Transformer Magazine Special-Edition-9

SPECIAL EDITION: DIGITALIZATION 2023 MAGAZINE
TECHNICAL ARTICLES: INTERVIEWS: COLUMNS:

Sensformer - digitalized Karsten Viereck Digital twin reliability
future Sebastian Kuester Digitalization versus
Digital twin of cast resin sustainability
transformers
Overcoming bottlenecks
in digitalization
Shunt reactor
thermal failure
4 Ds innovation
Craftsmanship
in the era of
digitalization
Transforming
transformer testing
Power of digitalization
and sustainability
Digital solutions for
future grid complexity
ISSN 1849-7268 (Digital)
Monitoring was yesterday

- self-learning systems
are the future
▪ Monitoring-based predictive maintenance ▪
▪ Shell Diala is a more reliable and sustainable option ▪
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CONTENTS
INTERVIEW:
DR. KARSTEN VIERECK
Best Practices and Trends in the Power Transformer Digitalization
This interview explores solutions such as digitalizing power
transformers and the role of artificial intelligence in reshaping energy
operations, unveiling Asset Management 2.0. We’ll also delve into
the significance of cybersecurity and the future of the industry in a
digitized world. Join us for a journey through the evolving landscape
of electric energy.
10
INTERVIEW:
SEBASTIAN KUESTER
CEO at QUiCKFairs
An interview with Sebastian Kuester, CEO at QUiCKFairs, the organiser
of Coiltech. Coiltech, under QUiCKFairs, announces a merger with
the Easyfairs network, intending to bolster its industry position. The
merger aligns with Coiltech’s long-term vision and ensures consistent
quality for its exhibitors and visitors.
26
COLUMN: DIGITALIZATION VERSUS SUSTAINABILITY
Marius GRISARU
In this column, we are discussing various impacts of digita-
lization and sustainability on the transformer industry. Sus-
tainable oils are currently not the mainstream solution, and
they are not covered by standards as conventional oils, which
poses a problem concerning DGA, especially for automatic
monitoring and diagnostics systems. Users wishing to replace
human experts for diagnosis should consider classical and
16 well-known materials.
COLUMN: DIGITAL TWIN RELIABILITY

Tony McGRAIL
The column explores the concept of digital twins, empha-
sizing the importance of data accuracy. While not perfect
replicas, their relevance depends on data precision, effec-
tive algorithms, and real-world alignment. It also addresses
challenges in maintaining the models for the digital twins to
ensure their reliability.
32
Coiltech
Augsburg See the
Germany Exhibitor list
20-21 March of Coiltech®
pdc214254
International Coil&Winding Exhibition 2024 Deutschland
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

At the show
www.quickfairs.net
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12 09 a z i n1e . co m 03/10/23 15:42 3
CONTENTS
SHELL DIALA IS A MORE RELIABLE AND

22 SUSTAINABLE OPTION
Find out more about the Shell Diala range of high-performance
transformer oils, including Shell Diala S5 BD and Shell Diala S4 ZX-IG,
which has been engineered to extend oil drain intervals and keep
your components in service, longer - even in harsh conditions. Shell
22 adresses CO2 emissions, and the whole product range was created
with sustainability in mind.
MONITORING-BASED PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE

36
Transformers, the backbone of our power systems, demand con-
tinuous monitoring. In this article, explore how modern challenges
are met with innovative solutions, ensuring these power units are
in operation. From understanding the variations of load and mois-
36 ture to leveraging the potential of tools like MeDICA, we embark on
a journey from transformer monitoring to predictive maintenance.
DIGITAL SOLUTIONS FOR FUTURE GRID

44 COMPLEXITY
Steffen APPEL, Tarik RADWAN
In this article, Siemens Energy presents a comprehensive out-
look on digitalization in the energy sector. Explore the dynamic
landscape of the grid, the evolving complexities, and the dig-
44 ital tools empowering a more efficient and sustainable energy
ecosystem.
4 DS INNOVATION
48 Andrew COLLIER, Carlos MARTIN
Exploring the pivotal role of the 4Ds—Decarbonisation, Decentrali-
sation, Democratisation, and Digitalisation—in addressing global
warming, this article describes the rapid evolution of power grids, the
impact of renewable energies, and the essential integration of digi-
48 tal technologies. See how innovations like Hitachi Energy’s TXpert™
Ecosystem are spearheading a sustainable, data-driven future.
POWER OF DIGITALIZATION AND SUSTAINABILITY

60 Marco MILONE, Sudheer MOKKAPATY
In this article, we take a close look at the subtle yet powerful influ-
ence of digitalization on the power transformer industry. We explore
the practical applications of advanced digital technologies, from
design and engineering to manufacturing and sustainability practic-
60 es. Discover how digitalization is quietly but significantly improving
efficiency and reducing the environmental impact of the industry.
TRANSFORMING TRANSFORMER TESTING

68 Frédéric DOLLINGER
Energy transition, sustainability, and digitalization significantly impact
the transformer industry. As we navigate this changing terrain, it is
essential to explore why testing solutions for the energy grid of tomor-
row are crucial. At HAEFELY, we recognize our role in shaping the next
68 generation and are committed to addressing this critical question. We
perceive a paradigm shift in the world of testing.
CRAFTSMANSHIP IN THE ERA OF DIGITALIZATION

74 Leonardo MASCHIETTO
Find out how PTTX Putian Group has emerged as a beacon of
innovation, dedicating over two decades to the electric energy sector.
They specialize in high-end electrical steel materials, transmission
and distribution electrical equipment, and integrated smart factory
74 planning, offering green, low-carbon products and comprehensive
solutions for the entire industry chain through innovative technology.
4 TRANSFORMERS MAGAZINE | Special Edition: Digitalization | 2023

w w w . t ra n sfo r m e r s - m a g a z i n e . co m 5
CONTENTS
SENSFORMER - DIGITALIZED FUTURE

78 Amit SHEREKAR, Manan PANDYA
Transformer digitalization is a critical aspect of the development
of a smart grid. Siemens Energy has developed a digital trans-
former solution called Sensformer, which integrates various sen-
sors, communication interfaces, and data analytics capabilities
into the transformer to enable advanced monitoring, diagnostics,
78 and prediction capabilities. This article presents an overview of
the Sensformer and its key features.
SHUNT REACTOR THERMAL FAILURE

88 Salvador MAGDALENO-ADAME
This article presents and analyzes a thermal failure in a core clamp-
ing bolt of a 5 MVAr gapped three-phase shunt reactor. High lev-
els of specific gases indicated potential overheating. Multiphysics
finite element (FE) simulations showed this led to a short circuit,
88 resulting in high temperatures. To mitigate future issues, the bolt
insulation was reinforced.
DIGITAL TWIN OF CAST RESIN TRANSFORMERS

96 Mehran TAHIR
HTT - a supplier of cast resin transformers, has developed DryTrafo,
a digital twin application for cast resin transformers using numerical
multiphysics simulations. These digital twin applications offer
insight into the designs and allow engineers to provide a complete
96 optimization of transformer design within minutes.
OVERCOMING BOTTLENECKS IN DIGITALIZATION

104 Azhar FAYYAZ
Commitments to the Paris Agreement have set nations on a trajectory
towards increased renewable energy and electric vehicle utilization.
In this article, we outline the crucial role of digitalization in facilitat-
ing smooth integration into power grids. Digitalization emerges as a
104 pivotal solution, but its implementation may be challenging, facing
cybersecurity concerns and cost implications.
THE 100TH MEETING OF NEC 10 SINCE 1924

110 Pieter DE BIJL, Philip SALVERDA, Marike GELDERBLOM
Review the progression of electrical engineering in the Netherlands,
with a spotlight on the NEC and IEC TC 10’s contributions to elec-
trical power engineering standards. During more than a hundred
years of their evolution, the topics and scopes changed as they were
110 developed. This article also details recent innovations in insulating
fluids and their environmental significance.
MY TRANSFO 2023: A RETURN TO KNOWLEDGE

114 SHARING
After a long, five-year hiatus, which was in part attributed to the glob-
al pandemic, the highly anticipated event marked its return. In a way,
it was a celebration of collective knowledge, shared experiences, and
renewed hope for a more sustainable future in the transformer indus-
114 try. Find out more about the speakers, topics, and speeches at My
Transfo 2023.
THE TRANSFORMERS MAGAZINE’S INDUSTRY

120 NAVIGATOR CONFERENCE 2024
The Transformers Magazine’s Industry Navigator conference 2024
will focus on Investments, Artificial Intelligence, and Sustainability.
The industry and market are being greatly influenced by factors such
as transformer shortage, investments, digitalization and artificial
120 intelligence, and sustainability.
6 TRANSFORMERS MAGAZINE | Special Edition: Digitalization | 2023

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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
EXECUTIVE EDITORS
Dear readers,
T
Michel Duval, PhD, Hydro Quebec, Canada
Jean Sanchez, PhD, EDF, France his special edition focuses on digitali- to humanity if it goes beyond human control
Michael Krüger, PhD, OMICRON electronics, Austria zation. As such, it also features articles and develops goals that are not aligned with
Jin Sim, Jin Sim & Associates, Inc., USA presented at the Sustainability and human values. While these concerns can be
Juliano Montanha, SIEMENS, Brazil
Craig Adams, TRAFOIX, Australia Digitalization 2023 conference held in Du- subjective, security risks and misuse are ob-
Arne Petersen, Consulting engineer, Australia brovnik, Croatia. This conference as well as jective concerns, not only in relation to AI,
Zhao Yongzhi, Shandong Electrical Engineering & Equip- the EuroDoble conference in Madrid featured but to digitalization as a whole. These issues
ment Group Co., Ltd, China
Barry M. Mirzaei, LargePowerTransformers Inc., Canada
panel discussions on Artificial Intelligence are particularly pressing in times of political
Bhaba P. Das, PhD, Hitachi Energy, Singapore (AI), which is part of the digitalization um- instability.
brella. Many other events are being organised
EDITORS
Daosheng Liu, Jiangxi University of Science and Techno-
around AI and digitalization, proving that Security risks and misuse
these are absolutely relevant topics that de-
logy, China
serve our full attention.
are objective concerns,
Mislav Trbusic, University of Maribor, Slovenia
Dr. Mohammad Yazdani-Asrami, University of Strathclyde, Reflecting on these conversations, I’m re- not only in relation to AI,
United Kingdom
Dr. Shuhong Wang, Xi’an Jiaotong University, China minded of my deep-rooted passion for artifi- but to digitalization as a
Nam Tran Nguyen, PhD, Hitachi Energy, USA cial intelligence, a fascination that led me to
GUEST EDITORS
delve into PhD research in this field fifteen whole
years ago. As with everything else, I was ini-
Mehran Tahir, HTT - Hochspannungstechnik und Trans-
tially captivated by its potential, over time I’ve Moving away from these broader societal
formatorbau GmbH, Germany concerns and political waters, there’s a practi-
Duncan Brown, Duncan Brown, FRSA, Hitachi Europe gained some experience and become aware of
Ltd, United Kingdom its imperfections, limitations, and associated cal aspect of the AI in our industry that needs
risks. Nevertheless, AI and digitalization un- to be addressed: the transparency of AI tools.
ASSISTANT EDITOR On the one hand, the inventors of AI tools will
Pedro Henrique Aquino Barra, MSc, doubtedly offer remarkable opportunities.
EESC/USP – University of São Paulo, Brazil
tend to keep their know-how secret, while, on
I am not going to make a big analysis of the the other hand, users, especially users of crit-
Art Director: Momir Blazek opportunities here, as they have been covered ical equipment such as a transformer, have a
Photo: Shutterstock.com extensively in other articles, but I will just legitimate interest in knowing exactly what
Front page image: MR share where I saw the potential and why I de-
Language Editor: Ena Tomičić the AI is going to decide in crucial scenarios.
cided to spend years researching it. It is data
I think this is the area where we as an industry
ADVERTISING AND SUBSCRIPTION analytics around monitoring.
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TRANSFORMERS MAGAZINE
Transformers Magazine is published quarterly by Merit There is a massive amount of data generated ency, understanding and
by transformer monitors, and a large part of
it is never looked at by anyone, simply be- trust around AI systems
Media Int. d.o.o., Setaliste 150. brigade 10, 10 090 Zag-
reb, Croatia. Published articles do not represent official
position of Merit Media Int. d.o.o. Merit Media Int. d.o.o.
is not responsible for the content. The responsibility for
cause we lack the skilled people even for the we can reduce barriers to
articles rests upon the authors, and the responsibility essential processes and we especially lack the
for ads rests upon advertisers. Manuscripts, photos and people to analyse all that data. Data analysis AI in our industry
other submitted documents are not returned. is something that can be effectively managed
This edition is packed with information on
REPRINT with AI tools that are able to work 24 hours
many other aspects of digitalization. I hope
Libraries are permitted to photocopy for the private use a day, 7 days a week and detect failure mech-
you’ll find it both enlightening and entertain-
of patrons. Abstracting is permited with credit to the anisms. They do not replace people, but they
source. A per-copy fee must be paid to the Publisher, ing.
help people. Such tools complement and aug-
contact Subscription. For other copying or republication Yours sincerely
permissions, contact Subscription. All rights reserved. ment human efforts, not replace them.
Publisher: Merit Media Int. d.o.o. On the other hand, the potential for AI to re-
Setaliste 150. brigade 10,
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place human roles (jobs) is one of the greatest
Contact: +385 1 7899 507 fears of AI sceptics. Even notable figures such
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Director: Mladen Banovic, PhD
INTERVIEW
10 TRANSFORMERS MAGAZINE | Special edition: Digitalization | 2023

