Standardization of large Power Transformers

Dinkar Devate (AGM), Amit Mittal (DGM), Minal Kataria (Engineer) NTPC Ltd, Noida AbstractElectricity is one of the most vital infrastructure inputs for economic development of a country. The demand of electricity in India is enormous and is growing rapidly. The vast Indian electricity market which includes transformer industries also, today offers one of the highest growth opportunities. The requirement of transformer MVA capacity addition is around 10 times the generation capacity addition which leads to even higher demand of transformer. However the time involved in design, engineering, manufacturing & commissioning process of large Power Transformers is very high. Also owing to long repair time of power transformers, utilities are forced to maintain capital spare which is costly as well as needs maintenance efforts. Standardization will reduce these difficulties. This paper details out the importance of standardization of large Power Transformers. The paper discusses the various aspects of design & engineering where standardization can be implemented. This paper also highlights the constraint/limitations of standardization and strategies to be implemented to overcome the same.
KeywordsStandardization, Transformers, Engineering, Design

heavily in the production of large power transformers for various private/public power sectors and future will be even more demanding. Added to this herculean task are our older installations which are nearing end-of-life and many transformers in these needs replacement. The design, engineering & manufacturing process of Large Power Transformers are very long. With such high demand on the shop floor there is always concern about maintaining highest quality standards. Also the failure of these large Power Transformers lead to huge loss in terms of revenue, time, reliability of the system as well as requirement of additional transformer which leads to additional capital, material for manufacturing/ commissioning & time requirement for replacement. In view of the above, there is a need to look into our present system & procedures. Standardization is one of the way to save cost, time & efforts.

II. ADVANTAGES OF STANDARDISATION

The activities related to transformer production includes Purchaser Specification, Design, Engineering, Material selection, Manufacturing, Testing, Transportation, Installation, Commissioning & Operation. The total life cycle of a transformer including all the above activities is around 30 years. The advantages of standardization on the above mentioned activities can be categorized as follows:A. Faster implementation with minimal chance of error & Manhour saving Since the standardization process have the benefit of avoiding repetitive kind of work, the time period for many activities/process will be drastically reduced. For example, specification preparation, engineering drawing review/type testing & report approval process will be eliminated. Also the coordination required between various other linked equipment/activities like Transformers busduct sizing & dimension input for busduct supplier and Transformer dimensions/foundation input for transformer yard layout and civil works will get minimized. This will drastically reduce the manhour requirement for the engineering activities, and also the chances of omissions /errors will be completely eliminated. B. Cost saving & higher productivity The man hours dedicated for a project completion will be less and ultimately reduce the monetary burden on buyer as well as manufacturer. The reproduction of same design is easier for a manufacturer. Also conduction of various critical type tests such as Short Circuit test which needs to be carried

ITH the world population nearly doubling in the past three decades, the present surge in electricity demand, and the projected increase of the global population, the importance of ensuring availability of power cannot be underestimated. Per capita electricity consumption in India is very low as compared to that in developed countries (for example, in India per capita electricity consumption is in order of 630 KWh, however in country like USA it is around 13,500 KWh). Therefore Power for all is the growing need of the moment in India. But the requirement of transformers for power sector is even more because Transformers MVA requirement including generation, transmission and distribution is considered to be ten times of the generation capacity added in MW. So, transformer demand is increasing by leaps and bounds.
TABLE I

I. INTRODUCTION

11TH & 12TH PLAN TARGETS AND EXPECTED TRANSFORMER MVA CAPACITY ADDITION
Plan Target addition of Generation (proposed) Target addition of Transformer MVA Capacity (approx.)

11TH Plan (2007-2012) 12TH Plan (2013-2018)

78,577 MW 86,500 MW

800,000 MVA 900,000 MVA

At present transformer manufacturers have been engaged

2 out at third party lab will not be required. Standardization of design will lead to major savings in cost, time & efforts for both buyer & manufacturer. During manufacturing also the material management is easier and with the same type of various components of transformers, the spares requirements will be reduced. C. Reduction in time for Spare transformer installation/commissioning The standardization concept will lead to reduction in time taken for installation/commissioning of transformer due to easier availability & standard design/dimension. As the foundation & busduct arrangement is different from manufacturer to manufacturer. But by means of standardization these areas will not be of concern, so any modification at site will not be required which will reduce the time taken for installation/commissioning. D. Spare transformer management & neighborhood borrowing concept The procurement in large nos. of quantities & with identical type of transformers are very common in a large organization like NTPC for various power plant project located at different locations in India.. Also various other power plants of private/public sectors with similar plant capacity (as of NTPC) are coming up in India and they will require the similar rating of transformers. Due to standardization, the spare transformer availability will be easier in the organization itself as various nos of different make but standard transformer will be available at different units at different locations. So by means of standardization, the spare transformer requirement can be heavily reduced which will lead to reduce the additional cost of spare transformer & also the manufacturing burden, time. This will also increase the availability & system reliability. E. Less dependence on experience manpower Standardization brings about a well defined procedures & rules to carry out a specific job which is evidently defined by the experts in first place. The challenge here is to manifest from time to time, the latest technological developments by the experts and standard activities can be carried out by field engineers.

