Transformer Magazine Special-Edition-8

SPECIAL EDITION: SUSTAINABILITY 2023 MAGAZINE
INTERVIEWS: TECHNICAL ARTICLES:

Wang Xiangyang Shift toward a greener
Angelo Baggini, future
Alberto Cracco, Decarbonized steel
Bruno De Wachter, Carbon footprint of oil-
Phil Hopkinson, immersed transformers
Alan Sbravati
Investigating material and
energy efficiency
Switching to
sustainability
Sustainability without
compromises
Technology neutrality
Need for circular economy
Green supply chains for
the transformer industry
Wang Xiangyang
ISSN 1849-7268 (Digital)
- General Manager of PTTX

PT silicon steel
The energy of craftsmanship
▪ MR cleantech supports sustainability ▪ Digital transformation in action ▪
▪ Cast-resin dry-type transformers ▪ Sustainable concepts for insulating oils ▪
▪ Cork – sustainable increase of performance ▪
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CONTENTS
INTERVIEW:
WANG XIANGYANG
General Manager of PTTX
Pt silicon steel: The energy of craftsmanship
An interview with Mr. Wang XiangYang, the general manager of PTTX
– a high-tech enterprise from China focusing on R&D, intelligent
manufacturing, and sales of high-end, low-carbon electrical steel.
In addition, Mr. Wang XiangYang is also acting as the president of the
Low-carbon Industry Research Institute. In the interview, Mr. Wang
10 XiangYang talks about PTTX’s capabilities, products, challenges, and
plans for the future.
INTERVIEW:
Interview with authors of Transformers
Magazine best article 2022 – Angelo Baggini,
Alberto Cracco, Bruno De Wachter,
Phil Hopkinson, and Alan Sbravati
The May issue includes an interview with Angelo Baggini, Alberto
Cracco, Bruno De Wachter, Phil Hopkinson, and Alan Sbravati, a
group of authors whose article “Sustainable peak load transformers”
34 has been selected by the Transformers Magazine readership as the
best article of 2022.
MR CLEANTECH SUPPORTS SUSTAINABILITY FOR GRID

18 OPERATORS AND TRANSFORMER MANUFACTURERS
Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen (MR) provides sustainable solutions
for grid operators, transformer manufacturers, and industrial
companies. The company’s load-flow control technology and volt-
age regulation solutions, including Phase Shifting Transformers,
High-voltage DC transmission, Variable Shunt Reactors, and other
innovative components, enable sustainable load flow and voltage
management for increased grid integration of renewable energies.
TODAY OUR FOCUS IS ON HOW AND WHEN WE SHIFT

28 TOWARD A GREENER FUTURE FOR ALL
Christina IOSIFIDOU
Increasing the sustainability of the energy sector is a matter of
urgency – and so is energy security, as the current geopolitical
tension clearly shows. To create a truly sustainable business,
decarbonization isn’t enough, but it certainly needs to be prioritized
across the entire value chain.
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CONTENTS
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN ACTION: A DEEP DIVE

40 INTO THE NEXT GENERATION OF TXPERT™ HUB
Discover how to digitalize your transformer with TXpert™ Hub and
turn data into actionable insights for optimizing transformer per-
formance in this article by Lony Tehini, Global Product Manager of
Transformer Accessories at Hitachi Energy.
DECARBONIZED STEEL: PIONEER FOR SUSTAINABLE

50 INNOVATIONS
Marcel HILGERS
Thyssenkrupp Electrical Steel developed a CO2-reduced steel
product - bluemint powercore, to replace existing top-grade grain-
oriented electrical steel sheets in transformers. The steel is made
using a process that replaces coking coal with blue and green
hydrogen, reducing the carbon footprint of the production process
by about 50 %. The decarbonization of steel offers new opportunities
for the energy industry to become more sustainable.
CAST-RESIGN DRY-TYPE TRANSFORMERS ON THE RISE

56 AT SIEMENS ENERGY
Simens Energy is a supplier of cast-resin dry-type transformers,
which have many benefits, such as being environmentally com-
patible, flame-retardant, self-extinguishing, and almost mainte-
nance-free, which is why they are gaining popularity. Continuous
development at Siemens Energy resulted in GEAFOL cast-resin
transformers for higher power ratings and voltage levels, making
them ideal for use in onshore and offshore wind power generation,
among other applications.
THE CARBON FOOTPRINT OF OIL-IMMERSED
60 TRANSFORMERS
Vlatka ŠERKINIĆ, Ines KOLARIĆ
Končar D&ST is a Croatian distribution, medium power, and special
transformers manufacturer with over a century of experience.
They prioritize sustainability throughout their manufacturing
process, including evaluating the carbon footprint of their
products and publishing environmental product declarations.
By doing so, Končar D&ST demonstrates its commitment to
protecting the environment and providing eco-friendly products.
TRANSFORMER AND INSULATING OILS: SUSTAINABLE
68 CONCEPTS ARE MORE THAN JUST GREEN SOLUTIONS
Electrical Oil Services offers insulating oil management
solutions for transformers, focusing on sustainability and cost-
effectiveness. With the goal of extending transformer service
life, oil recycling and regeneration are vital components of
their services. The EOS® Closed Loop Model offers sustainable
and cost-efficient insulating oil recycling, with stationary and
mobile regeneration services available.
INVESTIGATING MATERIAL
76 AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Dr. Bhaba P. DAS, Ghazi KABLOUTI
This article highlights the importance of high-temperature insu-
lation in transformer designs to balance material and energy effi-
ciency in decarbonizing electricity grids. By utilizing the hybrid in-
sulation in ester fluids, transformers can be designed with a lower
mass, which also reduces their total life-cycle carbon footprint
and contributes to a net-zero future.
4 TRANSFORMERS MAGAZINE | Special Edition: Sustainability | 2023

CONTENTS
THE USE OF CORK TO EXTEND THE LIFETIME OF

92 COMPONENTS IN POWER TRANSFORMERS AND
DISTRIBUTION NETWORKS
Cork composite solutions developed by Amorim Cork Composites
are widely used in electrical power plants and distribution net-
works. Cork’s characteristics, such as its elasticity, vibration con-
trol, and thermal resistance, make it an ideal material for sealing,
noise and vibration reduction in power transformers, and increas-
ing RIP Bushing performance.
SWITCHING TO SUSTAINABILITY
96 Muhammad USMAN
The demand for electricity is rising globally due to industrial and
population growth and the electrification of transport. However,
traditional switchgear industry practices are environmentally
damaging. This has led to the need for the industry to adopt
sustainable practices, such as decarbonization, eco-design,
high efficiency, and a sustainable supply chain, as described in
the article.
SUSTAINABILITY WITHOUT
102 COMPROMISES
Krešimir KOPRIVEC
Končar Instrument transformers have performed extensive testing in
order to implement biodegradable liquids MIDEL 7131 and Nynas Ny-
tro BIO 300 X in their product portfolio. The article goes through the
array of testing that had to be done and the subsequent results and
experience gained from it.
TECHNOLOGY NEUTRALITY IN POWER TRANSFORMER

110 REGULATION AND STANDARDISATION
Angelo BAGGINI
Technology-based concessions to regulating transformer energy
performance hamper innovation and create unfair competition.
Differentiation to avoid excessively high costs is reasonable
but should be based on performance characteristics. This
article discusses how regulation could be modified to allow for
technology neutrality.
NEED FOR CIRCULAR ECONOMY

118 Ismail GÜNER, Denis GOSSELIN
In the challenging context of ageing transformer fleets,
supply chain disruptions and increased pressure to reduce
environmental impact, utilities must review their asset renewal
and maintenance strategies. Studying and implementing a
transformer refurbishment methodology using reliable tools
of identification and prioritization of the best candidates must
be the priority for power transformer asset managers in order
to ensure the resiliency of their power transmission network.
GREEN SUPPLY CHAINS FOR THE TRANSFORMER
124 INDUSTRY
Ufuk KIVRAK
This article analyses how the utilization of different materials
impacts the carbon footprint of the transformer. The focus is
on the analysis of the materials for the core – the steel, for
the winding – aluminium, and copper, as well as fluids. In
addition, analysis is extended in order to estimate the impact
of transformer manufacturing, transportation, and operation.

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EDITORIAL MESSAGE
TRANSFORMERS MAGAZINE
ISSN 1849-3319 (Print) ISSN 1849-7268 (Digital)
EDITORIAL BOARD
Editor-in-Chief:
Mladen Banovic, PhD, Merit Services Int., Croatia
mladen.banovic@transformers-magazine.com
Dear readers,
EXECUTIVE EDITORS
A
Michel Duval, PhD, Hydro Quebec, Canada s indicated by Sustainability Report this field, especially corporate managers, sus-
Jean Sanchez, PhD, EDF, France 2023, education is one of the critical tainability managers, innovation managers
Michael Krüger, PhD, OMICRON electronics, Austria factors in developing successful sus- and other senior staff responsible for strate-
Jin Sim, Jin Sim & Associates, Inc., USA
Juliano Montanha, SIEMENS, Brazil
tainability initiatives. This is true for other gic initiatives. The report is also an excellent
Craig Adams, TRAFOIX, Australia initiatives as well, such as digitalization and so tool for evaluating ideas and determination of
Arne Petersen, Consulting engineer, Australia on. Therefore, Transformers Magazine pays the most favourable paths in technology and
Zhao Yongzhi, Shandong Electrical Engineering & Equip- particular consideration to such global ini- business development.
ment Group Co., Ltd, China tiatives and, in cooperation with other stake-
Barry M. Mirzaei, LargePowerTransformers Inc., Canada
Furthermore, the articles we bring here with
Bhaba P. Das, PhD, Hitachi Energy, Singapore
holders, aims to create conditions and tools to updated information will serve as a fitting
contribute to key initiatives’ success. foundation for the Sustainability and Digita-
EDITORS Likewise, the focus of this special edition lization conference 2023 that will be held on
Daosheng Liu, Jiangxi University of Science and Techno- is sustainability, intending to preserve and 6–8 June in Dubrovnik, soon after the pub-
logy, China propagate knowledge, solutions and crucial lication of this issue, once again to gather all
Mislav Trbusic, University of Maribor, Slovenia sustainability information presented at the key stakeholders in the industry.
Dr. Mohammad Yazdani-Asrami, University of Strathclyde, Sustainability conference 2022. Transformers At the next conference, the best solutions and
United Kingdom
Dr. Shuhong Wang, Xi’an Jiaotong University, China
Magazine organized the conference in coop- practices from sustainability and digitaliza-
Nam Tran Nguyen, PhD, Hitachi Energy, USA eration with key industry partners: leading tion domains will be presented and discussed;
utilities, transformer manufacturing compa- we will have a chance to meet key people in
ASSISTANT EDITOR nies and suppliers of materials and compo- these areas and continue collaborating on
Pedro Henrique Aquino Barra, MSc, nents. joint initiatives. The fact that the circle of
EESC/USP – University of São Paulo, Brazil
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INTERVIEW

WANG XIANGYANG
General Manager of PTTX
PT silicon steel
The energy of craftsmanship
We built comprehensive laboratories for the
whole industrial chain and set up the PTTX
Low-Carbon Industry Research Institute, while
in 2022, a newly built mill was opened, with an
annual capacity of more than 300,000 tons
INTERVIEW

Mr Wang XiangYang, the general
manager of PTTX, also acting as the
president of the Low-carbon Indus-
try Research Institute, joined the
company in 2004. He has focused on
transformer electrical steel and core
business for 19 years. Adhering to
the concept of “Dedication, Perfec-
tion, and Standardization,” he led the
group to keep innovating, breaking
through the difficulties in the produc-
tion of high-quality oriented silicon
steel and implementing the supply
capacity of the whole process from
oriented silicon steel to transformer
core.
With the efforts of Wang Xiangyang,
PTTX insists on bringing simple things
to perfection. PTTX is committed
to enabling more environmentally
friendly products with a lower-carbon
production process.
A few weeks ago, we had a conversa-
tion with Wang Xiangyang, General
manager of PTTX, to discuss the or-
igin of PTTX’s leapfrog development
and to deeply understand the Com-
pany’s mission and vision illustrated
by the slogan “Pt silicon steel: The
energy of craftsmanship”. Here is an
excerpt from our talks.
PTTX has a low-carbon industry R&D institute equipped with laboratories

for steel materials, CRGO, and acoustic tests, along with more than
370 professional and technical personnel
Mr. Wang, thanks for accepting the annual output value reached more the whole industrial chain and set up the
this interview. Firstly, could than 50,000 tons. PTTX Low-Carbon Industry Research
you please introduce PTTX and Institute. In 2022, a newly built mill was
share its development? During the second phase, from 2014 to opened, with an annual capacity of more
2018, we built the Phase II workshop, than 300,000 tons.
Thank you. It’s my honor to talk with which was equipped with more than
Transformers Magazine. I joined 10,000 sensors.
As far as I know, PTTX has
PTTX in 2004. Since then, PTTX has
been committed to the research and SAP and MES IT platforms were integrat- been completely upgraded.
development of oriented silicon steel ed with equipment PLCs, and the annu- What has changed for the
and transformer core production. al capacity was increased by more than company from the original
PTTX has undergone three phases of 100,000 tons. “opening up the Pt Era of iron
transformation. core” into the “Pt silicon steel:
The third phase started in 2019 and is The energy of craftsmanship”
In the first phase, from 2009 to 2013, a currently ongoing. New equipment for
constant temperature and humidity pro- intelligent production has been added,
stage?
duction workshop was built, and 500 as well as high-efficiency energy-saving From “opening up the Pt Era of iron
temperature sensors were applied to the transmission and distribution equipment. core” to the stage of “The energy of
workshop production. No hoist operation craftsmanship,” the biggest success is
was realized in 50 % of workshops, and We built comprehensive laboratories for the breakthrough in the production of
INTERVIEW
In the future, when all conditions are ripe, PTTX will enter this field,
together with everyone, to help build our beautiful planet home!
upstream-oriented silicon steel material also the product competitiveness. Now steel materials, CRGO, and acoustic tests,
for transformer cores. PTTX’s smart factory has been widely along with more than 370 profession-
recognized by the transformer manufac- al and technical personnel. Up to now,
The change improves not only the com- turing industry as a leader. PTTX has acquired 27 invention patents
prehensive upgrades of smart produc- and 48 utility model patents, achieving
tion facilities and a full set of automated PTTX has a low-carbon industry R&D technological breakthroughs in many
slitting, cutting, and core stacking but institute equipped with laboratories for fields.

Could you please
introduce PTTX products
and their advantages to
us?
PTTX is the leading player in
China. The cores are produced
according to the most stringent
national and international stan-
dards, with advantages such as
low core loss, low noise level, low
no-load current, good insulation
INTERVIEW

performance, etc. With in-house R&D come a major trend. In response to these 3. Explore new growth targets
and co-development with academics new trends, we will make efforts in the
and institutes, PTTX is the pioneer in following aspects: New energy is an important part of the en-
CRGO production with full-plate width ergy supply system. In the future, when all
magnetic tests. PTTX now reaches an conditions are ripe, PTTX will enter this
1. Adhere to innovation-
annual production of 300,000 tons, en- field, together with everyone, to help build
suring a stable supply. driven our beautiful planet home!
PTTX will make the most of the
low-carbon industrial research insti- About PTTX
With the accelerated
tute, improve the innovation ability of PTTX Group is a high-tech enter-
development of enterprises, strengthen the transforma- prise focusing on R&D, intelligent
industrialization and tion and application of scientific and manufacturing, and sales of high-
urbanization and the technological achievements, and effec- end low-carbon electrical steel, ul-
progress of science and tively transform scientific and techno- tra-high voltage transmission, and
technology, environmental logical innovation results into advanced distribution electrical equipment,
productivity. and providing international intelli-
issues are more prominent. gent logistics services and digital
Green and low carbon has technology.
become a common concern 2. Accelerate the PTTX led the national standard of
of mankind. How does PTTX transformation of digital GB/T 32288-2020 “Power Trans-
develop in response to this intelligence former Electrical Steel Core.” It has
established the industry-leading
trend? low-carbon industry research insti-
The company will continue to increase
tute. After years of development, it
At present, promoting the green transfor- the investment in digital intelligence, op- has won wide recognition and praise
mation of the power industry is the top timize and upgrade the original equip- from customers. It continues to de-
priority. Transformation to wind power, ment, and continuously improve the liver green energy to society and
photovoltaic, and other new energy gen- level of industrial green and low-carbon make life better.
eration with low carbon emissions has be- production.
TECHNOLOGY
MR cleantech supports
sustainability for grid
operators and transformer
manufacturers
Advertorial
Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen’s market-leading solutions for

controlling load flow and voltage quality help a steadily growing
population achieve attractive living conditions without burdening
future generations
M
aschinenfabrik Reinhausen’s and industrial companies in the tran- Durable products for lower
market-leading solutions sition to a sustainable, resilient energy resource use in the operation
for controlling load flow and supply.
voltage quality help a steadi- The OLTC is a special component in the
ly growing population achieve attractive Alternative, high-quality materials are power grid, as it is one of the few mechan-
living conditions without burdening fu- used as early as possible in the manu- ically moving components of a trans-
ture generations. Characteristics of the facturing stage to facilitate recycling at a former. As a technology leader, MR set
CO2 footprint of all products are not the later date. In addition to the core compo- the course early on to switch from oil to
emissions during manufacturing and nent for load-flow control - the on-load vacuum technology in its OLTCs, which
delivery but rather their contribution to tap-changer (OLTC) - MR also provides eliminates the need for maintenance over
sustainable, environmentally friendly a wide range of other components and the entire service life of 40 years in grid
operations under the toughest operating software-based solutions to help utilities applications. At the same time, vacuum
conditions. As “THE POWER BEHIND maximize uptime using durable products technology eliminates the need for an oil
POWER,” family-owned Maschinen- and smart analytics. Furthermore, the filter system or oil replacement and dis-
fabrik Reinhausen (MR) supports grid range of retrofit-capable solutions is con- posal is significantly simplified due to the
operators, transformer manufacturers stantly being expanded. much lower level of contamination.
TECHNOLOGY
The VACUTAP® and ECOTAP® OLTC prod- The VACUTAP® and ECOTAP® OLTC
product families ensure that resources are
uct families ensure that resources are con- conserved thanks to their long service life
served thanks to their long service life and and low maintenance requirements. In
normal operation, there is no need to pur-
low maintenance requirements chase spare parts or replacement switches
or to perform trips by service technicians.
For transformers with smaller

footprints
A new, innovative member of the ECO-

TAP® series is the ECOTAP® VI which
was designed for use in the lower trans-
mission-voltage range. Its development fo-
cused particularly on sustainability - both
that of the OLTC and that of the trans-
former. The principle of shared oil manage-
ment means that tap-changer assemblies as
well as add-on components can be saved,
which, in turn, means fewer requirements
for space, material and insulating fluid.
Alternative and high-quality

Already around 90 % of the new OLTCs produced at MR are now more environmentally
friendly vacuum tap changers.
materials, as well as retrofit
solutions for more efficient
recycling
The sustainable reduction of greenhouse

gases and the departure from fossil fuels
are among the most urgent tasks of our
time. This is particularly true for the ener-
gy sector, which is increasingly switching
to renewables and the use of ecologically
safe materials. This affects not only ener-
gy generation itself but also the plants and
components for energy transmission.
Natural esters
More and more energy suppliers and

transformer manufacturers are turning to
alternative insulating fluids, such as natu-
ral esters, which are obtained from renew-
able raw materials and are significantly
more environmentally friendly than min-
eral oils. At MR, the range of applications
More and more energy

suppliers and trans-
former manufacturers
are turning to alterna-
tive insulating fluids,
such as natural esters
Over its entire life cycle, the ECOTAP® VI saves 25 % CO2 compared to conventional
vacuum interrupters.

for sustainable insulating fluids is being When replacing or upgrading an OLTC, MR pays
continuously expanded.
particular attention to efficiency, and only the
Alternative gases diverter switch insert is replaced by state-of-
In addition to liquid-insulated products, the-art vacuum technology, while parts such
there are also gas-insulated or air-insu-
lated OLTCs and isolators. Whereas the
as the oil vessel or selector remain in use
climate-damaging insulating gas SF6 was
previously used for this purpose, this will
no longer be possible in the future, or
only under strict conditions. A future al-
ternative for modern products will be al-
ternative insulating gases or technical air,
for which the basic technology is already
available at MR with its composite hollow
insulators and vacuum switches.
Retrofit solutions
When replacing or upgrading an OLTC,

MR pays particular attention to efficiency,
and only the diverter switch insert is re-
placed by state-of-the-art vacuum tech-
nology, while parts such as the oil vessel Already around 90 % of the new OLTCs produced at MR are now more environmentally
or selector remain in use. friendly vacuum tap changers.
In the manufacture of the necessary components alone, retrofit savings of around 50 % CO2 equivalent can be achieved compared with the
manufacture of a completely new OLTC.
TECHNOLOGY
Newly developed OLTCs such as the VACUTAP® VRL enable the design
of powerful yet sustainable PSTs, and its switching capacity eliminates
the need for forced current splitting and the winding that it would require
Recyclability and local disposal between generation plants and consum- High-voltage DC transmission
ers is increasing. The transport of elec-
An essential contribution to the protec- trical energy over long distances leads to Since climate-friendly electricity is most-
tion of the environment is recycling. MR an increased demand for capacities and ly generated far from urban centers and
OLTCs are manufactured with high-qual- grid expansion, which is accompanied large industrial consumers, high-voltage
ity materials such as silver, copper, steel by large-scale cuts in nature as well as indirect-current transmission (HVDC) is a
and magnesium and can be recycled to- creased resource consumption. central building block for the energy tran-
gether with the transformer at the end of sition. Using DC technology, energy can
their service life. The easy dismantling of Phase-shifting transformers (PST) be transported over long distances with
the products as well as an achievable re- low losses and also exchanged between
cycling rate of up to 95 %, allow local dis- The key component of PSTs is the OLTC countries that have varying grid frequen-
posal by the operator without the need for which must meet particularly high de- cies. This cannot be achieved either eco-
CO2-harmful return transport. mands in terms of reliability and perfor- nomically or sustainably without reliable
mance with minimal maintenance and and powerful OLTCs for HVDC trans-
low operating costs in such applications. formers. The VACUTAP® VRL can also
Sustainable load flow
Newly developed OLTCs such as the cover this need and application.
management and voltage VACUTAP® VRL enable the design of
regulation for increased grid powerful yet sustainable PSTs, and its Variable shunt reactors (VSR)
integration of renewable switching capacity eliminates the need for
energies forced current splitting and the winding Another effect of the shutdown of fossil
that it would require. This reduces the vol- power plants and the increased volatile
With the increasing expansion of re- ume of the transformer and the amount of feed-in from renewables is that the reac-
newable energies, the average distance material used. tive power in the grid cannot be regulat-
PSTs help relieve highly loaded lines and shift load flow to less heavily loaded lines.

A technically optimal and economical alter-
ed via the generators of the large power
plants. However, a balanced reactive native is the use of a single variable shunt
power budget is crucial for secure, effi- reactor (VSR) controlled by an MR OLTC,
cient and loss-minimized grid manage-
ment. which is maintenance-free for up to 300,000
A technically optimal and economical
switching operations
alternative is the use of a single variable
shunt reactor (VSR) controlled by an MR
OLTC, which is maintenance-free for up
to 300,000 switching operations. Regulat-
ed VSRs offer significant advantages over
unregulated shunt reactors, including that
the reduced number of VSRs needed con-
serves resources and space. In addition,
reactive power supply and transmission
losses can be optimized, thereby increas-
ing the transport capacity of active power
through existing lines and reducing the
need for grid expansion.
Voltage regulating dis-

tribution transform-
ers can increase the
hosting capacity for
additional additional
load and generation by
a factor of two to four
without the need for
new lines
Voltage regulating distribution
transformers (VRDTs)
Changes are not stopping at the distribu-

tion grid level either. On the one hand,
decentralized power generation, such as
photovoltaic systems, is increasing, while
on the other, heat pumps and EV chargers
increase the load in the network. There-
fore, measures are required to maintain
the necessary voltage quality.
In addition to the classic approach of

network reinforcement, there is also the
alternative of using voltage regulating dis-
tribution transformers (VRDTs), which
can increase the hosting capacity for ad-
ditional load and generation by a factor
of up to two to four without the need
for new lines. The heart of VRDTs is the
ECOTAP® VPD® on-load tap-changer
from MR.
TECHNOLOGY
The use of GRIDCON® STATCOM in the GRIDCON® STATCOM in the distribu-

tion grid improves grid stability through
distribution grid improves grid stability the dynamic provision of inductive as well
through the dynamic provision of inductive as capacitive control power, but also volt-
age stability through innovative voltage
as well as capacitive control power, but also control algorithms.
voltage stability through innovative voltage
Digitization of critical network
control algorithms assets and smart analytics to
maximize asset lifetime
Not only can VRDT avoid network re- GRIDCON® STATCOM - for dynamic,
inforcement in the low voltage grids, but load-flow correcting measures at all With its products, MR makes a sig-
the area-wide use of VRDTs boosts the network levels nificant contribution to maximizing
hosting capacity of existing MV networks the service life of transformers and
as well, avoiding network reinforcement. Where volatile load flows prevail in the minimizing required maintenance
The switching principle relying on vacuum grid, dynamic load-flow optimization efforts. This conserves resources,
technology avoids maintenance over the measures are essential. The GRIDCON® prevents unnecessary replacements
lifetime of the transformer and makes the STATCOM systems are made for this and saves CO2. With the help of
VRDT with ECOTAP® VPD® a set and purpose and convince with their modular digitalization, this potential can be
forget solution. design for power up to 50 Mvar. The use of further leveraged not only for the
benefit of our environment but also
economically.
The monitoring systems from the

MSENSE® and ETOS® product series
not only optimize the use of operating
resources but also detect and evaluate
anomalies in operation as early as pos-
sible, thereby preventing disruptions or
damage and reducing downtimes.
The ETOS® function integration also

enables a reduction in the number of
devices required to control and monitor
the transformer components. All infor-
mation is brought together centrally,
where it is evaluated and made available
via a control system interface. This saves
material and commissioning costs for
cables, housings and electronic compo-
nents.
ETOS® enables more efficient use of pow-

er transformers, optimizing grid manage-
ment by combining algorithms, analytics,
artificial intelligence, grid control and
resource information. New self-learning
algorithms can predict the dynamic over-
load capability of a power transformer for
the coming 24 hours.
Condition-based maintenance -
needs-based work and costs
In addition to the seamless recording of

measured values, a variety of analysis and
diagnostic procedures are also offered,
which allow statements to be made about
By using voltage-regulated distribution transformers, network topologies in existing equipment conditions and the classifi-
networks can be optimized. cation of conspicuous measured values.