The ambitious goals of the German government regarding electromo-
bility and the massive expansion of heat pumps are just a few of the
upcoming measures in pursuit of green electricity
Best Practices and Trends

in the Power Transformer
Digitalization
An Interview with Dr. Karsten Viereck
changes worldwide. You that are difficult to manage. Furthermore,
Introduction
are very well-connected the work increase continues to meet an
In the world of electric energy, monumen- already very noticeable shortage of skilled
in the industry - what is
tal shifts are underway. Our interviewee, workers at all stages of the process chain.
Dr. Karsten Viereck, an industry expert, your assessment of these
dissects the remarkable developments developments?
MR has been working on
currently reshaping the sector. The am-
bitious goals set by the German gov- The electricity industry is undoubtedly the digitization of power
ernment, such as electromobility and facing gigantic challenges, and a look at transformers for many years.
increased use of heat pumps, underline the planned investment projects of the What solutions are already
the transition to green electricity. These network operators reveals massive efforts available today to meet these
efforts are driving massive investments in in network conversion and expansion to challenges?
grid transformation. implement the energy transition and pro-
mote decarbonization. MR introduced the first online moni-
Yet, these investments face hurdles. The toring systems to the market as early as
integration of digital technology with- The ambitious goals of the German gov- 1997. If you look at the flyers from that
out a unified strategy can lead to hidden ernment regarding electromobility and time, you will see the same wording as
productivity losses. Moreover, a grow- the massive expansion of heat pumps are today, such as communication, database,
ing workload collides with a shortage of just a few of the upcoming measures that real-time operation, expert system or
skilled workers. show how green electricity, in particular, intelligent equipment. In the meantime,
is replacing conventional energy sources we have arrived at the third generation of
This interview explores solutions such as in households, industry, commerce and digital systems on transformers. I am in-
digitalizing power transformers and the transport, and is continuing to drive in- tentionally not talking about monitoring
role of artificial intelligence in reshaping vestment in grid transformation. systems here, as we can now talk about
energy operations, unveiling Asset Man- systems that include functional modules
agement 2.0. We’ll also delve into the sig- These increasing investments are encoun- that can do far more than any previous
nificance of cybersecurity and the future tering processes and structures that have systems and, above all, are now targeting a
of the industry in a digitized world. Join us grown over decades, giving rise to prob- new generation of asset management and
for a journey through the evolving land- lems of which not everyone is aware. The are supported by intelligent, self-learning
scape of electric energy. introduction of digital technology and algorithms. The best example of this is
software without sufficient coordination our Embedded Transformer Operating
can thus lead to redundancies in data System (ETOS®), which can be adapted
Network operators and asset
models, which, in the overall operation to the specific needs and requirements of
managers are currently of the energy supply, result in hidden pro- operators and create a database that meets
facing major challenges and ductivity losses and large-scale projects the new objectives.
INTERVIEW
The fundamental trends of decarbonization, plication also bears the risk of false state-
ments if the plausibility of the results is
decentralization and digitalization are as- not questioned. At the same time, secure
sociated with extensive regulatory changes data transmission is necessary to be able
to use AI. If self-learning algorithms,
and cost pressures which are also attributed to AI, are taught
on error-prone systems, for example, this
could lead to false statements or malfunc-
Keyword AI - what is AI Due to the increasing number of active net- tions if not adequately observed, which, in
already doing in the energy work users and the associated high number turn, could lead to an unintentional dis-
of consumers and generation plants which crediting of AI as an innovative tool.
industry today, and where is potentially need to be regulated, a high de-
the development going? gree of automation is necessary to master Model-based algorithms belong to the fu-
the complexity and the right technology is ture because they can improve the quality
The fundamental trends of decarboniza- needed. Artificial intelligence can provide of conventional sensors or systems.
tion, decentralization and digitalization support here and will certainly be a basis
are associated with extensive regulatory for new sensor technologies and evaluation
How can asset managers use
changes and cost pressures, which, togeth- algorithms in future grid operation.
er with a volatile supply situation, lead the results of AI information -
to network operations close to capacity Automation requires sensors and actu- keyword Asset Management
limits. As a result of all these changes, the ators as well as secure, bidirectional data 2.0 – and what are the
requirements for operating resources, as- transmission. For more advanced auto- benefits?
set management and network operations mation, including the application of AI,
management are becoming more com- the plausibility of input and output vari- Already in 2018, procedures were devel-
plex. The complexity has now reached ables is elementary in order to achieve suf- oped at MR that use statistical methods
a level that requires extensive assistance ficient reliability of the overall system. At for the evaluation of operating equip-
systems and automation functions so the moment, this is still an extremely un- ment, including on-load tap-changers.
that system management can master the derestimated issue. We will not get around These model-based algorithms use mass
developments and implement necessary the application of AI – its advantages are data from monitoring systems as well as
tasks and decisions. too obvious - but the uncontrolled ap- data from vibroacoustic monitoring. This

enables a new quality of equipment evalu- The combination of data and analytics thus
ation because it allows the determination
of physical properties that cannot be mea- leads to new usable information, which is
sured directly, for example. After all, they achieved by evaluating simple data sets in
are at high-voltage potential. The combi-
nation of data and analytics thus leads to combination with a little math
new usable information. This is what we
call Asset Management 2.0.
In specific cases, our activities relate to

the determination of the operating con-
dition of the active part of power trans-
formers – while the transformers are in
operation. Therefore, particularly re-
garding limit-power transformers and
reactors - which are subjected to constant
stress - early detection of problems in the
winding structure is made possible on-
line without the transformer having to
be disconnected from the grid. All this is
achieved by evaluating simple data sets in
combination with a little math.
And what does this

information mean for network
operators?
An increase in the service life of trans-

formers or reactors can be achieved since
INTERVIEW
Digitization of the energy system, with extensive energy and data flows,
requires security in the interactions within the cyber-physical system
service measures can be planned at an ment beyond the existing TESSA - Asset What about the topic of
early stage. But this is only the beginning Management System. For example, the cyber security? What needs
of the use of data and its evaluation by CIGRE paper in 2022, which dealt with
to be considered, and what
means of static, model-based methods. the application of a grey-box model, re-
This can also be an important innova- quired 22,500 data sets, of which one are manufacturers like MR
tive approach in the transition to the third were used only for training the doing?
ever-promoted curative grid operation model. This somewhat shows the volume
in the context of the energy transition of data needed for new developments. Through the extensive use of advanced
and for higher utilization of operating technologies and applications that sys-
equipment. Furthermore, we are very active in the tematically involve sensors, centralized
rewriting of the IEC 61850-90-3 Tech- and decentralized controls, physical de-
nical Report describing the data mod- vices such as ETOS®, and various pro-
So, there is significantly more
els for condition monitoring and anal- cesses, the energy supply network is trans-
data available than in the past ysis. Our Automation division is the forming into a cyber-physical system. The
- how can these volumes of task force leader within IEC Working totality of these technologies will enable a
data be organized? Group 10, which has held 90 meetings flexible flow of energy and information.
so far, thus showing the dimension of Modern power grids rely heavily on IT
Large amounts of data are required to the work on this document, for which infrastructures for their control and pro-
develop potentially successful innova- about 50% of the work has already been tection functions in real-time operation.
tive approaches to extend asset manage- completed. A malfunction, failure or cyber-attack on
one or more smart assets can jeopardize
the operation of the power grid. There-
fore, data management will not be possi-
ble without cybersecurity.
Furthermore, digitization of the energy

system, with extensive energy and data
flows, requires security in the interac-
tions within the cyber-physical system.
Assistance systems such as ETOS® are an
important component of these systems
because they promote the interconnec-
tion of information technology or soft-
ware components with mechanical and
electronic components that communi-
cate via a data infrastructure such as bus
systems.
AI algorithms can also operate in these

systems, enabling, for example, integrated
real-time simulation for precise decision
preparation of complex safeguarding
algorithms. Such requirements for algo-
rithms, individual components and ap-
plications have been summarized in the
BDEW white paper, the basis for which
is primarily provided by the IEC 62351
series of standards with the definition of
the cryptographic processes to be sup-
ported. In addition, the BDEW white
paper also deals with security require-
ments for maintenance and development
processes as well as project organization,
which are anchored in the IEC 2700X se-
ries of standards.

MR had AI-based methods for sensors in use
years ago, when the term “artificial intelligence”
had not yet been invented
MR took on the topic of cyber security Today, systems such as ETOS® allow the
at an early stage so that ETOS® now also recording of mass data that can be stored
has all the necessary certificates. At the in condensed form directly on-site at the
same time, a cybersecurity emergen- transformer or even transferred to cloud
cy response team (CERT) with a public storage via secure control-system proto-
website was set up to advise customers cols. AI systems will be used to evaluate
on all cybersecurity issues and ensure this data in the future, but this will only
patch management. be possible if plausibility problems can be
solved sufficiently and reliably.
Finally, let’s talk about the
Digitization is no substitute for technical
future - how will digitization and physical know-how! Unfortunately,
change the industry in this is often confused by many people in the
the next ten years? What industry. On the other hand, given continu-
opportunities will arise? ally increasing volatility, a future automated
electrical energy system will no longer be
MR had AI-based methods for sensors functional without increasing digitization.
ETOS can be adapted to the specific needs
® in use years ago, when the term “artifi-
and requirements of operators and create a cial intelligence” had not yet been in- There are great challenges to be mastered
database that meets the new objectives. vented. here!
Monitoring was yesterday - self-learning systems are the future
COLUMN
Digitalization versus
sustainability
Introducing eDOC:
oil diagnostics device for smart transformers
ABSTRACT challenges. In this column, we discuss KEYWORDS:

the complexities of sustainable oils
DGA, digitalization, sustainability,
Digitalization and sustainability are and problems that arise in maintaining
sustainable oils, standards
driving forces in the power transformer consistency in DGA diagnostics in this
industry, but they bring their own set of rapidly evolving field.

Marius GRISARU
DGA procedures require soft skills from

sampling to diagnosis, which is not an exact
science and cannot be translated into code
that adequately expresses all ambiguities
COLUMN
Non-mineral liquids originate from vegetables such as soybeans, cano-

la, and a few types of sunflower, each having its own logistics of pricing,
availability, and social environmental impact on the community
In my previous column [1], I discussed Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a powerful gorithms and provide continuous feed-
the challenges of applying machine learn- technology for performing routine tasks back in order to achieve a valuable ex-
ing principles to Dissolved Gas Analysis and taking interpolated actions. Humans pert system that can correctly diagnose
(DGA). need to properly train sophisticated al- transformer conditions. DGA procedures
require soft skills from sampling to diag-
nosis and are not an exact science. More-
over, DGA is not easily translated into
code that adequately expresses all ambi-
guities.
Power transformer sustainability is achiev-

able today by using more environment-
-friendly materials, mainly in insulation.
Such materials include non-mineral
liquids manufactured from vegetable re-
sources, such as ester liquids.
Modern solid insulation materials re-

place the classic cellulose made from
vegetable sources. The former are treated
synthetic materials reinforced for higher
Fig 1. Ester liquid decomposition mechanism
Fig 2. Mineral oil decomposition mechanism

Table 1. Different compositions of ester oils (T. V. Oommen)
Typical Fatty Acid Composition of Some Vegetable Oils
Vegetable Oil Saturated Fatty Acids, % Unsaturated Fatty Acids, %
Mono- Di- Tri
Canola oil* 7.9 55.9 22.1 11.1
Corn oil 12.7 24.2 58 0.7
Cottonseed oil 25.8 17.8 51.8 0.2
Peanut oil 13.6 17.8 51.8 0.2
Olive oil 13.2 73.3 7.9 0.6
Safflower oil 8.5 12.1 74.1 0.4
Safflower oil, high oleic 6.1 75.3 14.2 -
Soybean oil 14.2 22.5 51 6.8
Sunflower oil 10.5 19.6 65.7 -
Sunflower oil, high

9.2 80.8 8.4 0
oleic
*Low erucic acid variety of rapeseed oil; more recently canola oil containing over 75% monounsaturate content has been
developed

