UK Centennial AGM

Presentations from SC A1, A2, A3

Study Committees Group A - Equipment
• SC A1 Rotating Electrical Machines
− RM Steve Mitchell
• SC A2 Transformers
− RM Prof. Zhongdong Wang
− ARM Elizabeth MacKenzie
• SC A3 Transmission and Distribution Equipment
− Assistance from Mark Osborne
A1 - Generators
Steve Mitchell
The first generators
• Michael Faraday invented the first generator between 1831 – 1832

• The Dynamo or Direct Current Generators

− Independently developed by Wheatstone, Siemens and Varley circa 1860s
and quickly lead to industrial uses such as Arc Furnaces
• One of the first publicly demonstrated Alternating Current generator was
manufactured by Westinghouse Electrical in 1886
• The world’s first truly central power station was Deptford East, London opened in
1891 but had teething issues and the chief engineer Ferranti was replaced. It was
rebuilt with steam turbines replacing the original reciprocating engineers and with
other modifications it became reliable.
The first generators

One of the first AC generating stations

– Ames Hydroelectrical generating
plant became operational in 1891
(Photo from ~1895)
The first manufacturers (short list)
1876 Thomas Edison opens a
new laboratory in Menlo Park,
New Jersey, USA
1879 Thomson-Houston
formed (Lynn,
Massachusetts)
1890 Edison General Electric
formed (Schenectady, New
York)
1892 Edison General Electric
and Thomson-Houston merge
to become The General
Electric Company
1886 – Westinghouse Electric
Company formed
1886 - Founded Westinghouse Electric
Company
1889 - renames itself the
Westinghouse Electric &
Manufacturing Company
1891 - build world's first commercial
AC system (Ames Hydroelectric
Generating Plant)
1899 - founds British Westinghouse
Electric and Manufacturing Company
1847 Siemens & Halske AG was foundedby Ernst
Werner von Siemens and Johann Georg Halske.
1848 the company constructed one of the first
European telegraph lines
1867 Werner von Siemens' patent of the electrical
generator (dynamo) in 1867.
1903 Siemens & Halske merged parts of its
activities with Schuckert & Co., Nuremberg to
become Siemens-Schuckert
1950 Westinghouse patents obtained
Consolidation of Suppliers
Early patents

Tesla AC Hydrogen cooled

Generator 1891 generator 1937
Generators more recently
How asset maintenance strategies have changed
There a number of different strategies and variations which broadly fall under the
following headings:

• Preventive / routine maintenance (EOH or time based)

• Condition based
• Risk based
• Reactive

The primary reason we carry maintenance is the perception that not carrying it out
would cost us more or the consequences are unpalatable.
How asset maintenance strategies have changed
The primary reason we carry maintenance is the perception that not carrying it out
would cost more or the consequences are unpalatable. Such as:
− Commercial losses of failure, availability or reliability
− Failure to meet statutory inspections
− Safety

Historically, in general, in the power industry maintenance strategies have been

prescriptive and driven by OEM or industry good/best practice recommendations.

Current trends and pressure are moving towards more condition and risk based
strategies for some plant.
Asset maintenance strategies
Cost Preventive / routine
maintenance (EOH or •Maintenance follows a schedule

time based)

Condition based •Routine / condition monitoring highlights an issue which is then planned for maintenance

•Focus is on the most sensitive or critical systems from either a probability of failure, risk /
Risk based commercial loss of failure or a combination of the two.
•Allows limited resources to be targeted on the highest impact area

•Run to failure
•Plant breaks down with no plan in place to repair
Reactive •Plant breaks down with plans in place to carry out repair or exchange for spare components
Risk
How asset maintenance strategies have changed
With net zero targets and the phase out of fossil generation. Commercial pressures
for maintenance strategies are high for conventional assets.

This poses a possible dilemma:

• Can the industry afford to carry out maintenance to traditional strategies?
• Will maintenance strategies moving towards reactive exacerbate industry
contraction in certain areas (e.g. Generators, turbines etc.), will there be enough
resource to carry out maintenance strategies in the future?
Future of materials
• For generators there have been relatively minor changes to the materials used over the
last few decades.