The monitoring systems from the MSENSE®
and ETOS® product series not only optimize
the use of operating resources but also de-
tect and evaluate anomalies in operation
as early as possible
This helps to switch from a time- evaluation system that enables as-
based maintenance strategy to con- set and service managers to con-
dition-based maintenance, thereby tinuously monitor the condition of
avoiding unnecessary work and costs. their transformers. Maintenance,
modernization and investments can
TESSA® FLEETSCAN 2D thus be planned more easily, and
the longer use of operating resourc-
TESSA ® FLEETSCAN 2D is an es contributes to reducing the CO2
intelligent fleet management and balance.
TESSA® FLEETSCAN 2D is an intelligent

fleet management and evaluation system
that enables asset and service managers
to continuously monitor the condition of
their transformers
SUSTAINABILITY
TECHNOLOGY
By using tap changers, the efficiency of so- during the day by optimizing inverter
operating points and at night by re-
lar farms can be increased both during the ducing no-load losses.
day by optimizing inverter operating points
As for solar farms, the performance of
and at night by reducing no-load losses wind turbines can also be optimized to
increase generation stability during wind
gusts. This includes the entire system from
Remote service New ideas and pioneering technologies the wind turbine to the grid connection.
are key to ensuring that the adaptation
If maintenance of a piece of equipment is of existing networks to changing require- Optimizing energy conversion in
required, expert knowledge is a key factor ments is technically successful and re- H2 electrolysis through intelligent
for successful implementation. Remote mains affordable. control
Service supports service technicians on-
site via data goggles, tablet or smartphone. Counteract inverter limitations and This advantage can also be leveraged for
This bidirectional audio and video con- avoid losses another component of the energy transi-
nection enables MR specialists to find tion - H2 electrolysis - for which convert-
quick and targeted solutions together with Solar farms require inverters to convert ers must also be installed in the plants. By
on-site service technicians without having the generated direct current into alternat- using dynamic control concepts, energy
to travel long distances, thereby saving ing current for grid feed-in during the day. conversion can be implemented more ef-
time and other resources. However, the limitations of the inverters ficiently and, thus, more sustainably.
prevent the full potential of the solar gen-
erator from being utilized. The remedy is
Innovative products for more Innovative grid components
to use ECOTAP® VI or ECOTAP® VPD
efficient power generation in the medium-voltage transformers di- promote the economic
In the course of the energy transition, the rectly at the inverters. implementation of the energy
share of large-scale power plants in the transition
electricity grids will decrease in favor of By using tap changers, the efficiency
emission-free energy generation plants. of solar farms can be increased both For DC systems such as PV plants, storage
batteries and e-charging stations, but also
for electronic consumers such as servers
or frequency converters, DC grids offer
many advantages over the classic AC sup-
ply by eliminating one step of the energy
conversion and allowing large amounts of
power to be distributed more efficiently.
GRIDCON® Power Conversion

System - the all-rounder for
low-voltage applications
The modular GRIDCON® Power Con-

version System for DC and AC supply in
low-voltage applications is designed to
GRIDCON® PCS is ver-

satile and can be used
in combination with an
energy storage sys-
tem for self-supply of
electricity as well as
for stabilization of the
power grid in combina-
tion with PV systems
The GRIDCON® DC Transformer is the first iso-
lated DC/DC converter that can behave like a
regulated AC power transformer
provide the power at the place where it is GRIDCON® DC Transformer - isolated

generated. GRIDCON® PCS is versatile converter for bidirectional operation
and can be used in combination with an
energy storage system for self-supply of The GRIDCON® DC Transformer is the
electricity as well as for stabilization of the first isolated DC/DC converter that can
power grid in combination with PV sys- behave like a regulated AC power trans-
tems. For a more sustainable energy sup- former. It converts different DC voltages
ply, grid operation can be realized from an and offers advantages in terms of efficiency,
energy storage system instead of a diesel flexibility, scalability and compact design.
generator set. Applications can be found in the fields of
energy storage and charging technology, as
GRIDCON® High Power Charger - for well as in highly automated factories.
more e-mobility
The energy transition poses enor-
This bidirectional charging system can mous challenges for the energy indus-
be connected directly to DC grids and try worldwide. As a reliable partner,
enables fast charging of electric vehicles MR is doing everything it can to sup-
with up to 450 kW. In addition, due to its port its customers in achieving their
modular design, the system can be scaled climate targets, and MR’s sustainabil-
in power, enabling higher power in paral- ity goals are closely aligned with these
lel operation. With bidirectional inverters, requirements. MR is and will remain
the GRIDCON® High Power Charger can “THE POWER BEHIND POWER” -
be connected to grids, while the connec- more than ever, a reliable partner in
tion to battery storage systems can be meeting future challenges - on the
made via DC or AC. way to a more sustainable future.
TECHNOLOGY
materials, processes, our use of renewable energies, and

ABSTRACT
new standards to form a circular energy economy.
This article describes Siemens Energy’s path towards The article also addresses the introduction of revolutionary
sustainability. It details the company’s definition of sus- products, like the ones used to eliminate climate-harming
tainability, which extends beyond decarbonization. F-gases in the future.
After outlining the company’s areas of sustainable
operations, we explain our current decarbonization KEYWORDS:
strategies and goals for our operations, suppliers,
and customers. The last point has become the most sustainability, decarbonization, greenhouse gas emissions,
urgent: We intend to make improvements in product net zero emissions, renewable energies, circular economy

Christina IOSIFIDOU
Today our
focus is on how
and when we
shift toward a
greener future
for all
How ambitious sustainability
goals extend beyond
decarbonization in Siemens
Energy’s own operations and
must be pursued holistically
Introduction umbrella term for all our activities that

We’ve grown up hearing about sustain- contribute to enabling prosperity and
ability from the news, politicians, NGOs, creating societal value while reducing
activists, our favorite food packages, negative impacts on people and the plan-
singers, entertainers, and even cartoons. et. This includes capturing new business
We’ve been flooded with messages about opportunities and managing risks.
the importance of addressing this issue:
but what does sustainability actually As Siemens Energy, we are tackling three
mean, and what do we need to do to re- goals: inclusion and diversity, safety, and
alize it? decarbonization. Mastering the increas-
ing threats posed by global warming, de-
In 1987, the Brundtland Commission carbonization is at the core of our business
defined sustainability as “The develop- strategy. We aim to reduce greenhouse
ment that meets the needs of current gas (GHG) emissions to net zero across
generations without compromising the the value chain of our own operations,
ability of future ones to meet their own suppliers, and customers. This means
needs.” We know that this definition has that reducing Scope 3 emissions (in-
evolved due to the complexity it’s ac- cluding emissions from the supply chain
crued over the years. That’s why at Sie- and the use phase of products) is of the
mens Energy, we use sustainability as the utmost importance at Siemens Energy.
TECHNOLOGY
Figure 1. Greenhouse gas emissions along the value chain by the example of a 300 MVA generator step-up transformer at 75 percent load with a
CO2-intensitivity of 226 g CO2/MWh in the transmission grid
It is evident we must form strong partner- the benefits of biogenic carbon capture
during plant growth. In addition, it’s
ships with our external stakeholders – in- more fire-resistant and biodegradable,
which aligns with the goal of circularity.
cluding customers, suppliers, policymak- Regeneration and full recycling of syn-
ers, climate activists/NGOs – in order to thetic esters are also proven concepts.
achieve net zero The use of “green” steel is another good

example of our use of carbon-reduced
material in the transformer core. Car-
Using transformers as an example: we can implement them as quickly and bon-reduced steel from thyssenkrupp
Over the asset’s lifecycle, the Scope 3 comprehensively as possible. Electrical Steel was introduced for the
downstream emissions resulting from first time in high-voltage direct-current
transformer losses account for approx- transformers in the German transmis-
Decarbonizing the supply
imately 96 percent of the transformer’s sion system operator Amprion’s Ultranet
total emissions, while Scope 1 at just 0.1 chain using alternative or project. This reduced carbon emissions
percent is from our own operations, and carbon-reduced materials by about 50 percent compared with con-
around 4 percent is from Scope 3 up- ventional core steel and has enabled us
stream emissions (supply chain). There- We’re continuously working to reduce to save more than 200 tons of CO2e emis-
fore, it’s evident that we need to form emissions from our purchased materials. sions from just one transformer.
strong partnerships with our external To anchor this goal, we’re increasingly us-
stakeholders – including customers, sup- ing alternative or carbon-reduced materi- We also care about creating transparency
pliers, policymakers, and climate activ- als in transformers, which mainly consist and acting diligently with our partners
ists/NGOs – in order to achieve net zero. of steel, copper, oil, and pressboard. to assist them with their decarbonization
process. We’re committed to working to-
The path to sustainability itself is clear: A best-practice example is the use of gether to identify measures for expand-
The necessary action items are well natural esters because they generate a ing sustainability, decreasing carbon
known. The question is how and when low cradle-to-gate footprint thanks to emissions, and increasing the percentage

Figure 2. For the German high-voltage direct-current project ULTRANET, Siemens Energy is supplying transformers with carbon-reduced steel from
thyssenkrupp Electrical Steel
of recycling to ultimately achieve a circu-

lar economy for all parties involved.
We’re committed to working together to
identify measures for expanding sustain-
Decarbonizing the factory ability, decreasing carbon emissions, and
footprint using renewable
energies
increasing the percentage of recycling to
ultimately achieve a circular economy for
A key reason for the company’s success all parties involved
in reducing greenhouse gases is its use of
renewable energies. At Siemens Energy,
90 percent of the electricity required for
operations comes from renewable sourc- to produce green electricity for own Designing highly efficient
es. Our efforts are aimed at concluding consumption. A good example from our and sustainable products
100 percent green electricity contracts factory network is the transformer facto-
at all sites by 2023, electrifying as many ry in Zagreb, which is generating its own Highly efficient and recyclable trans-
processes as possible, and reducing en- electricity with solar panels on its roof- formers with intelligent asset manage-
ergy consumption through a variety of top. They provide up to 17 percent of the ment can ensure reduced emissions
factory initiatives. We firmly believe that factory’s electricity, leading to a reduc- in operation. At Siemens Energy,
the main causes of emissions in our fac- tion of 415 t CO2/year. we’ve been delivering extremely ef-
tories can be tackled effectively. Switch- ficient transformers according to
ing to 100 percent green electricity, re- This is just one of many examples that EcoDesign directive Tier 2 from July
placing emission-intensive processes, demonstrate our factories’ commitment 2021, and we can even offer assets with
and reducing energy consumption are to finding solutions for shrinking our higher standards: Increasing the ef-
the most effective approaches. footprint throughout the entire supply ficiency of a typical 300-MVA power
chain – and more are still to come, with transformer by just 0.1 percent, for
Our locations are also utilizing the po- new practices that implement alternative example, reduces emissions by 650 t
tential of renewable energy generation materials and renewable energies. CO2/year.
TECHNOLOGY
Figure 3. Photovoltaic panels on the roof of the transformer factory in Zagreb, Croatia
Increasing the efficiency of a typical tion helps operators manage the growing
complexity of their grids with versatile,
300-MVA power transformer by just intelligent assets capable of processing
0.1 percent reduces emissions by 650 t large volumes of data and recommend-
ing the optimal course of action to take.
CO2/year
Siemens Energy is also setting new stan-
dards in other fields of high-voltage
While losses are the main reason for formers’ weight can be fully recycled and equipment. We’ve witnessed a growing
emissions during operation, it’s import- reused by our sub-suppliers, which helps awareness of the issue of F-gases in pow-
ant to consider the shortage of resources us close the resource loop. er grids among transmission and distri-
and, therefore, the end-of-life treatment bution system operators. It’s not surpris-
of our transformers. In times of material With the goal of increasing transmitted ing when you reflect on the fact that SF6
shortages and long delivery periods, we energy and optimizing transformer life- – which is still the standard solution in
need to think about alternative options cycles based on real-time information, most substations – has 25,200 times the
for ensuring that the grid can be expand- Siemens Energy has launched Sensform- global warming potential of CO2. Accord-
ed and continue to deliver electricity to er Advanced with digital twin technol- ing to the U.S. Environmental Protection
consumers as a reliable backbone of the ogy. Through digitalization, this tech- Agency, they make up roughly 80 percent
energy transition. We already offer to re- nology provides real-time information of those that are in use worldwide in the
furbish and reuse existing transformers about the transformer’s performance switchgear industry. Therefore, it’s clear
and even increase their efficiency rates and health status at any time and place that tackling this segment is paramount.
compared to their year of manufactur- while also providing a dynamic and vol- Manufacturers are definitely not taking
ing. If refurbishment isn’t an option, atile condition assessment that enables risks posed by SF6 lightly, and the current
fortunately, over 95 percent of our trans- load and aging prediction. Digitaliza- state-of-the-art technology keeps the SF6

Figure 4. F-gas-free gas-insulated switchgear from Siemens Energy in a wind turbine
leakage rate below 0.1 percent per year. goal is to drive sustainability beyond de- goal. We’ve seen improvements on this
System engineers are all sensitized to and carbonization, form strong partnerships journey that are small wins in terms of
trained in the careful handling of switch- with our stakeholders, prioritize decar- reaching net zero. However, it’s not an easy
gear components containing SF6. But why bonization in our value chain, and set journey. It requires bold decisions, now
take the risk when climate-neutral alter- new standards. We’re on the right track more than ever, and a synergistic collab-
natives are available? In this case, technol- but still a long way from where we need oration of all parties with a high degree of
ogy isn’t the issue. to be. Prioritizing and working togeth- commitment: There’s no other way.
er holistically along this path is the key
In Berlin, Siemens Energy is investing to getting closer to achieving our goals. Our goal is to drive sustainability beyond
over €60 million in more environmen- Ultimately, this race isn’t about who gets decarbonization, form strong partner-
tally friendly equipment at a new pro- there first but rather how well we can ships with our stakeholders, prioritize
duction facility. In the future, vacuum work together and support each other decarbonization in our value chain, and
interrupters will be manufactured on to successfully achieve our final mutual set new standards
6,200 m2 at the company’s switchgear
plant. The vacuum interrupters are the
technological core of our F-gas-free Blue
portfolio. The new manufacturing facili- Author
ty is scheduled to be operational in 2023.
Christina Iosifidou is the Head of Sustainability Grid
Technologies at Siemens Energy. In this role, she drives
Committed to a greener the decarbonization of products, solutions, and services
future across the value chain. She holds a Master’s degree in
Satisfying the world’s hunger for energy Business Engineering from the Technical University
that’s sustainable, safe, and affordable of Berlin and started her career at Siemens Energy as a
is one of the core tasks of our time. At product lifecycle manager at Large Power Transformers,
Siemens Energy, we’ve made it our mis- where she later worked as Global Innovation Sales Manager and acquired
sion to support our customers in their
valuable experience in Austria and Brazil.
transition to using clean energy. Our
INTERVIEW
Interview with authors

of Transformers
Magazine best article
2022 – Angelo Baggini,
Alberto Cracco,
Bruno De Wachter,
Phil Hopkinson,
and Alan Sbravati
Transformers Magazine BEST ARTICLE 2022
INTERVIEW
At the origin of our research is the basic some countries or regions, but certainly,
many EU distribution grids have equally
fact that the electricity grid will need to be low average loadings. This looks like an
heavily reinforced to allow for the growth unnecessary waste of assets, even more
so given the challenges our networks will
in renewable production, EV charging, heat be facing in the near future. Seen in this
light, expanding the loadability of distri-
pumps, and other forms of electrification bution transformers would be beneficial
to society.
Why did you find this topic out increasing their size. Of course, low- Baggini: There’s a growing awareness
interesting and important, and ering the nameplate value means that that material efficiency is just as im-
the unit will go into peak mode more portant as energy efficiency. The SPL
how did you come to write often, and the peaks will be higher, but concept combines both — that’s what
about it? this is made possible thanks to new liq- makes it so interesting.
uid and solid insulation materials that
De Wachter: At the origin of our re- allow for operation at higher tempera- De Wachter: Even though the concept
search is the basic fact that the electrici- tures without affecting the transform- of the SPL transformer is generally well
ty grid will need to be heavily reinforced er’s reliability or lifetime. In short: the known, its potential impact on ener-
to allow for the growth in renewable sustainable peak load, or SPL, concept gy losses, material use, and cost at the
production, EV charging, heat pumps, is both advanced technology and a new European scale was still uncertain. We
and other forms of electrification. Ide- mode of operation. conducted a modelling exercise to as-
ally, not all of this need will be met sess the impact of selecting sustainable
through an equally solid growth in net- Sbravati: Another element at the origin peak load units for all transformer re-
work equipment size and material use of our analysis is the observation that the placements in public distribution net-
and part of it can be achieved through average loading in distribution networks works in the EU. Through our article in
a range of smart operational solutions. is low — lower than initially thought — Transformers Magazine, we wanted to
One such solution is to derate trans- as recent measurement campaigns in the share the results of this exercise with the
formers to increase their capacity with- US have shown. This may be different in readers.
Transformers magazine, Volume 9 issue 3, July 2022

Angelo Baggini has a PhD in electrical engineering (1997, Italy). He is an ag-
gregate professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Bergamo (Italy)
and an international consultant in the electrical energy sector (ECD Pavia, It-
aly). Since 2013, he has been chairman of Cenelec TC14. He is the convenor
of IEC TC14 AHG35, chairman of CEI TC97, a member of IEC TC14, and
chairman of Cenelec TC14.
Alberto Cracco is a Management Engineer (2003, University of Padua, Ita-

ly) with a long track record in transformer and energy business management.
From 2006 to 2014, Alberto worked as a sales manager and business develop-
ment manager for a transformer company. Since 2014 Alberto has been Man-
aging and Sales Director at Westrafo.
Bruno De Wachter has 25 years of experience as a freelance engineer-copy-

writer. He combines his technical background with a passion for employing
precise forms of expression and a wide-ranging knowledge of energy transition
and policy-making. Since 2011 he has been an in-house consultant and copy-
writer for the European Copper Institute on subjects related to transformers,
motors, and electrical safety.
Phil Hopkinson is a Life Fellow of the IEEE and current President and CEO of
HVOLT Inc. (USA). His 56-year career includes design and engineering man-
agement assignments at GE, Cooper, and Square D/Schneider. He has a BS EE
from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, a Masters in System Science from Brook-
lyn Polytechnic, and a graduate of GE’s Advanced Engineering courses A-B&C.
He has been a Technical Adviser to the US National Committee for IEC TC 14
on power transformers since 1996.
Alan Sbravati counts over 20 years of experience in the transformers indus-

try. He started out with a major transformer manufacturer as a transformer de-
signer, and in R&D. In the second half of his career, he has been involved with
insulating materials, especially ester liquids. His current position is Global Cus-
tomers Application Manager with Cargill in the USA. Alan is an active member
of the IEEE Transformer Committee.
INTERVIEW
What are the biggest a reason for this since losses at peak load use of the SPL concept, with units with
challenges and advantages of also affected the lifespan of the unit. a nominal capacity of 5MVA and a peak
With new insulation technologies, this capacity of 7 MVA.
the technology you describe?
is no longer the case because higher tem-
De Wachter: Material efficiency is one peratures can be reached without affect- Hopkinson: The two fastest-growing
major advantage. With the same amount ing lifespan. This could be taken as an markets for transformers are data centres
of active material as a conventional unit, opportunity to optimize efficiency based and renewables, but their loading patterns
the SPL transformer provides a higher on the actual loading. couldn’t be more different. Data centres
capacity and does that without increas- have extremely stable loads, while re-
ing the annual energy losses. With this, newables are quite the opposite, showing
What about current
there’s also the advantage of compact- strong variations according to the weath-
ness: the SPL unit provides the opportu- developments in the industry er, the season, and the time of the day. It’s
nity to upgrade transformer peak power in connection with your article? a formidable challenge to create designs
while keeping the same unit dimensions, that can cope with these high load vari-
saving on installation costs. Overall, it’s a Sbravati: New types of thermal DPE pa- ations and that also follow the prevailing
technology that can cope better with the per have been developed in recent years. energy efficiency regulations. With the
wide variations in load we experience on This can further increase the thermal SPL transformer, you can achieve man-
some of our distribution networks. class of the transformer, facilitating the datory energy efficiencies in another way.
SPL concept.
Baggini: The major challenge will be Baggini: It may sound strange at first,
how we’re going to standardize the use Cracco: Prototypes of SPL transformers but I see the SPL concept as a great op-
of SPL transformers. And related to that, have been installed in several EU coun- portunity for transformer manufactur-
how we’re going to incorporate it into the tries in recent years. The concept seems ers. Up to now, the price of transformers
EU energy efficiency regulation. particularly promising for connecting has been largely dominated by the weight
renewable energy plants, as they often and cost of the active materials. With the
Cracco: This is indeed quite a challenge. require compact units and benefit a lot SPL concept, similar performance can
At the moment, the regulation provides from the enhanced peak capacity. For ex- be achieved with less material. This will
only one pair of minimum efficiency ample, the new ENEL Green Power stan- allow manufacturers to uncouple the
values measured at the unit’s maximum dards in Italy for connecting renewable added value of the transformer from the
capacity. But, in reality, optimizing for energy plants are heading towards the amount of material used in it.
minimum annual energy losses depends
on the loading. For large power trans-
formers, this is reflected in the use of
the peak efficiency index, which allows
you to choose different combinations of
load with no load losses, depending on
the loading. A similar approach to reg-
ulating distribution transformers would
be welcome and would allow for the SPL
concept to be integrated more easily into
the regulatory system.
Sbravati: Seen from the US, where the

regulatory system is different, I don’t
understand why in Europe you’re still
calculating the energy efficiency at 100%
capacity, while the unit is only rarely
used at this level. In the past, there was
The two fastest-grow-

ing markets for trans-
formers are data cen-
tres and renewables,
but their loading pat-
terns couldn’t be more
different
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MONITORING SYSTEMS
“Digitalization is the only way to manage this complexity and deliver

the necessary visibility, agility, and fast data-driven decision-making
across an entire business. This is becoming crucial to transformers due
to their pivotal role in managing power quality, flow control and enabling
efficient and safe electricity networks that are fit for the needs of today
and tomorrow.”

Advertorial
Digital
transformation
in action: A deep
dive into the next
generation of
TXpert™ Hub
Discover how to digitalize your
transformer with TXpert™ Hub
and turn data into actionable
insights for optimizing
transformer performance.
D
ecarbonization is driving an ac- integration of around 20 times the cur-
celerated shift from fossil-based rent renewable capacity is leading to
to renewable power generation, dynamic and even reverse power flows,
as well as a substantial increase where systems may become increasingly
in the electrification of transportation, overloaded due to the changing genera-
industry, and buildings. Hitachi Energy tion mix. These new distributed energy
estimates that by 2050, we will need four sources may demand digitalization for
times the current power generation ca- monitoring, controlling, and securing
pacity, and our electrical power systems remote assets, which are often in hard-to-
will need to transfer three times more reach locations. In parallel, the increasing
electrical energy. dependency on electricity for industrial
and transportation usage creates more
We must strengthen the power system, dynamic load profiles and a growing risk
making it more reliable and secure; ex- of outages.
pand it in both reach and scalability; and
evolve it to be more sustainable and resil- This is creating the need to optimize en-
ient. At Hitachi Energy, our purpose is to ergy both locally and system-wide lead-
advance a sustainable energy future for all, ing to a complex “system of systems” that
and we are delivering this through our pi- must be integrated and managed. Digi-
oneering innovation combined with our talization is the only way to manage this
strong belief in the value of collaboration complexity and deliver the necessary
and tackling the challenge together. visibility, agility, and fast data-driven de-
cision-making across an entire business.
We are seeing specific impacts through- This is becoming crucial to transformers
out the power system, from generation due to their pivotal role in managing
to transmission and distribution. The power quality and flow control and en-
MONITORING SYSTEMS
Figure 1. The overlay of failure modes and early indicators
of assets, extended operating life, and

A CIGRE study has shown that transform- cost-effective maintenance and opera-
er monitoring can reduce the risk of cata- tion. All of these allow transformers to
further contribute to sustainability and
strophic failures by 50 percent provide savings that can be invested in
supporting the energy transition.
abling efficient and safe electricity net- There are overlaps in early warnings and Also, achieving accelerated and mean-
works that are fit for the needs of today many signals to monitor, so the appli- ingful change, with the context of today’s
and tomorrow. cation criticality and transformer value mixed-technology installations, needs a
should be considered when choosing the vendor-agnostic, scalable, and configu-
A CIGRE study [1] showed that in 964 best monitoring system. This goes be- rable modular approach that can work
transformer failures, online monitoring yond simply adding sensors to generate with and bring together all makes / brands
can detect up to 80 % of failures. Fig- more data – it requires connecting all the and models of transformers, new or old.
ure 1 shows the overlay of failure modes relevant data across many devices to gain This is why we have developed our ful-
and early indicators that would detect insights for fast, data-driven decisions. ly customizable and open ecosystem for
them. These insights drive efficient utilization transformer digitalization.
Figure 2. The TXpert ecosystem

TXpert™ Hub
Digitalization for every
transformer
Figure 3. TXpert Hub with all three applications
TXpert™ Hub is the heart of Hitachi

Energy’s TXpert™ Ecosystem. It enables
TXpert
you Hub allows
to take simplemonitoring of sensors
steps to digitalize your from different manufacturers
andtransformer;
in any transformer,
liquid-filledregardless
or dry; newoforwho is manufacturing it or if it is
newretrofit;
or already in service
regardless of its brand. Delivering
actionable intelligence to reduce costs,
mitigate risks, and enhance environmental
ergy’s TXpert Ecosystem. It enables the and trends their
Scan evolution
the QR code to based
Introducing the new user to take simple steps to digitalize a on configurable thresholds. It acts
performance.
generation of TXpert Hub,
learn more.
transformer; liquid-filled or dry; new as the cyber-secure bridge for up-
the heart of the TXpert or retrofitted; regardless of its brand. stream communication going up
Ecosystem from or downstream to the trans-
TXpert Hub collects data from sen- former, allowing safe and remote
TXpert Hub is the heart of Hitachi En- sors, monitors interdependencies, monitoring.
hitachienergy.com
Transformers in wind farms are usually not sized for peak production. When wind speeds are high, transformers are overloaded
momentarily.
TXpert Hub analyzes transformer ageing due to repetitive fluctuations in wind conditions and warns the operator.
The new generation of TXpert Hub, pow-

ered by the latest CoreTec technology, en-
ables a transformer operator to:
1. Maximize the lifecycle

value and operating
efficiency of your transformer
Maximizing the lifecycle value of a

transformer starts with making sure the
transformer fulfills its function without
unexpected degradation or unplanned
outage. TXpert Hub monitors thermal,
chemical, electrical, and mechanical early
warnings to catch fast-forming faults. A
CIGRE study has shown that transformer
monitoring can reduce the risk of cata-
strophic failures by 50 percent [2].
Additionally, monitoring allows you to

squeeze more operating efficiency out of
During peak climate days in summer/winter, transformers feeding HVAC a transformer while keeping any over-
systems operate with forced air cooling engaged for additional emergency loading at safe levels. TXpert Hub allows
loading. its user to understand the overload capa-
TXpert Hub can monitor fan conditions and harmonics to avoid unplanned bility to unlock a momentary increase in
outages during peak season. production while keeping an eye on the
resulting accelerated ageing rate.