III. STANDARDIZATION OF LARGE POWER TRANSFORMER

In view of the above, it is advantageous to standardize a particular rating of large Power Transformer viz. Generator Transformer, Inter connecting Transformer, Station transformer & Unit Transformer with respect to Specification, Design, Engineering, Material selection and Manufacturing process etc as mentioned below:A. Transformer Rating & Specification Rating of transformers can be standardized for a particular unit size like 200 MW, 500 MW, 660 MW & 800 MW and so on. So that, all the power sectors will have standard rating/type of transformers for particular unit/plant size. e.g. In NTPC, the Generator Transformer MVA rating is fixed
for 200 MW unit, 500 MW unit & 660 MW unit.

F. Focus on Innovation, Monitoring & R&M Due to the above mentioned advantages of standardization the saving in terms of time & money can be utilized for carrying out many other activities & analysis like large scale R&M, Innovation/implementation of new technologies, health monitoring, maintenance schedules, asset management, risk analysis and all. An effective database can be maintained. The integration of various data is also simpler if standards items are maintained.

The areas where ratings & specifications can be standardized are as follows:i) MVA & Voltage rating: As mentioned above the MVA & HV/LV voltage rating can be standardized based on plant/generator capacity. ii) Impedance: The transformer impedance can be standardized considering factors like fault level of the system & voltage regulation. As of now, most of the regional grid has become stable, so impedance can be standardized. iii) Tap change type & range : As mentioned in Sr. No. (ii) above, the Tap changer range & type can also be standardized. For example in NTPC 200 MVA single phase GT is standardized with OCTC & +/- 10% tap range for all new projects. iv) Cooling type & arrangement: The cooling type can be standardized such as ONAF/OFAF etc based on the MVA rating & application. Also the cooler bank/radiator mounting arrangement can be standardized & preferably tank mounted arrangement can be adopted for easy replacement of transformer. v) Vector Group: Vector group of transformers can be standardized for any new project considering standard system philosophy. vi) Termination arrangement: HV & LV side termination can be standardized based on system requirement. e.g. In NTPC all the GTs have HV side overhead termination & LV side busduct termination except in some special application like GIS in hydro plants. vii) Bushing rating: Bushing rating such as current, creepage distance (except highly polluted areas), Voltage class, insulation level etc can be standardized based on transformer rating & relevant IS/IEC standard. viii) Tank, Paint & Oil specification: Tank material, thickness, pressure & vacuum withstand capability, Paint shade for external & internal transformer body, radiators, Marshalling Box can be standardized based on the economy & quality.

3
ix) Fittings:-

Various type of fittings required for transformer operation can be standardized. (e.g.
Buchholz, PRVs, OTI, WTI, Inspection cover etc)

IV. CONSTRAINTS IN STANDARDIZATION

The standardization process leads to increase in productivity in terms of capital and time. However, certain constraints are also there which can not be neglected. One should know the extent of standardization. The standardization process may results into less flexibility to manufacturer and utility. This requires very careful studies while making any standard process or documents and need expertise in the very first stage. As far as large ratings of Power Transformers are concerned the following parameters need careful attention or are the constraints in standardization. A. At Utility End The advantages of standardization process for utilities are many. However there are some limitations on standardization which are listed out:i. Application specific requirements: There are certain constraint which requires special attention like system fault level, duty of transformer, voltage regulation requirement & tap changer type, in such type of special application standardization may not be possible. (e.g some special application transformer or
unstable grid region, poor voltage profile areas etc). ii.

B. Transformer Outline General Arrangement An attempt has to be made with the help of various transformers manufacturers & utilities to develop a standard OGA Drawing for a particular rating of transformer to standardize following areas:i) Overall dimension along with tank dimensions & weights. ii) HV & LV side termination arrangement, LV flange size, centre point of LV flange w.r.t. transformer centre line/ ground level, Bushing

arrangement.
iii) Jacking Pad location, Roller locking arrangement

& foundation details. iv) Electrical clearances, Conservator location & its height, Cooling arrangement etc.
e.g. NTPC has started specifying tank mounted cooler banks for 200 MVA GTs. So, the cooler & its accessories foundation details are not required which leads to simplify the foundation arrangement of transformer.