Transformer owners wishing to replace human experts who work from
power transformer design to diagnosis should consider classical and
well-known materials, such as kraft cellulose and mineral oil
temperatures. Also, synthetic polymers prove the oil compositions of insulating Software for continuous diagnoses of
such as Nomex are more durable than all liquids to meet different transformer power transformers is designed to incor-
vegetable-based materials. design requirements and incorporate porate existent data and correlate abnor-
continuous feedback from existing in- mal measured values to probable fault
Non-mineral oils like natural and syn- stallations. conditions.
thetic esters have different chemical com-
positions than petroleum-based mineral Transformer owners may select non- The need for a large, uncensored data-
oils. mineral liquids from at least 10 worldwide base for machine learning was discussed
manufacturers today, each offering at least in the previous column. The availability
As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the chem- two non-mineral alternatives. of a database for non-mineral measure-
istries of ester liquid and mineral oil are ments is not only restricted to commercial
completely different. Ester liquid products have different pour distribution, but one still does not exist.
points, different gas signatures at differ- Accordingly, machine learning and arti-
Non-mineral liquids originate from veg- ent temperatures, different water solu- ficial intelligence cannot input, calculate,
etables such as soybeans, canola, and a bilities, and, therefore, different break- or process relevant data for power trans-
few types of sunflower, as shown in Table down voltage limits. Dissipation factors formers filled with non-mineral oils.
1, each having its own logistics of pricing, are also different than mineral and other
availability, and social environmental im- liquid types. Users today should realize that sustain-
pact on the community. ability and power transformer digitali-
All of these differences impose different zation cannot be achieved concurrently.
Different liquid chemical structures standardizations for DGA, viz., IEEE Present day scholars across the world
have different properties. Researchers C57.55 and the new DGA interpretation develop standards and publish numerous
and manufacturers continuously im- standard developed by IEC. new conclusions on oil properties, soft-
COLUMN
ware diagnosis digitalization, and even

power transformer design, all of which Author
should be performed prudently and grad- Marius Grisaru holds an MSc in Electro-Analytical
ually after proper chemical and physical
Chemistry from the Israel Institute of Technology. He
research.
has almost 30 years of intense experience in almost all
Transformer owners wishing to replace transformer oil test chains, from planning, sampling
human experts who work from power and diagnosis to recommendations and treatments,
transformer design to diagnosis should mainly in Israel but also in other parts of the world.
consider classical and well-known materi-
He is responsible for establishing test strategies and
als, such as kraft cellulose and mineral oil.
procedures and creating acceptance criteria for insulating liquids and
materials based on current standardization and field experience. In
Bibliography
addition, he trains and educates electrical staff on insulating matrix
[1] Grisaru, Marius. “Artificial intelli- issues from a chemical point of view. He is an active member of relevant
gence challenges for power transformer Working Groups of IEC, CIGRE, and a former member of ASTM. He is
maintenance.” Transformers Magazine
9.SE2 (2022): 30-41. also the author and co-author of many papers, CIGRE brochures, and
presentations at prestigious international conferences on insulation
[2] Oommen, T. V. “Vegetable oils for liq- oil tests, focusing on DGA, analytical chemistry of insulating oil, and
uid-filled transformers.” IEEE Electrical advantageous maintenance policy for oil and new transformers.
insulation magazine 18.1 (2002): 6-11.

SUSTAINABILITY
Shell Diala is a more reliable

and sustainable option

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er utilities sector is at the heart of the elec- mean protecting peak performance has
trification of the industry yet is reliant on never been more challenging. Choosing
Investing in peak protection
its own modernization to meet growing the right transformer oil is vital.
demand - and more sustainably. To cope, grids will need some $600 bil-
lion USD of investment per annum**. Yet
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For the world to achieve net-zero, it is change won’t happen overnight, placing
estimated that electricity must account mounting stress on existing equipment Our Shell Diala range of high-perfor-
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SUSTAINABILITY
Diala S5 BD has high

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tection from oxidation
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corrosion
neered to extend oil drain intervals and is inherently biodegradable and re- References
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- even in harsh conditions. as dielectric fluid, meeting all the *IEA, Electrification energy system
Diala S5 BD has high breakdown volt- requirements for recycled mineral in- overview. 2022.
age to ensure excellent electrical insu- sulating oils as defined in IEC60296.
lating***, with resistance to degradation Shell addresses CO 2 emissions for the **World Economic Forum. “The future
and enhanced protection from oxida- full product life cycle. Supporting of energy is systemic, open and collab-
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NEW BOOK
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INTERVIEW
Sebastian Kuester
CEO at QUiCKFairs

Coiltech remains a family-owned business,
which is important to the majority of our
valued customers
INTERVIEW
Easyfairs allows me to continue my entre- sistency and provide stakeholders with a

long-term vision. The way Easyfairs op-
preneurial activities, both through my in- erates is very much in line with Coiltech’s
vestment in Easyfairs and my ongoing role principles, emphasising focused thematic
events, digitalisation, clear structures, and
as CEO of QUiCKFairs a high degree of autonomy for the execu-
tion teams.
Recently, there have been staying fully committed to Could you tell us a bit more
some significant acquisition the company? about Easyfairs?
announcements which will Easyfairs is a leading pan-European
have a major impact on our Absolutely. What sets Coiltech apart, es- company based in Brussels. It consists of
industry. One notable merger pecially from its competitors, is our deep 20 dynamic entities that organise around
personal commitment. Our corporate 150 trade shows a year, including 18
is that of Coiltech. Could you
structure prioritises a long-term vision in Germany and 3 in Italy. It’s the 11th
shed a light on this? and ensures that the core values of the largest exhibition organiser in the world
QUiCKFairs is merging with the Easyfairs exhibition are maintained for all stake- and the largest privately owned organis-
network, and I’m committed to develop- holders, especially the exhibitors and er. A significant 80% of its annual prof-
ing Coiltech as the premier Coil Wind- visitors. its are reinvested for long-term growth.
ing exhibition. I will also continue my The majority ownership is held by Eric
entrepreneurial journey by taking a stake Everard and his family, with minority
What does this merger mean
in Easyfairs while remaining the CEO of stakes being held by long-serving execu-
QUiCKFairs. This merger will benefit all for Coiltech? tives from its 20 subsidiaries – now also
stakeholders, especially Coiltech exhibi- Many companies in the coil winding in- including me.
tors and visitors, and our dedicated team. dustry now rely solely on Coiltech. Exhi-
bitions are, by their very nature, a “people
How does this transaction
business”. It’s imperative that the quality
So, this isn’t a typical sale benefit Easyfairs?
of the event remains consistent no mat-
where you just walk away ter who is at the helm. Partnering with 2023 has been the most successful year
from the business, but you’re Easyfairs allows me to ensure this con- for QUiCKFairs since its launch in 2010.

With record participation at Coiltech We’re proud to say that our vision has paid as a reception and networking area in the
Italia and a growing presence at Coiltech off, with 38% of this year’s visitors com- future.
Deutschland, our financial position is ro- ing from outside Italy, proving that great
bust. Joining forces with Easyfairs offers things can happen beyond the big cities.
How are the preparations
us opportunities that would be harder to
realise on our own. for the show in Augsburg
We attended the show and progressing?
observed that Hall 5 bis was
You mentioned that Coiltech missing. Could you please We currently have reservations for 381
Italia achieved record numbers explain this? stands, which is a remarkable increase
in 2023. Could you give us some of 39% compared to the same period in
more detailed statistics? Certainly. The new Hall 5 bis is an upgrade mid-October 2022 for the 2023 edition.
of the exhibition centre, but we designated
Certainly. In 2023, Coiltech Italia had it as the new entrance area. It was com- We are particularly pleased to announce
its biggest edition ever, with 328 stands, pleted just in time for Coiltech Italia 2023, that we have more transformer-related ex-
417 exhibitors, over 3,660 visitors, and a and we wanted to assess its functionality hibitors than ever before. This is very im-
remarkable 38% of international visitors first-hand. Our plan is to continue using it portant because we had a chicken and egg
from outside Italy. Despite the challeng-
ing market conditions, the overall atmo-
sphere was very positive.
Is this enough for a slogan:

“Small minds confine
greatness to big cities.
Visionaries see beyond?”
Absolutely, this statement captures the es-

sence of our journey. When we launched
Coiltech in 2010, we faced scepticism
about the feasibility of our concept in
Pordenone. However, we recognised the
advantages, including the proximity of
Venice airport, which is as well connected
as Milan. It’s only a 45–50-minute drive to
the venue with minimal traffic concerns.
INTERVIEW
I would argue that Quickfairs and Easyfairs are ‘genetically the same’
events, both emphasising standard stands, streamlined organisation
and digitalisation
problem and we are overcoming it. With is almost no way around Coiltech in this mains unwavering. Being part of a glob-
over 400 exhibitors, Coiltech Deutsch- regard. al, privately owned organisation such
land is now the largest coil winding trade as Easyfairs, which has been repeatedly
fair worldwide. This marks a new situation recognised as a ‘Great Place to Work’, will
Thank you for sharing
compared to the past when Coiltech was provide an enriching environment for our
viewed by many as more of a supplement these insights. Now, let’s employees while strengthening a world-
to existing events rather than the primary get back to the main topic: class business.
industry exhibition. Visitors now find cer- mergers and acquisitions.
tain components exclusively at Coiltech. These transactions often Just out of curiosity, is it true
bring a lot of changes that that you actually applied for
The purpose of exhibition is do not necessarily make life a job at Easyfairs before you
to bring visitors as well. How easier. What can Coiltech’s started Coiltech, only to be
are you standing with this? stakeholders expect from turned down?
these changes?
The larger the exhibition and the wider Yes, that’s how it was.
the range of exhibitors it offers, the more In terms of Coiltech’s core principles
qualified visitors it attracts from both do- and operations, there will be no change. This is a good example of
mestic and international markets. This QUiCKFairs will now have a Board of Di- how setbacks can be part
suggests further visitor growth can be ex- rectors, with representatives from Easy-
of the journey to success.
pected for the March event - both in terms fairs and myself. However, the essence
of quality and quantity. Additionally, for of Coiltech will remain. I will continue It also illustrates the need
some companies, a trade fair’s position to run the company, supported by the to persevere in the face of
compared to competing events is a crucial incredible QUiCKFairs team. Above all, obstacles. Thank you for this
decision-making factor. Currently, there my dedication to Coiltech’s success re- encouraging lesson.

Transformers Academy
programmes available for certification
Check out the intermediate and master’s level tests you can take
as soon as you attend the lectures of the following courses:
ON-LOAD TAP CHANGERS Dissolved gas analysis Transformer testing
Transformer specification Level two condition Online moisture in

assessment transformers monitoring
and management
COMING
SOON
info@merit-media.com
Introduction to
transformers-academy.com transformers
COLUMN
Digital Twin
Reliability
What is a digital twin? based on a simple process of input data –

analysis – output data – visualization.
ABSTRACT “So, what exactly is a digital twin?”
Digital twins, reflecting physical There is an old and oft-quoted line from
assets, rely on rigorous data accu- Well, start with what you want the twin to a statistician: “All models are wrong, but
racy, clear purpose, and continuous do – model the health of the transformer, some models are useful” [1], but it is sel-
validation. This column delves into identify the need for maintenance, plan for dom that the subsequent follow-up line
potential pitfalls, including data contingency loading, prevent condition- is also quoted: “The practical question is
security and model maintenance, based failures, or all of the above? how wrong do they have to be, not to be
emphasizing the balance between useful” [2]. And that usefulness is depen-
model and reality. Once you’ve decided that, then work out dent on what you want the twin to do.
what data is needed (and at what preci-
sion/accuracy and update rate), how to get For example, a smartphone app that dis-
KEYWORDS: it (and where from), what calculations to plays maps could help me get from some
Digital twin, data accuracy, algo- run (and how frequently), and what out- real address at point A, to another real
rithms, reliability, modeling, cyber puts to have (and how to display them). address at point B. I’m not too worried
security Most digital twins have some form of about, say, how well the roads and build-
graphic or visualization, but they are still ings are colored in, how wide they have

Most digital twins have some form
of graphic or visualization, but they
are still based on a simple process
of input data – analysis – output
data – visualization
the map roads compared to each other try working group. My contention would ors, we can add those – provide a color on
and so on: I know they are wrong, but be that an AHI is a digital twin, as it rep- a red-yellow-green spectrum which indi-
not in a way which affects me. I just want resents the health of an asset and can be cates the urgency of whatever interven-
to know how to get from A to B in an ef- used to support decision-making. Admit- tion is needed.
ficient manner. I will only be disappoint- tedly, it is a very coarse twin, consisting of
ed if it doesn’t actually give me a sensible just one value, the index, and if you don’t You could, as we do at Doble, provide a
route. There are cases of people follow- have a sensible, auditable, calibrated AHI, systematic AHI based on failure mode
ing such apps in the dark, turning onto it could even be an evil twin and provide analyses of components such as bushings,
railway tracks, or ending up in a canal. I misleading information. If you want the windings, oil, cooling, etc., that generates
think they would be entitled to be very twin to have cute graphics and pretty col- individual health indices for each one.
disappointed.
Is an AHI a digital twin? The twin is there to provide data to sup-

