

The oil sample is taken in disconnection state, usually when measuring insulation resistance C and tg . The sample
without air access is taken to a laboratory glass syringe where the chromatographic analysis and the insulation
state are performed. The limit values of the gas concentration for the correct transformer depending on the duration
in operation are given in Table 4, and the conclusions on the type and intensity of failure are based on IEC (EN)
60599.

5. ESTIMATION OF COST OF MAINTENANCE IN LIFE TIME

5.1. Estimation of internal costs

Under the internal cost of maintenance of ITs we mean all the costs generated by CTSO employees for the
fulfillment of the obligations set forth in the Maintenance Rules ... [1]. These are: overview costs, revision work,
preparation bay work (disconnection, grounding…), preparation of ITs for measurement (disconnection and
coupling of primary and secondary connections, cleaning of insulators ...).
The works are organized so that all of the 6Y operations are carried out at the same time, due to the optimization
of the time spent on the workforce and the minimum time of disconnection. It is common for all 6Y period work to
be performed on a single day (ten hours of disconnection) for two 110 kV or 220 kV bays, and in each bay there
are three current and three voltage transformers, while for one 400 kV bay about 8 hours of work. The working team
consists of group leader (responsible persons), three to four worker, driver with auto corps and one operating
personnel. In the cost estimate, the working hours of engineers and technicians who are working in the preparation
(increased by about 10% on the total working hours) are added.
The cost estimate was made at the following rates:
 doing worker ............... ...... ........ ....... 13 Euro / hour
 use of auto corps ................................ 30 Euro / hour
 the cost of a personal vehicle ............. 0,3 Euro/ km
 truck / auto corps cost ..........................0,4 Euro / km
The average distance between the substations from the company headquarters (Osijek, Rijeka, Split, Zagreb) is
approximately 80 km.
By calculating the above mentioned prices, the internal cost for all 6Y works is:
- for 110 kV and 220 kV IT: approx. 80 Euro / pc.
- for 400 kV IT: 147 Euro / pc.
The depreciation rate for ITs is 3.03% per annum, and according to this the lifetime is 33 years, which is well
established in practice. So, in the lifetime of one IT, we will make about six revisions, and the total internal cost
over the lifetime will be:
- for 110 kV and 220 kV IT: approx. 480 Euro / pc.
- for 400 kV IT: 882 Euro / pc.

5.2. Estimation of external costs

Under external costs, we consider the expense we pay to external contractors for their maintenance services,
which are contracted through the public procurement procedure. These are high-specific measurement services
and assessment of insulation status, with average prices (listed without VAT):
 Thermovision recording (about 66 Euro throughout the lifetime for one IT)
 ultrasonic PD measurement (110 kV – 27 Euro / pc, 220 kV – 33 Euro / pc, 400 kV – 53 Euro / pc)
 measurement of insulation resistance (267 Euro / pcs)
 measurement of insulation resistance and C and tg  together-for 220 and 400 kV IT (400 Euro/ pc.)
 DGA analysis (347 Euro / pc).
During the lifetime of the 110 kV IT, will be done:
 Thermovision recording: 33 times
 ultrasonic PD measurement: 10 measurements
 measurement of insulation resistance: 4 measurements
The total external cost for the 110 kV IT is approximately 1.467 Euro in the life time.

During the life time of 220 kV and 400 kV IT, will be done:
 Thermovision recording: 33 times
 ultrasonic PD measurement: 10 measurements
 measurement of insulation resistance, C and tg  together: 4 measurements
 DGA analysis: 4 measurements
Total external cost for 220 kV and 400 kV IT: approx. 3.600 Euro in the life time.