2. Access knowledge A CIGRE study showed that early prob-
remotely
lem detection could reduce repair costs by
Transformer sensors are often designed
to be only used with a specific combi-
75 percent and loss of revenue by 60 percent
nation of devices or for a specific type of
transformer from a certain manufactur-
er. This makes it difficult for our custom-
ers to integrate better and more advanced
technologies if they are not already using
components from the same manufacturer
or product line, thus limiting the scope of
digitalization for their transformers.
TXpert Hub allows monitoring of sensors

from different manufacturers and in any
transformer, regardless of who is manu-
facturing it or if it is new or already in ser-
vice. Its interface is customizable to track
and check health KPIs and access them re-
motely, either through standard industrial
protocols, WI-FI, or cellular connectivity,
so an operator can know of an issue and
dispatch service as and when required.
At its core, both industry-leading hard-

ware and software improvements enable
a cyber-secure connection. Our compa-
ny, the development team, and the prod-
uct were certified by third-party agencies
to comply with ISO, IEC, and IEEE cy-
ber-security standards. While our pro- Avoid dispatching personnel to the site, reducing associated costs and risks.
cesses continuously screen for potential
TXpert is equipped with cyber-secure cellular communication avoiding add-
new threats and warn our customers of
ed cabling costs during installations and allowing for remote monitoring.
the issue and the remediation.
Municipalities are embracing electrical vehicles, making charging station parks progressively common.
TXpert Hub can explain the effects of the increasing number of charging stations on the grid while visualizing it all remotely.
MONITORING SYSTEMS
3. Optimize your operations

A significant maintenance optimization
strategy is to replace simple time-based
maintenance that mitigates risk by doing
everything, every year, for all transform-
ers, with a more sophisticated, condi-
tion-based maintenance strategy – i.e.,
focusing maintenance on high-risk trans-
formers. It is estimated that a life exten-
sion of 5 to 15 years can be achieved
with properly focused preventive mainte-
nance programs.
A CIGRE study showed that early prob-

lem detection could reduce repair costs
by 75 percent and loss of revenue by
60 percent. Furthermore, annual cost
Reliability is key in data centers; monitoring transformer health parame- savings can amount to 2 percent of
ters as well as the network harmonics can ensure uptime. the price of a new transformer – i.e.,
By monitoring voltage harmonic distortion, TXpert Hub can warn of any approximately $40,000 to $80,000 for
excessive voltage harmonics that can affect electrical equipment, espe- a power transformer [3].
cially sensitive loads like servers. It can be coupled with consultancy and
corrective maintenance plans in a service agreement for better uptime. When TXpert Hub communicates
multiple transformers data to Lumada
APM, each asset is categorized accord-
ing to its current health condition and
expected life. Grouping offline histor-
ical and real-time data with decades
of subject-matter expertise in trans-
former manufacturing and mainte-
nance, Lumada APM will provide the
recommended fix to the problem and
the timeline. With all this actionable
intelligence, the operator can opti-
mize the operational and maintenance
spending to maximize the capabilities
of their assets and budgets and build
business cases for repair/replacement
decisions.
Tap into OEM and service expertise to plan and execute adequate mainte-
nance.
TXpert Hub can warn of forming issues, our service teams can provide re-
ports interpreting the data and support with corrective maintenance if re-
quired.

4. Extend the useful life of
transformers
With an average age in industrial plants

of 30 years and in utilities of 40 years, the
world’s transformer fleet is ageing – and
is incurring increasing replacement and
repair costs, as well as the risk of failure.
Many transformers are now also operat-
ed beyond their recommended life span
to smooth investment peaks or deal with
long lead times for new transformers.
Once TXpert Hub triggers an alarm or

APM recommends action for specific
corrective service, Hitachi Energy ex-
perts can help make good use of the data
collected and the output of asset manage-
ment software to analyze the condition Delay an unplanned shutdown to suit your established schedule.
of a specific transformer or complete With long delivery times for replacement units and reducing CAPEX budget,
transformer fleets. The combination of TXpert Hub can support extending the lifetime of a transformer until it
this data with the design data, the infor- becomes possible to replace or to service.
mation in Hitachi Energy’s installed base
system, the results of oil analysis, condi-
tion assessments, and the maintenance
history provide Hitachi Energy with a We provide pre-packaged units for Distribu-
360-degree view of a transformer fleet.
This insight plays a pivotal role for Hita- tion DRY, Distribution Oil, and Power Trans-
chi Energy in the condition assessment
process.
formers with a variety of options customiz-
able from entry-level to advanced systems
For the short term, the operator can make
sure that a sick transformer is “nursed,”
using uniform software and configurable
with the TXpert Hub monitoring critical hardware modules
development of a failure mode, balancing
operational needs against risk whilst plan-
ning for a shutdown.
On a long-term and strategic level, a con-

dition assessment study gives top man-
agement a clear picture of the mainte-
nance and renewal investments that are
required over the next 20 to 30 years. Our
service team in over 30 countries can car-
ry out these corrective actions to extend
the lifetime of the problematic asset.
Monitoring the bushings on your transformer can provide early warning

that the end of life is approaching. This allows adequate planning of an
outage to replace the bushing before it fails. Timely bushing replacement
extends the life of your transformer maximizing operational life.
MONITORING SYSTEMS
Thermal Electrical Chemical Mechanical
Distribution
Basic ●
Dry Basic + ● ●
Distribution
Basic ●
Oil Basic + ● ● ●
Basic ● ○
Power Basic + ● ● ○
Advanced/
Custom ● ● ○ ●
● Standard ○ Optional
Summary Energy is certified for ISO27001, Bibliography
the development team is certified
By installing the latest version of TXpert IEC 64443-4-1, and the product is [1] CIGRE Technical Brochure 642/2015
Hub, the operator gets: certified IEC 64443-4-2 and com-
plies with IEEE1686). [2] L. Cheim et al., Transformer Reli-
• Actionable insights: advanced al- ability Taking Predictive Maintenance
gorithms (depending on the data We offer pre-packaged units for Dis- Program to the Next Level, CIGRE
available and the transformer tribution DRY, Distribution Oil, and Study Committee A2 COLLOQUIUM,
type) Power Transformers. By using uni- October 2017
form software and configurable hard-
• Remote monitoring: alarm set- ware modules, we are able to offer [3] Economics of transformer man-
ting, industrial protocols, and Wi- entry-level to advanced customized agement, CIGRE Technical Brochure
Fi and cellular communication systems. 248, June 2004
options
• Scalable and manufacturer agnos- Author

tic: connect any sensor, apply to any Lony Tehini is the Global Product Manager of Trans-
type of transformer (dry, distribu- former Accessories at Hitachi Energy.
tion, or power), and digitalize at any Lony holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering
age (new or old) from McGill University. He joined Hitachi Energy in
2015 from ABB Automation. He has held various sales
• Cyber Secure: TXpert Hub acts as and product management positions and is currently re-
a cyber-secure funnel above all in- sponsible for transformer accessories. He is currently
stalled sensors, creating a single based in Montreal, Canada.
secure link to the outside. (Hitachi
MATERIALS
Decarbonized steel:
pioneer for sustainable
innovations

Marcel HILGERS
There were times – and they were not so

long ago – when a lean environmental
footprint was something “nice-to-have”
for companies active in the energy sector
but by no means a “must-have”
MATERIALS
proportion that is generated along the

bluemint® steel is a climate-friendly, CO2-re- entire value chain – and thus also at
duced steel which is offered as grain-orient- the suppliers. Moreover, as part of the
Steel Zero Climate Group, Iberdrola
ed electrical steel bluemint® powercore® has committed itself to using produc-
tion materials that promise particularly
good leverage when it comes to climate
1. Introduction There were times – and they were not so change mitigation. In this case, we are
long ago – when a lean environmental talking about steel.
Over the past two years, sustainability has footprint was something “nice-to-have”
developed into a business-critical issue for companies active in the energy sec-
2. Increasing pressure from
for utility companies, grid operators and tor but by no means a “must-have”. In
transformer manufacturers. EU regula- 2023, the outlook is different: virtually ESG
tory requirements are becoming increas- all globally active companies have, in Many other companies, grid operators
ingly stringent, and the market is looking the meantime, set themselves scientifi- and power utilities have also taken the
for efficient and successful solutions for cally based emission reduction targets, same path, as a result of which the pres-
responding to the ongoing green trans- some of which are highly ambitious. sure is increasing on suppliers and trans-
formation. thyssenkrupp Electrical Steel For example, Iberdrola, one of the larg- former manufacturers to respond in the
supplies one of the key components: est electricity producers within the EU right way to the new challenges. To an in-
CO2-reduced grain-oriented electrical and a real heavyweight in the market, creasing extent, investments also depend
steel. aims to reduce its CO2 emissions by al- on whether projects meet the client’s
most 50 percent by 2030. It is expected specifications for aspects of environ-
A guest article by Marcel Hilgers, thys- that Scope 3 emissions will account for mental, social and governance (ESG) cri-
senkrupp Electrical Steel. four-fifths of this amount, meaning the teria. All of a sudden, many managers are

asking themselves whether transformer With this new technology, coking coal can
production couldn’t also go green – and,
above all, how. thyssenkrupp Electrical be removed from production and replaced
Steel is leading the way here as a driver by blue and green hydrogen, making the
of innovation and is developing suitable
solutions. The aim is to combine different entire manufacturing process much more
needs and to offer the industry a product
that can be used as the basis for creating
climate-friendly
new, more sustainable innovations.
3. Hydrogen instead of coal becoming carbon-neutral by 2045 at the
One of these products is bluemint steel. latest. The central advantage from the cus-
This is a climate-friendly, CO2-reduced These CO2 savings are possible because tomer’s viewpoint: bluemint products are
steel which is offered in the grain-ori- thyssenkrupp Steel is replacing the classic “plug-and-play” solutions, which makes
ented electrical steel range under the blast furnace route for steelmaking with them easy to implement. There is no need
name bluemint® powecore®. In addi- direct reduction plants and smelters. The for requalification measures because the
tion, significant innovations in the pro- first combination of the world´s biggest CO2-reduced material has the same mag-
duction network at thyssenkrupp Steel direct reduction plant with the smelters netic and mechanical properties as the
make it possible to reduce the material’s was awarded to SMS group at the begin- tried-and-tested grades. As a result, blue-
carbon footprint by about 50 percent ning of March 2023. Total investment mint powercore can replace any other
compared to conventional top grades. into decarbonization of more than 2 B top-grade GOES on a 1:1 basis – even in
This corresponds to a reduction of ap- EUR. With this new technology, coking existing transformer and core designs.
proximately 1.9 metric tons of CO2 per coal can be removed from production
metric ton of grain-oriented electric and replaced by blue and green hydro- How well this works in practice is shown,
steel sheet. thyssenkrupp Electrical gen, making the entire manufacturing for example, by thyssenkrupp Steel’s co-
Steel also transparently certifies this process much more climate-friendly. The operation with transformer manufactur-
achievement to the customer via DNV measure forms part of the Group’s green ers such as SGB-SMIT, Siemens Energy
and TÜV Süd reports. transformation with the ambitious goal of and many others. With SGB-SMIT, for
MATERIALS
The decarbonization of steel is opening up many new perspectives and

opportunities for the energy industry in terms of sustainability
example, bluemint powercore was used To what extent can old transformer cores energy industry in terms of sustainabil-
in two projects to reduce the carbon foot- be integrated into the production of cli- ity. The industry as a whole – from ma-
print of a 120 MVA power transformer mate-friendly steel as raw materials in terial and transformer manufacturers to
and a 400 kVA distribution transformer the future? Conclusion: The decarbon- grid operators – is now tasked with tak-
by between 18 and 40 percent. Another ization of steel is opening up many new ing advantage of this, as well as creating
example comes from Siemens Energy, perspectives and opportunities for the transparency and uniform regulations.
where using bluemint steel in an HVDC
transformer saved 240 metric tons of
CO2. It would require 50 solar panels to
generate energy for 25 years to achieve Author
the same reduction target. Marcel Hilgers
Marcel believes in listening to his customers and creating
4. Seizing opportunities solutions to serve their true needs. With over 20 years of
together now experience in the global steel business and thereof more
The examples given above show how than 10 years serving the transformer industry, he now
enormous the leverage effect of using the works intensely on the green transformation of both steel
right material can be from an ecological and transformers.
perspective – even leaving aside the po- Marcel leads the sales, technical customer engineering and communications
tential of recycling content and circular- team at thyssenkrupp Electrical Steel – the European and Indian market
ity. This is because steel, in particular, is leader in grain-oriented electrical steel.
ideal for recycling: once produced, the His key priority today is to inform the electricity industry about options to
material can be reused many times again.
decarbonize the grid and to form alliances across raw material suppliers,
And thyssenkrupp Steel is also working
flat out to answer the following question: transformer makers and electric utilities.

MATERIALS

Advertorial
More than 170,000 Siemens Energy CRT

transformers have been installed since the
market launch – with good reason, as they offer
characteristic benefits.
CRT
transformers
on the rise at
Siemens Energy
T
he use of transformers to con- lating and cooling liquid unnecessary.
vert various levels of voltages Thanks to this seemingly simple idea,
is at the core of energy supply the technology has been successful ever
and paramount for the use of since its market launch in 1966 – the
electricity in our homes and to feed oth- first CRT on the market worldwide.
er main voltage supplies. The percentage of cast-resin trans-
formers compared with traditional, flu-
In addition, Siemens Energy Grid Tech- id-immersed transformers continues to
nologies’ Research & Development fo- grow. More than 170,000 Siemens En-
cus lies in investing in reliable, sustain- ergy CRT transformers have been in-
able, affordable and safest technological stalled since the market launch – with
novelties in accordance with Siemens good reason, as they offer characteristic
Energy’s focus on “Decarbonization benefits.
through Technology”.
Benefits of GEAFOL dry-type
One of those achievements is the de-
velopment of cast-resin transformers transformers
(CRT category: dry-type transformers). The CRTs made by Siemens Energy de-
pict exceptional operational reliability
In comparison to traditional transform- and fault tolerance of highly available
er models, the GEAFOL and CARECO components while also increasing their
cast-resin transformers operate with sustainability and economic viabili-
high-voltage windings fully cast under ty. They can be recycled to more than
vacuum in epoxy-resin instead of min- 95 %. Given appropriately high-quality
eral oil or other fluid-insulating ma- standards in development, design and
terials, which makes a tank with insu- production, GEAFOL and CARECO
MATERIALS
Siemens Energy has developed and It is not just an increase of the electrical
clearances, but also special design el-
delivered GEAFOL cast-resin transform- ements - which increase the dielectric
strength - have been developed for the
ers with maximum voltages of 52 kV and higher voltage levels. The engineers of
72.5 kV R&D and Design were able to build on
the existing experience of the GEAFOL
compact design, which was developed
and introduced during the last few years.
cast-resin transformers are reliable in network. In most of the onshore wind
operation, environmentally compati- turbines, the transformers operate volt- Recently we delivered GEAFOL
ble, flame-retardant, self-extinguish- ages on medium-voltage levels of up to cast-resin transformers for data cen-
ing and produce no toxic gases in the 40.5 kV. ter with a power rating of 23 MVA and
event of a fire. As no fire-extinguish- rated voltage of 45 kV (Um 52 kV).
ing equipment or oil troughs are re- Also, in the nacelles of wind turbines, In addition, we produced a GEAFOL
quired, often additional space can be transformers can be installed and are transformer version with a power rat-
saved. Also, in the event of an incident, exposed to much greater mechanical, ing of 15.4 MVA at a rated voltage of
the repair can be done relatively sim- electrical and thermal stresses than 69 kV. This transformer type was de-
ply and fast, as the components – HV transformers installed in standard sec- signed to operate at two voltage levels,
and LV windings - can be exchanged ondary unit substations. When men- 69 kV and 34.5 kV, and was developed
individually. Moreover, designs with tioning wind turbines, limited space and based on the results from extensive
reduced no-load and load losses in- accessibility must be considered. With material combination testing, techni-
crease their efficiency and reduce their their design, safety, product quality and cal research, various experiences from
operating costs. CRTs are almost main- resulting reliability, cast-resin transform- previous 7.7 MVA/69 kV prototypes,
tenance-free and have excellent electri- ers are ideal as access will be restricted. finite element simulation of electri-
cal, mechanical and thermal character- These higher demands can be met with cal field and other electrical, thermal
istics. mechanically reinforced versions that and mechanical parameters. Based on
tolerate the strong nacelle vibration. Es- this knowledge, we can offer cast-resin
GEAFOL cast-resin transformers pecially when the transformers are being transformers for, e.g., bigger offshore
are often installed near the electrical exposed to an aggressive, salt-laden ma- wind turbines, data centers and other
loads. Herewith transmission losses rine atmosphere, all metal parts must be applications where higher voltage levels
due to long low-voltage cable routes painted with a special coating to protect are needed, which expands the dry-type
are avoided, and the overall efficiency them against corrosion. Additionally, the portfolio. The successfully performed
is increased. However, these areas are new development of GEAFOL compact comprehensive test program has proven
frequented by people, so the safe and offers great resistance against harsh envi- the technical strength of our GEAFOL
reliable operation of the transformers ronmental conditions. cast-resin transformer design. One of
must be a “given”. This applies as much the first orders was already placed with
to high-rise buildings, hospitals, data our factory in Guangzhou, China and
Siemens Energy GEAFOL
centers, chip factories, metro stations, contained more than 20 units of CRTs.
ships, and oil rigs as it does to paper dry-type transformers with The transformers will be delivered to
mills, rolling mills, airports, and other higher power ratings and one of the most famous wind turbine
infrastructure with high power require- voltage levels manufacturers. The order package in-
ments. Due to proven high-quality stan- cludes 9 units of 9.35 MVA/69 kV and
dards in design and production and the The main applications of dry-type 3 units of 15.4 MVA/69 kV CRTs.
resulting safety and flame-retardance, transformers are in the medium-voltage
these transformers can be installed in level up to Um 40.5 kV. However, there Siemens Energy puts effort into the
residential areas. are areas of applications where higher development of such specific CRTs;
operating voltages are needed, espe- however, we are still at the beginning of
cially in connection with higher power our launch. The future of clean power
Integration of GEAFOL dry-
ratings of the transformers. With high- generation and transmissions systems
type transformer in the er voltage levels, the rated currents can is the core of the strategy, and we are
energy generation supply be reduced, which reduces the losses in working tirelessly to serve the different
chain transformers and cables and results in requirements of customers and society
an increase in efficiency. to be the reliable partner for a greener
Due to the benefits mentioned, cast-resin tomorrow. With this development of
transformers are ideal to be included in For higher power ratings in combina- CRTs, an important step has been tak-
onshore and offshore wind power gen- tion with higher-rated voltages, Sie- en, and there will be more to come.
eration. The transformers are used to mens Energy has developed and deliv-
step up the voltage supplied by the wind ered GEAFOL cast-resin transformers Dry-type GEAFOL transformers are
turbine generator to the correct level with maximum voltages of 52 kV and our answer to a more robust, reliable
for feeding into the medium-voltage 72.5 kV. and safer energy future.

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and competencies made accessible
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start fresh or get a clear reminder of the vital topics.
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ENVIRONMENT
Carbon
footprint of
oil-immersed
transformers
phases: upstream, core, and down-
ABSTRACT
stream, and applies to various in-
Končar Distribution and Special dustries. The result of the analysis
Transformers, a company in Croa- is expressed as CO2 equivalent us-
tia, has recognized the importance ing the single impact category of
of fighting climate change and re- climate change.
ducing CO2 emissions. To quantify
the environmental impact of their
KEYWORDS:
products, they have conducted car-
bon footprint studies based on the climate change, global warming,
ISO 14067:2018 standard and used CO2 emissions, life cycle assess-
the life cycle assessment (LCA) ment, carbon footprint of products,
method. The LCA covers three eco-friendly transformer

Vlatka ŠERKINIC, Ines KOLARIC
Končar D&ST is a regional leader in

producing distribution, medium power,
and special transformers up to 160 MVA
and 170 kV, with more than a 100-year
tradition in producing electrotechnical
products in Croatia
ENVIRONMENT
Everything starts from

raw material pro
duction, through the
production of the final
product and then until
the product’s final
disposal or materials
recycling
1. Introduction
In the last few decades, we are all aware
that climate change and global warming
have emerged as important environ-
mental issues. Like all other EU coun-
tries, Croatia is obligated to reduce CO2
emissions set by the Paris Agreement.
At this moment, fighting climate change
Figure 1. Life cycle assessment
has become one of the primary goals for
everyone, and the company Končar Dis-
tribution and Special Transformers has
already recognized the importance of this
topic. Končar D&ST, a regional leader in
producing distribution, medium power,
and special transformers up to 160 MVA
and 170 kV, follows a more than 100 years’
tradition in producing electrotechnical
products in the capital of Croatia, Zagreb.
The company already has around 750 em-
ployees and is certified by three different
management systems for quality, environ-
ment health and safety. Some of the top-
ics related to Carbon footprint in Končar
Distribution and special transformers will
be presented in this article. Basically, ev-
erything that is important about life cycle
assessment (LCA) is shown in Figure 1,
where all the phases of the carbon foot-
print of products related to environmen-
tal impacts can be seen.
2. Fighting climate change

As already known, there are seven differ-
ent greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
They are all responsible for global warm-
ing, and each greenhouse gas has a differ-
ent contribution to global warming. This
term was established to allow compari-
sons between the global warming impacts
of different gases. [1] It is agreed that the
reference gas would be CO2, and its val-
ue would be one. On the other hand, for
example, the global warming potential of
Figure 2. Stages of LCA methane is 25, which means if you emit-

ted one kilogram of methane, it is the to show where the environmental impact means that calculation should be done
same as if 25 kilos of CO2 equivalent were in the overall chain takes place, which can for all three phases of the lifecycle of the
emitted. The result of every CFP analysis serve as an opportunity to improve a spe- product: upstream, core, and downstream
is kilograms of CO2 equivalent. cific process or product parts. (Figure 4 [4]). The upstream part is called
“cradle to gate” and is related mostly to the
There are several relevant standards from suppliers.
3. Carbon footprint of product
the ISO 14000 family of standards. The
CFP stands for the carbon footprint of base for the calculation, as mentioned The core part is called “gate to gate,” and it
a product, and by its definition, it’s the above, was ISO 14067:2018. After the refers to the production of the final prod-
sum of the GHG emissions and GHG re- calculation and preparation of the CFP uct and the calculation of waste and ener-
movals in a product system, expressed as study report and, of course, the CFP ver- gy consumption as well. The last phase is
CO2eq and based on an LCA using the ification, the end result was a verification the downstream phase – “gate to grave.” It
single impact category of climate change. statement with total quantities of CO2 has a distribution phase, a use phase, and
[2] The base for the calculation is ISO equivalent. The main thing to point out is the end-of-life phase, and it refers to 35
standard 14067:2018, which contains re- that the standard is applicable for the CFP working years of the transformer.
quirements and guidelines for quantifica- study and deals with only one category of
tion, and the main part of the CFP is the impact climate change. For the projects in
LCA. We can tell that it is a method for Končar D&ST, the most important article
the quantification of the environmental in this standard was 6.2, the use of PCR
impacts of individual products. In Fig- which stands for Product Category Rules.
ure 2 [3], all phases of a LCA can be seen. It says that where relevant PCR exists, it
Everything starts from raw material pro- should be adopted. [2] This document im-
duction, through the production of the poses rules for the preparation of the CFP
final product and then until the product’s study for various industries and is above
final disposal or materials recycling. The all relevant standards from the ISO 14000
functional unit can be either a product family of standards (Figure 3 [4]).
or a service, and in Končar D&ST, it was
the product - oil immersed transformer When the PCR document imposes sys- Figure 3. Illustration PCR in relation to the
in several variations. This approach aims tem boundaries “cradle-to-grave,” that hierarchy of standards and other documents
Figure 4. PCR system boundaries
ENVIRONMENT
The first project on the carbon footprint of In Končar D&STs case, different de-
partments in-house were engaged, such
products in Končar D&ST started in 2018 as Technical Department, Production
upon the request of the end customer, which Planning, Purchase, Sales, Dispatching
& Packing, etc. Also, primary data on
resulted in one of the first carbon footprints LCA were collected from the suppliers
of strategic materials (with a certain
evaluation for products in Croatia mass percentage within the total mass
of the transformer). Furthermore, sup-
pliers were asked to share specific infor-
4. CFP projects in Koncar It lasted about 12 months, and after that, mation on their supply chain and pro-
D&ST Končar D&ST was engaged in several duction processes needed for the LCA
similar CFP projects, both for medium calculation.
The first project on the carbon foot- power transformers and distribution
print of products in Končar D&ST transformers. The project’s duration de- The software which was used for the cal-
started in 2018 upon the request of the pends on different factors, such as the culation is called SimaPro, and it is one
end customer. This specific project was number, type, and complexity of the of the two most used software programs
finished in 2019 and resulted in one of products, the scope, and the availability for this type of analysis in the world. It
the first carbon footprints of products in of the resources inside and outside the contains the database called Ecoinvent.
Croatia. company. The Ecoinvent Database is a Life Cycle
Inventory (LCI) database that supports
various types of sustainability assess-
ments. IPCC methodology was used as
a characterization method for the esti-
mation of greenhouse removals accord-
ing to International Panel on Climate
Change.
As for the CFP study itself, it is public-

ly unavailable because it contains con-
fidential details on different methods
of calculation and specification of the
product, such as a list of materials and
suppliers, energy and waste quantities,
transportation, and disposal.
All CFP studies were audited and verified

by an independent accreditation body,
which emphasizes the accuracy of data
and the scientific basis of calculations.
For the first CFP pro

ject, the scope was
“cradle to gate,” and
for all other projects,
the “cradle to grave”
methodology was
used
5. CFP verificates
In Figure 5, you can see an example of
the verification statement for distribu-
Figure 5. DT CFP verificate tion transformers. This one is from our

first carbon footprint project in 2019.
The scope for this project was “cra-
Končar D&ST was also engaged in publish-
dle to gate,” while for all later projects, ing the first environmental product decla-
the “cradle to grave” methodology was
used. rations both for distribution and medium
power transformers
Figure 6 shows an example of the first
carbon footprint verification for a medi-
um power transformer.
6. Environmental product [6], ISO 14040 [3], ISO 14044 [5], and
declarations other regulations). It is used as a tool
The most important for comparing related industries/pro-
part of the verifica- Besides CFP, Končar D&ST was also cesses/products.
engaged in publishing the first envi-
tion statement is the ronmental product declarations (EPD) The difference from the CFP is that
display of the total both for distribution and medium
power transformers. EPD is a summa-
EPD is publicly available and is usually
published on some international en-
quantities of carbon rized carbon footprint study with the vironmental portals such as EPD Italy
mandatory LCA scope. It is important [10] or Environdec [11]. Končar D&ST
footprint in kilograms to say that EPD is in compliance with published its EPDs on the EPD Italy
equivalent for one different ISO standards (EN ISO 14025 portal.
year for all phases of

the transformer life-
cycle
Verificate also contains company de-

tails, accreditation body details, rele-
vant standards, PCR data (if it exists),
and product details. It holds verification
process information, roles, responsibil-
ities, objectives, and criteria. The most
important part of the verification state-
ment is the display of the total quantities
of carbon footprint in kilograms equiv-
alent (CO2 eq) for one year for all phases
of the transformer lifecycle. Of course, if
applicable, it can contain CO2 quantities
for all phases of the whole lifetime of the
transformer.
A question that is often asked is what is

the purpose of this kind of calculation,
and what are the benefits? By calculat-
ing the carbon footprint of your prod-
uct certainly, you can achieve more ef-
ficient production processes, improved
environmental efficiency, and better
achievement in business overall while
you’re showing all interested parties
your continuous improvement on cli-
mate change.
We recognized the possibilities for CO2

footprint reduction by planting trees in
Calabria, Italy, where 398 beech trees
were planted in 2020 (Figure 7). Every
one of these trees will absorb 22 kg/year
of our carbon footprint of products. Figure 6. MPT CFP verificate
ENVIRONMENT
Figure 7. Certificate for planting trees
By calculating the carbon

footprint of your product, a
better insight into the prod-
uct can be achieved, and it
can be a mighty tool in devel-
oping and improving compa-
ny sustainability goals
Figure 8 shows an example of environmental prod-

uct declaration. It is also verified by an independent
accreditation body, published for five years, and
should be revised if necessary (in case of any chang-
es in production or in the product itself).
7. Possibilities for the future

By calculating the carbon footprint of your product,
a better insight into the product can be achieved. It
can be a mighty tool in developing and improving
company sustainability goals. Since the calculation
is set on primary and secondary data (primary data
from production processes and supplier information
and secondary from the Ecoinvent database), the fi-
Figure 8. EPD for DT nal result is science-based.