So, is a transformer asset health index port a decision – even if that decision is a
(AHI) a digital twin? I did have a free and
frank exchange of views on this topic ear-
default decision to “do nothing” over and
lier this year with some folks at an indus- above what is normally done
COLUMN
This then gives more numbers to put on

the graphic, and it becomes a less coarse
There are many challenges with twins, from
and more useful/detailed twin. The algo- cyber security and data poisoning to twin
rithms used to transform the input data
to the output data are crucial to how well
maintenance, but the biggest challenge is
the twin represents reality. Assuming the that the twin may misrepresent the reality it
input data has been verified and validated
[3] we can compare the output data with is modelled for
reality and quantify the difference. For ex-
ample, if a transformer loading scenario
predicts a hot spot temperature of 140°C from reality, but if I know the hot spot is, There are many challenges with twins,
when we have continuous 1.2 p.u. load in fact, 60°C and my twin says it was ex- from cyber security and data poisoning
for 2 hours on a day when the ambient for pecting 80°C , that implies there is a seri- [4] to twin maintenance (which is re-
the two hours is a constant 20°C , and the ous problem in the twin algorithms which quired to make sure the twin models the
cooling is fully operational, we can check need to be addressed. We know there will actual physical asset as it is, not as it was
that against reality. In fact, we should be some variations, but let us not worry some time ago) [5], but the biggest chal-
check how well hot spot temperatures too much about mice when there are ti- lenge is that the twin may misrepresent
are predicted when just normal loading is gers abroad. the reality it is modelled for.
applied as well – are the algorithms in the
twin accurate?
Twin reliability metrics Acknowledgments
The twin is there to provide data to sup- How, then, do we measure the reliability Thanks to Philip, Richard and Ken for
port a decision – even if that decision is a of a twin? That can only be done by under- their assistance with this article.
default decision to “do nothing” over and standing several things:
above what is normally done. We know
References
the twin is a model of a real object and • the aim of the twin, and what is an ac-
thus will not be perfect. But we will need ceptable variation from reality [1] George Box, “Science and Statistics”,
to know when it is wrong in a way which • the accuracy/precision of the input Journal of the American Statistical Asso-
is important – in a way which means we data ciation, 1976, #71 (356): 791–799
may be misled into inappropriate actions. • the impact of the accuracy/precision
If I use a digital twin to model a GSU at on the algorithms used [2] George Box, “Empirical Model Build-
a power plant to identify and prevent fail- • the consequent uncertainty in the out- ing and Surface Response”. 1987
ures, I may not worry about small devia- puts of the twin
tions of predicted hot spot temperature • the actual variance between twin val- [3] G. Shao, J. Hightower, and W. Schin-
ues and reality del, “Credibility consideration for digital
twins in manufacturing,” Manufacturing
We can consider how badly the twin varies Letters, vol. 35, pp. 24–28, Jan. 2023, doi:
from reality, and what that variance is do- 10.1016/j.mfglet.2022.11.009
ing over time, but these variations may be
mice in comparison to the tigers out there, [4] https://www.challenge.org/insights/
such as the one where we make a wrong digital-twin-risks/
decision based on twin output: leaving a
unit in service to then see it fail, or taking [5] https://w w w.belcan.com/2023/
an outage and swapping out a bushing 01/16/pros-and-cons-of-digital-twin-
when there is nothing wrong with it. technology/
Author
Dr. Tony McGrail is the Doble Engineering Solutions
Director for Asset Management and Monitoring Tech-
nology. He has several years of experience as a utility sub-
station technical specialist in the UK, focusing on power
transformer tests and assessments, and as a T&D substa-
tion asset manager in the USA, focusing on system reli-
ability and performance. Tony is a Fellow of the IET and a
Member of IEEE, CIGRE, IAM and ASTM. He has a degree in Physics with a
subsequent PhD in Applications of AI to Insulation Assessment.

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DIAGNOSTICS
From transformer
monitoring to predictive
maintenance
Prolong asset life and lower your total cost of
ownership!
Introducing eDOC:

Advertorial
Due to their innate criticality to the system,

it is imperative that we monitor the health
status of transformers at every available
point throughout their lifecycle
DIAGNOSTICS
Continuous monitoring of asset parameters allows you to collect data

and use trend analysis to spot patterns and predict future events
T
ransformers are irreplaceable Gases Decisions on proactive transformer
components of any power sys- healthcare should be taken upon rele-
tem. They are designed to last The oil must be stable at high tempera- vant data analysis and consist of moni-
approximately 30 – 40 years and tures and have excellent electrical insu- toring, testing, and consulting services.
play a vital role in delivering power to the lating properties to withstand electri- A digital transformation journey moves
consumer. Due to their innate critical- cal and mechanical stresses and assure from a process-defined world to a
ity to the system, it is imperative that we the safe operation of the transformer. data-driven world.
monitor the health status of these valuable Dissolved gases present in the trans-
and expensive assets at every available former oil are indicators of possible Traditional time-based maintenance
point throughout their lifecycle. faults. scheduled on fixed set-time intervals and
manual data collection is not efficient
There are many challenges for Gas accumulation
enough in an era where technology is
transformer end users: Detecting abnormal gas accumulation rapidly advancing and where customers
• Gathering relevant health data re- and abnormal rate of gas accumulation have a need for speed and seek an imme-
motely to make informed decisions. in the transformer provides valuable in- diate response to questions.
• Building a suitable transformer sight into internal malfunctions, allow-
maintenance strategy. ing the opportunity to promptly shut Digital monitoring allows you to gather
• Prolonging transformer life and down the transformer and prevent pos- relevant data remotely and in real time
lowering transformer total cost of sible destruction of transformers. and to have full control over the course
ownership. of anomalous events. The availability
Pressure
of more detailed information enables
... and many asset health
Pressure in the transformer is one of the a wider evaluation of both asset oper-
parameters to keep under control: key health parameters that predict early ation and maintenance strategy. Fur-
Temperature signs of decreased performance or an thermore, you can avoid errors caused
With the global increase in energy de- upcoming failure. Overpressure in the by manual sample collection and be-
mand, the average loading on trans- transformer tank can lead to an explo- ing caught off guard by unexpected
formers rises and the end users strive sion and a hot oil spill in the surrounding events.
for higher asset utilization. Higher loads environment.
mean hotter operation and the need for Choose the right solution for transform-
Oil level
improved thermal management. How- er digital monitoring and adopt a reliable
ever, overheating affects the insulation Liquids like mineral and silicone oils data collection system that fully inte-
material properties and causes trans- insulate and cool a transformer. It’s es- grates with your transformer protection
former aging. sential to monitor the oil level to ensure and control systems.
reliable and safe operation of the trans-
Load
former. MeDICA is a modular ecosystem de-
The operator can define the overload ca- signed for specific customer needs,
pacity of the transformer over time with Continuous monitoring of asset param- which can be adapted over time. The
a precise definition of the immediate eters allows you to collect data and use solution consists of hardware – safety
risk, making the most of the transform- trend analysis to spot patterns and pre- monitoring devices, sensors, data aggre-
er’s potential without compromising its dict future events. gators - and services.
lifespan.
Just like proactive and regular health- By integrating and interpreting data from
Moisture
care for the human body, preventive online monitoring and offline testing, we
Humidity accelerates the insulation ma- maintenance programs based on reg- can build a sustainable maintenance pro-
terial aging. The presence of moisture is ular testing and data interpreting have gram and guarantee a longer lifespan for
an indicator of an abnormal condition, become fundamental for improved your transformers.
and further investigation is needed to transformer lifespan quality and signifi-
determine the next course of action. cantly increased it.
Dissolved gases in
transformer oil
MeDICA is a modular ecosystem designed The demand for reliable and sustainable
power continues to grow, and the trans-
for specific customer needs, which consists formers that are currently in service are
of hardware – safety monitoring devices, subject to increased stress. Unfortu-
nately, this increased stress accelerates
sensors, data aggregators - and services the aging of the insulating systems, thus

Liquid & Winding temperature
eOTI / eWTI
Gas accumulation
Liquid level
eBR
eOLI / CU eOLI / eVIEWER
8
Pressure
e170SC
Third party devices
Moisture
prevention
eSDB On-site access
eDOC
- USB port
Oil diagnostic device
- Ethernet
& Data aggregator
COMEM
service
Remote access
- Customer server
- Web interface
The presence of dissolved gases and moisture is an indicator of an

abnormal condition, and further investigation is needed to determine the
next course of action
reducing the reliable life of these critical Dissolved Gas Analysis (DGA) is hydrogen can be thought of as an
assets. among the most powerful tools for early warning or “check engine light,”
detecting faults in power transformers. alerting transformer operators to a
Insulating materials inside the trans- potentially significant issue inside the
former liberate gases while breaking By trending the dissolved gas levels, transformer.
down. problems can be identified and evaluated
further before they cause a catastrophic Moisture is another key factor affecting
To make sure transformer oil is suitable failure. the dielectric strength and aging of trans-
for use, end users must periodically former insulation. It is also an indicator
control its properties. The presence As seen in Table 1, hydrogen gas is for verifying the proper functionality of
of dissolved gases and moisture is an clearly present in most fault types. the oil protection system.
indicator of an abnormal condition, As it is the first gas to appear and the
and further investigation is needed to only gas to be continuously present To have complete control of the ther-
determine the next course of action. during thermal and electrical faults, mal operation of the transformer, it is
Sensors are essential for transformer

monitoring, enabling end users to Moisture is another key factor affecting the
monitor asset health parameters, plan
for proper maintenance, and prevent
dielectric strength and aging of transformer
failures. By combining the results of insulation, which is also an indicator for
electrical tests with oil analysis, you
can obtain a complete status of the
verifying the proper functionality of the oil
transformer’s health. protection system
DIAGNOSTICS
Table 1. DGA is based on the principle of the generation of different combustible gases depending on the temperatures reached by the oil.
Carbon Carbon
Fault/gas Methane Acetylene Ethylene Ethane Oxygen Nitrogen Hydrogen Moisture
monoxide dioxide
generated (CH4) (C2H2) (C2H4) (C2H6) (O2) (N2) (H2) (H2O)
Technical feature at a glance (CO) (CO2)
Cellulose aging + + +
Mineral oil
+ + + + +
decomposition
Leaks into oil + + + +
Oil oxidation + +
Thermal
decomposition of + + + + +
cellulose
Overheated
+ + + +
transformer core
"Thermal faults
in oil + Trace + +
(150°C to 300°C)"
"Thermal faults
in oil + Trace + + +
(300°C to 700°C)"
"Thermal faults
in oil + + + + +
(>700°C)"
Partial discharge + Trace +
Arching + + + +
CustomerCustomer
SERVER SERVER
(e.g. PI(e.g.
historian)
PI historian)
Any remote
Any remote
computer
computer
TabletsTablets
and phones
and phones
Corporate
Corporate
network
network
Self-dehydrating breather type eSDB *MeDICA offering includes 1, 5 and 9 gas analyzers
Bus Bus
MODBUS,
MODBUS,
DNP3, IEC61850,
DNP3, IEC61850,
RELAYS,RELAYS,
HTTPS HTTPS
necessary to monitor the temperature By integrating and interpreting data from
because high temperature causes trans-
former aging. Transformer mineral online monitoring and offline testing from
oil can degrade when exposed to heat,
oxygen, and moisture.
the past and from today, we can spot patterns
and see trends to better predict and forecast
Predictive maintenance the future health status of the asset
If you could predict the future, you might
be able to plan better, make your main-
tenance plan more effective, and avoid with an immediate effect on both bridge to all other connected eDevices
transformer failure that could cause a operation and maintenance without (Data Aggregator).
serious impact on your business. complicating the data flow too much,
choose our Oil diagnostic device To perform a more detailed diagnosis
It is possible to collect data required type eDOC, a single gas analyzer. almost in real-time and to take advantage
for transformer health management It continuously measures the presence of a wide range of services embedded in the
remotely or on-site. By integrating of moisture and hydrogen in trans- MeDICA offering, combine the Dissolved
and interpreting data from online former oil and enables you to make Gas Analyzer/Data aggregator* (1, 5,
monitoring and offline testing from the informed decisions about asset main- or 9 gas) with at least one sensor from
past and from today, we can spot patterns tenance needs. Thanks to this basic our eDevice family (self-dehydrating
and see trends to better predict and monitoring solution, the operation of breather, pressure relief device, Buchholz
forecast the future health status of the the transformer is enhanced with de- relay, liquid level indicator, liquid and/or
asset. tailed control of the thermal balance, winding temperature indicator).
the overload capacity, and the aging
If you are looking for a relatively eco- of the main insulation. As part of our MeDICA is the right solution for the
nomical digital monitoring solution MeDICA solution, it can also serve as a digitalization of transformers, both new
Liquid level
Liquidindicators
level indicators
eOLI/ CUeOLI
eOLI/ CUeOLI
Buchholz
Buchholz
Relays Relays
Liquid temperature
Liquid temperature
indicators
indicators
eBR eBR
eOTI eOTI
Pressure
Pressure
relief devices
relief devices WindingWinding
e170SC e170SC temperature
temperature
indicators
indicators
eWTI eWTI
Self-dehydrating
Self-dehydrating
breathers
breathers
eSDB XS/S/M/L
eSDB XS/S/M/L Liquid level
Liquidreading
level reading
eViewereViewer
Oil diagnostic
Oil diagnostic
device device
& Data &aggregator
Data aggregator Third party
Thirdsensors
party sensors
eDOC eDOC
Any computer
Any computer
- No software
- No software
- Just browser
- Just browser
DIAGNOSTICS
MeDICA is the right solution for the digitalization of transformers, both

new applications as well as retrofit solutions for the existing installed
base
Modular
ecosystem
of sensors &
data aggregator Customer support
Dedicated
hot line
Service
Installation &
Commissioning Consulting
services
Data interpretation,
reports,
consultancy
applications as well as retrofit solutions • The provision of a user-friendly eco- Choose MeDICA and get a complete
for the existing installed base. system with an embedded web inter- customer solution that includes
face & a common communication products and services that can
Together, we can build a proper trans- protocol. enable a longer and more efficient
former maintenance strategy based on transformer life cycle.
a data-driven preventive and predic- Contact us, and our on-field team of
tive maintenance program, increase the experts will take care of your request
lifespan of your asset, and optimize your during the entire project lifecycle, from
maintenance costs. the product selection to the installa-
tion, commissioning, and after-sales
COMEM Service can help you with: support.
• Offline measurements We provide a wide range of solutions for

• Installation & commissioning different applications and installations in
• Data interpretation, reports, and con- special environments, from offshore and
sultancy marine to seismic areas.
Monitoring Ecosystem
for transformer Diagnostics
with Integrated Customer
services & Analytics
Contact us & get support with

the product selection:
medica@it.comem.com
Oil diagnostic device type eDOC

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TECHNOLOGY
Digital solutions for future

grid complexity – The change
in the grid forces the adoption
of digital solutions to manage
future complexity
ABSTRACT complex grids. Their digital grid team KEYWORDS:

focuses on implementing software-
Siemens Energy’s presentation at defined energy infrastructure using IoT digitalization, digital solutions,
the 2023 Transformers Magazine and cutting-edge technologies, with renewable energy, sustainability, grid
conference emphasized the role of solutions like Sensformer® offering management, IoT technology, asset
digital solutions in addressing changes real-time asset management and management
in the energy industry, including integration capabilities for improved
integrating renewables and managing operational decisions.

