APPLICATION NOTE – Utilities

MAINTENANCE INSPECTION
WINDOWS ON TRANSFORMERS
Everyone knows that Thomas Alva Edison invented the lightbulb; but who invented
the transformer - perhaps the most important electrical machine ever developed?
The ZBD model alternating-current transformer was invented in 1885 at the Ganz
Works in the Austro-Hungarian Empire by three Hungarian engineers: Károly
Zipernowsky, 0ttó Bláthy and Miksa Déri (ZBD comes from the initials of their names).
Today, transformers are everywhere, feeding various voltages into our homes and
businesses. When a transformer fails in a commercial or industrial environment, that
failure can disrupt a significant portion of your facility operations.

When we help clients through a Criticality Assessment of their infrastructure assets,

main transformers with power ratings of 500 KVA and above usually rank very high
in the Risk Priority Number tables. With their high cost of replacement, long lead
times of typically 12 weeks or more, high in/out swap costs and with many modes of
failure impossible to repair onsite, transformers can become a weak link for reliability
in your electrical distribution system. While an electrical distribution system that
has been designed for redundancy, such as Main-Tie-Main configurations with each
transformer loaded at less than 50% of nameplate capacity, can alleviate the impact
of a failure, this is not the only consideration. Large amounts of fault energy are
available making some failure modes potentially hazardous to personnel and many Pests and their predators can be attracted to warm, dry spaces inside
transformers are oil filled making flammability and environmental impacts additional transformers
considerations. It is much better to come up with ways to detect problems and
prevent failures in the first place. A transformer failure can easily add up to tens of
thousands of dollars in repair and downtime costs.

Fortunately, there are many types of Condition Based Maintenance (CBM)

technologies that can be employed to attempt to catch the early warning signs of
impending failure on transformers. Infrared inspection can detect loose connections,
weak crimps and cable creepage due to thermal cycling. Contact ultrasound
(structure borne ultrasound) can detect loose windings and other mechanical issues.
Airborne ultrasound can detect arcing, tracking and corona all of which emit high
frequency signals in the ultrasound spectrum above 20 kHz. Ultraviolet (UV) cameras
can be used to confirm the exact location of a corona event. Visual inspection can
detect airborne contaminants, water ingress and pest ingress. Many electricians
have been “surprised” by a snake, spider or rodent who are attracted to the warm,
dry innards of transformer terminal chambers.

On oil filled transformers, periodic oil analysis can detect paper degradation, oil Infrared scanning is applicable on all electrical assets including motor
control centers, but typically requires extensive PPE if done “open panel”
degradation, leaks and excessive acidity (insulation breakdown). Dissolved gas
analysis of oil can further detect signs of thermal faults and partial discharge activity
inside the transformer chamber. Finally, Transient Earth Voltage (TEV) detection,
another form of partial discharge event, can find hidden defects inside the insulating
components of a transformer.

Most of these CBM techniques require the equipment to be energized and operating
under normal load conditions to provide useful quantitative data. Of course, this
creates some safety considerations that must be accounted for especially under the
scrutiny of new guidelines embedded in the NFPA 70E 2018 edition. If any of these
inspection tasks require opening the doors or covers of the transformer, then there is
an elevated risk of an arc flash or electrocution and the personnel involved. Besides
being qualified, workers must wear an appropriate level of Personal Protective
 Asset (transformer) Infrared Visual Airborne Structure- TEV partial Oil sampling
criticality ­ultrasound borne discharge
ultrasound
Critical Monthly Monthly Quarterly Quarterly Quarterly Semi-annually
Important Quarterly Quarterly Semi-annually Semi-annually Semi-annually Annually
Support Annually Annually Annually Annually Annually Bi-annually

Table 1: Inspection Frequency Recommendation by Asset Criticality and Technology

Equipment (PPE) in accordance with the Arc Flash incident energy available. At
the transformer, this arc flash risk can be significant and a barrier to performing
the inspection and data collection tasks altogether. Furthermore, the Hierarchy of
Control concept embedded in the NFPA 70E mandates that other alternatives to open
panel work be deployed if possible and practical including “Substitution” of non-
hazardous for hazardous tasks.

Fortunately, there are practical solutions that exist for virtually all these inspection
types that “substitute” safer methods of data collection via a safety-by-design
approach and the use of Electrical Maintenance Safety Devices (EMSD).