This way, the company can achieve a bet-
ter insight into the product itself. Also, it
helps to identify opportunities for im-
provement and gives additional value to
the product. Projects like the carbon foot-
print of a product can lead towards sav-
ings in, for example, raw materials, energy
use, and total costs, and a more sustain-
able product that can be used as a promo-
tion point when selling the product.
Bibliography
[1] https://w w w.epa.gov/ghgemis-
sions/understanding-global-warm-
ing-potentials
[2] ISO, 2018, Greenhouse gases – Car-

bon footprint of products – Require-
ments and guidelines for quantification,
ISO 14067:2018
[3] HRN EN ISO 14040:2008, “Upravljanje

okolišem – Procjena životnog ciklusa (LCA)
– Načela i okvir rada” (ISO 14040:2006; EN
ISO 14040:2006). “Parts of HRN EN ISO
14040:2008 have been used with HZN’s
permission. Croatian standards are issued
by the Croatian Standards Institute, Ulica
grada Vukovara 78, Zagreb. Copyright to
and all rights of exploitation of standard-
ization documents issued by HZN are re-
served for the Croatian Standards Institute.”
Figure 9. Končar D&ST’s eco-friendly transformer
[4] Product category rules for liq-
uid immersed power transformers
(>25 MVA), product category classifi- Authors
cation: UN CPC 46121, PCR 2019:12,
Version 1.01 Vlatka Šerkinić currently works as a sustainability
specialist in Končar Distribution and Special Transformers
[5] ISO, 2006, Environmental manage- Inc. and has 10 years of experience in environmental
ment. Life cycle assessment – Require- topics in the transformers production industry. In
ments and Guidelines, ISO 14044:2006 recent years she has been working as a team leader on
Carbon Footprint of Product projects for distribution
[6] ISO, 2006, Environmental labels transformers which help to determine the environmental
and declarations – Type III environmen- impact of a single distribution transformer. Furthermore,
tal declarations, ISO/TR 14025:2006 she’s working on the development of Končar D&ST sustainability strategy as
well as the preparation and coordination of sustainability reports.
[7] EPD Italy Core PCR for electronic
and electrical products and systems, re-
vision 2, 21-10-2021 Ines Kolarić joined Končar Distribution and Special
Transformers Inc. in 2019 in the position of management
[8] EPD Italy PCR for Power trans- system development engineer. Her previous work experience
formers, revision 3.5, 12-04-2021 was as an expert advisor in the Ministry of Environmental
Protection and Energy. Ines has over a decade of experience
[9] https://ecoinvent.org/the-ecoin- in environmental topics. In Končar D&ST, she has been
vent-database/ working as a responsible person for environmental
protection, sustainability, waste management, and chemicals.
[10] https://www.epditaly.it/ In recent years she has been working as a team leader on Carbon Footprint of
Product projects for medium power transformers.
[11] https://www.environdec.com/
FLUIDS

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H
ow can sustainability be im- create added value for customers and cli-
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as the energy turnaround and climate supply systems depend to a large extent
protection are the defining topics. Prod- on the availability of their transformers.
uct quality and raw material security These ensure that the electricity generated
should also be guaranteed. The energy is fed into the power grid at the required
sector, in particular, is challenged to offer voltage and transmitted to the consumers
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Kilian Gerbl, Head of Sales, Electrical Oil with all the framework conditions?
Services
Increase transformer lifetime
ation by taking cost-efficient measures in times of energy transition, global supply through insulating oil
good time in the event of deviations. chain issues and raw material shortages, management
they not only have to ensure continuous
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ing asset managers at energy suppliers, to changing framework conditions. These ing the insulating oil management sector
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industrial companies today have become transformers and, thus changed mainte- mate-friendly solutions for services with
different over the past few years, espe- nance schedules. In addition, the energy insulating oils are the basis of the port-
cially as a result of the war in Europe. In industry has set itself ambitious sustain- folio, supplemented by comprehensive
transformer services.
For many of the challenges mentioned,

the processing and recycling of used in-
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previous budget plans unrealisable.
Thus, on the one hand, oil regeneration

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Standardised oil analyses

provide information on the
condition of transformers
The quality of the insulating oil is one of the

most important criteria for determining
the condition of a transformer. This is be-
cause, in the course of the operating time,
the oil quality decreases due to oxidation
or increased temperatures. The inhibitors
present at the start become inactive, and
the acid content in the insulating oil in-
creases. This has a negative effect on the
thermal and electrical properties and can,
in the worst case, mean transformer failure.

In order to obtain a regular assessment
of the transformer’s condition, insu-
The closed-loop concept is an important
lating oil samples should be taken and and decisive step towards reducing green-
analysed in an insulating oil laborato-
ry, for example, during a legally pre- house gas emissions. After all, transformer
scribed audit or as part of upcoming oil is a valuable raw material
inspections. This procedure offers en-
ergy suppliers and industrial companies
important safeguards in the operation
of transformers to protect them from - Extended transformer service life: vides important information about the
damage or even failure - a sustainable condition of the transformer. Early mea-
investment. Deviations from the standardised limit sures to improve the quality of the insulat-
values inevitably reduce the operational ing oil are cost-efficient and, in the worst
safety and the service life of the trans- case, prevent transformer damage and
The quality of the insulating
formers. downtime.
oil matters
- Cost savings:
This is why regular oil analysis is important:
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cient measures such as oil processing and The EOS® Closed Loop Model
Regular inspection of insulating oil regeneration can be carried out - even Today, the closed-loop concept is an im-
quality is an essential component in during operation. portant and decisive step towards reduc-
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filled electrical equipment and prevent- Routine analysis according to interna- transformer oil is a valuable raw material.
ing failures. tional standards (DIN EN 60422) pro- Recycling and returning it to the cycle is
FLUIDS
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oil, which is available as non-inhibited and in-
hibited quality, is certified according to the new
international standard IEC 60296:2020 Type B
for “oil with as-new properties”
thus a logical step and a promising model crease the service life of transformers. This
for the future that also takes cost efficien- process is similar to dialysis: ageing prod-
cy into account. ucts such as peroxides, acids and sludge
are removed from the insulating oil, and
“Raw materials are valuable and must be the oil is reprocessed to as-new quality.
reused. The idea is not new, and yet we of- Depending on the requirements, mobile
ten need to convince people in the field of oil regeneration is possible ‘under load’
transformer oils. Due to the current sus- during operation or outside operation -
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panies are now recognising the added val-
ue in the topic of insulating oil recycling.
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However, the products must also be
How does the EOS® Closed
convincing in terms of quality. Electrical
Loop Model work? Oil Services has managed to achieve im-
Regenerating insulating oils from trans- portant certification levels and also meets
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Electrical Oil Services offer the following idation stability. The recycled insulating
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but can also be used as a direct substitute
- Stationary oil regeneration in
during all maintenance activities. Due to remoteness, the marine environ-
production facility: ment and the significant cost of failure,
Here, used transformer oil is collected offshore wind farms are subject to partic-
Offshore plants: Special
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duction facilities. The resulting oil quality management and specially trained and certified techni-
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the cycle as recycled insulating oil. energy security, renewable energies are in- formers.
dispensable components for energy utili-
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support provided by trained teams from With this sustainable focus, the company Your contact:
the first oil analysis to the final report. sees itself as a solution provider for future Electrical Oil Services
With its mobile teams and one of the issues and growing challenges and meets Kilian Gerbl, Head of Sales
largest vehicle fleets as well as its special the requirements of the energy sector +49 151 5351 5373
expertise in the offshore sector, Elec- with viable and cost-conscious concepts - kgerbl@electricaloilservices.com
trical Oil Services is active throughout always in a resource- and climate-friendly www.electricaloilservices.com
Europe. manner.

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MATERIALS
Investigating material
and energy efficiency of
power transformers with
conventional and
semi-hybrid insulation
operating in low-carbon
electricity grids
semi-hybrid design approach has

ABSTRACT
been investigated for 40/60 MVA,
This article investigates the use 132/33 kV transformers to evaluate
of combination of ester fluids and the impact on the carbon footprint,
high-temperature paper insulation compared to conventional designs.
in designing environmentally and
economically optimized transform-
KEYWORDS:
ers that balance material and ener-
gy efficiency for countries with high semi-hybrid insulation, energy ef-
penetration of low and zero carbon ficiency, carbon footprint, material
generation sources. In particular, the utilization

Dr. Bhaba P. DAS, Ghazi KABLOUTI
MATERIALS
• Design 2: Conventional insulation sys-

Semi-hybrid insulation allows a step change tem in ester fluid,
in the ability to make transformers compact • Design 3: Semi-hybrid insulation sys-
tem in ester fluid,
compared to ‘conventional’ designs based • Design 4: Semi-hybrid insulation sys-
on cellulose insulation and mineral oil tem in ester fluid considering the cost
of carbon emission.
For all four designs, the life-cycle carbon

1. Introduction has a direct impact on the life-cycle car- footprint is estimated in the context of the
bon footprint of the transformer. New Zealand electricity mix, which is an
Traditionally, power transformers use an electricity grid dominated by renewable
insulation system that comprises cellulose Transformers create environmental im- energy.
insulation immersed in mineral oil, which pacts, e.g., carbon emissions from elec-
limits the maximum hot spot temperature trical losses and materials used in their
to 98 °C [1]. IEC 60076-14 [2] classified manufacturing as well as from end-of-
new insulation systems into different cat- life treatment. Thus, it becomes crucial In a hybrid insulation
egories and specified the temperature rise
limitations of each category. These are
that these environmental considerations
are investigated. In this article, an inves-
system, the insulation
referred to as hybrid insulation systems. tigation is conducted for a 40/60 MVA, liquid can be conven-
A hybrid insulation system allows the
loading capacity to increase substantially
132/33.6 kV ONAN/ONAF with a target
impedance of 14 % transformer on the tional, i.e., mineral oil,
while reducing the long-term ageing of life-cycle carbon footprint (tCO2-e equiv- or high-temperature
the insulation. Hybrid insulation systems alent) of the three different insulation sys-
with ester fluids are also becoming com- tems: type, i.e., ester fluid
mon. This type of system is a response to
mitigate fire risk and resulting environ- 1. Conventional insulation system –
mental damage in case of fire. One of the mineral oil with Kraft paper (60/65 K
types of hybrid insulation systems is the temperature rise).
2. Hybrid insulation systems
semi-hybrid system, where the conductor 2. Conventional insulation system – ester In a hybrid insulation system, the insu-
insulation may see temperatures high- fluid with Kraft paper (60/65 K tem- lation liquid can be conventional, i.e.,
er than 98 °C but the other parts remain perature rise). mineral oil, or high-temperature type, i.e.,
below 98 °C since they are cooled by the 3. Semi-hybrid insulation system – ester ester fluid, whereas the solid insulation is
bulk oil flow that will not see a significant fluid with TU paper (90/95 K tempera- either conventional, i.e., kraft paper or a
temperature increase due to the higher ture rise). combination with high-temperature type,
thermal time constant of the oil compared i.e., thermally upgraded paper (TUP).
to the copper. Semi-hybrid insulation al- The article will share the comparison of Three categories of hybrid designs have
lows a step change in the ability to make the outcomes total life cycle carbon emis- been proposed in IEC 60076-14, as listed
transformers compact compared to “con- sion assessment and will demonstrate the in Table 1.
ventional” designs based on cellulose in- impact of the insulation system on tCO2-e
sulation and mineral oil. In addition, the equivalent emissions for: However, the reference temperature is
use of semi-hybrid insulation provides equal to the rated average winding tem-
the opportunity to reduce the materials • Design 1: Conventional insulation sys- perature rise + 20 °C for semi-hybrid in-
used in the transformer [3], [4], [5], which tem in mineral oil, sulation. When a comparison between
Table 1. Types of hybrid insulation vs. conventional design as per IEC 60076-14
Types Semi-hybrid Mixed-hybrid Full-hybrid Conventional
Conventional or high Conventional or high- Conventional or high Conventional or high

Insulation fluid
temperature temperature temperature temperature
Conventional and
Insulation of
High temperature high-temperature High temperature Conventional
conductor
combination
Conventional and
Spacers & strips Conventional high-temperature High temperature Conventional
combination
Other solid insulation Conventional Conventional Conventional Conventional

Table 2. Maximum temperature rise limits as per IEC 60076-14
Conventional insulation
Parameter Semi-hybrid insulation system
system
Insulation fluid Mineral oil Ester fluid Mineral oil or ester fluid
Insulation of conductor TU paper TU paper Kraft paper
Top oil rise 60 K 90 K 60 K
Average winding rise 75 K 95 K 65 K
Hot spot rise 90 K 110 K 78 K
the losses of transformers using con-

ventional insulation with semi-hybrid
Hydroelectricity has been a part of New Zea-
insulation must be made, the reference land’s energy system for over 100 years and
temperature must be corrected to higher
average winding rises. For a semi-hybrid
continues to provide most of the country’s
insulation design, depending on the type electricity needs, amounting to approxi-
of insulation fluid and conductor, the fol-
lowing maximum temperature rises with mately 60 %
normal ambient temperatures as per IEC
60076-14 are listed in Table 2.
years and continues to provide most of tricity generation from the combustion
For this study, we consider the following the country’s electricity needs, amounting of coal, oil, and gas provides baseload,
generic transformer specification listed in to approximately 60 %. Geothermal pow- backup, and peaking electricity supply
Table 3. er generation is also integral to New Zea- constituting 20 % of the total electricity
land’s electricity landscape, accounting generation. The variation in the elec-
for approximately 16 % of New Zealand’s tricity generation mix from 2009–2020
3. New Zealand energy mix
electricity generation. Wind generation is shown in Fig. 1 [6]. In 2016 and 2019,
Hydroelectricity has been a part of New has grown quickly as a source of electrici- the Ministry of Business, Innovation &
Zealand’s energy system for over 100 ty in New Zealand, currently at 5 %. Elec- Employment (MBIE), Government of
New Zealand published two reports [7]
and [8], which provided insights into
New Zealand’s electricity demand and
Table 3: Major design parameters for the comparison study
supply future. Electricity demand under
Rating 40/60 MVA different sensitivity analyses shows that it
will exceed 50 TWh and up to more than
60 TWh in some scenarios (Fig. 2). To
Phases 3-phase
meet this demand, the majority of new
build generation will be renewable. Re-
Impedance 14% newable shares are projected to increase
from the current 80 % in 2020 to around
Voltages 132/33kV 95 % in all the scenarios. The combination
of continued decline in the cost of solar
Vector group YNd11 and wind technology and limited supply
of gas and oil will result in new build gen-
Tapping 20 taps @1.25% eration to be renewables. Under the dif-
ferent modelling scenarios presented in
[7] and [8], the majority of the new builds
Cooling ONAN/ONAF
will be wind generation (35–55 %). All the
gas-fired or geothermal new builds will
Sound power level 83 dBA be operating a peaking role owing to the
intermittent nature of wind power. It is
Max flux density 1.7 T mentioned that there is a limit to renew-
able electricity sources, and hence a max-
Ambient temperature 25°C imum of 95 % of renewable electricity is
estimated by 2050, as shown in Fig. 3.
MATERIALS
3.1 Calculating the GHG

Electricity Generation Mix for New Zealand
100.00%
(greenhouse gas) grid emission
90.00% factor
80.00%
70.00% To estimate the equivalent CO2-e impact

60.00%
due to the type of generation, the follow-
50.00%
ing formula is used [9]:
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
GHGfuel = (GCO2+ 21 × GCH4 + 310 ×G N2O )
10.00%
0.00%
0.0036
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
×
Hydro Geo Biogas Wind Solar Oil Coal Gas
ƞfuel (1 - JT\&D )
Figure 1. Electricity generation mix of New Zealand [6]

Where GHG is the emission factor of each
fuel type in tons of equivalent carbon di-
70 oxide (tCO2e) /MWh, GCO2 is the CO2
emission factor in kg/GJ, GCH4 is the
60
CH4 emission factor in kg/GJ, GN2O is
the N2O emission factor in kg/GJ, JT&D
Energy Demand Forcast (TWh)
50
represents the transmission and distribu-
40 tion losses in %, and ƞfuel is the fuel conver-
sion efficiency in %. Using this equation,
30
the Grid Emission Factor (GEF) can be
20
calculated as listed in Table 4.
Total consumer electricity demand (TWh) Mixed Renewables Scenario High Geothermal Access
10
Low Cost Fossil Fuels Global Low Carbon High Demand Sensitivity
Low Demand Sensitivity Tiwai Off Sensitivity

-
1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060 The New Zealand
Figure 2. Electricity demand forecasts till 2050 [7] Emiss ions Trading
Scheme (NZ ETS) is
New Zealand’s princi-
100.00%
Electricity Generation Mix Projection for New Zealand --> 2050
pal policy response to
climate change
90.00%
80.00%
70.00%
60.00%
50.00%
40.00% 3.2 Estimating the cost of CO2 per

30.00%
MWh ($/MWh) at mid-life
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
The New Zealand Emissions Trading
2019 2020 2050
Scheme (NZ ETS) is New Zealand’s prin-
cipal policy response to climate change.
Figure 3. Electricity generation forecast for New Zealand in 2050: 95 % Renewable Target [8] Originally designed to cover the whole
economy, it has the broadest sectoral
coverage of any ETS by directly covering
forestry, waste, liquid fossil fuels, power,
and industry [10]. A Fixed Price Option
Table 4. GEF for carbon emission calculations (New Zealand)
of NZ$ 25 (US$ 17.68) per tCO2e, which
Year
% Share of
Grid emission factor
acted as a form of price ceiling, was in-
renewables troduced in 2009 and raised to NZ$ 35
(US$ 24.76) for emissions that occurred
2020 ~83 % (actual) 0.101 tCO2e/MWh in 2020. Several reforms were introduced
in 2021 in line with the approval of the
2040 ~90 % (estimated) 0.059 tCO2e /MWh Climate Change Response (Emissions
Trading Reform) Amendment Act 2020.
2050 ~95 % (target) 0.024 tCO2e /MWh The current price is NZ$ 76 (US$53) per
tCO2e (Figure 4) and is expected to rise by

Table 5. The cost of emission from fossil-based power generation at mid-life of transformer
Fuel % 55% 19% 0.75% 14% 0.80% 1.95% 0% 8.50%
GCO2 0 0 0 0 0 74.1 94.6 56.1
GCH4 0 0 0 0 0 0.002 0.002 0.003
GN2O 0 0 0 0 0 0.002 0.003 0.001
ƞfuel 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 30% 35% 45%
JT&D 7% 7% 7% 7% 7% 7% 7% 7%
GHGfuel 0 0 0 0 0 0.9646 1.068 0.4857
Ceq –factor
0 0 0 0 0 0.018 0 0.041
(tCO2e /MWh)
Price of CO2e ($/tCO2e) 120 120 120 120 120 120 120 120
Emission cost
0 0 0 0 0 2.25 0 4.95
($/MWh)
Total Emission cost
$7.2/MWh
($/MWh)
With semi hybrid design, higher temperature rises are allowed, which
would allow the design to have lower masses compared to a conven-
tional insulation system in ester fluid
2 % per year in line with projected infla-
tion. However, the revised calculation pro- Variation in NZ ETS (US$/tCO 2e) value
jected it to reach NZ$110 (US$77.8) per 60
tCO2e by 2026. For our calculation, a value
of NZ$ 180 (US$120) per tCO2e is used. 50
Cost of Carbon (US$/tCO2e)
Table 5 shows the emission cost calcu- 40

lation, which results in a value of $7.2/
MWh for the NZ generation mix of 2040, 30
i.e., the mid-life of the transformer. Table
6 shows the resulting capitalization fac- 20
tors considering only the emission cost
(excluding the cost of losses).
10
4. Design outcomes 0
2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024
Four designs were completed with the fol-
lowing design strategies
Figure 4. NZ ETS price variation 2010-2022 [10]
1. Design 1: Optimization of transform-
er design for cheapest manufacturing Table 6. TCO formulation with environmental impact only
price for Conventional insulation sys-
tem in mineral oil, without the total No load loss (A) Load loss (B)
Parameters
cost of ownership considerations and factor factor
standard temperature rise limits. Cost of carbon = $7.2/MWh
2. Design 2: Optimization of transform- Discount rate = 4%
er design for cheapest manufacturing Life of power transformer $1,248/kW $312/kW
price for Conventional insulation sys- = 40 years
tem in ester fluid, without the total cost Estimated loading = 50 %
MATERIALS
of ownership considerations and stan- contact with the heat source (winding masses compared to a conventional insu-
dard temperature rise limits. conductors), and hence the increase lation system in ester fluid. The results are
3. Design 3: Optimization of transform- in fluid temperature is greater. If it presented next sections. This would lower
er design for cheapest manufacturing is required to achieve the same tem- the manufacturing carbon footprint of
price for Semi-hybrid insulation sys- perature rise limits, then either some the transformer.
tem in ester fluid, without the total or all of the following need to be im-
cost of ownership considerations and plemented: 4.1 Transformer temperature rise
high-temperature rise limits. 1. The cooling ducts within the outcomes
4. Design 4: Optimization of transform- windings need to be modified
er design for cheapest manufactur- (increased in cross-section area For an ambient temperature of 25 °C,
ing price for Semi-hybrid insulation or quantity) to allow faster flow of the following limitations in Table 7
system in ester fluid with high-tem- the higher viscosity fluid. apply:
perature rise limits and capitalization 2. The losses are reduced by an in-
factors derived from the cost of CO2 creased cross-section of copper in 4.2 Transformer efficiency
emissions (based on Table 6). the windings to reduce the heat. outcomes
3. The quantity of external cooling
Typically, active parts for ester transform- equipment needs to be increased. The transformer loss outcomes for the
ers are heavier than those for mineral oil- four different designs are listed in Table
filled transformers because of the follow- However, with semi hybrid design, high- 8, and the efficiency vs. load curves are
ing reasons: er temperature rises are allowed, which shown in Fig. 5.
would allow the design to have lower
1. Depending on the voltage class, stress
levels, and technology used, the dielec-
Table 7. Maximum ambient corrected temperature rise limitations
tric performance of ester is different
from mineral oil and requires poten- Conventional Semi-hybrid
tially lower stresses and modified sol- insulation system insulation system
id insulation structures. This results in Mineral oil or ester
slightly larger dielectric distances and Insulation fluid Ester fluid
fluid
more solid insulation between and
within the windings. This increases the Insulation of conductor Kraft paper TU paper
winding and core dimensions which
leads to increased mass. Top oil rise 55 K 85 K
2. The higher viscosity of the ester (com-
pared to mineral oil) means that it Average winding rise 60 K 90 K
flows more slowly within the laby-
rinth ducts within the windings. This Hot spot rise 73 K 105 K
results in a longer duration when in
Table 8. Transformer loss values for the different designs
Design 1 Design 2 Design 3 Design 4

Parameters
at 75 °C (reference) at 75 °C (reference) at 115 °C (reference) at 115 °C (reference)
Semi hybrid
Conventional Conventional Semi hybrid
Type ester fluid
mineral oil ester fluid ester fluid
optimized at $120/tCO2e
No load loss (kW) 22.9 25.8 23.8 17.8
Load loss (kW) 344.9 302.0 388.9 345.5
Total loss 367.8 327.8 412.7 363.35
Peak efficiency index

99.704 % 99.706 % 99.679 % 99.738 %
(PEI) design output
IEC PEI Level 1
No No No Yes
achieved?
IEC PEI Level 2
No No No No
required?
Load at peak
0.258 0.292 0.247 0.227
efficiency (KPEI)

4.3 Transformer component mass
outcomes Transformer Losses vs Efficiency & PEI
99.800%
The resulting component weights are list-
99.750%
ed in Table 9.
99.700%
4.3.1. Material efficiency comparison
99.650%
between conventional insulation and
Efficiency
semi-hybrid insulation in ester 99.600%
99.550%
The resulting component mass compari-
son between conventional insulation and 99.500%
semi-hybrid insulation in ester fluid is 99.450%

shown in Fig. 6. The use of semi-hybrid 99.400%
insulation allows a reduction of core coil 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
assembly weight by ~9 %, a reduction in Per Unit Load (k)
tank weight by ~3 %, radiator mass by ~40 Design 1 P0 = 22.9, Pk = 344.9 Design 2 P0 = 25.8, Pk = 302
%, oil by around 12 % and the total trans- Design 3 P0 = 23.8, Pk = 388.9 Design 4 P0 = 17.8, Pk = 345.5
former weight by 14 % for the 40/60 MVA
PEI 2 Requirement
between design 2 and 3.
Operating transformers at higher tem- Figure 5. Transformer efficiency curves: designs 1, 2, 3 and 4
peratures than conventional values allow
the designer to increase material efficien-
cy by reducing the weight and dimen-
sions. This can be a valuable approach in
The use of semi-hybrid insulation allows a
some applications, even though the losses reduction of core coil assembly weight by
generated by such hybrid designs may be
higher. The suitability of this approach for ~9 %, a reduction in tank weight by ~3 %,
reducing the life-cycle carbon footprint radiator mass by ~40 %, oil by around 12 %
is investigated for a low-carbon electrical
system, as in the case of the New Zealand and the total transformer weight by 14 %
Table 9. Component weight outcomes for the different designs
Parameters Design 1 Design 2 Design 3 Design 4
Core coil assembly

31,565 35,465 32,290 33,750
(kg)
% Change from
-- ↑12.3% ↑2.3% ↑6.9%
Design 1
Tank, tank shunts &