Steffen APPEL, Tarik RADWAN
Various challenges in today’s markets can be

tackled using digital solutions, such as enhancing
transparency and optimizing asset management
capabilities
Presented at Sustainability and Digitalization

2023 conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia
TECHNOLOGY
The industry is undergoing a profound trans- Breaking down the statement above,
three main aspects should be discussed:
formation with the increasing integration of
renewable energy sources like wind, solar, 1. Change in grid
and hydroelectric power The industry is undergoing a profound

transformation with the increasing in-
tegration of renewable energy sources
Introduction complexity”: everyone talks about dig- like wind, solar, and hydroelectric power.
ital solutions, but nobody really knows This change introduces a fresh chal-
During the 2023 Transformers Maga- when exactly to apply them. lenge: dealing with intermittent and un-
zine conference in Dubrovnik, Tarik W. predictable energy generation patterns.
Radwan and Steffen Appel from Siemens Various challenges in today’s markets can Organizations need to connect and
Energy introduced the omnipresent topic be tackled using digital solutions, such as manage various grids across regions and
“digitalization in the energy industry”. enhancing transparency and optimiz- countries to balance supply and demand
ing asset management capabilities. At in the most efficient way. Gone are the
The presentation shed light on ideas Siemens Energy, our mission is to guide days of unidirectional energy flow: the
concerning the sustainability and our customers towards a more sustain- modern grid manages multi-directional
digitalization of energy assets and ex- able and digitally advanced future. As a flows, including energy storage and pro-
plained the current strategy and vision reliable partner, our digital grid experts sumers.
on how to support Siemens Energy are committed to assisting in the imple-
customers. mentation of a modern, software-defined
2. Future complexity
energy infrastructure, empowering them
“The change in the grid forces the adop- to operate their grids autonomously and The increasing complexity in managing
tion of digital solutions to manage future sustainably. power grids underlines the importance

of making faster and more accurate de-
cisions. Therefore, gaining and main-
Siemens Energy’s digital grid team aims at
taining digital control becomes increas- implementing modern, software-defined
ingly crucial, ultimately supporting the
transition from a human-led model to
energy infrastructure, empowering custom-
a more automated and decentralized ers to manage their grids autonomously and
digital control system, thus enabling,
for example, faster data flows and com- sustainably
munication, real-time observability,
and reduced human errors, decentral-
izing digital support leads to quicker Additionally, digital applications assist liability, customizing maintenance plans
decision-making. This progression operators in scheduling maintenance at based on real-time asset conditions, and
eventually aims to enable faster and optimal times and enhance asset perfor- optimizing asset performance.
more efficient monitoring and control mance.
of power systems. Just to name one of our solutions,
Siemens Energy’s digital grid team aims Sensformer® is the complete asset mana
at implementing modern, software - gement answer for your power trans
3. Digital solution
-defined energy infrastructure, empow- former, which can provide you with all
Through digital solutions, data is col- ering customers to manage their grids necessary information in real-time to make
lected, analyzed, and utilized for data- autonomously and sustainably. Since informed operational and maintenance-
driven decision-making and enhancing 2018, they have been developing their related decisions. Sensformer ® pro
operational efficiency. Various analytics expertise in IoT and edge technology to vides automated alarm notifications
tools are utilized to detect failures, iden- facilitate the transition towards net-zero based on pre-set alarm thresholds, al-
tify trends, predict future scenarios, and emissions. IoT and Edge technologies lowing you to take action if and when re-
simulate key performance indicators. provide transparency and asset man- quired. Connected to the Sensproducts
agement through a diverse array of ad- platform, you can drive your asset’s per-
vanced applications. Our team of experts formance and reliability and integrate
develops and delivers asset management with any third-party software via our
solutions that transform assets into real API (Application Programming Inter-
information hubs, enhancing overall re- face) functionality.
Authors
Steffen Appel is a versatile professional with a
master’s degree in economics, boasting expertise in
project management, business development, software
development, and IoT. As a Product Manager for
Asset Performance Management Applications, he
supports cross-functional teams, delivering innovative
solutions that drive growth and success within the
Energy Industry. Outside work, he enjoys outdoor activities and sports.
Tarik Radwan commenced his journey with

the Service Business for Power Assets at Siemens
Energy, in 2015, based in Brazil, where he has
specialized in Transformer Lifecycle Management.
Passionate about Primary Equipment, he has been
instrumental in shaping today’s technologies to
meet the ever-increasing demands on maintenance
strategy, performance optimization and grid resilience. Tarik successfully
spearheaded the launch and market entry of Siemens Energy’s Sensformer
solution in the Americas. Currently, he leads Siemens Energy’s IoT & Edge
global sales initiatives and go-to-market strategies.
TECHNOLOGY
Decarbonisation,
Decentralisation,
Democratisation
& Digitalisation - Fighting
fire with innovation
Introducing eDOC:
advanced transformer monitoring for grid reliability. In this

ABSTRACT
technological age, merging domain knowledge with digital
Addressing global warming requires innovative engineering solutions is vital for sustainable energy management.
solutions. The four megatrends: Decarbonisation, Decen
t
rali
sation, Democratisation, and Digitalisation (the KEYWORDS:
4Ds) are crucial. Decentralisation emphasises localised
energy resources, with Digitalisation ensuring automated 4Ds, Grid management, Sustainability, Energy transition,
grid management in response to variable renewable Variable renewable energies (VREs), Decarbonisation,
energies. Hitachi Energy’s TXpert Ecosystem provides Innovations

Andrew COLLIER, Carlos MARTÍN
Decarbonisation, Decentralisation, Democratisation,

Digitalisation: The 4Ds revolutionising our fight
against global warming

TECHNOLOGY
Millions of electric vehicles plugged into the Sankey diagrams in Fig. 2 are intended to
help visualise the changes to both energy
power grid could also be part of the energy source and use, with the left-hand side
storage solution of each column representing the source
and the right-hand side the use. As of
2020, circa 20% of global energy use was
E
via electricity, and only circa 2% came
ngineers could lay claim to creat- technologies bring their own challenges. from variable renewables. By 2050, elec-
ing fire, or maybe boiling water to One advantage VREs have is that they tricity generation will need to grow to at
create steam, which in turn drove open the door for more decentralisation least three times that of 2020, and we will
the steam engines of the 1st In- and democratisation of the electricity need to utilise 50% of our energy use via
dustrial Revolution and today forms the generation market, but with these things electricity. Furthermore, the (variable or
motive force for the steam turbines that come high levels of complexity and vol- some may say volatile) renewables part
are at the heart of many bulk electrical atility, so it is now also accepted we can will need to increase 20-fold. This will
power generation. only achieve these things while main- need to include utility-scale generation,
taining or increasing system stability and but one of the advantages VREs bring
As engineers, we are great at finding new reliability through the use of extensive is their ability to be applied at a smaller
ways to solve problems, but when we Digitalisation. scale en masse.
consider the amount of fossil fuels burnt
to generate electricity, we are now in a Starting with Decarbonisation, this re- Renewables are great, and we want to in-
situation where we need to solve what mains the primary goal. Most people tegrate as much of them as possible, but
could be humanities greatest challenge - accept this and the consensus that we this is not without its challenges. The first
a challenge we have in part created, the need to move to a carbon-neutral energy of which is where much of it will be phys-
challenge of Global warming. system but struggle with the sheer scale ically located.
of changes needed, which are much eas-
A large part of the solutions to global ier said than done and will require both Decentralisation - For the first 100 years
warming are the four Mega trends of De- additional grid infrastructure and mod- of the power grid, the focus has been on
carbonisation, Decentralisation, Democ- ernisation. bulk power generation, with those large
ratisation and Digitalisation, commonly generating stations often quite far from
referred to as the 4Ds. The need for De- The electrical power grids have slowly the load centres. The 4th industrial revo-
carbonisation is not new, but the rate of evolved in most countries over the best lution is already here, and with it, a focus
change needed is, and while Variable part of a century. However, most will on connectivity and networking. Power
Renewable Energy resources (VREs) are now need to change more in the next 10 grids are increasingly “inter-connected”;
increasingly attractive to investors, these years than they have over the last 100. The however, power still mostly flows in a
Figure 1. The four Ds of the Energy Transition

Figure 2. Rapid Digitalisation to Achieve Net Zero
unidirectional, top-down, bulk power which supplied 9.9% of Germany’s energy Today, the circa 2% of variable renew-
to-load centre manner. With the addition (in 2021). ables we do have are not evenly distribut-
of distributed energy resources, many of ed across the world. We still mostly have
these can be installed locally, and the re- The future grid architecture will take bulk power generation, and where we do
cent Fraunhofer “Photovoltaics Report” a huge investment, both in new infra- already have VREs in play, we are seeing
[2] highlights there are already more than structure and existing infrastructure changes in the way the Grid needs to op-
2 million Solar installations in Germany, updates. erate to accommodate the differing power
Figure 3. Decentralisation example from Denmark
TECHNOLOGY
Figure 4. Energy System Vision 2050
The challenge ahead of us is to maintain or Technology is already omnipresent in

many parts of our lives, and we are all
improve grid reliability in times when we are now on some form of digitalisation jour-
facing aged infrastruc ture, increased de- ney. This can mean different things to
different people, so for the Digitalisation
mand, extreme weather events and semi- of the power grid, we can think in terms
conducting equipment of Automatisation, i.e. automated collec-
tion, analysis & interpretation.
flows at different times of the day or night. This is, however, changing and indepen- Power grids and power transformers, in
Independent of ambition levels for the dent of the technological challenges we particular, are impacted by the changes
switch to wind and solar-based energy are now seeing in governmental initiatives in the grid dynamic, with power flowing
sources, in practical terms, there are lim- such as the EU’s Green Deal and new leg- in different directions and the potential
its to how quickly the transmission sys- islation such as FERC 2222. for increased voltage levels. They are
tem can be expanded to accommodate also subjected to changes in weather pat-
utility-scale projects. There is, however, Electrical vehicle charging is mostly seen terns and some of the extreme weather
a significant scope to grow smaller-scale as a burden. However, with even a small events that are currently increasing in
local production and consumption. In the area such as the United Kingdom set to both frequency and severity. The chal-
vision for Energy System 2050 (Fig. 4), we have 10 million vehicles with a plug by lenge ahead of us is to maintain or im-
can illustrate how local networks made up 2030, these could also be part of the en- prove grid reliability in the face of age-
of Virtual Power Plants, Prosumers and ergy storage solution while at the other ing infrastructure, increased demand,
local energy storage form micro-grids can end of the geographical scale, even in the extreme weather events and an increas-
help to balance out the peaks and troughs. USA, we are now seeing the Bipartisan ingly semiconductor-based generation
There are currently challenges in integrat- Infrastructure Law, with cross-party sup- mix. Power transformers are supplied
ing any new supply sources into the power port for President Biden’s goal to reach a against demanding requirements and
grids (and bidding on supply contracts). carbon-free electricity sector by 2035. specifications, but they can be exposed
to many external “events” over their
lifetime. These are often not well doc-
Through the great work done by indepen- umented, and ultimately, a relatively
small event can result in a failure in an
dent bodies, such as Cigre, we can see that already weakened transformer. Today,
monitoring provides the potential to iden- it is more important than ever before
to “observe” how your fleet is being
tify developing problems at an early stage utilised.