Some notable research was conducting into:

• Superconducting generators were developed in the 1970s [1] but never made it to
commercially produced machines at any scale. These developmental machines had
magnetic fields in the rotor 3.5 - 5 times stronger than equivalent non-superconducting
machines. Without copper losses, large magnetic fields could be created without the use
of iron for the rotor bodies, saving weight [2].

[1] Electrical Review International Vol 204, No. 14, April 1979
[2] Central Electricity Research Labratories Note No. RD/L/N 26/71, Preliminary studies of superconducting alternators, R.V. Harrowell.
Future of materials
• Current generators utilise similar construction and materials to machines built decades
ago. Material development has occurred which have allowed incremental improvements.

− High Thermal Conductivity insulation systems – allows faster heat transfer from the
copper winding to the cooling medium allow larger MW output for smaller machines.
These are utilised by a number of manufacturers

− Magnetic stator wedges – increases efficiency by reducing magnetic ripple caused by

the slots.

− Nano particles for Partial Discharge suppressants have been investigated

Future of materials
• Developments in generators has focused on improvements by Finite Element
Modelling of the mechanical, fluid and magnetic properties and using pre-existing
materials. Where there has been significant improvements in design and
understanding of issues.
• Recent offerings from manufacturers have aimed to reduce cost by optimising the
designs using already available materials. Such as the SGEN-2000P generator
from Siemens that using pressurised air for rotor cooling and water for the stator.
A2 - Transformers
Elizabeth MacKenzie
 TRANSFORMERS – Early Development
Established technology Development of cold-rolled Poly-chlorinated biphenyls
Iron core steel - higher flux density (PCBs)
Copper windings Development of moulded for high temperature operation
Mineral oil filled insulation - higher voltages
or resin impregnated easier to attain
Maximum voltage
around 66kV
Grain-oriented steel
with phosphate coating
Voltages up to 300kV

s
21

s
40

50
19

19

19
776MVA
23.5/285kV
University of Manchester J & P Transformer Book
1936 750kVA
 TRANSFORMERS – Development
Maximum voltage
around 800kV Amorphous cores
Dissolved Gas Analysis Used for Silicone fluid
(DGA) distribution Aramid paper
transformers
600MVA 515/230kV Computers
Basic at first – mainframe and
terminals

Sum-cn.com
s

s
60

70

Mitred cores, later

19

19

step-lap

nicore.com
J & P Transformer Book
TRANSFORMERS – Development
New analysis
More techniques
Synthetic Ester
sophisticated
computer
analysis Frequency response analysis
FEA

Cigre TB 812

s
s

00
80

s
Natural Ester

20
20
19

20
ELT_277_2

Photos Pierre Boss A2 Keynote Speech 2021

Transformer Lifetime

Transformer
manufactured in 1936

Retired in 2013

Service life 77 years!

Photos courtesy of Manchester University

 Ester Liquids for High Voltage Insulation and Applications

• Natural Ester / Synthetic Ester

• Fire safety – high fire/flash points
• Environmental Friendly – biodegradability
• Reduced requirements for bunding
• Life extension – longer life for cellulose
Mineral Oil 3 mins Mineral Oil 4 mins

Synthetic Ester 3 mins Synthetic Ester 70 mins

Courtesy of M&I Materials, UK

 Application of Ester Liquids
• Rail v Natural Ester Filled 132 kV Transformer, UK Power Networks, Luton, 2009
− Traction/Trackside v Synthetic ester: 400 kV, 240 MVA, National Grid, North London, UK
− Tunnel v Natural ester: 380 kV (420 kV rated), 300 MVA, TransnetBW, Karlsruhe, German
• Wind Energy
− Offshore substation
• Marine
− Subsea
• Oil & Gas
− Offshore platform
• Electrical Utility
− Distribution transformer
− Transmission transformer
• Water Utility
− Transformers close to water
Siemens 420 kV transformer filled with Envirotemp™ FR3™ natural
ester in Bruchsal-Kändelweg substation near Karlsruhe, Germany [1]
400 kV transformers with MIDEL 7131 synthetic
ester for Highbury substation in London, U.K [2]
[1] K. J. Rapp , J. Luksich, and A. Sbravati , ‘Application of Natural Ester Insulating Liquids in Power Transformers’, Proceedings of My Transfo 2014, 18th and 19th November, 2014.
[2] P. Jarman, K. Hampton, M. Lashbrooke, G. J. Pukel, ‘Reliable, optimised power transformers with heat recovery for urban areas’ transformer Magazine, vol.4, issue. 2, 2017
 Heat Recovery