10,385 11,110 10,715 13,600
covers (kg)
Turrets & bushings

615 580 580 560
(kg)
Radiator (kg) 13,100 13,760 8,205 6,930
% Change from
-- ↑5% ↓37.3% ↓47.1%
Design 1
oil (kg) 19,250 21,600 18,900 18,720
% Change from
-- ↑12.2% ↓1.8% ↓2.7%
Design 1
Total weight (kg) 75,540 83,140 71,315 74,090
% Change from
-- ↑10% ↓5.6% ↓1.9%
Design 1
MATERIALS
Impact of Semi Hybrid Insulation: 40/60MVA, 132/33kV 5.2 Operational energy efficiency
90,000
comparison between the 4 design
80,000 options
-14.2%
70,000
Typically, most transformers have N-1
60,000
contingency, and hence the maximum
50,000 expected load is around 50 %. Thus, the
40,000
estimated carbon emissions due to de-
-8.9%
signs 1, 2, 3, and 4 for an operational
30,000
-12.5%
life due to variation in designed losses
20,000 for 40 years and average load factors of
-3.56%
10,000
-40.37%
25 % and 50 % are listed in Table 11 with a
GEF = 0.024 tCO2e/MWh for 2050. The
0
Core Coil Assembly (kg) Tank, Shunts & Covers (kg) Radiators (kg) Oil(kg) Total weight (kg) impact of variation in GEF is illustrated in
Conventional Insulation In Ester Semi Hybrid Insulation in Ester Section 6.9.
Figure 6. Mass comparison between Design 2 and Design 3
5.3 Comparison of GHG emissions
from the dielectric fluid used
energy mix, which has a predominantly transformer factory
renewable energy mix. • Transportation of product to the end The impact of using ester fluid on the car-
user (operator) bon emission equivalent is listed in Table 12.
• Electricity production covering power
5. Impact of semi-hybrid 5.4 Comparison of GHG emissions
losses at operation
insulation on transformer life • End-of-life management from materials of the core coil
cycle carbon emissions assembly
The following processes are not included
5.1 System boundaries of the life- in the system boundaries: The transformer core coil assembly con-
cycle assessment sists of the following – copper windings,
• Preventative maintenance activities core steel, core frame, conductor paper
To evaluate the impact of design varia- • Raw material extraction and produc- insulation, pressboard insulation, on-
tions, the assessment is based on interna- tion for operation/service activities load tap changer (OLTC), leads, and other
tional LCA standards and particularly on • Transportation of raw materials to miscellaneous components. The major
the product category rules for liquid-filled component manufacturing components account for more than 98 %
power transformers [13]. The following • Energy used for component manu- of the material used, while the remaining
processes are included in this study facturing processes at suppliers miscellaneous components account for
• Manufacturing and operation of less than 2 %. In this section, we calculate
The following processes are included in heavy machinery used at installation the impact of the major core coil assem-
the system boundaries: • Construction of infrastructure bly components, as shown in Table 13.
• Final end-of-life treatment (recy- The emission factors used for the different
• Raw material extraction and produc- cling, incineration, disposal) components are available in [11].
tion for manufacturing • Human labour and employee trans-
• Transportation of components to port 5.5 Comparison of GHG emissions
from materials used in cooling
assembly
Components Carbon Footprint Comparison

The resulting tCO2e for the amount of
200
steel used in radiators and conservators is
180
28.9 shown in Table 14.
30.53
160
140 34.31 29.41

36.57 5.6 Comparison of GHG emissions
35.96
120
from materials used in tank/covers
tCO2e (tonnes)
18.65
100
22.07
and bushings
80
100.44 The outcome of the tCO2e for the amount
60
112.92
101.79 106.79 of steel used in the tank and covers and
40 due to bushings is listed in Table 15.
20
23.27
0 0.432 0.378 0.374 As a summary, Fig. 7 provides an overview
DESIGN 1
Dielectric Fluid Core Assembly
DESIGN 2
Radiator & Conservator
DESIGN 3 DESIGN 4
Tank steel, Turrets & Bushings
of the tCO2e emissions impact of used ma-
terials by main transformer components.
Figure 7. tCO2e emissions impact due to the main transformer components

Table 11. Impact of transformer efficiency on tCO2e emissions from operational losses at different load
factors
Emission factor
0.024 0.024 0.024 0.024
(kgCO2e/kg)
Carbon emission at
374 tCO2e 376 tCO2e 405 tCO2e 331 tCO2e
25% load (tCO2e)
Change from
-- ↑2 tCO2e ↑31 tCO2e ↓ 43 tCO2e
Design 1
Carbon emission at
918 852 1018 876
50% load (tCO2e)
Change from
-- ↓66 tCO2e ↑100 tCO2e ↓42 tCO2e
Design 1
Table 12. Impact of total oil quantity on tCO2e emissions
Total Oil (kg) 19,250 21,600 18,900 18,720
Emission factor
1.209 0.02 0.02 0.02
(kgCO2e/kg)
Carbon emission
23.27 tCO2e 0.432 tCO2e 0.378 tCO2e 0.374 tCO2e
(tCO2e)
Change from
-- ↓22.84 tCO2e ↓22.89 tCO2e ↓22.89 tCO2e
Design 1
Table 13. Impact of core coil assembly on tCO2e emissions
Core coil assembly

31,565 35,465 32,290 33,750
(kg)
Carbon emission
(tCO2e)
Change from
-- ↑12.48 tCO2e ↑1.36 tCO2e ↑6.35 tCO2e
Design 1
Table 14: Impact of cooling assembly on tCO2e emissions
Cooling assembly
13,725 14,385 8,830 7,460
(kg)
Carbon emission
(tCO2e)
Change from
-- ↑1.65tCO2e ↓12.23 tCO2e ↓15.66 tCO2e
Design 1
Table 15. Impact of tank steel, turrets, and bushings on tCO2e emissions
Tank & bushings (kg) 11,000 11,695 11,295 14,160
Carbon emission
(tCO2e)
Change from
-- ↑1.63tCO2e ↑0.51 tCO2e ↑7.67 tCO2e
Design 1
MATERIALS
The transformer transportation to the 5.7 Comparison of GHG emissions

from transportation of transformer
customer site from the factory using the to New Zealand
transportation means and distances was Transformer transportation to the cus-
taken into account tomer site from the factory with the trans-
portation means and distances are pre-
sented in Table 16.
Table 16. Transportation distance and mode of transport
The impact of transporting the transform-
Means of transport er from the factory to the customer site is
Component Distance (km)
to the customer site listed in Table 17.
40/60 MVA
~150 km Truck 5.8 Comparison of GHG emissions
transformer
from transportation of materials
40/60 MVA and components to transformer
~14,000 km Ship
transformer factory
40/60 MVA Transformer component transportation

~300 km Truck
transformer
to the factory from suppliers with the
Table 17. Impact of transformer transportation to customer site on tCO2e emissions
Emission factor Ship – 0.02 kgCO2e/ton-km [12]

(kgCO2e/kg) Truck - 0.135 kgCO2e/ton-km [12]
Carbon emission
(tCO2e)
Change from
-- ↑2.43 tCO2e ↓1.35 tCO2e ↓0.5 tCO2e
Design 1

transportation means and distances are Table 18. Component transportation distances and mode of the transformer to the factory
presented in Table 18. Distance from supplier Means of transport
Component
to factory (km) to factory
The impact of transporting the transform-
er components from suppliers to the fac- Core Steel ~3000 km Ship & Truck
tory is listed in Table 19.
Winding ~3300 km Ship & Truck
5.9 Comparison of GHG emissions
from End-of-life (EOL) management Pressboard/wood ~9500 km Ship & Truck
Power transformers are designed to re- Paper ~9500 km Ship & Truck
main in use for a very long time. At end-
of-life, decommissioning is a natural part Oil ~9800 km Ship & Truck
of the life cycle, and units are disassem-
bled much in the same way as they were Core inactive parts ~10 km Truck
assembled. For liquid-filled transformers,
Radiators ~3200 km Ship & Truck
almost 95 % of the materials are recover-
able for either 1st-degree (recycled into
Tank ~10 km Truck
the same material needed for the manu-
facture of new transformers) or 2nd-de-
OLTC ~5000 km Ship & Truck
gree recycling (downgraded for use in
a different context with lower quality Bushings ~2000 km Ship & Truck
requirements). 2-3 % of the initial trans-
former weight [13] consists of pressboard, Miscellaneous ~100 km Truck
Kraft paper, wood, and other organic
materials ends up being incinerated with
energy recovery, and the rest goes to a
landfill. Typically, recyclable parts which
are impregnated with the dielectric oil are For liquid-filled transformers, almost 95 %
cleaned and treated before entering the
recycling process. Other parts are directly
of the materials are recoverable for either
incinerated or finally disposed of without 1st-degree or 2nd-degree recycling
Table 19: Impact of component transportation to factory on tCO2e emissions.
Carbon Emission
(tCO2e)
Change from
-- ↑0.77 tCO2e ↓0.33 tCO2e ↓0.37 tCO2e
Design 1
Table 20. Impact due to estimated landfill mass on tCO2e emissions
Emission factor
Landfill – 1200kgCO2e/ton
(kgCO2e/ton)
Total Weight (ton) 75,540 83,140 71,315 74,090
Estimated landfill
2.26 2.49 2.13 2.2
weight (ton)
Carbon emission
(tCO2e)
Change from
-- ↑0.28 tCO2e ↓0.15 tCO2e ↓0.05 tCO2e
Design 1
MATERIALS
Change in Carbon Footprint ( 83% vs 90% vs 95% NZ renewable mix) Design 2 and Design
for Design 1
4500
4,084 4 offer almost identi-
cal final carbon foot-
4000
3500
3000
prints, while Design 4
tCO2e (tonnes)
2,478
2500
2000
1500
achieves a significant-
ly lower transformer
1,140
1000
weight
500
GEF = 0.101 tCO2/MWh GEF = 0.059 tCO2/MWh GEF = 0.024 tCO2/MWh
0
2020 2040 2050
Operational Carbon Footprint @50% load Components Carbon Footprint
Transportation to Customer CarbonFootprint Landfill Carbon Footprint
Components Transportation Carbon Footprint Series7
further treatment. The following carbon
Change in Carbon Footprint ( 83% vs 90% vs 95% NZ renewable mix)
emission can be calculated according to
for Design 2 Table 20.
4000 3,804
3500 5.10 Summary: Life-cycle carbon

3000 footprint outcome
2,313
tCO2e (tonnes)
2500
2000
The overall carbon footprint is illustrated
1500
1,071 in the two following paragraphs.
1000
500 5.10.1 Effect of GEF

0
2020 2040 2050 In this section, the impact of GEF on
Operational Carbon Footprint @50% load Components Carbon Footprint the overall carbon footprint for all the
different transformer designs in 2020,
2040, and 2050 is shown in Fig. 8. With
the improvement in the GEF, the over-
Change in Carbon Footprint ( 83% vs 90% vs 95% NZ renewable mix) all carbon footprint reduces for all the
for Design 3
designs. The impact of the operational
5000
4500
4,470 carbon footprint reduces significantly,
4000
which contributes to the improvement.
3500 The total difference between each design
also decreases!
tCO2e (tonnes)
3000 2,689
2500
2000
1500 1,205 5.10.2 Comparison between the
1000 designs
500 GEF = 0.101 tCO2/MWh GEF = 0.059 tCO2/MWh GEF = 0.024 tCO2/MWh
0
The overall carbon footprint due to the
2020 2040 2050 four different designs is shown in Fig. 9
and 10 for the years 2040 and 2050, re-
spectively. Design 2 and Design 4 offer
almost identical final carbon footprints,
while Design 4 achieves a significantly
Change in Carbon Footprint ( 83% vs 90% vs 95% NZ renewable mix)
for Design 4 lower transformer weight, around ~9 tons
4500 lower than Design 2. The difference in the
3,885
4000 carbon footprint between Design 2 and
3500
Design 4 even reduces to a negligible level
3000
in 2050.
tCO2e (tonnes)
2,351
2500
2000
1500
Key inferences can be drawn:
1,072
1000
500
• The use of high-temperature insulation
0 (the combination of ester fluids and
2020 2040 2050
high-temperature paper insulation) in
Transportation to Customer CarbonFootprint Landfill Carbon Footprint the design of transformers can be one
of the most effective tools for balancing
material and energy efficiency as elec-
Figure 8: Evaluating the effect of grid emission factor on the tCO2e emissions
tricity grids continue to decarbonize.

The use of high-tem-
perature insulation in
Carbon footprint Comparison: Conventional (Mineral Oil) vs Conventional (Ester Fluid) vs Semi
Hybrid (Ester Fluid)
3000
the design of trans-

2,689
2,478 2,351
2500 2,313
formers can be one 2000
of the most effective
tCO2e (tonnes)
1500
tools for balancing 1000
material and energy 500
efficiency as electric-
Total Weight =75.5 ton Total Weight = 83.1 ton Total Weight = 71.3 ton Total Weight = 74.09 ton
0
Design 1 Design 2 Design 3 Design 4
ity grids continue to Operational Carbon Footprint @50% load

Transportation to Customer CarbonFootprint
Components Carbon Footprint
Landfill Carbon Footprint
decarbonize Components Transportation Carbon Footprint
Figure 9: Overall tCO2e emissions comparison: Design 1 vs. Design 2 vs. Design 3 vs.
Design 4 (the year 2040)
This is particularly the case today in
countries with high penetration of zero
and low-carbon generation sources, as Carbon footprint Comparison: Conventional (Mineral Oil) vs Conventional (Ester Fluid) vs Semi
in New Zealand. Hybrid (Ester Fluid)
• Transformer material shortages and 1,400
1,205
price volatilities are occurring more fre- 1,200 1,140
1,071
1,072
quently due to supply chain issues such 1,000
as increasing energy and carbon costs

tCO2e (tonnes)
800
and growing demand. As supply chains
600
progress towards decarbonizing their
production processes and increasing 400
the share of recycled content, the design 200
of transformers with hybrid insulation 0

Total Weight =75.5 ton Total Weight = 83.1 ton Total Weight = 71.3 ton Total Weight = 74.09 ton
in ester fluids is a key lever for reducing Design 1 Design 2 Design 3 Design 4
the total life-cycle carbon footprint and Operational Carbon Footprint @50% load Components Carbon Footprint
towards a net-zero future. Transportation to Customer CarbonFootprint

Components Transportation Carbon Footprint
Landfill Carbon Footprint
• Transformer consultants and end users

should reflect on the choice of tem-
perature rise limits specified with con- Figure 10: Overall tCO2e emissions comparison: Design 1 vs. Design 2 vs. Design 3
ventional insulation in mineral oil and vs. Design 4 (the year 2050)
ester fluids. If it is required to achieve
the same temperature rise limits, the
amount of material that goes into the
ester transformer increases. The ability
of esters transformers to achieve higher
temperatures is thus negated with such
an approach.
• The approach of co-creating trans-
formers will be invaluable in develop-
ing sustainable transformer balancing
material and energy efficiency and
optimizing the TCO in a carbon-con-
strained world.
Summary
The use of high-temperature insulation
(the combination of ester fluids and
high-temperature paper insulation)
proves to be an essential approach in
designing environmentally and eco-
nomically optimized transformers.
MATERIALS
Particularly in countries with high [8] Electricity demand and generation [11] B. P. Das, R. Milledge, Investigat-
penetration of low and zero carbon scenarios: Scenario and results summa- ing the impact of transformer specifica-
generation sources, such as the case ry, Ministry of Business, Innovation and tion on the life cycle carbon emissions:
of New Zealand. This can be a valu- Employment, ISBN: 978-1-98-857091-4 A case study for Middle East Countries,
able approach even though the op- (online), July 2019 TRANSFORMERS MAGAZINE, Vol-
erational energy losses generated by ume 9, Issue 3, 2022
such high-temperature designs may [9] E. Amoiralies et al., Energy efficient
be slightly higher. For the 40/60 MVA transformer selection Implementing [12] Ministry for the Environment, Gov-
transformer investigated in this article, life cycle costs and environmental ernment of New Zealand, Measuring Emis-
semi-hybrid insulation reduces the to- externalities, IEEE 9th International sions: A Guide for Organizations, 2020
tal transformer weight by ~9 tons when Conference on Electrical Power Quality
compared to conventional insulation in and Utilization, 2007 [13] B. De Wachter, T. Jezdinsky, The
ester fluid when the design is optimized circularity of medium-power electrical
for lowering the total cost of ownership [10] https://carbonpricingdashboard. transformers, TRANSFORMERS MAG-
considering the cost of carbon. This worldbank.org/ AZINE, Volume 9, Issue 1, 2022
also highlights that transformer speci-
fications must include the cost of car-
bon in the total cost of ownership con-
PEER REVIEWED
siderations.
Authors
Bibliography Dr. Bhaba P. Das is the Lead Digital Business Developer
[1] IEC 60076-2:2011, Power Trans- for Transformers Business Line, HUB (Asia-Pacific,
formers – Part 2: Temperature rise for liq- Middle East and Africa), at Hitachi Energy, based in
uid-immersed transformers Singapore. He is part of the Application Engineering
Team and spearheads the digital transformation efforts
[2] IEC 60076-13:2013, Power Trans- of transformers in the Asia-Pacific region. He has been
formers – Part 14: Liquid-immersed awarded the Hitachi Energy Global Transformers
power transformers using high-tem- Excellence Award for Customer Cooperation for 2020
perature insulation materials and 2021 in Sales & Marketing. Prior to Hitachi Energy, he worked as an
R&D engineer for a major transformer manufacturer in New Zealand. He
[3] R. Marek, J. C. Duart, T. Prevost, was awarded the Young Engineer of the Year 2017 by the Electricity Engineers
High-temperature insulation systems: Association of New Zealand for his work on the design and development of
an option for resilient transformers,
smart distribution transformers, fibre-optics-based sensors for transformers,
IEEE/PES Transmission and Distribution
and diagnostic software for fleet condition monitoring. He is a Senior Member
Conference and Exposition, 2018
of IEEE and a Young Professional of IEC. He completed his PhD in Electrical
[4] R. Szewczyk, J. C. Duart, R. Van Engineering at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand.
Schevensteen, Comparison of various
technologies used for distribution trans- Ghazi Kablouti is the Global Portfolio Sustainability
formers from an eco-standpoint, CIRED Manager for the Transformers business of Hitachi Energy.
22nd International Conference on In this role, he is in charge of defining the sustainability
Electricity Distribution, Paper 0725, value proposition across the transformers portfolio and
2013
driving the implementation of sustainability principles
and tools in product management and innovation
[5] J. C. Duart et al., Using high-tem-
perature insulation to reduce key trans- processes. He has more than 20 years of international
former materials, Mat Post 2007 and interdisciplinary experience at industry-leading
corporations in the energy infrastructure sector on pioneering and
[6] https://www.mbie.govt.nz/build- implementing global corporate programs and driving the development
ing-and-energy/energy-and-natural-re- and commercialization of cleantech and decarbonization solutions. He also
sources/energy-statistics-and-modelling/ served as senior advisor to the World Bank on the water-climate-energy
energy-statistics/electricity-statistics nexus and to leading corporations in the chemical and automotive sectors
on digitizing and standardizing product carbon accounting in global supply
[7] New Zealand’s Energy Outlook: chains. Ghazi has a degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from
Electricity Insight, Exploring the un- the University of Stuttgart (in Germany) and a PhD in Systemic Management
certainty in future electricity demand from the University of St. Gallen (in Switzerland). He is a former post-doc
and supply, Ministry of Business, Inno- visiting scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, USA) and
vation and Employment, ISSN 1179-4011
a senior lecturer at engineering and business schools on international business
(online)
ethics and corporate responsibility management across the value chain.

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MATERIALS

Advertorial
Cork solutions: a
sustainable way
to increase the
performance of
T&D applications
A
s 100 % natural, reusable and the hydrological cycle. They also make
recyclable, cork is one of the a fundamental contribution to the air
world’s most versatile materials we breathe because they retain carbon
from an environmental, social dioxide. Studies show that for every
or economic perspective. Cork solutions ton of cork produced, cork oak forests
contribute to a more sustainable future sequester up to 73 tons of CO21.
and have been used for several years in
industries such as aerospace, automotive Although it is a natural raw material,
or energy. cork has a unique set of technical
characteristics that are ideal for diverse
Amorim Cork Composites has industrial applications. Cork is a versatile
developed a range of cork composite and unique material due to characteristics
solutions specifically for the power such as impermeability to liquids and
industry, under the Amorim T&D gases, elasticity and compressibility,
brand. This range of solutions can be thermal and acoustic insulation and
applied in different parts of an electric resistance to friction. When used for
transformer, thereby contributing to the development of a product, all the
better sealing and control of vibration environmental advantages associated
and noise, while improving the system’s with this raw material also become
sustainability, when compared to 100 % an integral part of that product, thus
rubber solutions. combining the best of two worlds:
performance and sustainability.
Cork is inherently linked to its ecosystem:
the cork oak forest is part of one of the
Better results in a more
world’s 36 most important ecosystems for
biodiversity conservation - on a par with sustainable way
natural paradises such as the Amazon, Amorim T&D cork composite solutions
the African savannah or Borneo. Cork have been designed and specifically
oak forests serve as an anti-fire barrier, tested for transmission and distribution
due to cork’s low combustion rate, and
play an important role in regulating 1
Source: Instituto Superior de Agronomia (ISA), 2016
When used for the development of a product,

all the environmental advantages associated
with this raw material also become an integral
part of that product, thus combining the best of
two worlds: performance and sustainability
MATERIALS
For a 48-ton transformer that uses 14 internal equipment, in order to meet the needs of
each application.
vibration pads, with dimensions of 350 x 200 mm
and 40 mm thick, the cork integrated within the The incorporation of cork in the material
endows the solution with excellent
solution retains around 0.7 tons of CO2 conformability and reduced side flow,

essential characteristics for a good vibration pad, for a 48-ton transformer planet Earth. The T&D industry plays an
sealing material, since it permits larger that uses 14 internal vibration pads, important role in ensuring the transition
contact areas and higher compression measuring 350 x 200 mm and 40 mm to cleaner energy.
rates, ensuring an effective sealing barrier thick, the cork integrated within the
against possible surface imperfections solution retains around 0.7 tons of CO2. Amorim Cork Composites, as part of
and leakages. Corticeira Amorim, contributes to the
Since Amorim T&D solutions can be “Sustainable by Nature” programme,
In the case of vibration and noise control used in different parts of the system, it is which establishes the group’s objectives
solutions, cork plays a significant role in possible to achieve better performance for 2030. In 2021, it set quantitative
the elastomer and is directly responsible while opting for greater integration of goals to be attained by 2030, such as zero
for the damping function, known as more sustainable materials. carbon footprint (emissions 1 and 2),
the energy loss factor. Amorim T&D 100 % electricity from renewable sources
solutions can achieve noise reductions and zero impact on packaging.
Where to begin?
of up to 10 dBs when used with Amorim
Cork Composites’ four-step prioritization We are currently undergoing a revolution, A more sustainable future depends on
approach in the analysis and treatment focused on the transition of different everyone. To find out where to begin, visit:
of “noisy” equipment, which focuses on industries to greener products and https://amorimcorkcomposites.com/en/
controlling vibrations before they reach processes to ensure the sustainability of our-brands/amorim-td/
the tank’s structure.
2
Indicative values based on the carbon balance of cork. The carbon balance measures the carbon
In addition to endowing the material sequestration fostered by the cork oak forest that corresponds to the amount of cork used in the product.
with excellent technical characteristics,
cork contributes to the development of
a more sustainable product, since the Author
environmental advantages of cork are Marta Reinas, Technical Product Manager
integrated into the product.
Marta Reinas completed her master’s degree in chemical
Considering the TD1049 material — a engineering in 2015, and in the same year, she started
seal recommended for most transformer working at Amorim Cork Composites. She started as
oils — the amount of cork used in a sheet, a developer technician at the R&D department and is
measuring 1000 x 1000 mm and 6 mm currently Global Technical Manager responsible for
thick, can sequester up to 130 kg of CO22. providing all the technical support regarding the Sealing and Power Industry
In the case of vibration control solutions,
all over the world.
e.g. the VC2100, a material used as a
TECHNOLOGY
Switching to
sustainability:
A comprehensive
market analysis of
sustainable practices in
the switchgear industry
ABSTRACT industry need to be dealt with, in- As the demand for
A surge in the demand for elec-
cluding high initial costs and the electricity is rising
complexity of switchgear instal-
tricity over the years has made lations. Despite the constraints, across the globe, the
the role of switchgear in the the adoption of sustainable role of switchgear in the
power sector highly crucial. Con- industry practices will shape
ventional switchgear technology the future of the switchgear power sector, especially
is detrimental to the environ- industry. in the transmission and
ment, so there is a need to shift
to adopt sustainable practices distribution sector, has
KEYWORDS:
in the switchgear industry. Sev- become increasingly
eral bottlenecks in the way to
sustainability for the switchgear
switchgear industry; sustainabili-
ty; circular economy
crucial over the years

Muhammad USMAN
1. Introduction This has, in turn, created the need for 2. Current landscape of the
As the demand for electricity is rising the switchgear industry to move towards switchgear market
across the globe mainly due to industrial adopting sustainable industry practices
and population growth, improvements with a focus on decarbonization, eco-de- Currently, the switchgear market is grow-
in the electrification rates and electrifi- sign, high efficiency, and a sustainable ing owing to several factors, including
cation of the transport sector, the role of supply chain. However, there are several increasing demand for electricity, the
switchgear in the power sector, especially impediments in the switchgear industry integration of renewable energy sources
in the transmission and distribution sec- striving to adopt sustainable industry and planned investments into mega in-
tor, has become increasingly crucial over practices, including high initial costs frastructure projects. As a consequence
the years. But the traditional switchgear and the complexity of switchgear instal- of the increasing demand for electricity
industry practices are detrimental to the lations. But at the same time, significant and integration of renewables with the
environment as they lead to resource de- opportunities for innovation and devel- grid, the need to modernize and expand
pletion, pollution, and greenhouse gas opment for switchgear OEMs exist along the existing electricity grid infrastructure
emissions. the way. (transmission and distribution grids)
TECHNOLOGY
Key players in the global switchgear market make switchgear manufacturing more
sustainable, OEMs need to decarbonize
include established names such as ABB, manufacturing using renewable ener-
Siemens, Schneider Electric, and Eaton gy sources, energy-efficient equipment
and processes, sustainable materials and
Corporation waste reduction.
Eco-design
Eco-design largely involves designing
products and solutions that have a min-
imal environmental impact throughout
their lifecycle, including end-of-life dis-
posal as well. The environmental impact
of the switchgear industry can be reduced
by using SF6-free switchgear and solid in-
sulation switchgear. The usage of SF6-free
switchgear and solid insulation switchgear
will reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Such a shift to SF6 free switchgear is in line
with regulations in advanced economies,
for instance, EU’s F-gas Regulations 2022.
High efficiency
The high-efficiency component of the
circular economy concerns reducing en-
Figure 1. MV (medium voltage) switchgear CAGR 2021-2026 (Source: PTR Inc.) ergy consumption, operating costs and
improving overall system performance.
Switchgear manufacturers can achieve
is being increasingly felt. On the other upcoming generations to meet their own high efficiency through vacuum switch-
hand, planned investments into mega needs. A circular economy, on the other ing, using improved insulation materials,
infrastructure projects across the globe hand, is an economic model whose fo- optimized cooling systems, and moving
have also emerged as a key driver for the cus is to produce goods and services in a towards digitalization and automation.
switchgear market, specifically the medi- manner which is sustainable in nature. It
Sustainable supply chain
um voltage switchgear market. is significant to note that sustainability is
a broader term that focuses on people, the The sustainable supply chain compo-
According to the estimates of Power Tech- planet, and the economy, whereas circu- nent of the circular economy deals with
nology Research, the global switchgear larity deals with resource cycles. the adoption of sustainable practices
market is projected to grow at a healthy throughout the supply chain of the prod-
pace with a CAGR of 5.5 % from 2023- Circularity in the switchgear industry uct. The switchgear industry can also push
2028 (Fig. 1). As far as the demand cen- can be achieved by curtailing the con- to adopt sustainable practices throughout
ters are concerned, switchgear demand is sumption and wastage of resources, in- the supply chain which are aimed at re-
highest in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, cluding raw materials, water and energy, ducing environmental and social impacts
followed by EMEA (Europe, Middle East, followed by a reduction in the produc- along with value creation for stakeholders
and Africa) and the Americas. Demand tion of waste. This would require institu- in the industry.
in the APAC region is mainly due to in- tional interventions at both the national
dustrialization and urbanization in Chi- and international levels, along with in- To build a sustainable supply chain, the
na and India and increasing government centives to compensate for the cost of switchgear industry can take key initia-
investments in the energy sector. Key transforming the business model from tives. For instance, OEMs can carry out
players in the global switchgear market linear to circular. lifecycle assessments of switchgear and
include established names such as ABB, adopt responsible raw material sourcing
Siemens, Schneider Electric, and Eaton 3.1 Circular economy practices. On the other hand, collabo-
Corporation. ration with the suppliers and customers
Major components of the circular econo- aimed at identifying opportunities to re-
my include decarbonization, eco-design, duce the environmental impact and im-
3. Sustainability and circular
high efficiency, and a sustainable supply proving efficiency is also very crucial to
economy in the switchgear chain. establish a sustainable supply chain.
market
Decarbonization
The circular vision presented by World
Sustainability is r eferred to as meeting Decarbonization, a crucial component Economic Forum for the electronics in-
the requirements of the present genera- of a circular economy, involves reduc- dustry has the potential to serve as a tem-
tion without compromising the ability of ing greenhouse gas emissions. So, to plate for the switchgear industry (Fig. 2).