Figure 5. Impact of external events over time
Through the great work done by inde- such as TB642 [3] are a great indepen- vironment should a catastrophic failure
pendent bodies such as Cigre, we have dent source of information, where in- occur.
good historical insights into both fail- dustry experts estimate that monitoring
ure locations and failure modes [3]. We could help in the early identification of Monitoring or Digitalisation is itself not
can also see that monitoring provides a developing fault, significantly reduc- without its challenges, and already, we are
the potential to identify developing ing the lost revenues and repair costs globally generating 2.5 billion gigabytes of
problems at an early stage. Documents [4]. Not to mention the risks to the en- data every day [1], half of which organisa-
Figure 6. Failure mode and location
TECHNOLOGY
Figure 7. TXpert™ Ecosystem
The scalable and modular Ecosystem With the increase in the adoption of
VREs and the impact these are having on
allows you to prioritise where to start your loading profiles and the time needed to
Digital journey while providing guidance replace existing infrastructure, it will be
increasingly valuable to be able to under-
and safety in the knowledge stand better the reserve capacity of indi-
vidual network elements under dynamic
conditions. In the example from Fig. 9
tions are struggling to find or fully utilise. If includes the integration of customers’ a customer would be able to access and
we are to achieve sustainability, we need to preferred Smart Sensors, via the TXpert could then utilise the insights into the
decarbonise. If we are to decarbonise (and Ready program, whether that be DGA, hotspot temperature and reserve capac-
we must), then we need useable Digital in- Bushings or whatever else individual cus- ity, should they need to apply dynamic
sights if we are to maintain a reliable power tomers consider important. loading when facilitated by suitable am-
grid. Hitachi Energy has a long and strong bient conditions. Note: It is important
history, with domain knowledge encom- Well-intentioned, time-based inspec- to note that an increase of only 7⁰C can
passing legacy brands such as ASEA, BBC, tions are sadly only ever a snapshot of a double the ageing rate of the transformer
Stromberg, Ansaldo, Westinghouse and moment in time and can only indicate insulation.
many more. We have also been providing current status or where some new thresh-
state-of-the-art transformer monitoring old has been achieved since the previous Historically, monitoring has been de-
systems for more than 20 years, culminat- visit. Warning signs can themselves be a ployed sporadically and mostly retro-
ing in the Hitachi Energy TXpert Ecosys- combination of thermal, electrical, me- spectively, triggered by events or changes
tem. This is an open, modular, scalable and chanical or chemical. The scalable and in policy. This has resulted in many “silos”
future-proof system with the same way of modular Ecosystem allows you to prior- of information typically working in isola-
working across transformers that can be itise where to start your Digital journey tion, even if they are actually connected
new or old, liquid-filled or dry and is man- while providing guidance and safety in to some upstream system. Whether your
ufacturer agnostic. It covers much more the knowledge. It can be expanded should starting point is adding an electronic tem-
than just devices, including asset perfor- your future needs change. In the example perature module (ETM) to new Trans-
mance management (APM) & Services. from Fig. 8 the technicians were able to formers or DGA sensors to the installed
identify the increase in hydrogen gener- base, continuous (online) monitoring
The Hitachi Energy TXpert™ Ecosys- ation coincided with an increase in tem- provides “in operation” insights to com-
tem has evolved to combine not only perature at a time of stable loading. This plement whatever offline testing program
world-leading domain knowledge (with brought the (water) cooling system into you may have. The sooner you start, the
historical design data and more than question, where a mineral buildup was better off you are, as anybody attending a
10,000 transformer assessments) but also found to be blocking the heat exchanger. site with a tripped transformer is essen-

Figure 8. Example illustrating the case of a blocked cooling system.
tially a detective, arriving hours or even

days after the event into circumstances
Historically, monitoring has been deployed
that have almost certainly changed in sporadically and mostly retrospectively,
some way, shape or form.
triggered by events or changes in policy,
The TXpert Ecosystem brings together
these varied but important transformer but there is a better, wiser way
Figure 9. Illustration of hotspot temperature in relation to load and ambient conditions.
TECHNOLOGY
The TXpert Ecosystem brings together im- condition-based maintenance (CBM)

programs.
portant transformer health parameters and
includes a browser format of User Interface On-asset information and visualisation
support those physically on site. How-
to ensure ease of use and provide applica- ever, Remote services can be utilised to
access the global skills and guidance of
tion dashboards and insights domain experts to support both day-to-
day activities and in the event of a prob-
lem. Connected assets bring significantly
health parameters and includes a browser information is valuable in isolation more value and improve efficiency, but
format of User Interface to ensure ease of and is the enabler for more powerful they also represent additional exposure
use and provide application dashboards Asset Performance Management (APM) to cyber threats. Cyber security should
and insights. These are available via lap- tools, whether that be for multiple be approached in a similar manner to
top, remotely or via a locally mounted transformers at the sub-station level traditional security, i.e., it is important
7” touchscreen. Multiple “industry stan- via the APM Edge or Enterprise-wide for organisations to restrict access to de-
dard” based representations (Fig. 11) are solutions for different key asset types vices, just as they do high-voltage equip-
available for areas such as analysis of the via Lumada APM. The more power- ment. It is also paramount to work with
dissolved gasses. Customers can also se- ful software tools utilise the same look providers who offer both cyber-certified
lect their own preferences for trending and feel as the on-asset aggregator products and associated development
graphs, spider chart limit values and oth- interface. However, they provide the organisations [5, 6]. Furthermore, cyber
er health indices. opportunity to add off-line informa- security should be considered part of any
tion such as standard oil tests and can organisation’s license to operate, which
The monitoring, local storage and provide probability of failure informa- can be complicated to apply as many or-
visualisation of individual on-asset tion, prognostic insights and facilitate ganisations struggle to keep up with the
fast-moving changes and may confuse
standards such as NERC CIP (which
relate to whole systems) rather than
Connected assets bring significantly more device-specific standards. For the monitor-
value and improve efficiency, but they also ing devices themselves, the key standards
are IEC 62443-4-2 [7] and IEEE 1686 [8].
represent additional exposure to cyber
Wherever you are on your journey to
threats benefit from the different areas, Digi-
Figure 10. Combination and visualisation of multiple smart sensors

talisation can help you and your organi-
sation. Hitachi Energy has the expertise
in Transformers, in Digitalisation and
Services. The team from Hitachi Energy
are here to help you, whatever your area
of need, whether that be sustainability,
digitalisation or how digitalisation can
help you achieve your sustainability
goals.
At Hitachi Energy, our purpose is to ad-

vance a sustainable energy future for all,
and we are delivering this through our pi-
oneering innovation combined with our
strong belief in the value of collaboration
and tackling challenges together.
The Energy Transition that our planet

now needs brings with it many challenges.
To achieve our decarbonisation goals will
require extensive investment in new elec-
tric power infrastructure, but this alone
will not be enough. Digitalisation is the
only way to manage this complexity and
deliver the necessary visibility, agility and
fast, data-driven decision-making across
an entire business.
Figure 11. TXpert Hub, application Dashboards.
The team from Hitachi Energy are here to help you, whatever your area
of need, whether that be sustainability, digitalisation or how digitalisa-
tion can help you achieve your sustainability goals
Figure 12. TXpert Hub, local and remote monitoring options
TECHNOLOGY
Figure 13. Cyber security considerations
Today, more than at any time in the his-

tory of generation, transmission and dis- Authors
tribution, we need the benefits of domain Andrew Collier graduated from the North Oxfordshire
knowledge and support of intelligent Technical College and then Oxford Brookes University,
insights to ensure reliable grid operation
where he studied Electrical and Electronics Engineering
– Join us to learn how Hitachi Energy’s
open, scalable and manufacture agnostic together with Microprocessor based control systems.
Ecosystem can bring you real-world ben- His work experience includes the positions of a Test
efits today, tomorrow and in the future. Field manager and Senior Design Engineer before he
moved into sales and marketing, where he has held
[1] Source “Future Power Technology” international management positions for the last 19 years. He has been
magazine.
working in the transformer business for 15 years, and he is responsible
[2] Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy for the digitalisation of the Hitachi Energy transformer business. Andrew
Systems, 2022 Photovoltaics Report has cowritten several whitepapers and codeveloped both patents and
trademarks relating to the digitalisation of Transformers. As a keen scuba
[3] Cigre Technical Brochure 642/2015 diver with over 25 years’ of experience, Andrew has a real-life appreciation
Transformer Reliability Survey for the importance of protecting our planet.
[4] Cigre Technical Brochure 248, Eco-

nomics of Transformer Management
Carlos Martín, originally from Granada (Spain),
[5] IEC 62443-4-1:2018, Secure product graduated from the University of Cordoba and
development lifecycle requirements Malaga University, where he studied Industrial
Engineering. He also finalised a master degree in
[6] ISO/IEC 27001:2022, Information Business Administration at Solvay Brussels School of
security management systems Economics and Management. He has been active in
the Power Electricity sector for almost two decades,
[7] IEC 62443-4-2:2019 Technical secu-
where he took various roles in different companies. In his current role at
rity requirements for IACS components
Hitachi Energy, he focuses on transformer applications to make our grids
[8] IEEE 1686:2022 Standard for Intel- and industry more robust and sustainable. He is currently a member of
ligent Electronic Devices Cybersecurity CIGRE working group B3.41 on Mobile Substations Incorporating GIS.
Capabilities

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TECHNOLOGY
from design and engineering to

ABSTRACT KEYWORDS:
manufacturing and sustainability
Digitalization - the subtle yet power practices. In addition, the industry’s digitalization, sustainability, engineer-
ful force with a significant impact on efforts toward standardization ing, manufacturing, advanced technol-
the power transformer industry. We and professional development ogies, standardization, professional
explore the practical applications through digital tools are development
of advanced digital technologies, discuss ed.

Marco MILONE, Sudheer MOKKAPATY

Collaboration towards digitalization of the industry

Source: By Yingyaipumi, Stock.adobe.com
Harnessing the power of

digitalization in the transformer
industry for sustainability
TECHNOLOGY
The potential of digitalization extends systems. These technologies include ad-

vanced sensing, machine learning, digital
across various dimensions, encompassing twins, big data analysis, and cloud com-
design, engineering, manufacturing, and puting. These tools have become indis-
pensable in engineering research and de-
supply chain operations velopment endeavors, exemplified by the
initiatives at the SGB-SMIT Group. The
cooperation and collaborations with di-
Introduction ronmental impact, and enhancing overall verse energy industrial partners and dig-
performance. ital technology leaders would allow sub-
In recent years, the power transformer in- sequent growth in the industry towards
dustry has witnessed a remarkable trans- digitalization.
Digital technologies
formation with the advent of digitaliza-
tion. Advanced digital technologies have reshaping the industry
The reach of digitalization
permeated every aspect of the industry, The power transformer industry has em-
from design and engineering to manu- braced a suite of digital technologies that The potential of digitalization extends
facturing and supply chain management. are revolutionizing traditional processes across various dimensions, encompass-
In this article, we explore the potential and systems. The modern compact sub- ing design, engineering, manufacturing,
and impact of digitalization in the power station (CS) is a complex system that relies and supply chain operations. By deploy-
transformer industry, highlighting its role on the reliable operation of all its power, ing harmonized performance-enhancing
in improving efficiency, reducing envi- measurement, and communication sub- design tools and platforms, the industry
can capitalize on synergies, streamline
processes, and minimize human errors.
Improved design efficiency, risk reduc-
tion, and sustainability successes that
match with UN sustainability goals are
some of the key advantages.
Coupling of engineering software would

offer greater estimation capabilities. At
SGB-SMIT Group, a successful imple-
mentation of electrical and CAD tools
coupled with magnetic, thermal and me-
chanical finite element method (FEM)
software has been proven to yield fruitful
SGB-SMIT Group’s transformers range from 25 kVA to 1200 MVA

results. The days of solving complex elec-
tromagnetic/mechanical challenges are
Sustainability is a key driver in the pow-
now reduced to only a few hours. er transformer industry, and digitalization
plays a pivotal role in achieving the objec-
Sustainability at the core
tives
Sustainability is a key driver in the power
transformer industry, and digitalization
plays a pivotal role in achieving the objec-
tives. Digital tools facilitate material reuse, power losses by 10 % using advanced monitoring of manufacturing equipment,
assess carbon footprints, reduce waste, laser magnetic domain refinement tech- facilitated by sensors and robotics, boost
and enhance control over dangerous niques. The role of consortium partners efficiency while reducing costs. These ad-
substances. This optimization extends to would not only be to develop necessary vancements are essential for meeting the
manufacturing processes, reinforcing the technological solutions associated with industry’s growing demands.
industry’s commitment to environmental it, but also to implement digital concepts
responsibility. in all project phases while achieving Digitalization was the enabler of SGB-
them. SMIT Group’s transformer operating sys-
tem. The operating system relies on exten-
Standardization efforts
sive sensing for monitoring Temperature,
Digital twins and real-time
Collaborative efforts, such as the DNP hotspots, currents & voltages, etc. Cal-
project involving SGB-SMIT Group, monitoring culation methods for losses, DGA, and
are pushing for industry standardiza- Digital twins enable the modeling of noise were interfaced with a cloud-based
tion. Digitalization not only improves transformer behavior in real-world condi- communication system to effectively en-
operational efficiency but also aids in tions, providing accurate predictions and hance customer situational awareness of
harmonizing performance across the or- simulations. Automation and real-time transformer health.
ganization. Streamlining manufacturing
operations with digital tools, including
simulations and digital prototyping, ac-
celerates design iterations and ensures
Digital twins enable the modeling of trans-
product excellence. Also, SGB-SMIT former behavior in real-world conditions,
Group is deploying digitalization con-
cepts in building an R&D project con- providing accurate predictions and simula-
sortium to reduce transformer core tions
FEM magnetic simulation for core losses by SGB-SMIT FEM mechanical simulation for core noise by SGB-SMIT
Group’s R&D Group’s R&D
TECHNOLOGY
Laboratory scale experimental setups by SGB-SMIT Group to validate core losses improvement
Modern sensors, real-time signal process- and augmented reality systems promise
faster, more reliable results, reducing the
ing algorithms, 3D modeling, and augment- need for extensive human resources. The
ed reality systems promise faster, more reli- new framework would allow completing
the measurements and obtaining high-
able results, reducing the need for extensive fidelity results within 4 hours, which is a
human resources significant contribution in terms of speed
and accuracy compared to the conven-
tional measurement setup.
Enhancing partial discharge focuses on improving the accuracy and
measurements Exploring alternative
reliability of induced voltage localization
with partial discharge (IVPD) measure- materials
One significant research and developments. Modern sensors, real-time signal Digitalization is instrumental in exploring
ment initiative by SGB-SMIT Group processing algorithms, 3D modeling, alternative materials for transformer insu-
Visualization of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) SGB-SMIT Group’s transformer operating system visualizes
simulation capabilities adapted in the SGB-SMIT Group’s the real-time measured data of power quality, losses, and
operational R&D activites temperatures