• In August 2021, NG/SSE pilot project

− waste heat from transformers
− generating hot water and space heating

• Heat recovery:
− NG transmission networks
• Waste heat harnessing:
− SSE heat networks

• More than 40% carbon emissions reduction

• Save millions of tonnes of CO2 every year

[3] SSE and National Grid pilot project to use electricity transformers to heat homes | SSE
Sustainability of Transformers
• Cleaner manufacturing:
End of life − reduced usage of fossil-based
management Manufacturing oil
− reduced carbon footprint

• Sustainable operation:
− lower power losses
− higher energy efficiency
− heat recovery
− reduced carbon emissions
Maintenance Installation − noise reduction

• Enhanced lifecycle management:

− extended end-of-life
− recycling capability
− better cost benefits
Operation
 Circular Economy of Transformers

• Recycled materials for manufacturing of the

transformer

• Up to 99 % of the old transformers recyclable

q 64% material recycling
q 35% low emissions efficient incineration
q 1% as disposed waste

• Life extension of transformers

[3] K. Kulasek, E. Lindgren, E. Johansson, M. Jul, J. Flood and M. Oliva, ‘Towards net zero emissions - The role of circularity in transformers’, Transformer Magazine, vol. 4, issue 4, Oct 2020
A3 – Transmission and Distribution Equipment
Mark Osborne
 A3 Past: Circuit Breaker Evolution over the last 100 years
Mid 1920s-1950s Development of 132kV and 275kV Bulk Oil Circuit Breakers
• Large oil volume (11,000L at 132kV, 38,000L at 275kV)
• Control of arc interruption is developed – before this, Circuit Breakers relied upon a ‘plain-break’ approach
• Heavy mechanism – solenoid, air, very strong springs!
• CT housings built into bushing interfaces

1950s-1970s 400kV Air Blast Circuit Breaker (ABCB)

• Two types – conventional air blast (HP-air provides drive, interrupting and conditioning) and ‘pressurised
head’ (provides drive, interrupting, insulation and conditioning)
• Consume a lot of air at high pressures 132kV OCB 275kV OCB
• Multi chamber – up to 12 breaks per phase
• Grading capacitors
• Complex mechanisms (thousands of parts)
• CTs are separate

1980s SF 6 interrupter technology

Pressurised Head ABCB
• Pneumatic, hydraulic and then later spring mechanisms
GIS SF6 Substation
• Fewer breaks per phase (4, 2, 1) (Neepsend – 1970s)
• GIS – all bars and other equipment encapsulated in SF6 gas – massively reduces substation footprint
• AIS – air insulated substation components, filled with SF6 – e.g. circuit breakers and instrument transformers
• Far simpler – mechanisms and interrupters are not intended to be disassembled on maintenance
AIS SF6 Circuit
• SF6 is a fantastic insulator but is a potent greenhouse gas – it isn’t compatible with a ‘Net-Zero’ world Breaker
A3 Past: HV Equipment evolution over the last 100 years
1930s Instrument Transformers
• Harvest power from the systems to run
Protection
• LPITS – transducer based
A3 Present: Current state of the art
HV Equipment
• Interfacing between legacy and new
technology
• Developing alternatives to SF6 (new
generation of proprietary gases,
vacuum interrupters)
• Integration of transducer
functionality into CBs
• Widespread use of polymeric
insulation
A3 Future: Solid state technology
• Highly Integrated functionality
• Predominantly solid state
technology
• Full H Bridge VSC converters
to block current flow and
support Multi-terminal HVDC
• Superconducting fault limiters
to manage current