4. Current landscape of Major components of the circular economy
switchgear OEMs include decarbonization, eco-design, high
Electric switchgear manufacturers across efficiency, and a sustainable supply chain
the globe are beginning to realize the
significance of the circular economy, es-
pecially after the Paris Agreement. While
some of the electric switchgear companies 4.1 ABB erations and offers take-back services for
are far ahead in adopting the practices of product and component refurbishment,
circular economy, some manufacturers ABB has committed to reducing carbon reuse, or recycling [1].
continue to lag behind in this regard. dioxide emissions by 100 megatons by
2030 and achieving carbon neutrality in 4.2 Siemens
Furthermore, the OEMs have prioritized the operations of the organization with
different aspects of the circular economy. the help of renewable energy, improve- Siemens is also moving to adopt sustain-
For instance, some switchgear OEMs pri- ments in energy efficiency and electrifica- able industry practices through invest-
oritize product design for recycling, while tion of the vehicle fleet. ABB is also work- ments in its portfolio and implementing
others focus on take-back programs for ing with the suppliers to reduce emissions their latest technologies internally. It has
end-of-life equipment. It is expected that from the entire supply chain of the switch- set a target to reduce carbon emissions
as the regulations become stricter and gear business significantly by 2030. by 55 % by 2025, compared to 2019 lev-
the advantages of the circular economy els, and also aims to reduce emissions by
become more evident, more OEMs will The company stresses a lot on sustainabil- 90 % by 2030. For smart grid products,
move towards adopting circular economy ity in product design and has been push- systems and solutions, Siemens provides
practices, which in turn would contribute ing to maximize the use of sustainable eco-transparency and has implemented
to sustainability. materials while reducing waste. For ex- environmental and energy management
ample, it is noteworthy that no rare earth systems at several locations. At 164 Sie-
ABB, Siemens, Schneider Electric and Ea- materials were used in the manufacturing mens locations, an environmental man-
ton are some of the leading OEMs that have of ABB’s highest-efficiency motors. ABB is agement system certified under ISO
adopted practices of the circular economy. also planning to eliminate waste in its op- 14001 has been implemented [2]. An
Figure 2. Circular vision for the switchgear industry (Source: WEF)
TECHNOLOGY
Figure 3. Graphical depiction of circular economy (Source: Ellen MacArthur Foundation)
Electric switchgear manufacturers across turing Centre of Excellence in Michigan

promotes sustainable manufacturing and
the globe are beginning to realize the develops high-performance components,
significance of the circular economy, tools and fixtures through 3D printers.
Furthermore, to monitor and optimize
especially after the Paris Agreement power usage, Eaton utilizes IoT. Eaton’s
strategy is aligned with the United Na-
tions Sustainable Development Goals.
energy management system as per ISO In 2020, an overwhelming majority of The company follows a Design for Envi-
500001 has been introduced at 29 Sie- Schneider Electric’s sales, accounting ronment principle focused on minimiz-
mens locations. On the other hand, Sie- for 75 % fell under the Green Premium ing waste and pollution along with the op-
mens calculates the exact carbon footprint Program, which in turn allowed Schnei- timization of the use of natural resources.
of its products as per ISO 14040/44 [2]. der Electric to avoid the consumption of
157,000 metric tons of primary resources
4.3 Schneider Electric
5. Outlook and drivers for
through retrofitting, recycling and take
back programs [3]. sustainable switchgear
Schneider Electric has been able to incor- As the switchgear OEMs are moving away
porate circularity throughout the value 4.4 Eaton from a linear business model to a circular
chain of the products and services it pro- business model, Power Technology Re-
vides to its customers. It has taken a wide Eaton is pursuing to significantly reduce search is observing the emergence of sev-
range of initiatives to support circularity, the carbon emissions from operations by eral new technologies, for instance, sol-
beginning with sourcing green materials 50 % from 2018 levels, lower product and id-state switchgear and digital switchgear.
and designing circular-ready products, supply chain emissions, achieve carbon These technologies have the capacity to
for instance, those under the Green Pre- neutrality in operations and certify all improve the overall sustainability perfor-
mium Program. Furthermore, Schneider manufacturing sites as zero waste to land- mance of switchgear products by reduc-
Electric offers lifecycle services, such as fill by 2030 [4]. ing energy losses, enhancing reliability,
retrofitting, repair, refurbishment and and curtailing environmental impact.
recycling services and an energy man- The organization plans to invest a whop-
agement system. It is noteworthy that the ping sum of USD 3 billion in research Furthermore, as sustainability is becom-
company is also advocating the use of sus- and development of sustainable solutions ing increasingly crucial for the stakehold-
tainable and returnable packaging. by 2030 [4]. Eaton’s Additive Manufac- ers in the switchgear industry, manufac-

turers and suppliers in the future will be As the switchgear OEMs are moving away
required to innovate and separate them-
selves by developing sustainable switch- from a linear business model to a circu-
gear products from conventional OEMs
and suppliers.
lar business model, Power Technology
Research is observing the emergence of
In the future, the sustainable switchgear
market will be largely driven by national several new technologies
and regional targets to reduce emissions
and the integration of renewables with
the electricity grid, followed by regulatory geopolitics calls for a further increase in Power Technology Research believes that
and policy drivers. renewable penetration, electrification, OEMs that are able to introduce commer-
and energy efficiency, which in turn will cially viable technological solutions that
Economies across the globe have made in- drive the demand for sustainable switch- are not only eco-friendly but sustainable
ternational and regional commitments to gear. as well will be leading the global switchgear
reduce carbon dioxide emissions. In turn, market in the long run. OEMs are recom-
they require OEMs to move towards dig- mended to focus on sustainability and de-
6. Looking forward
italization and reduce their emissions in velop products that cater to the latest mar-
line with regional and international com- The global switchgear market is being ket trends and challenges. Additionally, for
mitments. Such requirements are creating largely driven by increasing electricity de- successful implementation of sustainable
demand for sustainable switchgear. mand, integration of renewables with the practices, OEMs need to collaborate with
electricity grid and mega infrastructure the customers and suppliers of switchgear.
Furthermore, Power Technology Re- projects. Push for the adoption of sus-
search is observing the widespread de- tainable practices with a focus on com-
Bibliography
ployment of distributed energy resources ponents of the circular economy, includ-
across countries, driving the demand for ing decarbonization, eco-design, high [1] ABB, “Leading the way to circu-
sustainable switchgear. The intermittency efficiency, and sustainable supply chain, lar economy,” 16 March 2023. [Online].
linked with DERs complicates the job of is shaping the global switchgear market, Available: https://global.abb/group/en/
the system operator, so in order to main- especially in advanced economies. There sustainability/we-preserve-resources
tain the security and improve the reliabil- are still several challenges that the market
ity of the system with distributed energy faces in the way of adopting sustainable [2] Siemens, “Benefit from increased
resources, utilities move to install digital practices that need to be dealt with, in- EcoTransparency,” 16 March 2023.
switchgear. Digital switchgear contributes cluding high initial costs and the com- [Online]. Available: https://www.sie-
to sustainability and has the capacity to plexity associated with the installation of mens.com/global/en/products/energy/
gather information which is crucial for switchgear. Power Technology Research ecotransparency.html
the system operator. has observed that despite the bottlenecks,
significant opportunities exist in the mar- [3] Schneider Electric, “What is the
Lastly, regulations and policies, for in- ket for innovation and the development circular economy and how can com-
stance, the EU’s Eco-design Directive, of new products. panies participate?,” [Online]. Avail-
can also drive the adoption of sustainable: https://perspectives.se.com/blog-
able switchgear. The upcoming bans and Furthermore, it is observed that custom- stream/what-is-the-circular-econo-
directives are, in a way, incentivizing ers and the stakeholders in the switch- my-and-how-can-companies-participate.
manufacturers and suppliers to invest in gear industry demand environmentally [Accessed 16 March 2023]
sustainable switchgear technologies. EU friendly products and solutions, specif-
has proposed strict deadlines to ban the ically in advanced economies. But as we [4] Eaton, “Sustainability,” [Online].
sale of new switchgear employing SF6 by move forward, the demand for such prod- Available: https://www.eaton.com/bg/
2031. Also, the revision of the renewable ucts and solutions will also be generated en-gb/company/sustainability.html. [Ac-
energy directive of the EU in light of the from developing economies. cessed 16 March 2023]
Customers and the

Author
stakeholders in the Muhammad Usman is a Power Grid analyst at PTR
switchgear industry de- Inc. who specializes in MV and HV switchgear market
analysis. He is passionate about an SF6-free future and
mand environmentally digitalization in the energy sector and works closely
with clients to provide effective solutions. He has a
friendly products and Master’s degree in Energy Systems Engineering and has
solutions, specifically contributed to market reforms in Pakistan’s electricity
sector through a USAID project.
in advanced economies
ENVIRONMENT
Sustainability
without
compromises
Pioneering instrument
transformers with
biodegradable liquids
liquid technologies into their instrument ester MIDEL 7131 and bio-hydrocarbon-
ABSTRACT
transformers. While it may seem trivial, based oil Nynas Nytro BIO 300X. Both of
There is a very small amount of there is extensive dielectric, thermal, the liquids successfully completed the
detailed experience available regarding climatic and material compatibility entire testing cycle and are considered
instrument transformers filled with testing that needs to be done, before a approved for commercial use.
biodegradable liquids. In an effort to dielectric liquid can be approved for use.
make their entire high-voltage product That being said, the aim of this article KEYWORDS:
line more sustainable, thus providing is to give a brief overview of performed
considerable added value, Končar – tests and gathered data. The focus will Instrument transformers, biodegrad-
Instrument Transformers, decided to be on prototypes filled with two different able liquids, dielectric performance,
implement all available biodegradable types of biodegradable liquids: synthetic simulated ageing, internal arc

Krešimir KOPRIVEC
Končar Instrument Transformers has shifted

into higher gear by producing several 110
to 400 kV prototypes filled with both MIDEL
7131 and Nynas Nytro BIO 300X liquids,
setting the basis for the new products
ENVIRONMENT
Implemetnation of biodegradable liquids is bon footprint, with all of the advantages

of Končar design. As there can’t be any
the next evolutionary step in the instrument compromise regarding good and healthy
transformer design environmental practices, there wasn’t any
compromise regarding Končar design.
The prototypes were produced using the
same design as the units with conven-
1. Introduction ing several prototypes ranging from 110 tional mineral oil. What had to be done in
to 400 kV rated voltage and including a order to successfully combine these two
Implementation of biodegradable liquids spectre of instrument transformer types concepts shall be explained in the article
isn’t something new in Končar Instru- (CTs, inductive VTs, combined units and ahead.
ment transformers. The company has SSVTs) filled with both MIDEL 7131
already started experimenting with alter- and Nynas Nytro BIO 300X. These in-
2. Available biodegradable
native liquids in 2016 when it produced strument transformers with reduced en-
its first prototypes (110 kV CT and VT) vironmental impact became the poster “technologies”
filled with MIDEL 7131. Even though children of the _Green_Line_ product As stated above, the company’s first
there was no tangible feedback from the range (Fig. 1). experience with biodegradable liquids
market at the time, the stage was set for was with MIDEL 7131, a synthetic
future endeavours. This product range combines the benefits ester, so it was natural to follow up on
of biodegradable liquid properties, such the previous experience. The second
In the past couple of years, the company as reduced environmental effects (on liquid, Nynas Nytro BIO 300X (which
has shifted into higher gear by produc- soil, water and air) and reduction of car- is a bio-based carbon isoparaffinic oil)
Figure 1 Prototypes of the _Green_Line_ product range

was chosen because of its outstanding under extreme dielectric stress due to that instrument transformers have a ho-
chemical properties and negative carbon transients and common disconnector mogenous paper-oil type of insulation
footprint. It is worth mentioning that switching operations during their opera- rather than a heterogeneous oil-paper
prototypes filled with Cargill FR3 (natural tional lifetime. barrier type as power transformers have.
ester) and Shell Diala S5 BD (GTL-based Another reason is heat transfer which
biodegradable oil) are scheduled to be Although there is a lot of experience with in instrument transformers is mostly
produced and tested during 2023. the implementation of biodegradable liq- through conduction, not convection nor
uids in power and distribution transform- directed flow as in power transformers.
ers [1], the instrument transformer field
3. The situation at hand
is a sort of “terra incognita” regarding this Having in mind the severe dielectric stress
Instrument transformers function as topic. The same conclusion derived from and lack of historical experience, exten-
“frontline” equipment in the power sys- experience with power transformers can’t sive and additional testing of instrument
tem as they are positioned directly after be directly translated into instrument transformers needed to be done in order
the disconnector, meaning they come transformers. The reason behind this is to verify the insulation system of the new
Figure 2. Scope of testing performed on each instrument transformer type
ENVIRONMENT
Thorough testing had to be performed in order to evaluate the influence

of biodegradable liquids on insulation design
product range. In parallel, a complete example, the 110 kV combined unit simulates current interruption with a
map of compatibility material was per- VAU-123 filled with BIO 300X was tested disconnector. The test was performed
formed. The array and consecution of according to IEC because it was designed with 600 negative chopped impulses
the performed tests are shown in Fig. 2, according to Austrian specification while with 70 % to 80 % of the wave amplitude,
with DGA being performed after each of the 220 kV SSVT unit VPT-245 filled depending on whether it is performed
the tests. The article will not go into de- with BIO 300X was tested according to according to IEC or IEEE standards.
tail about every test performed but shall IEEE since it was designed having a US The test procedure was coordinated
focus on the dielectric and internal arc specification in mind. All of the units and performed according to the new
tests. passed routine and type tests successfully, methodology as outlined in the CIGRE
including having partial discharges be- WGA3.42 [2]. The test is deemed to be
low 10 pC at power-frequency withstand successful when no breakdown occurs,
4. Dielectric tests
voltage. and gas rises are within standard-
4.1 Routine and type tests prescribed limits. In Fig. 3., several DGA
4.2 Multiple chopped impulse results are shown with the outer outline
The prototype units were routine and testing being the prescribed limits and the green
type tested according to IEC or IEEE fill being the measured values. As it is
standards, depending on what specifi- Multiple chopped impulse testing is clear from the results, the units passed the
cation the prototype was designed. For a heavy-hitting dielectric test since it test successfully.
400 kV CT type AGU-420 BIO 300X 400 kV CT type AGU-420 MIDEL 7131
Measured Allowed Measured Allowed
100 100
Concentration [ppm]
Concentration [ppm]
10
10
1
1
0.1
0.1 0.01
H2 CH4 C2H2 H2 CH4 C2H2
Gas Gas
400 kV IVT type VPU-420 BIO 300X 400 kV IVT type VPU-420 MIDEL 7131
Measured Allowed Measured Allowed
100 100
Concentration [ppm]
Concentration [ppm]
10 10
1 1
0.1 0.1
0.01 0.01
Gas Gas
110 kV combined type VAU-123 BIO 300X 275 kV SSVT type VPT-300 MIDEL 7131
Measured Allowed
Measured Allowed
100
100
Concentration [ppm]
Concentration [ppm]
10 10
1 1
0.1 0.1
0.01 0.01
Gas Gas
Figure 3. DGA results after multiple chopped impulse testing

C [pF]
Time [h:min] Time [h:min]
110 kV combined type VAU-123 BIO 300X 110 kV combined type VAU-123 BIO 300X
Applied voltage Partial discharges
tgδ(%) Insulation Capacitance
250 4.5
0.5 3350 4
0.45 200 3.5
3300
0.4
3
0.35 3250 150
PD [pC]
0.3 U [kV] 2.5
3200
tgδ [%]
C [pF]
0.25 2
100
0.2 3150 1.5
0.15 3100 1
50
0.1 0.5
3050
0.05
0 0
0 3000
0:00 1:57 4:00 5:49 7:54 10:03 12:07 14:02 16:07 17:54 20:02
0:00 1:57 4:00 5:49 7:54 10:03 12:07 14:02 16:07 17:54 20:02
Time [h:min]
Time [h:min]
Figure 4. Tan delta, capacitance and partial discharges measurement during lifetime expectancy test
400 kV CT type AGU-420 BIO 300X 110 kV combined type VAU-123 BIO 300X
Before lifetime expectancy test After lifetime expectancy test Before lifetime expectancy test After lifetime expectancy test
100 1000
Concentration [ppm]
Concentration [ppm]
100
10
10
1
1
0.1 0.1
H2 CH4 C2H2 C2H4 C2H6 CO CO2 H2 CH4 C2H2 C2H4 C2H6 CO CO2
Gas Gas
Figure 5. DGA results before and after the lifetime expectancy test
4.3 Lifetime expectancy test 40 years on maximum rated voltage. higher tg δ value. This is to be expected
During the test, tg δ, capacitance and since synthetic esters are known to have
The lifetime expectancy test is a pro- partial discharges are continuously mea- an increased value tg δ due to the polar-
prietary non-standard test that was de- sured. ity of the liquid.
veloped in cooperation with Končar
Electrical engineering institute [3]. The Units filled with BIO 300X exhibited 4.4 Impulse until breakdown
purpose of the test is to simulate dielec- excellent performance, even better than
tric ageing during the transformer’s life- conventional mineral oil. The measured The procedure for impulse testing until
time. The instrument transformer is put results for tg δ, capacitance and par- breakdown is as follows: the start of the
on power-frequency withstand voltage tial discharges are shown in Fig. 4 while test is at rated lightning impulse voltage.
for 20 to 24 hours (in contrast to the the gas rises (which were negligible) are The voltage is then raised in steps of 5
routine test where the duration is only 1 shown in Fig. 5. %, with three positive and three nega-
minute). This way, by extrapolating the tive impulses applied at each step. The
procedure, 24 hours on power-frequen- Units filled with MIDEL exhibited satis- transformer is tested until the voltage
cy withstand voltage equal to roughly factory performance but with a slightly breakdown. An interesting unit regard-
ENVIRONMENT
Internal arc class II

for all three types
of liquids has been
achieved
tested. All three of them passed the test

successfully, earning Internal arc class II
(internal fault current r.m.s. value of 50
ing this test was a 400 kV CT filled with results in a comparable gas increase foot- kA, arc duration 0.3 s), which is the best
BIO 300X. The unit experienced dielec- print as conventional mineral oil. possible class regarding this test.
tric breakdown at 1925 kV or 135 % of
the rated lightning impulse voltage (1425 Although the standard IEC 61869-1 is
5. Internal arc
kV). Fig. 6 shows the voltage waveform not quite conclusive on what constitutes
of the breakdown while Fig 7. shows the An internal arc is a destructive test where a pressure relief device and what the
DGA results before and after breakdown. an internal fault is simulated inside the term “fragmentation” actually implies
These recorded values, which are practi- head enclosure of the current transform- (with burn-through and fire being ac-
cally identical for units filled with both er. Three 170 kV CT units with three dif- ceptable) [5], the key is not to have any
BIO 300X and MIDEL, serve to prove ferent types of insulating liquids (miner- lateral projections of parts and only for
that dielectric breakdown in these liquids al oil, MIDEL 7131 and BIO 300X) were the pressure relief device (which, in
Končar design, is the bellows cover lid
and bellows lid [6]) to detach itself in
order for the energy release to be exe-
cuted safely upwards.
All of the units behaved, basically, the

same way with equivalent levels of re-
leased energy (around 6 MJ which is
equivalent to the explosion of approx-
imately 50 hand grenades). In Fig 8, all
of the tested units are shown during the
pressure relief operation.
As it is clear from Fig. 8, the insulating

liquid doesn’t have a considerable influ-
ence in the case of an internal arc. The
reason for that is an extreme amount
of energy released in a short time on a
small oil volume held in non-expand-
Figure 6. 45th lightning impulse waveform
able housing. This is why the design of
the pressure relief system is the key to the
successful completion of the test and the
400 kV CT type AGU-420 BIO 300X consequent operational safety that stems
from internal arc qualification.
Before impulse until breakdown After impulse until breakdown
1000
After extensive test-

Concentration [ppm]
100
10 ing, Končar Instru-

1
ment transformers
considers both MIDEL
7131 and Nynas Nytro
0.1
H2 CH4 C2H2 C2H4 C2H6 CO CO2
BIO 300X as fully im-

Gas
Figure 7. DGA results before and after impulse until breakdown test
plemented
6. Conclusion
After extensive testing, doing the addi-
tional homework and going beyond the
scope of existing in verifying the de-
sign, Končar Instrument Transformers
considers the implementation of both
dielectrics to be complete. Commercial
deliveries already started in Q1 of 2022
to various countries within the Europe-
an Union, USA, and East Asia, to name
a few. At this point, it is clear that an
increasing number of customers under-
stand and recognize the benefits of in-
strument transformers filled with biode-
gradable liquids.
It is Končar’s outlook that biodegradable

liquids are the future in which one wants
to be, not only the pioneer but also the
frontrunner. Therefore, in this task, it is
essential to be impartial and objective,
which is only possible by clearly under-
standing which liquid is the “best” and
why.
Bibliography
[1] I. Radić, I. Sitar, B. Jakovpović and
A. Majcen, “Synthetic Esters in Power
and Special Transformers,” International
Colloquium Transformer Research and
Asset Management, Dubrovnik, Croatia,
2012
[2] T. Župan, I. Novko, I. Žiger, “Multi-

ple Chopped Wave Test: Experience and
Possible Future Test Improvement”, 2022
Electrical Insulation Conference (EIC),
Knoxville, TN, USA, 2022
[3] M. Poljak, D. Filipović-Grčić, Op-

timiranje izolacijskog sustava mjernih
transformatora, HO CIGRE, 7 savjeto-
vanje, Cavtat 2005.
Figure 8. 170 kV CTs internal arc (from top to bottom: mineral oil, MIDEL 7131, BIO 300X
[4] Comparison of the electric and di- filled unit)
electric behaviour of different insulating
fluids,” 10th International Conference on
Conduction and Breakdown in Dielec- Author
tric Liquids, Grenoble, France, pp. 524- Krešimir Koprivec was born in Čakovec, Croatia, in
528, 1990 1994.
He received his master’s degree from the Faculty of
[5] IEC 61869-1, “Instrument Trans- Electrical Engineering and Computing, University
formers – Part 1: General Requirements”, of Zagreb, Zagreb, in 2019. He is currently attending
2007 postgraduate specialist study in transformers at the
Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing.
[6] M. Poljak, B. Bojanić, “Method for Since 2019, he has been employed as an electrical design
reduction of in-service instrument trans- engineer at Končar Instrument Transformers Inc.
former explosions”, European Transac- His research interests include high-voltage instrument transformers, with a
tions on Electrical Power, Vol. 20, No. 7, focus on biodegradable insulating liquids and dielectric testing.
pp. 927-937, Oct. 2010.
STANDARDS
tion is between liquid-filled and dry- is reasonable, but a better approach

ABSTRACT
type transformers. Higher losses are would be to formalise the concession
The EU’s minimum energy perfor- considered acceptable for dry-type for all transformers meeting the same
mance standards differentiate power transformers to compensate for their requirements.
transformers by rated power, rated ability to fulfil certain requirements.
voltage and technology. The first This technology-based concession KEYWORDS:
two are self-evident and perfor- has resulted from its historical devel-
mance-based. This article addresses opment but hampers innovation and regulation, standardisation, technol-
whether technology is pertinent as a creates unfair competition. Differenti- ogy neutrality, fire performance, inno-
differentiator. The main differentia- ation to avoid excessively high costs vation

Angelo BAGGINI
Technology
neutrality
in power
transformer
regulation and
standardisation
A proposal for a general
approach
1. Introduction legislative regulations. Their number and
importance continue to increase due to
Technical solutions to improve the energy the greater attention given to the environ-
performance of power transformers are mental impact of human activities and the
mature and commercially available. They growing share of electricity in the energy
are driven by minimum energy perfor- mix.
mance standards (MEPS) mandated by
policy measures in major countries and 2.1 Legislative regulation
regions around the world. This article
analyses some of the implicit assumptions Every major economy worldwide has
in these policy measures, which have re- policy measures in place to promote the
sulted in the variation in MEPS for differ- use of energy-efficient power transform-
ent types of power transformers. ers through MEPS, high-efficiency per-
formance specifications (HEPS), energy
labelling, the Chinese JB/T standard, or
2. Current regulations and
the Japanese Top Runner programme.
standards MEPS apply to every power transformer
The electrical power sector is character- on the market. Utilities and other custom-
ised by its many technical standards and ers may decide to purchase transformers
Every major economy worldwide has policy

measures in place to promote the use of energy-
efficient power transformers through MEPS,
high-efficiency performance specifications or
energy labelling
STANDARDS
IEC TS 60076-20:2017(E) states its objec- transformers. The published specifica-

tion, IEC TS 60076-20:2017(E), states
tive as: ‘to promote a higher average level of its objective as: ‘to promote a higher
energy performance for transformers’ due average level of energy performance for
transformers’ due to the ‘need for ener-
to the ‘need for energy saving and reduction gy saving and reduction of the emission
of greenhouse gases’. It proposes three
of the emission of greenhouse gases’ methods of evaluating a transformer’s
energy performance:
with higher performance levels, but can- of 50 Hz and used in transmission and • the Peak Efficiency Index (PEI), which
not purchase units below MEPS. HEPS distribution networks or in industrial implicitly minimises the Total Cost of
promote higher performance levels, but applications. Energy performance re- Ownership (TCO);
do not set a minimum standard, so cus- quirements have been defined according • the no-load and load losses at rated
tomers may still purchase a transformer to the types of transformers identified in power, mainly leading to an efficiency
with energy performance levels below the the regulation. The Ecodesign MEPS are optimisation of transformer cores and
HEPS. introduced in two phases, the first set coils for units produced in large vol-
of requirements entering into force on umes; and
The US Department of Energy (DOE) 1 July 2015 and the second, more strin- • the efficiency at a defined power factor
has set mandatory energy efficiency stan- gent set of requirements on 1 July 2021. and particular load factor (typically
dards for distribution transformers [4] The main basic MEPS are based on the EI50, i.e. at 50 %).
covering liquid-filled and dry-type units, IEC 60076 series of standards and are
both single-phase and three-phase, rated differentiated by maximum voltage Each method is then further specified
at 60 Hz frequency and a primary volt- (Um), rated power, and technology [1]. with reference to IEC and IEEE practices,
age of 34,500 V or less. The power ratings Article 7 of the Amending Regulation resulting in a total of 2 x 3 = 6 alternative
are set between 10 and 2,500 kVA for 2019/1783 [3] mandated a review no lat- methods. In the technical specification,
liquid-immersed units and between 15 er than 1 July 2023 to address a series of the IEC recommends two levels of re-
and 2,500 kVA for dry-type units. In this issues, including ‘the possibility to adopt quirements for each of these methods.
respect, the DOE has established the fol- a technology-neutral approach to the Level 1 relates to basic energy perfor-
lowing in the Code of Federal Regulation minimum requirements set out for liq- mance, and level 2 relates to high energy
(CFR): uid-immersed, dry-type and, possibly, performance.
electronic transformers’.
• 10 CFR Part 431 – Energy Efficien- 3. Main MEPS comparison
cy Program for Certain Commercial 2.2. Technical standardisation
and Industrial Equipment. These reg- As discussed in the previous paragraph,
ulations include energy conservation The current legislative regulations ad- current MEPS are different depending
standards and test procedures for dis- dressing power transformers are based on the transformer technology. The main
tribution transformers; on applicable technical standards result- difference reflected in the MEPS is based
• 10 CFR Part 429 – Certification, ing from historical development. The ex- on whether transformers contain liquid
Compliance, and Enforcement for panding range of transformer technolo- insulation or not. Table 1 compares the
Consumer Products and Commer- gies meant that new standards were added required energy performance of cor-
cial and Industrial Equipment. These to ensure that all types were covered. As a responding dry-type and liquid-filled
regulations cover statistical sampling consequence, standards are structured by transformers, as stipulated in Regulation
plans, certified ratings, certification technology, as are the regulations based (EU) No. 548/2014. It shows the ratio
reports, record retention, and en- on those standards. This has led to dif- between maximum-load losses and no-
forcement. ferences in the regulatory approach and load losses allowed for dry-type trans-
minimum energy performance require- formers and those allowed for liquid-im-
MEPS refer to 10 CFR 431 and are differ- ments depending on the transformer mersed transformers under Tier 1 and
entiated by rated voltage, rated power and technology. Tier 2 of Regulation (EU) No. 548/2014.
technology [5]. The figure ranges between 0.8 and
The set of international standards cov- 2.86.
The European Commission adopt- ering power transformers is published
ed Regulation (EU) No. 548/2014 [2] under IEC 60076. It is prepared and
4. Need for a technology-
on 21 May 2014, which implemented maintained by IEC Technical Commit-
Directive 2009/125/EC on Ecodesign tee 14, which is responsible for standards neutral approach
for small, medium, and large pow- for power transformers, tap-changers, The absolute values of minimum energy
er transformers. The regulation ap- and reactors for use in power gener- performances were set based on preparato-
plied to transformers put into service ation, transmission and distribution. ry studies analysing the available technolo-
from 1 July 2015 and purchased after The IEC convened a technical commit- gies, market needs, and the current popula-
11 June 2014 with a minimum power tee to develop a guiding specification tion of power transformers (for an example
rating of 1 kVA, designed for a frequency on energy performance levels for power of an EU preparatory study, see [7]).