SGB-SMIT Group, a
global player in the
transformer market
with 14 manufacturing
plants, is leveraging
digitalization in elec-
trical design
lation. The adoption of new bio-based,

biodegradable, and low viscosity liquids
in power transformers by the SGB-SMIT
Group boosting towards sustainability
targets. Collaborations with universities
allowed digital tools to facilitate experi-
ments, data collection, and the develop-
ment of heuristic formulas for assessing
the Lightning Impulse breakdown curves
for oil gaps. This collaborative approach
aims to create more efficient and sustain-
able transformers.
Digitalization in electrical
design IVPD Measurement developed by the SGB-SMIT Group equipped with fiber optic sensors
SGB-SMIT Group, a global player in the on the external surface of the transformer tank and real-time signal processing of PD.
transformer market with 14 manufactur-
ing plants, is leveraging digitalization in
electrical design. The creation of a com- increases efficiency, reduces waste, and Platform comprehends the entire pro-
mon design platform standardizes rules, enhances customer value. cess of transformer manufacturing in
practices, documentation, and materials an optimized way. By creating a unified
across all factories. This unified approach The state-of-the-art Engineering Design approach, SGB-SMIT Group aims to
SGB-SMIT Group’s laboratory testing of oil properties and assessment SGB-SMIT Group’s 80 MVA 115/21 kV power transformer
of Lightning Impulse Breakdown curves with Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) insulating fluid
TECHNOLOGY
SGB-SMIT Group’s Engineering Design Platform showcasing the synergy of transformer design
Creation of automatic/Semi-automatic optimized designs based on advanced computational techniques in the SGB-SMIT Group’s digital design platform

Digitalization can also
have a noteworthy ap-
plication in the aspect
of professional de-
velopment, and SGB-
SMIT Group deploys
digital tools for train-
ing and nurturing new
talents
increase efficiency, reduce waste, mini- Road map of the SGB-SMIT Group’s Professional development through digital training
mize processing time, and provide better
value for the customers.
Authors
Towards sustainability goals Marco Milone received the M. Sc. degree in Electrical
Engineering from Politecnico di Milano, Italy and the
The digital design platform aligns with
sustainability goals by reducing CO2 MBA degree from SDA Bocconi School of Management,
emissions and optimizing material use. Milano, Italy in 1999 and 2004, respectively. Mr. Milone
It includes advanced computation tech- has been actively engaged in the transformer design and
niques for loss and short-circuit current engineering since 2000. Since 2005 he has held several
calculations, ultimately leading to in- global management positions in transformer technology.
creased energy efficiency. He worked at the ABB Power transformer factories in Italy, Poland, and
Germany. Since 2020, Mr. Milone has been with the SGB-SMIT Group, where
Professional development he is currently the Group Technology Manager (CTO). His main areas of
through digitalization research interest are management of R&D teams, innovation management,
Digitalization extends beyond operations simulation of high voltage and high current fields, electrical machine design,
and product development; it can also have power transformer design and failure analysis, short circuit duties in power
a noteworthy application in the aspect of transformer, alternative fluids for HV applications. He is an active member
professional development. SGB-SMIT
of IEC TC 14 with contributions as MT member for IEC 60076-1, 60076-5,
Group deploys digital tools for training
and nurturing new talents. These tools 61378-3.
include physical and online project lead-
ership training, on-the-job training, and Sudheer Mokkapaty received Bachelor of Technology
collaboration with experts from esteemed degree in Electrical & Electronics Engineering from
universities on various research topics.
Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad,
India and Master of Science degree in Electrical Power
Conclusion Engineering from Brandenburg University of Technology,
In conclusion, the power transformer in- Cottbus, Germany in 2011 and 2015 respectively. Since
dustry is on a path towards sustainability, 2014, Mr. Mokkapaty has been associated with the product
driven by digitalization, careful material development of electrical transformers initially as a student and later as a
selection, and advanced design optimi- R&D Engineer in the business unit Distribution Transformers, SBG GmbH,
zation. As the industry moves towards
Neumark. Since the beginning of 2023, he has been working with the SGB-
its sustainability targets, digitalization re-
mains a powerful ally, helping to reduce SMIT Group as R&D Project Manager and currently as Group Innovation
CO2 emissions, enhance efficiency, and Manager. His main areas of interest are innovation, research and development
meet the evolving demands of the power management, FEM simulation of HV and LV applications, electrical steel
transformer sector. The roadmap laid out technologies and product development in transformers. He has authored & co-
by the SGB-SMIT Group serves as a tes- authored multiple technical papers on transformers for different international
tament to the industry’s commitment to a
technical conferences and fairs.
more sustainable future.
TESTINGS
Transforming
transformer testing
Key Strategies for the Industry
in the Age of Energy Transition,
Sustainability, and Digitalization
Introducing eDOC:
exciting opportunities and formidable this critical question. We perceive a para-

ABSTRACT
challenges. As we navigate this chang- digm shift in the world of testing.
In an era characterized by energy transi- ing terrain, it is essential to explore why
tion, sustainability, and digitalization, the testing solutions for the energy grid of to- KEYWORDS:
world is experiencing a profound trans- morrow are crucial. At HAEFELY, we rec- sustainability, energy transition, renew
formation. For the power transformer in- ognize our role in shaping the next gen- able energy, EcoDesign directive, digital-
dustry, this new landscape presents both eration and are committed to addressing ization, testing

Frédéric DOLLINGER
In an era characterized by energy

transition, sustainability, and digi
talization, the world is experiencing a
profound transformation

Electronic Power Supply 1500 kVA
TESTINGS
Transforming traditional test systems into state-of-the-art digital

solutions is no longer optional, it’s a necessity to stay ahead of the
impending wave of change.
Sustainability: In light of these transformative forces, 1. Compact hardware: EPS offers an

A transformative force in the transformer test engineers face the optimized kW/kg and kW/m3 ratio, gen-
transformer industry challenge of reconciling speed and ac- erating no vibration. Its design allows for
curacy, often considered contradictory easy transportation and factory reloca-
Sustainability has never been a more objectives. As these trends reshape the tion.
compelling imperative. One of the testing landscape, the need for test-
most significant shifts we are witness- ing solutions in the energy grid of the 2. Maintenance-free: Electronic power
ing is the transition to renewable en- future becomes increasingly evident. supply technology is virtually mainte-
ergy sources, particularly solar and So, what key strategies and approach- nance-free, with no moving parts apart
wind power. This evolution is revolu- es are required to thrive in the face of from the cooling fan.
tionizing the transformer business. In unprecedented change? The answer lies
the past, a 1 GW power generation sys- in embracing digitization. 3. Ease of service: Standardized hard-
tem typically required two large pow- ware and online monitoring make ser-
er transformers. However, today, for a vice efficient and spare parts readily
Embracing digitization:
1 GW wind power generation system, we available worldwide.
need 200 small power transformers, and The path forward
for solar power generation, the number It is paramount for the industry to ac- 4. Safety: The EPS integrates advanced
escalates to 600 small power transform- knowledge the changing landscape and safety features, reacting intelligently to
ers. These transformers serve critical embrace digitization. Transforming tra- various situations, including voltage and
roles in an increasingly inaccessible and ditional test systems into state-of-the-art current trip detection. It holds SIL3 cer-
mission-critical environment. Conse- digital solutions is no longer optional; it’s tification, one of the highest safety levels
quently, they undergo more intensive a necessity to stay ahead of the impend- in the industry.
and deeper testing than traditional stan- ing wave of change. The impact extends
dards demand. In summary, the industry to all players in the transformer market, 5. Redundancy: EPS units can be used
must produce more transformers, sub- from large corporations to family-owned in parallel, providing increased power
jected to more demanding tests, to meet businesses. Those who act swiftly will for testing. This flexibility allows for
the requirements of sustainable energy lead the charge. various test configurations, including
generation and distribution. parallel testing or testing larger trans-
At HAEFELY, we have observed this formers.
trend reflected in the increasing number
Transformer losses
of “new buyers” on our reference list for 6. Decoupled power supply: The EPS
and EcoDesign Directive: our Distribution Transformer Test Sys- provides decoupling from the mains volt-
A regulatory shift tem (DTTS). age, frequency, distortion, and asymme-
try, ensuring a clear separation between
The EcoDesign Directive in the Europe- the test system and the workshop.
Digitalization:
an Union has significantly strengthened
the regulations surrounding transform- Game-changing advancements 7. Compatibility with partial dis-
er losses, with a particular focus on no- in transformer testing charge measurement: Electronic
load losses. This change stems from the power supply technology, coupled with
intermittent on-and-off cycles of trans- Digitalization is not just an upgrade; filtering options, enables precise partial
formers in networks with wind and solar it’s a revolution in transformer testing. discharge measurements with minimal
energy generation, a deviation from the Upgrading from traditional Motor – background noise.
traditional continuous electricity gener- Generator hardware to state-of-the-
ation. The no-load loss of transformers art solutions, such as electronic power 8. Variable frequency: The ability to
now plays a pivotal role in reducing CO2 supply (EPS), brings a plethora of ad- vary the frequency from 16⅔ to 200 Hz
emissions. vantages: allows for versatile testing, including ap-
plied voltage tests, loss measurements at
50 Hz and 60 Hz, and induced voltage
Upgrading from traditional Motor – Genera- tests at any frequency.
tor hardware to state-of-the-art solutions, 9. Advanced control software:
such as electronic power supply (EPS), Real-time feedback loops ensure voltage
symmetry and a reduced total harmonic
brings a plethora of advantages distortion, enhancing accuracy.