5.3. Life cycle cost (LCC)

The total cost of the life of the device is considered to be all costs of the owner, from the point of purchase of the
device, over the lifetime costs, including the cost of decommission and ecological care [4]. For ITs, these are the
costs of purchasing the equipment, internal and external maintenance costs, the cost of consumed energy during
the operation of the unit and the cost of decommissioning / eco-disposal.
Of these costs, it is still necessary to determine the cost of consumed energy during the operation of ITs. Since the
ITs is almost permanently in operation, it is about 290,000 hours of work in life time. Consumed energy enters the
technical losses of the transmission system, and the average purchase price is around 50 Euro / MWh. According
to the technical characteristics of ITs, energy consumption and energy cost in life are estimated in Table 5 and the
LCC in Table 6. Power consumption for current transformers is calculated for an average load of 30% of the rated
primary current.

Table 5. Estimation of energy consumption and cost in life time of ITs

Voltage 110 kV 110 kV 220 kV 220 kV 400 kV 400 kV

Type of IT CT VT CT VT CT VT
Estimated power (W) 5 100 7,7 180 10 280
Consuption in life time (MWh) 1,5 29 2 52 2,9 81
Total energy cost (Euro) 73 1.466 100 2.667 147 4.000

Table 6. Estimation of Total Costs (LCC) in the life of ITs in relation to the purchase price

Voltage 110 kV 110 kV 220 kV 220 kV 400 kV 400 kV

Type of IT CT VT CT VT CT VT
Purchase price 1,00 1,00 1,00 1,00 1,00 1,00
Internal costs 0,07 0,07 0,04 0,03 0,04 0,03
External costs 0,20 0,20 0,26 0,22 0,14 0,13
Energy consuption cost 0,01 0,19 0,01 0,16 0,01 0,13
Decommissioning cost 0,04 0,04 0,04 0,03 0,02 0,02
LCC/Purchase price 1,32 1,50 1,35 1,44 1,21 1,31
 From the results in Table 6, the following conclusions can be drawn:
- Increase in lifetime costs compared to the purchase price ranges from 21% for 400 kV current transformers
up to 50% for 110 kV voltage transformers
- relative cost increase (LCC / purchase price) is inversely proportional to the voltage of IT
- voltage transformers have higher overall costs than current transformers due to several times higher energy
consumption

6. ANALYSIS OF FAILURE OF INSTRUMENT TRANSFORMERS IN CROATIAN

TRANSMISSION SYSTEM OPERATOR (CTSO)

For the purposes of analysis, data collection on ITs failures has been collected in the CTSO transmission network
since 2006 until 2015 [5]. All ITs from 110 kV to 400 kV were observed. Total in the transmission network on the
last day of analysis 31.12.2015. there were 5,396 units, and in the time of the analysis from 2006 to 2015. 45,411
transformer-years were observed.
According to IEC 60694 [6] failure definitions, the failure is any failure to perform the required function or function
of the device. A major failure is a malfunction that causes one or more basic functions to stop. A major failure
results in the current change in the operating conditions of the system, e.g. by the operation of protective devices
for the purpose of eliminating the failure, or by forced removal from operation by unplanned maintenance within 30
minutes. A small failure is the malfunction of a device, construction element or assembly that does not cause a
major failure.

The CIGRE Paris 2012 analysis [2] analysed major and small failure, with special attention to major failure with
explosion and fire. The reason for this is a big difference in the financial consequences for the owner. Our analyses
have shown that the cost of repairing one small failure on the IT is approximately 1.500 Euro on average, regardless
of the voltage of the unit (e.g. in the case of replacing the compensating membrane), while the cost of repairs during
a major failure with explosion and fire is multiplied: by one such an event at 110 kV voltage can cost up to 135.000
Euro and 400 kV up to 280.000 Euro. In other words, 100 small failure at 110 kV voltage, or 200 small failure at 400
kV, have the same financial damage as one major failure with explosion / fire!

Table 7. Comparison of CTSO-CIGRE failures according to type of failure

CTSO (2006.-2015.) CIGRE (2004.-2007.)

