Condition monitoring of transformer using oil and winding temperature analysis

Abstract

Transformer is a very important and critical component which acts as a link between the generation, distribution and consumer end of a power network. These devices are often subjected to electrical and mechanical exploitations throughout the operation, which many a time results in catastrophic failure and drastic reduction in life cycle. The problem is further elevated by the shift of paradigm in today's complex and deregulated market, which allows higher transformer overloads, handling of unprecedented power flow patterns and increased availability while reducing the service and maintenance cost at the same time. Online condition monitoring and analysis techniques can be very handy for evaluation of operational condition of transformer to prevent any abrupt inconsistencies, decrease the life cycle cost and increase the reliability and availability. The thermal behavior of transformer is a crucial parameter indicating its health. This paper proposes a simple method of monitoring the health of transformer based on statistical analysis of oil and winding temperature values. The results obtained indicate a strong correlation of temperature and health of transformer.