Maintenance Inspections Solutions, like those available from FLIR, can be installed
on virtually any transformer and allow users to perform visual, infrared and
ultraviolet inspections through a single device. Large format IRW-XPx rectangular
windows mean that a single unit can be used for the LV connections and another for
the HV connections on a transformer. While manipulating the cover of these types of
windows, the equipment stays in a closed and guarded condition and the technician
does not violate the restricted approach boundary so, per NFPA 70E Table 130.5 (C), A safer oil sampling method retrofitted to an existing transformer allows
they do not need to wear any special PPE as there is no increased likelihood of an energized sample collection; the sampling cabinet is lockable to prevent
Arc Flash occurrence. unauthorized access (Courtesy SDMyers)

Oil sampling ports can also be brought outside of the transformer cable compartment
with several vendors offering retrofit kits that permit safe sampling as well as
providing an optional external pressure gauge and nitrogen insert to relieve vacuum.
Of course, contact ultrasound and PD (TEV) detection are performed on the external
skin of the equipment in a closed condition and so no special Electrical Maintenance
Safety Device (EMSD) is normally required for that type of inspection.

The optimum frequency of different inspection techniques is a function of the

criticality of the assets in question. Following a cross functional team Failure Modes
and Effects Analysis (FMEA) approach, each facility should attempt to classify their
assets based on replacement cost, lead time, average repair cost, Mean Time to
Repair (MTTR), potential safety impacts of failure, potential environmental impacts
of failure and cost of downtime for the asset. Assets are then classified as Critical to
the operation of the facility, Important to the operation of the facility or as Support
assets with limited impact to the facility based on an agreed upon point system.
With a maintenance inspection window for visual, infrared, ultraviolet, and
Table 1 provides a normal recommendation for inspection frequency for the different ultrasound inspections installed on medium voltage switchgear, no special
CBM technologies based on transformer asset criticality. PPE is required to use the EMSD

It is imperative that data be collected and trended over time. For many of these
measured parameters, a baseline can be set for “normal” operation shortly after the
transformer goes into service.
Assessments of asset health can only be made by collecting data at regular intervals
and comparing long term trends. Again, the key parameters being collected for each
inspection type are as follows:

Infrared
• temperature at booted connections
• temperature at crimped connections Thermal image shows hot Ultrasound software picking up
• temperature at bolted connections transformer tap due to loose cable arcing fault
connection (Image courtesv. of the
• oil tank temperature scan (for hot and cold spots indicating possible problems)
lnfraspection Institute)
• Load tap changer tank temperature differential to main tank

Visual
• dust ingress, water ingress, pest ingress
• water stains from previously standing water
• corrosion
• visual signs of partial discharge (if detected by other CBM techniques)
• fan operation
• oil leakage
• soiled bushings

Airborne Ultrasound
• decibel values at pre-determined test points
• analysis of waveform (time and frequency domain analysis) to determine nature
of PD
Phase-resolved partial discharge plot and surface tracking on insulator
Structure-borne Ultrasound (Courtesy IPEC Ltd.)
• decibel values at defined test points
• waveform analysis for fault type determination

TEV (Partial Discharge)

• decibel values at pre-determined test points
• phase-resolved partial discharge plots (comparative analysis for trends)

Oil Sampling
• oil pressure (gauge reading)
• oil temperature (gauge reading)
• oil quality (acidity, moisture content, dielectric properties)
• dissolved gas levels (ppm) including atmospheric gases, oxides of carbon,
hydrocarbons and hydrogen
Custom replacement dry transformer One large format maintenance
panel-front with a built in mainte- inspection window is fitted on the
To summarize, the use of EMSD like Maintenance Inspection Windows and
nance inspection window LV side and another on the HV side
external Oil Sampling ports on transformers can take the danger out of the CBM of an oil-filled pad mount transformer
data collection tasks and eliminate the need for energized open panel work. With allowing for inspection of all the
the risks eliminated, the inspection becomes possible with a single technician with internal connections
no cumbersome arc flash PPE required - meaning the data collection can be done
much more efficiently as well. With increased inspection frequency, the potential
problems that lead to unexpected failures of transformers can be detected earlier
and preventative intervention can be initiated. Not only does this ensure compliance
with NFPA 70E guidelines, but it also makes economic sense to monitor and protect
your critical transformer assets. Experience has shown that transformer protection
by fuses alone is not adequate to prevent fires in the event of a short circuit. The
key is to prevent the possible causes of a short circuit by detecting the early warning
signs with CBM techniques.

For more information about FLIR IR windows or to schedule a product demonstration Imagery for illustration purposes only. Equipment described herein is subject to US export
regulations and may require a license prior to export. Diversion contrary to US law is
visit: www.flir.com/ir-windows prohibited. ©2019 FLIR Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. 07/19–19-1596

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