MEPS required for power transformers
decrease with voltage and increase with
MEPs imposed on liquid-filled power trans-
rated power. In case of increasing volt- formers differ from the ones imposed on
age, this approach balances the increase
in unit dimensions and weight due to the dry-type units for the same voltage and
additional need for electrical insulation. rated power
In case of decreasing rated power, it bal-
ances the relative increase in manufactur-
ing material required to achieve energy these performance levels. While this aim Most power transformers manufactured
savings. In the author’s view, this type of was reasonable, the mitigation of MEPS, today are made of conventional materials
differentiation is needed since it balances as currently formulated, applies only to and fit into the current approach, but the
the various performance requirements. dry-type technology instead of being for- electrical energy sector in general, and pow-
Under the current regulation, however, malised for all transformers exhibiting er transformers in particular, are expected
MEPs imposed on liquid-filled power the requisite performance, no matter the to see significant changes in the near future:
transformers also differ from the ones im- technology used. Dry-type technology
posed on dry-type units for the same volt- was probably the only technology avail- • New technologies are emerging or
age and rated power. This approach was able for achieving the required fire be- are expected to emerge, providing
recommended in the preparatory studies haviour at the time when the regulatory the same performance that had been
with the aim of avoiding excessively high process started. exclusive to one particular technol-
costs where specific performance levels – ogy until recently. Examples include
such as fire-safe behaviour and leak-proof By taking a technology-based approach electronic power transformers and es-
design – were required. Higher losses for a goal that is, in principle, perfor- ter-insulating liquids.
were accepted to facilitate the alternative mance-based, unfair competition be- • There is now a greater focus on per-
design or technology needed to achieve tween technologies was introduced. formance factors other than energy
Table 1 – The ratio between maximum-load losses and no-load losses allowed for dry-type transformers under Tier 1 and Tier 2 of Regulation (EU) No
548/2014, and those allowed for liquid-filled transformers (ref. single- or three-phase, 50 Hz, 2 windings, MV Um ≤ 24 kV, LV Um ≤ 1.1 kV, OLTC range ≤ 5 %).
STANDARDS
The ISO/IEC Directives formulated the • Defining “a transformer with increased

fire safety” in an unambiguous, tech-
performance principle: ‘whenever possible, nology-neutral way, for example as a
requirements shall be expressed in terms of power transformer in which flamma-
bility is restricted and the emission of
performance rather than design or descrip- toxic substances and opaque smoke is
minimised.
tive characteristics like a technology’ • Developing technical standards that set
maximum levels of flammability, emis-
sion of toxic substances and opaque
efficiency, including sustainability, fire ucts came on the market in greater vol- smoke, as well as corresponding tests1
behaviour, noise, maintainability, and umes, stability was a concern. When using covering all the technologies.
material efficiency and recyclability. four-legged office chairs especially, users
• Minimum performance levels are up- tended to tip the chair over when reach- Currently, such a standard is available
dated continuously, becoming increasing for something. The test standard did only for dry-type transformers. This
ingly demanding. not design a stability test for office chairs. would continue to be, for the moment, the
• New, special application areas, such as Instead, it simply prescribed that all cas- only transformer type to benefit from en-
smart grids, are appearing on the market. tor-wheeled office chairs should have five ergy performance concessions in the pro-
legs. But this inevitably stifled any innova- posed new regulatory system. However,
A regulation which limits concessions to tive ideas for alternative ways to resolve the by naming and defining this class of con-
only some technologies hampers inno- stability issues, and, in fact, there has been cession based on how it performs rather
vation. Manufacturers are discouraged no innovation in this field since. than the technology on which it is based,
from developing alternative technologies a historical error would be rectified, and
to achieve the required performance be- Conversely, if mobile phone standards had potential future innovation would not be
cause these technologies are artificially limited their application to wireless phones hampered.
disadvantaged by law. To avoid such with physical buttons, the smartphone
market distortion, the ISO/IEC Direc- would never have entered the market. A similar approach would have to be fol-
tives formulated the performance prin- lowed for other aspects of performance
ciple: ‘whenever possible, requirements The concession of allowing higher ener- where:
shall be expressed in terms of perfor- gy losses was a way of facilitating anoth-
mance rather than design or descrip- er equally important performance factor • modified design or technology is re-
tive characteristics like a technology’ [6, and must therefore not be abandoned but quired;
chapter 5.4]. rather reformulated. • combining the modified design with
minimum energy performance levels
A classic example revealing the conse- To follow the technology-neutral princi- (and, in the future, possibly with other
quences of neglecting this principle is the ple in the case of fire behaviour, to give just Ecodesign requirements such as mate-
design of castor-wheeled and swivelling of- one example, the following actions would rial efficiency) is technically impossible
fice chairs. In the 1950s, when these prod- be required: or would be too costly.
1
For the present, available in the power transformer sector, IEC 60076-11:2018 Power transformers - Part 11: Dry-type transformers.

In general, this technology-neutral ap-
proach should be used to balance Ecode-
A technology-neutral approach and
sign requirements with other perfor- harmonised test procedures facilitate
mance factors. It should be taken into
account when evaluating the adequacy
technological innovation and provide fair
of all upcoming regulatory documents trade conditions
and technical standards2. The choice of
performance factors to be included would
first require rigorous investigation and their product. A harmonised test meth- butes to the user (cost, lifespan, mainte-
diligent deliberation and might include – od also means they can look forward to nance…).
but not necessarily – fire-safe behaviour, long-term rewards for innovative product
internal arc safety, leak-proof design, and designs. 5. Conclusions
noise restriction, among others.
Having a consistent test method encour- The analysis demonstrates that:
A technology-neutral approach and har- ages national governments to establish
monised test procedures facilitate techno- harmonised energy efficiency thresholds • current legislative regulations address-
logical innovation and provide fair trade broad enough to encompass all current ing power transformers are based on
conditions. Well-designed regulations market circumstances, as well as aspira- applicable technical standards;
and standards encourage trade, the exe- tional efficiency thresholds as pointers for • these technical standards have been
cution of conformity assessments, per- future market development. developed on a technology basis;
formance level comparisons, technology • this approach was adopted based on
transfer, and the adoption of best prac- Table 2 illustrates a possible scheme for preparatory studies analysing the
tices. Governments, as much as manu- implementing a technology-neutral ap- available technologies, market need,
facturers, stand to gain from neutral, har- proach. and the existing population of power
monised, consistent, and stable standards. transformers and aimed to avoid the
Benefits to governments include: As can be seen, MEPS could be defined disproportionately higher cost in cas-
based on the requisite performance, not es where particular aspects of perfor-
• lower development costs for test meth- on the technology itself. A given performance – such as fire-safe behaviour
ods; mance can be provided by multiple tech- and leak-proof design – were required;
• comparative test results; nologies. The market will deliver all those • this aim was reasonable, but the way
• the ability to incorporate innovative technologies which comply with both the the mitigation was formalised intro-
technical solutions; requisite performance and the required duced a technology bias;
• reducing the number of exceptions in MEPS level while offering the right attri- • energy performance requirements are
regulations;
• the ability to adopt a common set of
Table 2. Scheme for a possible technology-neutral approach
upper thresholds that can be used for
market pull programmes, such as la-
Requisite performance MEPS Applicable technologies
belling and incentive schemes; and
• faster and less costly testing – for com- Liquid-filled, dry-type,
pliance and other purposes — since No particular requirement Level 1 and other emerging
harmonised testing leads to a wider technologies
range of laboratories able to conduct
product testing. Fire performance without the Dry-type and other
Level 2
presence of people emerging technologies
For manufacturers, having one harmon- Fire performance/explosion
Dry-type, other emerging
ised test method with specified mea- proof (involving the presence Level 3
technologies
surement uncertainties used by markets of people)
around the world will reduce testing costs
No environmental damage in Ester-filled, dry-type, and
associated with demonstrating regulatory case of leakage
Level 4
other emerging technologies
or product labelling compliance. In an
ideal world, every manufacturer would al- Oil-filled, ester-filled, dry-
ways conduct exactly the same tests in ex- Low noise Level 5 type, and other emerging
actly the same way, and the results would technologies
be universally accepted as being accurate … … …
and representative of the performance of
2
From “ISO/IEC GUIDE 77-2:2008 Edition 1.0 (2008-09-01): Guide for specification of product properties and classes - Part 2: Technical principles and guidance /
Introduction”: “The capability to characterize products in an abstract way, independently of any particular manufacturer, is a fundamental aspect of engineering knowledge.
Such a characterization is done by the name of a category of products that fulfils the same function, […]. Such a category is called a characterization class. This first level of
characterization is further detailed by means of some property-value pairs, which describe more precisely the target product within its characterization class. Examples of
such properties are inner diameter, threaded length and capacitance.”
STANDARDS
The market will deliver all those technologies which comply with both
the requisite performance and the required MEPS level while offering
the right attributes to the user (cost, lifespan, maintenance…)
reduced for only one particular technol- transformer type to benefit from energy Bibliography
ogy instead of these lower requirements performance concessions in the proposed
being formalised for any transformers new regulatory system. However, by nam- [1] IEC 66076 series – Power transformers
providing the required performance, no ing and defining this class of concession
matter the technology used. based on how it performs rather than the [2] Commission Regulation (EU) No
technology on which it is based, a histori- 548/2014 of 21 May 2014 on implement-
In the context of legislative regulations cal error would be rectified, and potential ing Directive 2009/125/EC of the Euro-
and technical standardisation of power future innovation would not be hampered. pean Parliament and of the Council with
transformers, the approach should be up- regard to small, medium and large power
dated to one that is technology-neutral. A similar approach would have to be fol- transformers
lowed for other aspects of performances
• MEPS should be differentiated based on where: [3] Commission Regulation (EU)
other performance attributes of the unit; 2019/1783 of 1 October 2019 amending
• Performance should be classified in a • modified design or technology is re- Regulation (EU) No 548/2014 on imple-
technology-neutral way; quired; menting Directive 2009/125/EC of the
• A harmonised way to test each perfor- • combining the modified design with European Parliament and of the Council
mance aspect should be developed. minimum energy performance levels with regard to small, medium and large
(and, in the future, possibly with other power transformers
This will: Ecodesign requirements) is technically
impossible or would be too costly. [4] EN 50708 series: “Power transform-
• stimulate innovation; ers - Additional European requirements”
• prevent unfair competition between In general, this technology-neutral ap-
technologies included in the legislation; proach should be used to balance Ecode- [5] DOE 78 FR 23335: “Energy Conser-
• define the limits and application do- sign requirements with other perfor- vation Program: Energy Conservation
mains of exemption categories; mance factors. It should be taken into Standards for Distribution Transformers”
• avoid major deployment of applica- account when evaluating the adequacy of
tions that escape standards and create all upcoming regulatory documents and [6] ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2:2018, edi-
an unfair market. technical standards. The choice of per- tion 8.0 (2018-05) “Principles and rules
formance factors to be included would for structure and drafting of ISO and IEC
Adopting a technology-neutral approach first require rigorous investigation and documents”
to transformer MEPS is mentioned diligent deliberation and might include –
among the aspects to be considered in the but not necessarily – fire-safe behaviour, [7] Lot 2 Ecodesign Preparatory Study
upcoming review of EU Regulation No. internal arc safety, leak-proof design, and for small, medium and large power trans-
548/2014. To develop such an approach noise restriction, among others. formers, https://transformers.vito.be/
for the case of fire behaviour, to give just
one example, the following actions would PEER REVIEWED
be required:
• Defining “a transformer with increased Authors

fire safety” in an unambiguous, tech- Angelo Baggini has a PhD in electrical engineering
nology-neutral way, for example, as a in the University consortium of Pavia, Pisa, Cagliari,
power transformer in which flamma- Firenze (Italy) in 1997. He is an aggregate professor of
bility is restricted and the emission of Electrical Engineering at the University of Bergamo
toxic substances and opaque smoke is (Italy) and an international consultant in the electrical
minimised; energy sector (ECD Pavia Italy). Since 2013 he has been
• Developing technical standards that chairman of Cenelec TC14. He started his research
set maximum levels of flammabili- work both in CESI Metrological Lab in Milan and in the
ty, emission of toxic substances and Electrical Engineering Department of the University of Pavia, focusing on
opaque smoke, as well as correspond- EMC and PQ aspects of electrical measurements and electrical machines.
ing tests covering all the technologies. Author of over 200 technical and scientific papers and PQ Handbook (2008)
and Electrical Energy Efficiency (2012), both published by Wiley and Sons.
Such a standard is currently only available Prof. Baggini is a member of IEC TC14, convenor of IEC TC14 AHG35, and
for dry-type transformers. This would chairman of CEI TC97.
continue to be, for the moment, the only

Special Edition:
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technology.
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the interest in this subject is high.
The goal of Transformers Magazine’s November 2023 special edition is to share information and
present new ideas that will help the market to advance in this field.
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electrical utilities and consultants, as well as component and material manufacturers to take
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REFURBISHMENT
Need for
circular economy
Refurbishment of large
power transformers
utilities. Determining the optimal main- ventive maintenance, and replacement.

ABSTRACT
tenance choice on the right unit at the Between the two, there are targeted ac-
Why, what, which and when of power right time is by itself a complex science. tions on certain transformers, such as
transformer maintenance One approach to look at this problem targeted maintenance or refurbishment.
is to optimize the total life cycle cost
As transformer maintenance costs of a transformer. Mainly there are two KEYWORDS:
continuously increase, new approach- main intervention actions in a life of a
es to optimize all life cycle decisions transformer: maintenance which can prioritization of maintenance, refur-
are becoming the focus of electrical be regrouped under corrective and pre- bishment, decarbonisation.

Ismail GÜNER, Denis GOSSELIN
More than 60 % of greenhouse gas

emission in a whole life of a transformer
is generated during the manufacturing
of the active part
Utilities that believe that

the old transformers should
simply be replaced by new
ones are facing supply
chain and investment bud-
get limitation issues
SUSTAINABILITY
Strictly using the maintenance cost that material, labour, offline time and capital-
ization fees, it can be demonstrated that it
includes the cost of material, labour, offline can be cost-effective to refurbish a trans-
time and capitalization fees, it can be former, but if we add the other advantag-
es such as the carbon footprint decrease,
demonstrated that it can be cost-effective environmental impact reduction due to
oil leeks reduction, reduction in preven-
to refurbish a transformer tive maintenance workforce required,
downtime reduction and others, it then
becomes evident that transformer refur-
had an easy life to maintain the condition bishment is unavoidable.
Introduction and reliability of their power transform-
The active part of a transformer can be de- ers. But now, those days are over, and the A power transformer refurbishment usu-
fined as the magnetic core, the windings, maintenance of a good proportion of ally implies replacing: the bushings, all su-
and the solid insulation in and around the their transformer fleet is more and more pervision accessories and their wiring, the
windings, and it represents about 70 % of difficult. Utilities that believe that the old connection cabinet, the cooling fans, and
the total cost of the transformer. For utility transformers should simply be replaced other similar accessories. It also implies
substation applications, the life expectan- by new ones are facing supply chain and replacing all the gasket material and valves
cy of an active part can vary between 70 investment budget limitation issues. and redoing all the pipe works. Tap chang-
to 80 years and maybe more. However, ers and cooling radiators can be eighter
historically, the replacement of a power Concerns for the environment and climate replaced or refurbished. Tank and acces-
transformer is often performed way be- change forced governments and utilities to sories paint can be optional depending on
fore the end of life of its active part due to take into consideration new strategies to the original paint condition.
severe degradation of its critical compo- reduce their carbon footprints. Knowing
nents, such as bushings and tap changers that more than 60 % of tons of CO2e is
But implementing a
and its accessories, even if they represent generated during the transformers’ man-
only approximately 30 % of the total cost of ufacturing, refurbishment methodologies transformer refurbishment
a new transformer. And if the transformer of power transformers could help utilities program involves many
is not replaced or refurbished when these reduce their carbon emission. challenges:
critical components and accessories are
getting to their end of life, the total lifetime Candidate selection and
Maintenance cost and prioritization
maintenance cost and offline duration will
increase significantly, and the transformer refurbishment
reliability will decrease substantially. The life extension of a power transformer Aged power transformer fleets would
after 40–50 years in service can be consid- have many candidates for life extension
Many industrialised countries have ered an asset investment if the active part decisions. Candidate selection and prior-
built their main infrastructures from the is in fairly good shape and if the refurbish- itization can be performed using health
mid-fifties to the mid-seventies. In the ment is cost-effective. Strictly using the indicators developed to choose the ones
following 40 to 50 years, their utilities maintenance cost that includes the cost of that represent the highest interest for the
Figure 1. Maintenance cost without refurbishment

investment. The health indicators are us- Refurbishment candidate selection and
ing system data and information such as
active part and accessories condition, age, prioritization can be performed using
grid impact and many others. health indicators developed to choose the
Candidate evaluation ones that represent the highest interest for
When a short list of candidates has been
the investment
established, a refurbishment qualification
tree can be developed using specific crite-
ria. This tree will, however, have to be used of case-to-case solutions will have to be labourer that performs the work. Many
by a transformer specialist because of the developed. utilities could have great difficulty choosing
complexity and the diversity of the infor- between using their workforce or a con-
mation that needs to be processed. Any- Intervention mode tractor. But one way or the other, a special-
way, the investment decision should not ized workforce in that technical field might
rely strictly on automated data processing The refurbishment work mode scenario well be difficult to find in the next years.
because the data quality could easily lead will depend on many factors, such as the
to a false qualification. The critical point is size and weight of the transformer, its loca-
Benefits of refurbishment
to correctly evaluate the active part condition and the downtime allowed by the grid.
tion to invest in candidates that will have For cases in which downtime needs to be Circular economy
a good life expectancy after the refurbish- reduced to the minimum, a rotation sce-
ment is performed. The main tool to make nario should be evaluated. And generally, In order to determine whether a targeted
that evaluation is oil analysis (dissolved the bigger transformers located in remote intervention, such as the refurbishment of
gas analysis (DGA) and chemical markers areas are a good candidate to perform the a large power transformer, is economically
(furan and methanol)). refurbishment work on-site, while smaller reasonable, a business case must be evalu-
units could well be refurbished more effi- ated. Approximately the cost of all critical
Intervention planning, engineering, ciently in a service shop. components and accessories represents 30
and procurement % of the total cost of a new transformer,
Intervention efficiency excluding all the engineering and related
The success of a refurbishment project project costs. In a case where the active
relies heavily on performing the work, And the last challenge may well be dic- part is in good condition, replacement of
detailed engineering and procurement tated by the labour shortage that strikes all accessories would result in a potential
ahead of time because many of these many countries these days. To perform a circular economy volume of more than 70
accessories have a very long delivery transformer refurbishment project with the % of the value of a new transformer while
lead time. With the great diversity of expected efficiency and quality, you abso- reusing the raw materials such as copper
the transformers present in these fleets, lutely need a highly specialised workforce and core steel that have seen their highest
there is no one size fits all receipt. A lot at all levels, going from the engineer to the prices per unit of weight in 2022.
Figure 2. Maintenance cost with refurbishment
SUSTAINABILITY PEER REVIEWED
Resilience of network The ability to manage disruption is op more secure and sustainable sup-
an important resilience capacity of an ply chains while managing the risk of
Ageing power transformer fleets rep- electrical utility company. Most North a high-impact event to ensure reliabil-
resent a particularly significant issue American utilities are facing or will ity. Refurbishment offers a buffer to
for the ability to perform as required, likely face a replacement wave due to utilities from such major supply chain
without failure, for a given time in- their fleet profile. Utilities must devel- disruptions.
terval, under given conditions. As the
complexity and interdependencies in
the electrical transmission industry in-
crease, power networks may become
more vulnerable, creating conditions for
cascading, system-level failures. There-
fore, resilience-based asset management
approaches are gaining importance in
the context of deep uncertainties and
various possible future disruptive events.
For a complex power network, having a
robust redundancy plan is very crucial to
reduce the recovery time. A refurbished
reserve fleet would increase the ability to
effectively manage operations after many
failures after extreme events while reduc-
ing the cost of the redundancy bank in-
vestments.
Carbon footprint
Electrical networks play a crucial role in

delivering the Net Zero targets and the
transition to a more sustainable future.
The challenges to achieving such envi-
ronmental targets will have an impact on
every industry, with electrical networks at
the heart of the solution. More than 60 %
of greenhouse gas emission in a whole life
of a transformer is generated during the
manufacturing of the active part, exclud-
ing the carbon footprint of copper cables
Figure 3. Example of a transformer refurbishment qualification tree
and core steel manufacturing and trans-
port. Implementing refurbishment strat-
egies would have a significant impact on
reducing the carbon footprint of a large Authors
transformer fleet as well as the number Ismail Güner received a B.E. degree in electrical
of oil leaks that are related to the natural engineering from École Polytechnique de Montréal,
ageing of the transformer structure. Canada. He worked as a power transformer electrical
design engineer at ABB. He currently holds the position
Supply chain disruptions of power transformer engineer at Hydro-Québec. He is
an active member of the IEEE transformers committee
Over the past two years, many supply working groups.
chain disruptions have affected electrical
utility operations across the planet. How-
ever, supply chain resilience has never Denis Gosselin graduated from École de Technologie
been tested as it was in 2022. These dis- Supérieure (E.T.S.) in 1990 as an Electrical Engineer, and
ruptions, such as raw material and labour has been involved in repairing and remanufacturing
shortages, transport bottlenecks and low different types of electrical apparatus for more than 25
probability high-impact events, have re- years. He has been the Service department Engineer of the
sulted in rising costs and longer delivery General Electric Montréal facility for 14 years and has been
timelines for major equipment. Power a transformer specialist for Hydro-Québec since 2010. He is
transformers have been affected the most currently involved with the Hydro-Québec repair facility in
due to the diversity of raw materials used Trois-Rivières (CEE) and in many transformer repair and refurbishment projects.
in manufacturing.