A study has been carried out to find the differences in term of OGA, termination & foundation arrangement of
various leading power transformer manufacturers for 200 MVA, single phase, 21/420/3 KV Generator Transformer (which is very common rating for 500 MW unit). It is found that there are several differences in OGA, busduct & foundation arrangements, however these differences can be taken care of in consultation with manufacturers. A comparative diagram along with various dimension & differences of these manufacturers are enclosed at Annexure-I. With a consensus efforts from manufacturer, standard drawing is being developed by NTPC. NTPC has already standardized the layout, busduct orientation and foundation of small rating of transformers upto 2 MVA. Also an effort has been done by NTPC to standardized power plant Transformer yard Layout based on unit size. In the standard transformer yard layout, a particular fixed area has been kept for each type of transformer to be stationed at transformer yard (e.g. GT, UT & ST), also firewall height, pit size etc have been standardized to accommodate all makes of transformers of each type/rating (Refer Annexure-II). C. Transformer Design, Engineering, Material selection & Manufacturing process i) At manufacturer end, it is required to standardize Design, Engineering, Material selection/procurement process, Material Quality check & Manufacturing process to the maximum possible extent. For example quality check procedures for the materials procured from various sub vendors can be standardized, so this will lead to faster procurement & manufacturing process.

Unusual Service conditions: Depending on the service condition requirements like altitude, pollution level, ambient temperature etc. special attention is required while specifying. (e.g. in case of hydro or coastal areas). Adoption of New Technology: The technology is changing rapidly. Due to competition in the market, the manufacturers are coming up with their latest technology. Generally, their philosophies vary with each other while achieving the same goal. Due to this the utility generalize their requirements and give the flexibility to adopt their own methods and technology. This flexibility may get hampered due to standardization.

iii.

B. At Manufacturer End The OEM should be given the flexibility to choose their own design guidelines. The manufacturers are generally having their own design software which may have different merits and demerits. The following are the few parameters which may need attention: i. Losses: Most of the utility specify loss capitalization value and give the flexibility to declare iron & copper losses to the supplier. Here, manufacturer optimize the losses of the transformers keeping in mind the overall cost of the transformers. These declared losses are one of the parts in ascertaining the lowest quoted price in bidding. Hence, the losses are however generally not fixed by the utility for these reasons. Type of winding:- This may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer based on their design philosophy and manufacturing practice/limitation. But in future it shall

ii.

4 be planned to adopt a common approach for some particular rating of transformers. iii. Manufacturing Process: There are limitations on capacity, quality, processing & application of various machineries/equipments installed for transformer manufacturing. These equipments are also dependent on deign philosophy adopted by the manufacturers.

V. ADOPTION PLANNING FOR STANDARDIZATION

In a large organization, the standardization of any job is a challenge. In the beginning of any standardization, the expertise is required to set up the basic structure which is the backbone of this activity & the successful implementation of the standardization. Following activities may be adopted for standardization:a.

Considering initially the standardization of one of the most common rating of Power Transformer with step by step implementation for standardization process. e.g. In NTPC more than 150 nos of 200 MVA, single phase,
21/420/3 KV Generator Transformers are installed/to be installed, also 200 MVA & 315 MVA ICTs population is very high in NTPC & Power Grid. So, in such type of ratings standard approach can be implemented.

b. c. d.

In depth review the limitation/constraints of the standardization & solutions for the same. Regular review of new technologies for inclusions in standardization process. Frequent meetings between manufacturers & utilities to be organized to discuss & review the status of implementation of standardization. During the process of implementation of standardization, regular feedback shall be obtained from various manufacturers & utilities.

VI. CONCLUSION
By standardizing the large power transformers, the interchangeability of a particular rating of transformer between various utilities & inside the utility (similar rating of transformers with different make) will be very easy, which will lead to higher system reliability, faster manufacturing & engineering process.

REFERENCES
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] IS 2026 STANDARD IEC 60076 STANDARD POWER TRANSFORMERS SPECIFICATION TRANSFORMER DRAWINGs PLANNING COMMISSION REPORT for 11TH PLAN CEA DOCUMENT for GENERATION CAPACITY ADDITION PROGRAMME for 12TH PLAN