SYNOPSIS

Power transformers are key components in the electrical power generation, transmission and distribution network. Transformer failure can have a significant economic impact due to long lead times in procurement, manufacturing, and installation in addition to high equipment cost. Determining the existing condition of power transformers is an essential step in analyzing the risk of failure.

In order to have an effective asset management, information on the transformers’ health is vital for scheduling maintenance, and repair or even replacements as the incipient faults can be detected and predicted early. With this early warning, asset maintenance can be planned well ahead and unscheduled outages and breakdown of the transformers can be avoided.

The change to condition based maintenance has resulted in the reduction, or even elimination of routine time based maintenance. Instead of doing maintenance at a regular interval, maintenance is only carried out if the condition of the equipment requires it. Hence, there is an increasing need for better nonintrusive diagnostic and monitoring tools to assess the current and possible future condition of transformers in the network. In order to obtain a good transformers’ health assessment, a comprehensive diagnostic tests and assessment must be conducted, which allows incipient faults to be located and determined, and if there is a problem, the transformer can then be repaired or replaced before it fails.

Most power utilities have developed inspection and preventive maintenance scheme and utilised different diagnostic testing and monitoring techniques to detect failures occurred in power transformers as a result of degradation of liquid and solid insulation due to various operational stresses. Thus, it is important that the engineers have a substantial knowledge and technical competency level in diagnostic and condition assessment of power transformer by thorough understanding of transformer operation best practice including testing, assessment, monitoring, and maintenance with an aim to extend life cycle of the transformers.


BIODATA OF SPEAKER

Ir. Mohd Aizam Talib has over 19 years of experiences in dealing with transformer diagnostic, condition and life assessment and failure analysis of power transformer. After graduated, he has worked with ABB Transmission and Distribution Sdn Bhd as Design Engineer and in 1998, he has joined TNB Research Sdn Bhd as Research Engineer. He has held several positions with TNB Research as Senior Researcher, Testing Engineer, Assistant Manager and Manager for High Voltage Testing Laboratory. He is currently holding a position as Technical Expert (Transformer) with TNB Research Sdn Bhd.  He was previously a member of Malaysia National Working Group TC 42 for High Voltage Testing with SIRIM and currently active member with Malaysian National Committee of CIGRE, WG A2 Power Transformer. He has published and presented technical papers related to transformer diagnostic and condition assessment at national and international journal and conferences.