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MATERIALS
footprints of different transformer

ABSTRACT
types (LPT, SPT, DT with copper or
The carbon footprint of transformers aluminium) are also included. It is
during the life cycle, including raw also explained that the transport
materials, production, and operation industry is a major contributor to
stages, has been analyzed. First, pri- global emissions, and the transport
mary raw materials are discussed of transformers creates a significant
regarding their contribution to the carbon footprint. As the last point,
carbon footprint. Then, as the larg- it is discussed how the transformer
est contributor to carbon footprint, industry could contribute to decar-
the steel industry is discussed in bonization efforts in their factories
detail. The current investments and and during the operation stage of
commercial offerings for green steel the transformers, and some sugges-
are presented. The enormous chal- tions have been made.
lenges the steel industry faces to
reach carbon neutral status in 2050
KEYWORDS:
and the revolutionary changes in
steel making process are discussed. raw materials, steel, copper, alu-
The same points are also present- minium, fluids, transportation, de-
ed for the copper, aluminium, and carbonization, supply chain, supply
oil industries. Some sample carbon chain management

Ufuk KIVRAK
Green supply chains

for the transformer
industry
MATERIALS
Steel has the largest share of carbon emis-

Transformer operation has a major impact sions among the raw materials of a trans-
on the carbon footprint, assuming 40 years former (60–70 %)
of the transformer’s lifetime The transformer tank, conservator, and

radiators are made of steel, and the core is
made of electrical steel.
The carbon footprint of transformers reported (Scope 3 reporting is voluntary).
during the life cycle, including raw mate- The absolute values of the figures may show 1 tonne of crude steel emits 2 tonnes of
rials, production and operation stages has some variations depending on several as- CO2.
been analysed. sumptions made during the calculation,
however, the proportions will not change. Mining of iron ore and coal is the up-
stream industry for steel production. The
1. Transformer lifecycle
This graph clearly shows that the dom- steel industry is energy, capital, and tech-
The following graph shows the carbon inant part of the carbon emissions takes nology-intensive.
footprint contribution of 3 stages of the place during the operation of the trans-
transformer lifecycle in proportion: former. The consequences one may de- All major steel companies have confirmed
rive from this graph will be discussed in their 2030 and 2050 targets to eventually
The figures are index values (raw materials a later part of this article. reach carbon-free status in 2050.
assigned as 100) and are intended to show
the relative magnitudes as an average. A short explanation may help under-
2. Raw materials
stand the steelmaking process. There are
The average load of the transformer 2.1. Steel two major technologies. One is blast fur-
during operation is taken as 50 %, and the nace technology. In this case, the iron ore
lifetime is assumed as 40 years. The iron and steel industry accounts for (iron oxide) and the coking coal (carbon)
7.2 % of global carbon emissions, which are brought together in the blast furnace,
For transformer producers, raw materi- makes it one of the largest contributors in and the iron is reduced for downstream
als are defined as Scope 3 and usually not the world. operations. This process generates high
levels of a by-product by combining car-
bon and oxygen, which is carbon diox-
ide. The blast furnace is the largest con-
Steel has the largest share of carbon emis- tributor to the carbon emissions from
steel. And the environmental impact is
sions among the raw materials of a trans- high. The other technology is electric arc
furnaces, and they typically work with
former (60–70 %) steel scrap. They don’t use iron ore. This is
good in two aspects. First, it doesn’t pro-
duce the same amount of carbon dioxide
as a blast furnace. Secondly, steel scrap
Raw materials Tr. Production Operation (40 years) is recycled, which is also good for cir-
cularity and environmental aspects, but
Raw Tr. Operation
materials 100
production (40 years) 2 8,000 the dominant technology is blast furnace
100 2 8,000 because although the capital investment
is very high compared to the electric arc
furnace, the operational costs are much
lower.
9000
8000 There are several efforts to produce “green
7000 steel.” The announced investments to pro-
6000
duce green steel will be briefly reviewed.
(All the information is taken from the
5000
websites of the relevant companies).
4000
2.1.1. SSAB (Sweden) HYBRIT Project
3000
2000 In 2016, SSAB, LKAB, and Vattenfall
1000
joined forces to create HYBRIT – a joint
venture project that endeavours to revo-
0
lutionize steelmaking. HYBRIT aims to
Raw materials Tr. production Operation (40 years)
replace coking coal, traditionally needed
for ore-based steel making, with hydro-
Fig. 1. Carbon footprint of transformer lifecycle (index values) gen. The result will be unique: the world’s

first fossil-free steelmaking technology,
with virtually no carbon footprint. The
Major steel production companies are
goal is to have a solution for fossil-free focusing their efforts on the production of
steel by 2026.
environmentally friendly “green steel” that
The first stage was the development of causes lower CO2 emissions in the manu-
hydrogen steelmaking using a newly built
direct reduction plant (7,000 t/yr) in Lu- facturing process
lea, with a €150 million investment.
The planned production capacity is 1.3 innovation chain and promoting the ArcelorMittal has received a German
million tonnes/year from 2026. low-carbon transformation in the steel state funding pledge for half the €110
industry. Members of the alliance will million ($131 million) it plans to invest
Volvo Group reveals the first vehicle follow the principles of openness, vi- in a demonstration steel plant that will
made of fossil-free steel produced by sion sharing, and intellectual property use hydrogen produced with renewable
SSAB, a load carrier for use in mining and protection, actively respond to climate electricity.
quarrying (13 October 2021). change, and work together for the fu-
ture of the steel industry and the benefit Environment Minister Svenja Schultze
SSAB is teaming up with Faurecia to of mankind. They started research on said Berlin would pay €55 million -- sub-
jointly explore the development of fos- the industrialization of hydrogen steel- ject to EU approval -- for the direct re-
sil-free advanced high-strength steel for making using the existing 400 m3 test duced iron (DRI) plant that will use green
use in the automotive seating business BF in Xinjiang. hydrogen to reduce iron ore in a CO2
(2 September 2021). The investment is -free steelmaking process, ArcelorMittal
2.1.3. Thyssen-Krupp
supported by Swedish Energy Agency. said in a statement on Tuesday.
Thyssen-Krupp launched bluemint®
2.1.2. BAOWU
steel with a reduced carbon footprint in The company aims to produce “green”
On 18 November 2021, the Global 2022. It is also available for GOES grades steel from 2025 onwards, obtaining it
Low-Carbon Metallurgical Innova- from TKES, and it is the first commercial from clean DRI derived from a yet-to-
tion (GLCMI) Alliance, initiated by GOES product with low carbon emis- be-built 50-megawatt electrolyzer and
China Baowu and co-sponsored by the sions. melted with steel scrap in an electric arc
global steel industry and ecosystem part- furnace, which itself will be fuelled by
bluemint® pure
ners, was announced in Shanghai. green power.
• Measure: use of HBI in the blast fur-
The Global Low-Carbon Metallurgical nace, also hydrogen in the long run Uwe Braun, CEO of ArcelorMittal Ham-
Innovation Alliance is jointly established • CO2 reductions at the Duisburg pro- burg, said the plant would enable his
by 62 companies, universities, and scien- duction site and in a global context company to produce 100,000 tonnes of
tific research institutions from 15 coun- • Allocated CO2 reductions lead to re- DRI for steelmaking with green hydro-
tries in the world. Its members include duced product-related carbon inten- gen by 2025. FRANKFURT, 7 September
internationally renowned companies sity 2021 (Reuters)
such as ArcelorMittal, ThyssenKrupp, • CO2 reduction of 1.5 tonnes of CO2
2.1.5. Salzgitter SALCOS®
Tata, BHP, Rio Tinto, Vale, and FMG, as per tonne of hot strip
well as scientific research institutes and • Residual carbon intensity of 0.6 tonnes 13 July 2022 | Press release of Salzgitter AG
engineering companies, among them, are of CO2 per tonne of hot strip
RWTH Aachen University, Ukrainian Salzgitter AG’s Supervisory Board ap-
bluemint® recycled
Metallurgical Research Institute, Danieli proves funds of €723 million for imple-
and Pratt. • Measure: use of scrap in the blast fur- menting the first stage of the SALCOS®
nace - Salzgitter Low CO2. SALCOS® is aimed
The alliance positions itself as a tech- • CO2 reductions at the Duisburg pro- at converting the integrated steelworks
nology exchange platform in the field duction site into low-carbon crude steel production
of low-carbon metallurgical innovation • Balance-sheet CO2-neutral recycling in three stages over the period up un-
to gather R&D resources of the glob- product til 2033. As part of the transformation,
al steel industry, upstream and down- • CO2 reduction of 1.35 tonnes of CO2 direct reduction plants and electric arc
stream companies, universities, and per tonne of hot strip furnaces will be built and will then re-
research institutions to collaborate in • Specific CO2 emissions of 0.75 tonnes place the blast furnaces and converters
the development of basic as well as for- of CO2 per tonne of hot strip in stages. The transformation will enable
ward-looking low-carbon metallurgical the process that was formerly based on
2.1.4. Arcelor Mittal
technology, to promote technology co- coking coal to be replaced by a new hy-
operation, exchange, and transforma- Arcelor Mittal announced the develop- drogen-based route. Emissions savings of
tion, advancing the engineering and ment of hydrogen use in an existing com- around 95 % a year are to be subsequently
industrialization of low-carbon tech- mercial natural gas DRI plant (100,000 achieved, thereby avoiding approximate-
nologies, forming a low-carbon value tonnes/year). ly 1 % of Germany’s carbon emissions.
MATERIALS
Fig. 2. Salcos steelmaking process of Salzgitter
Nippon Steel Corporation has launched All steel products manufactured by Nip-
pon Steel (including GOES) can be sup-
sales of “NSCarbolexTM Neutral,” a steel plied as NSCarbolexTM Neutral, which
makes it the second commercial GOES
product that is certified as reducing CO2 product with a low-carbon footprint in
emissions in the steelmaking process, in the market.
the first half of fiscal 2023 Supply volume in fiscal 2023 is expected
to be about 300,000 tonnes per year, cal-
culated by basic unit conversion of steel
Production launch is planned for the end fully operational by 2027, subject to the products certified with virtually zero CO2
of 2025. required regulatory approvals. GravitHy emissions.
has the ambition to produce an annual
The new facilities will enable us to pro- throughput of 2 million tonnes of Di- In addition to the CO2 emission reduc-
duce 1.9 million tonnes of green steel rect Reduced Iron (DRI) and to create tion certificate issued by Nippon Steel,
a year. Customers from a range of indus- over 3,000 direct and indirect jobs for NSCarbolexTM Neutral will be provided
tries are already expressing keen interest. the region. with a third-party certificate to ensure im-
As a result, the Salzgitter Group has al- partiality.
ready agreed on possible deliveries in re- The scheme will involve the installation
2.1.8. Vision by 2050 for the steel
cent weeks with customers from various of some 650 MW of electrolyzer capacity,
sectors, including household appliance which will be one of Europe’s largest by the industry
manufacturers, the automotive industry, time it comes online, to produce 110,000 Based on a report from Wood MacKenzie
and re-rollers. tonnes of hydrogen per year. (15 September 2022)
2.1.6. GravitHY 2.1.7. NSCarbolex™ Neutral by Nippon
Decarbonizing the steel and iron ore in-
30 June 2022 | Press release Steel C dustry by 2050, in line with the Paris Cli-
Nippon Steel Corporation (“Nippon Steel”) mate Agreement, will require US$1.4 tril-
A company composed of EIT InnoEn- has launched sales of “NSCarbolexTM lion of investment and revolution across
ergy, the innovation engine for sustain- Neutral,” a steel product that is certified every stage of the value chain.
able energy supported by the European as reducing CO2 emissions in the steel-
Institute of Innovation & Technology, a making process, in the first half of fiscal Wood Mackenzie’s analysis shows
body of the European Union (EU), Engie 2023. US$800-900 billion will be essential to
New Ventures, Plug, FORVIA, GROUPE remove carbon from existing steelmaking
IDEC through GROUPE IDEC INVEST As a certification method of reducing infrastructure, such as setting up new hy-
INNOVATION and Primetals Technol- CO2 emissions, Nippon Steel is consid- drogen-based direct reduced iron (DRI)
ogies, today launch GravitHy – a future ering adopting a method (the mass bal- and electric arc furnaces.
market leader in green iron. ance method) in which the total amount
of CO2 emissions that Nippon Steel has Mining companies will need to play an ac-
The project will build its first plant in the actually reduced by reforming and im- tive role in cutting their operational emis-
area of Fos sur Mer, Southern France, proving manufacturing processes, etc., sions as well as invest in new high-grade
with construction commencing in 2024. is determined and allocated to any given mines and green pellet capacities to feed
The company aims for the plant to be steel product. green steel. In turn, this will require five

times the current supply of high-grade
pellet feed, an equivalent to 750 million
Decarbonizing the steel and iron ore indus-
tonnes, translating into an investment of try by 2050, in line with the Paris Climate
US$250-300 billion.
Agreement, will require US$1.4 trillion of in-
Switching to clean energy will also require vestment and revolution across every stage
around 2,000 GW of dedicated renewable
generation capacity, equivalent to two- of the value chain
thirds of current global renewable gener-
ation capacity.”
The report warns that these measures will Green premiums are also inevitable, given
A hydrogen ecosystem will also need to be still fall short of emissions targets, necessi- new technologies and low-carbon feed-
developed for green steel, as decarboniza- tating an incremental US$200-250 billion stocks are likely to inflate steel production
tion will require around 50 million tonnes investment in carbon offset measures, costs by 15-20 %
per annum of competitively priced green such as Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and
hydrogen, with commercial viability versus Storage (CCUS), as the industry will need The transition to net zero calls for collab-
conventional steelmaking routes requiring to capture and store 470 million tonnes of orative action globally and a unified ap-
green hydrogen supply at US$2/kg. carbon to reach its emission target in 2050. proach across the value chain.
Fig. 3. Copper value chain

MATERIALS
Report by Hydrogen Europe: 1. Huge R&D investments are needed: The transformer industry could partner
many aspects of the new steelmak- with green steel initiatives and start appli-
Decarbonizing the average primary steel ing technology are not fully solved cations already today.
plant in the EU would require 1.2-1.3 yet.
GW of renewables-powered electro- 2. A huge Capex is required for imple-
3. Copper
lyzers running at full load to produce mentation (government involvement
enough green hydrogen to extract iron will be needed). 3.1. Copper value chain
from iron ore. 3. Strong collaboration among stake-
holders is necessary. There is a long value chain in copper con-
The required Capex ranges from €3.3bn 4. The whole value chain and logistics ductors for the transformer industry.
to €7.0bn for a single plant of average ca- have to be re-established.
pacity. And that does not include the re- 5. The industry will face higher operating Copper miners and smelters serve a wide
newable energy that would be needed to costs. range of industries, and transformers rep-
power the electric arc furnaces that make resent only a tiny portion of their port-
the steel. This transition is an ultra-marathon, and folio. They are tier 2 and tier 3 suppliers
it will not follow a straight path. to the transformer industry, and usually,
2.1.9. Conclusion
there is no direct business relation.
Decarbonization of the steel industry is a However, there are already a few commer-
mammoth task with the following chal- cial offerings, and they will grow signifi- Copper has the second largest share
lenges: cantly after 2025. of carbon emissions among the raw
Copper mining emits 2.3–2.5 tonnes of carbon per tonne of metal,

while smelting adds another 1.65 tonnes
Fig. 4. Power-agnostic truck from Komatsu

materials, after steel, in a transformer
(20–25 %).
Boliden offers low-carbon copper as a
commercial product, and it has less than
Copper mining emits 2.3–2.5 tonnes of
carbon per tonne of metal, while smelt- 1.5 kg CO2EQ/kg of copper
ing adds another 1.65 tonnes. In compar-
ison, most of the fabrication processes
have a much lower carbon footprint.
There are also newer efforts to produce Boliden offers low-carbon copper as a pany Komatsu to develop zero-emission
green copper. commercial product, and it has less than mining equipment and infrastructure.
1.5 kg CO2EQ/kg of copper. Boliden’s The collaboration will form part of the
3.2. Green copper from Boliden low-carbon copper is produced from Komatsu Greenhouse Gas (GHG) alli-
copper mined in their mines in the north ance, which also includes Codelco and
Boliden AB is a Swedish multination- of Sweden, using clean energy. Boliden Boliden as founding members. Mem-
al metals, mining, and smelting company also offers 100 % recycled copper with the bers of the alliance will collaborate with
headquartered in Stockholm. The company same carbon footprint value. The primary Komatsu on the planning, development,
produces zinc, copper, lead, nickel, silver, raw material for Boliden’s recycled copper testing, and commissioning of the next
and gold with operations in Sweden, Fin- is the used electronics. generation of zero-emission mining. This
land, Norway, and Ireland, and they have alliance’s initial work will aim to advance
3.3. Elcowire group low carbon copper /
reported group revenues as $6.3 B in 2021. Komatsu’s power-agnostic truck concept
ASTA low carbon CTC for a haulage vehicle. The vehicle will be
Elcowire Group (Sweden) manufactures designed to run on different power sourc-
copper wire rods and further-processed es, including diesel-electric, electric, trol-
aluminium and copper wire. The group ley (wired), battery power, and hydrogen
is offering low-carbon copper, which is fuel cells.
made possible through production that
has undergone a substantial transforma-
4. Aluminium
tion due to electrification and automa-
tion of various stages of the process. It Aluminium, in the form of foil or wire, is
has also been possible by a very efficient widely used in distribution transformers.
ore concentration process and an energy Aluminium has the highest CO2 emission
mix, including a high share of renew- ratio among all transformer materials.
ables. Elcowire is also offering a recycled 1 tonne of primary aluminium emits 16
version. tonnes of CO2, and out of this 80 % comes
from the electrolysis process, which is
The carbon emission value for Elcowire very energy intensive. Different forms of
low carbon copper and the recycled rod is aluminium products emit 18–20 tonnes
1.7 kg CO2EQ/kg copper. of CO2.
ASTA is collaborating with Elcowire to pro- Hydro offers 2 new “greener” aluminium
duce low-carbon CTC for transformers. products
3.4. Zero-emission mining 1. Hydro CIRCAL recycled aluminium:

produced with a minimum of 75 %
Komatsu announces collaborative cus- recycled aluminium and 2.3 MT of
tomer alliance to advance zero-emission CO2 per tonne of the product is guar-
equipment solutions (2 August 2021). anteed.
Rio Tinto, BHP, and other mining firms 2. Hydro REDUXA low-carbon alumini-
have partnered with manufacturing com- um: uses renewable energy in produc-
Aluminium has the highest CO2 emission ra-

tio among all transformer materials. 1 tonne
of primary aluminium emits 16 tonnes of
CO2, and out of this 80 % comes from the
electrolysis process
MATERIALS
The transport of power transformers may M&I

• Midel 7131: Synthetic ester fluids
generate emissions of 10–25 % of the total • Midel eN: Natural ester fluid in 2 ver-
emissions of raw materials depending on sions (from soybean and rapeseed/
canola oil)
weight and distance
Nynas
• Nytro Bio 300X: Bio-based transform-
er fluid
tion and has a carbon footprint of 4 is inflammable. Other than carbon foot-
Ergon
tonnes per tonne of product. print, mineral oil imposes environmental
risks like fire or contamination through • HyVolt NE: renewable soy vegetable
leaks or spillage. oil-based ester fluid
5. Insulating fluids
• HyVolt SE: synthetic ester fluid
Insulating fluid typically accounts for 10– There is already a wide range of alterna-
15 % of carbon emissions linked to raw tives to mineral oil, which are biodegrad-
Shell
materials in a transformer. able.
• Diala S5 BD: biodegradable oil
Cargill
1 tonne of mineral oil emits 1.21 tonnes
of CO2. • FR3: Biodegradable soybean oil Another alternative product is recycled
• Envirotemp 360 Fluid: Synthtic ester oil, which has a much lower carbon foot-
Mineral oil is not biodegradable, and it transformer oil print. Until recently, this was only avail-
765 KV, 500 MVA 1 Ph autotransformer
Quantity(MT) CO2/MT CO2 (MT) Share
11%2%
Electrical steel 99 3.00 297 38%
38%
18% Steel 93 2.50 233 30%
Copper 30 4.74 142 18%
30% Oil 70 1.21 85 11%
Insulation 16 1.18 19 2%
Transformer
Electrical steel Steel Copper Oil Insulation 339 2.29 775
weight
Fig. 5. Carbon footprint of an LPT
110 kv, 25 MVA
Quantity (MT) CO2/MT CO2 (MT) Share

2%
16%
Electrical steel 20 3.00 60 39%
39%
Steel 12 2.50 30 19%
24%
Copper 8 4.74 38 24%
19% Oil 21 1.21 25 16%
Insulation 2 1.18 2 2%
Transformer
Electrical steel Steel Copper Oil Insulation 70 2.22 156
weight
Fig. 6. Carbon footprint of an SPT

able from smaller companies in limited Transformer production is not energy in-
quantities. Recently, (31 August 2022)
Nynas launched NYTRO® RR 900X, tensive, and the carbon footprint is a tiny
which is a recycled product. fraction of the emission of raw materials
6. Sample carbon footprints (only 2%)
of different transformer
types
7. Transportation • Rail: 4X
The carbon footprints of several types of The transportation sector is responsible • Sea: 8X
transformers are calculated as examples to for 16.2 % of the global CO2 emissions. It
illustrate the impact coming from differ- is one of the most significant contributors. Especially large power transformers are
ent materials. Out of this, industrial transport (road heavy and bulky and occasionally transport-
freight + shipping) is 6.5 % ed over long distances, sometimes intercon-
As the graphs show, if the conductor is tinental. This is a very carbon-intensive pro-
copper, there are no major changes in Transportation carbon footprint compar- cess. The transport of power transformers
emission shares of materials in different ison: may generate emissions of 10–25 % of the
types of transformers. However, when al- total emissions of raw materials depend-
uminium is used as the conductor, it con- • Air: 8X ing on weight and distance. This ratio may
tributes to the major share of emissions. • Road: 1X be 5-10% for distribution transformers.
12 kv, 250 kVA distribution transformer

9%0%
Electrical steel 0.42 3.00 1.3 40%
24% 40%
Steel 0.337 2.50 0.8 27%
Copper 0.159 4.74 0.8 24%
27%
Oil 0.226 1.21 0.3 9%
Insulation
0.009 0.82 0.0 0%
paper
Electrical steel Steel Copper Oil Insulation paper Transformer

1.266 2.48 3.1
weight
Fig. 7. Carbon footprint of a DT with copper
36 kv, 1000 kVA distribution transformer

0%
8%
Electrical steel 1.161 3.00 3.5 31%
31%
Steel 0.651 2.50 1.6 14%
46% Aluminium
0.291 18 5.2 46%
strip
14%
Oil 0.752 1.21 0.9 8%
Insulation
0.03 0.82 0.0 0%
paper
Electrical steel Steel Aluminium strip Oil Insulation paper Transformer
3.174 3.55 11.3
weight
Fig. 8. Carbon footprint of a DT with aluminium
MATERIALS
The lowest GOES grade in the market is M5, although very limited in quantity. The
choice of the grade will depend on the
with core loss values of 1.30 W/kg, and the customer’s specifications. If there is no
best available grade has a core loss value of demand for the core loss performance
of the transformer, the designer will
0.65 W/kg select M5. And for very high loss capi-
talization, the choice would be the best
available grade.
Table 1. Global emission share of transport typically transformer factories generate
modes high scrap for conductors. Load losses are strongly influenced by
the choice of conductor. Aluminium is
2. Recycling: Recycling uses signifi- cheaper but will generate higher losses.
Mode of transport CO2 share
cantly less energy, 80–90 % less for We have also seen that aluminium has
Passenger travel 7.1 %
copper, for example, than mining and a higher CO2 footprint as a raw mate-
smelting primary metal. The recycling rial as well. Copper will perform better,
Road freight 4.8 % process of aluminium requires a lot but the cost is higher. This choice is also
less energy than primary aluminium typically made by the customer.
Aviation 1.9 % production and thus emits less CO2 -
approximately 0.5 tonnes per tonne of Transformer producers should try to
Shipping 1.7 % aluminium (95 % less). Steel, copper, al- convince the customer to adopt the
uminium, paper, and pressboard scraps TCO concept and specify higher per-
Rail 0.4 % should be accumulated and returned to formance for the transformer. This will
the original suppliers whenever possi- have a significant impact on the emis-
Pipeline 0.3 % ble. Special deals could be discussed sions during the operation stage. With
with the suppliers to receive recycled the right choices, emissions during op-
Total transport 16.2 % products whenever feasible. eration can be reduced by 30–40 %.
9. Transformer operation 10. Last words

In the whole lifecycle of transformers, Transformer producers can collaborate
8. Transformer production by far the largest share of CO2 emissions with raw material suppliers to utilize
are generated during the operation emerging “green” options. In transform-
Transformer production is not energy stage. The average life of a transformer er factories, the efforts should focus on
intensive, and the carbon footprint is a is assumed to be around 40 years, which switching to renewable energy, reduc-
tiny fraction of the emission of raw ma- is pushing up the share of emissions at ing scrap, and recycling.
terials (only 2%). this stage. The main driver of the emis-
sions during the transformer operation The biggest impact on reducing the car-
Energy-saving efforts in a transform- is no load losses and load losses. No load bon footprint of transformers can be
er factory will not generate a signifi- losses depend on the choice of electrical achieved by reducing no-load and load
cant impact on emissions of the whole steel grade. The lowest GOES grade in losses by convincing the end customers
transformer life cycle, although cost the market is M5, with core loss values to change their specifications and to re-
reduction out of this effort can be sig- of 1.30 W/kg, and the best available quire the best performance, which will
nificant. grade has a core loss value of 0.65 W/kg, also reduce their TCO.
A larger impact can be achieved if the

factory can switch to renewable energy
(Scope 2 becomes zero).
Author
Much larger emission reductions could Ufuk Kivrak has BS and MS degrees in mechanical
be achieved through 2 actions: engineering. He has more than 25 years of industrial
experience in transformers and power grid industries.
1. Waste reduction: This will have a He has worked for ABB in several management positions
very high impact on carbon emissions. in Turkey, Thailand, and Switzerland. He led the Supply
If all scrap rates can be reduced by 1 Chain Management organisation of ABB transformer
percentage point, this will generate a re- business globally from 2003 to 2015, which included
duction in the carbon footprint, which explosive growth of the transformer market from 2003 to
is equal to half of the total production 2008, followed by a market collapse in 2009 and onwards. In 2015, he joined
emissions. Especially conductors have Alstom Grid as VP-Strategic Sourcing and continued as Head of Strategic
a high potential for scrap reduction. Sourcing in GE Grid Solutions after Alstom was acquired by GE. Currently,
Due to MOQ and quantity tolerance he is the Managing Director of SCM Consulting GmbH.
stacking (design + ordering + supplier)

FR3fluid.com
© 2023 Cargill, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

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Transformer Magazine Special-Edition-8

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SPECIAL EDITION: SUSTAINABILITY 2023 MAGAZINE

INTERVIEWS: TECHNICAL ARTICLES:

- General Manager of PTTX

VISIT HYVOLT.COM FOR MORE

MR CLEANTECH SUPPORTS SUSTAINABILITY FOR GRID

TODAY OUR FOCUS IS ON HOW AND WHEN WE SHIFT

International Coil&Winding Exhibition 2023 Italia

T he l e a d in g c o il w in din g event • I n the hea r t of the m a r ket

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN ACTION: A DEEP DIVE

DECARBONIZED STEEL: PIONEER FOR SUSTAINABLE

CAST-RESIGN DRY-TYPE TRANSFORMERS ON THE RISE

4 TRANSFORMERS MAGAZINE | Special Edition: Sustainability | 2023

THE USE OF CORK TO EXTEND THE LIFETIME OF

TECHNOLOGY NEUTRALITY IN POWER TRANSFORMER

NEED FOR CIRCULAR ECONOMY

6 TRANSFORMERS MAGAZINE | Special Edition: Sustainability | 2023

thyssenkrupp Electrical Steel GmbH

*CO2 savings allocated and certified.

221011 bluemint Trafo 210x148 EN.indd 1 11.10.22 10:40

Publish with readers' favourite magazine

Grow your business and market with Transformers Magazine.

keep track of the latest news and trends in India:

Individual digital subscription: People`s Republic of China:

10 TRANSFORMERS MAGAZINE | Special Edition: Sustainability | 2023

12 TRANSFORMERS MAGAZINE | Special Edition: Sustainability | 2023

PTTX has a low-carbon industry R&D institute equipped with laboratories

14 TRANSFORMERS MAGAZINE | Special Edition: Sustainability | 2023

16 TRANSFORMERS MAGAZINE | Special Edition: Sustainability | 2023

Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen’s market-leading solutions for

For transformers with smaller

A new, innovative member of the ECO-

Alternative and high-quality

The sustainable reduction of greenhouse

More and more energy suppliers and

More and more energy

20 TRANSFORMERS MAGAZINE | Special Edition: Sustainability | 2023

When replacing or upgrading an OLTC,

22 TRANSFORMERS MAGAZINE | Special Edition: Sustainability | 2023

Voltage regulating dis-

Changes are not stopping at the distribu-

In addition to the classic approach of

The use of GRIDCON® STATCOM in the GRIDCON® STATCOM in the distribu-

The monitoring systems from the

The ETOS® function integration also

ETOS® enables more efficient use of pow-

In addition to the seamless recording of

24 TRANSFORMERS MAGAZINE | Special Edition: Sustainability | 2023

TESSA® FLEETSCAN 2D is an intelligent

GRIDCON® Power Conversion

The modular GRIDCON® Power Con-

GRIDCON® PCS is ver-

provide the power at the place where it is GRIDCON® DC Transformer - isolated

materials, processes, our use of renewable energies, and

28 TRANSFORMERS MAGAZINE | Special Edition: Sustainability | 2023

Introduction umbrella term for all our activities that

achieve net zero The use of “green” steel is another good

30 TRANSFORMERS MAGAZINE | Special Edition: Sustainability | 2023

of recycling to ultimately achieve a circu-

32 TRANSFORMERS MAGAZINE | Special Edition: Sustainability | 2023

Interview with authors

Transformers magazine, Volume 9 issue 3, July 2022

36 TRANSFORMERS MAGAZINE | Special Edition: Sustainability | 2023

Alberto Cracco is a Management Engineer (2003, University of Padua, Ita-

For the first CFP pro