Major failure 15 4,4 % 626 20,5 %
(Fire/explosion) (6) (1,7 %) (93) (3,1 %)
Minor failure 331 95,6 % 2411 79,3 %
Total: 346 100 % 3.040 100 %

In Table 7. fire / explosion is an integral part of the section "major failure", while the percentage in that column is
the percentage of the total number of failures. These are failures with severe consequences and it can be seen that
in the CTSO network the share of major failure in total failure (4.4%) is about five times smaller than the CIGRE
survey (20.5%). Also, the number of fire / explosion failures is less than half in the CTSO network (1.7% vs. 3.1%).
From small failures it has been shown that leakage of oil /rising moisture in insulation is the most common
defect: 58% overall is present in all failures.

How often faults occur in a given population of equipment in a given period of time shows the frequency of failures.
In the CTSO network in the observed period from 2006 to 2015, a total of 45,411 transformer-years were
observed and there were 346 failures [5], so the frequency of failures is:

346
= 0,0076
45.411

In the CIGRE report [2] for classical transformers ( AIS-insulated installations, oil-paper insulation), voltage ranges
from 100 kV to 500 kV, 534,395 transformer-years were observed, and 3,040 faults in that population were
recorded, so the frequency of failure is:

3.040
= 0,0057
534.395
We see that 7,6 failures in the CTSO network have occurred in the 1000 transformer years, and in the CIGRE
survey it is 5,7 failures, or 26.3% less. However, according to large differences in the financial consequences of
major and small failures, considering a considerably smaller number of major failures in the CTSO network, it can
be claim that the default maintenance system of ITs in CTSO is above average efficient compared to the world
practice, and the instrument transformers we buy are world-class.

7. REFERENCES
[1] Pravila o održavanju postrojenja i opreme elektroenergetskih građevina prijenosne mreže (HOPS, Glasnik
br.5, Zagreb, svibanj 2016.). Rules on maintenance of power plant and equipment of power transmission
network construction" (CTSO, Messenger No. 5, Zagreb, May 2016)
[2] Final report of the 2004-2007, International enquiry on reliability of high voltage equipment. Part 4 –
Instrument transformers. CIGRE WG A3.06, Brochure 512, 2012
.
[3] ISOHOPS, Informacijski sustav održavanja prijenosne mreže. CTSO-Transmission System Maintenance
Information System.
[4] Održavanje i gospodarenje imovinom, HDO, Priručnik, Zagreb, svibanj 2016. Maintenance and Asset
Management, HDO, Handbook, Zagreb, May 2016.
[5] N. Jaman and others: Pregled kvarova mjernih transformatora u mreži HOPS-a, 13. savjetovanje HRO
CIGRE, Šibenik, 2017. Failure Survey of Instrument Transformers in Network of CTSO, 13th HRO CIGRE
Session, Šibenik, Croatia, 2017.

[6] IEC 60694:2002: Common specifications for high-voltage switchgear and control gear standards.

[7] Pogonska dokumentacija Prijenosnog područja Osijek, Rijeka, Split i Zagreb. Operative documentations of
Transmission area Osijek, Rijeka, Split and Zagreb.

[8] www.koncar-mjt.hr

Autors:
The authors are employed by the Croatian Transmission System Operator Ltd. Zagreb, Croatia (HOPS- CTSO),
Transmission Area Osijek, Rijeka, Split and Zagreb, in specialized of maintenance of power and instrument
transformer jobs, with over 100 years of work experience in the field.

Nikola Jaman, B. Sc. Eng. el.,, Transmission area Osijek. nikola.jaman@hops.hr

Marin Schönberger, B. Sc. Eng. el., Transmission area Osijek, marin.schonberger@hops.hr
Damir Mišćenić, B. Sc. Eng. el., Transmission area Rijeka, damir.miscenic@hops.hr
Nediljko Zebić, B. Sc. Eng. el., Transmission area Split, nediljko.zebic@hops.hr
Zoran Martinović, B. Sc. Eng. el., Transmission area Zagreb, zoran.martinovic@hops.hr