10. Full working range: EPS technolo-
gy is fully compatible with inductive and
One of the most significant advancements
capacitive loads, simplifying testing. lies in the real-time feedback loop, connect-
ing measurements taken on the transform-
Real-time feedback
and transformative impact
er’s bushing to the electronic power supply
One of the most significant advance-
ments lies in the real-time feedback loop,
connecting measurements taken on the Modularity and flexibility: encounters issues, the remaining units
transformer’s bushing to the electronic Meeting market demands ensure the system’s continuous opera-
power supply. This ingenious algorithm tion. Additionally, it’s possible to run two
works wonders, minimizing total har- Amid the dynamic nature of the market, medium-sized test systems in parallel to
monic distortion (THD) to levels below it’s essential to adapt swiftly and remain test two medium-size transformers and
1% in the majority of cases. It doesn’t stop open to future evolution. Timely deliv- combine their power for testing large
there; this algorithm also addresses issues ery and flexibility are key considerations power transformers. This adaptability
related to symmetry and has the remark- for any investment in today’s transform- positions EPS as a powerful hardware
able ability to counterbalance unsym- er testing landscape. This state-of-the-art for navigating the evolving testing land-
metrical loads. In a real-world case study, EPS presents a fully standardized and scape.
the activation of this real-time algorithm modular system. Each EPS unit, offering
led to a remarkable 3% reduction in no- 540 kVA, can be conveniently stacked
Global view with safety
load loss readings. The implications are together to meet the power requirements
truly astounding when one considers for testing. This user-friendly approach features
the feats that such sophisticated software offers numerous advantages. Systems The EPS comes equipped with software
can achieve on a multi-megawatt pow- can be upgraded on-site to accommo- that not only monitors but also drives
er supply. This innovation represents a date increased power demands, all while the entire test laboratory, even including
game-changing leap in transformer test- maintaining standardized components, third-party components. It continuously
ing technology, delivering precision and which facilitates faster delivery and senses the state of every switch, interlock
efficiency beyond what was previously streamlined spare part management. In door, and takes measurements from the
imaginable. the case of a large system, if one EPS unit EPS, capacitive compensation bank, and
In the world of transformer testing, where we confront the challenge of

balancing speed and precision, we’re equipped with a robust toolbox
that significantly simplifies the life of a test engineer
TESTINGS
step-up transformer. This top-tier soft-

ware incorporates advanced features
The new era is here, and for the industry
such as voltage and current trip detec- to prosper in the face of unparalleled
tion and flash detection, significantly
enhancing safety throughout the system transformation, it must enthusiastically
and the entire factory. In the event of a adopt these innovations
malfunction or an unforeseen situa-
tion, the system immediately switches
off, entering a secure state. Instances of times as short as 7 minutes per trans- a standardized manner, regardless of
capacitive compensation banks failing former are attainable, depending on the the operator. Additionally, traceability
due to operator errors or over-stress are system configuration – a remarkable feat is effortlessly maintained, as the sys-
not uncommon. However, with this soft- compared to the bygone era when mea- tem offers a fully calibrated setup and
ware, such catastrophic scenarios can be surements were meticulously handwrit- a comprehensive test report database.
predicted and avoided, earning it a SIL 3 ten in notebooks. This powerful combination of speed and
safety certificate. precision is the driving force behind our
These digital tools not only enable us transformation in the testing landscape,
These advancements make a compelling to expedite the testing process without guaranteeing consistency and excellence
case for EPS technology and its transfor- compromising measurement accuracy in every test.
mative potential in transformer testing. but also play a pivotal role in upholding
the integrity of our Quality Management The new era is here, and for the indus-
procedures. Each step in the process is try to prosper in the face of unparalleled
Balancing speed and
meticulously defined, ensuring that ev- transformation, it must enthusiastically
precision in transformer ery transformer undergoes testing in adopt these innovations.
testing
In the world of transformer testing, where

we confront the challenge of balancing Author
speed and precision, we’re equipped with Frédéric Dollinger, Area Sales & Marketing Manager
a robust toolbox that significantly simpli- at HAEFELY, shared his groundbreaking insights on
fies the life of a test engineer. This toolbox “Transforming Transformer Testing” at the Transformers
includes transformative elements such as Magazine Sustainability and Digitalization 2023 confer-
a transformer database, automated hard-
ence in Dubrovnik, Croatia. With over a decade of expe-
ware configuration, streamlined test se-
quence setup, automated measurements, rience in the transformer industry, he is passionate about
and standardized result calculations pioneering cutting-edge solutions that revolutionize the
based on industry standards and pass-or- efficiency and accuracy of transformer testing. A frequent speaker at industry
fail criteria. It also seamlessly generates events, he actively travels the globe, sharing his expertise with customers and
test reports, accelerating the testing pro- collaborating on projects.
cess. For instance, with our DTTS, cycle

WiPE
Power? WE ALREADY HAVE IT. IT IS TIME TO CHANGE

THE WAY THE WORLD PERCEIVES THAT POWER!
Women in Power Engineering

Hear us out and be the change
you want to see
See our WiPE interviews here: https://transformers-magazine.com/wipe-e-lessons/

CORE TECHNOLOGY
The energy of
craftsmanship – In the
era of digitalization:
PTTX Putian Group
success story
Introducing eDOC:
ABSTRACT Group is driving advancements in electrical steel material

technology to create a greener and more low-carbon future.
PTTX Putian Group is pioneering a green energy transfor-
mation in the electric power sector. With a fully integrated
KEYWORDS:
mill and a unique example of vertical integration, they are
expanding their core manufacturing capabilities to meet sustainability, digitalization, digital technology, electrical
the growing demand. This article showcases how PTTX steel, smart factory, iron cores

Leonardo MASCHIETTO
The evolution of the

transformer industry
is marked by two key
themes: sustainability
and digitalization

CORE TECHNOLOGY
PTTX Group specializes in high-end electrical steel materials, transmis-

sion and distribution electrical equipment, and integrated smart factory
planning
T
he evolution of the transformer tire industry chain through innovative technology, PTTX Smart Factories excel
industry is marked by two key technology. in core metrics such as product quality
themes: sustainability and digi- control, production efficiency, energy
talization. As an indispensable and hidden compo- conservation, and environmental pro-
nent of electrical power networks, iron tection.
In recent years, both pre- and post- cores have a wide range of applications,
pandemic, the whole energy sector has including in transformers, electronic cir- Innovation is the key to sailing towards
experienced a constant demand for the cuits, motors, power supplies, and more. the future: PTTX group places great im-
improvement of transformer perfor- All these appliances, which contain portance on technological innovation
mance and the industry itself, achieving cores, support vital industries such as and talent development. We have estab-
high levels of sustainability as well as de- aviation, railways, high voltage transmis- lished strategic partnerships with lead-
vice performance, both of which can be sion and distribution, data centres, and ing domestic research institutions and
achieved with a boost in the digitalization new energy sources such as windmills universities, which provide the PTTX
of companies. and photovoltaic farms. group a source of young, very highly
technically skilled people who joined
As a beacon of innovation, PTTX PTTX Group boasts an industry-leading our team.
Putian Group stands at the forefront of intelligent manufacturing base for sili-
these transformations. For over two de- con steel and iron cores. Leveraging our PTTX invested significantly in the cre-
cades, the Group has been dedicated to proprietary digital “brain,” it established ation of a research and development
the electric energy sector. PTTX Group a fully interconnected, smart-controlled, centre, where our technical experts are
specializes in high-end electrical steel and safe industrial internet system, en- focusing on key areas like fundamen-
materials, transmission and distribution compassing marketing, research and tal materials and green electrical ap-
electrical equipment, and integrated development, production, intelligent plications. Located in Anhui Province,
smart factory planning. It consistently logistics, customer service, and busi- PTTX’s own “Xinpu” mill spans a mil-
provides green, low-carbon products ness management, creating a seamless lion cubic meters, boasts 18 kilns, and
and comprehensive solutions for the en- end-to-end closed-loop. Empowered by produces 300,000 tons of grain-oriented

electrical steel (GOES) for transform-
er manufacturers. The capacity is
further set to increase from January
2024.
PTTX Group is also expanding its core

manufacturing, building a new plant for
cores, boosting the production by anoth-
er 100,000 tons. The “Xinpu” mill is fully
integrated with PTTX plants manufac-
turing cores, a unique example of vertical
integration in the energy world.
PTTX Group is dedicated to expanding

its domestic and international presence
from a global perspective, with products
and services already providing compre-
hensive coverage in the domestic mar- PTTX Group offers high-quality silicon steel
ket. Simultaneously, PTTX Group offers
high-quality silicon steel and iron core and iron core solutions to hundreds of trans-
solutions to hundreds of transformer former manufacturing companies in over 50
manufacturing companies in over 50
countries and regions around the world, countries and regions around the world
thus contributing to bringing electric
power to every corner of the globe.
PTTX Group drives the development Acknowledgments
PTTX Group will continue to play a of new power systems, making life even
crucial role in the green and low-carbon better. Gathering the vision of the era, The author would like to thank the
transformation of the electric power in- PTTX Group innovates the silicon steel PTTX Marketing team for their con-
dustry through advancements in electri- branch. The “core” of PTTX Group lis- tributions to the creation of this
cal steel material technology. tens to the heartbeat of the world. article.
SMART GRID
Sensformer: Powering
the future with digitalized
transformers
Introducing eDOC:

Amit SHEREKAR, Manan PANDYA
The traditional transformer, which has been a

cornerstone of the power grid for over a century,
is being transformed into a digitalized version that
can provide operators with real-time data on its
operation and health
ABSTRACT
Transformer digitalization is a crit-
ical aspect of the development of
a smart grid. Siemens Energy has
developed a digital transformer
solution called Sensformer, which in-
tegrates various sensors, communi-
cation interfaces, and data analytics
capabilities into the transformer to
enable advanced monitoring, diag-
nostics, and prediction capabilities.
This article presents an overview of
the Sensformer and its key features.
It describes the installation and com-
missioning process of the Sensform-
er and the benefits of the technology
in terms of improved reliability, effi-
ciency, and safety of power systems.
A case study is presented to demon-
strate the features of the Sensformer
in real-world applications, such as
detecting hot spots in transformer
windings, predicting transformer
ageing, performing DGA and opti-
mizing transformer loading based on
real-time condition monitoring. The
results show that the Sensformer
can significantly enhance the per-
formance and value of transformers
and provide a reliable and cost-effec-
tive solution for grid digitalization..
KEYWORDS:
Sensformer; digital twin; IoT-cloud;
relative aging; digitalization.
SMART GRID
Sensformer is a digital product introduced complete power transformer portfolio,

including Auto-, Net-Transformer, phase
by Siemens Energy in 2018 which provides shifters, reactors, and HVDC transform-
real-time information about the perfor- ers. One of the key features of Sensform-
er is its ability to provide real-time data
mance and health status of transformers on the transformer’s performance and
health status through a web-based user
interface and mobile apps. This data can
Introduction environmental goals. Digitalization offers help utilities and other users optimize the
advantages such as reduced downtime, performance of their transformer assets,
The rapid development of digitalization increased flexibility, cost savings, and im- identify potential problems before they
technologies has opened new possibilities proved environmental protection. This become critical, and reduce downtime
for the power industry to optimize their paper will focus on the digitalization of and maintenance costs. Another import-
operations and improve the efficiency of transformers, exploring the features and ant feature of Sensformer is its digital
their power grids. The traditional trans- benefits of digital transformers, such as twin modelling capability. A digital twin
former, which has been a cornerstone active overload management, tempera- is a virtual replica of a physical asset.
of the power grid for over a century, is ture monitoring, and aging prediction. By creating a digital twin of the trans-
being transformed into a digitalized Overall, this paper aims to demonstrate former, users can simulate and analyze
version that can provide operators with how the digitalization of transformers can its behaviour under various conditions
real-time data on its operation and health. improve the efficiency, reliability, and sus- in order to optimize its performance,
Transformers are a critical component of tainability of the power grid, providing a identify potential problems, and develop
electrical power systems, and their per- foundation for a fully digital grid. predictive maintenance strategies. Some
formance directly impacts the reliability of the benefits of using Sensformer in-
and efficiency of electricity transmission clude improved reliability and availabil-
Sensformer
and distribution. Traditional condition- ity of transformer assets, reduced main-
ing monitoring systems have been used Sensformer is a digital product intro- tenance costs, and increased efficiency
for years to evaluate the health and per- duced by Siemens Energy in 2018 which in transformer operations. Additionally,
formance of transformers. However, with provides real-time information about the Sensformer can help utilities make data-
recent advances in digitalization, the performance and health status of trans- driven decisions about maintenance, re-
development of digitally enabled transformers. The product consists of an IoT pairs, and replacement. Siemens Energy
formers has become essential to address gateway, cloud, and digital twin model- extends the Sensformer solution to en-
current and future challenges facing the ling of the transformer, which enables compass non-Siemens transformers as
power industry. These challenges include remote monitoring and management well. This enables users to upgrade their
improving performance, health and safe- of the transformer’s health status. The existing transformer assets with the dig-
ty, reducing costs and risks, and meeting Sensformer solution is available for the ital monitoring and modelling capabili-
Figure 1. IoT Box

ties of Sensformer, providing them with
the same benefits as new installations.
The Sensformer solution complies with
the industry-leading cybersecurity require-
Sensformer consists of the IoT gateway
box shown in Figure 1. Real-time data
ments and uses state-of-the-art securi-
communication is facilitated by its inter- ty and encryption technologies, including
action with the transformer and the cloud.
Figure 2 shows data flow from the trans- ISO/IEC 27001
former to the cloud via the IoT device and
from the cloud to a mobile device/web UI.
The IoT gateway that is installed into the enabling more insights into the trans- obtained using the historical operational
control cabinet of the transformer mea- former’s inner life and condition. This data of the transformer. With the help of
sures the physical signals coming from the includes extended temperature infor- the digital twin, the real-time thermal im-
transformer. These signals include load, mation with advanced 3D visualization, age of the transformer can be simulated at
winding temperature, top oil temperature, selectable signals of different values and any time during operation and stored in
cooler temperature, ambient temperature components, as well as a virtual sensor order to have a sound base for load pre-
and the measurement of gases. The IoT notifier. This notifier can be parametrized diction. Different load scenarios can be
device has the functionality of connecting to inform the operator about the status of simulated before loading the transformer,
the cloud through a GSM/LAN network. the transformer anywhere and anytime. so the level and duration of the overload-
Therefore, all values obtained from the ing that the transformer can withstand is
transformer are sent to the cloud platform 2) Active overload prediction – Active known to the operator at any time. The
for data analysis. Along with Sensformer, overload prediction is based on real-time operating parameters are adjustable ac-
Siemens Energy has a broad range of thermal modelling of the transformer, cording to the operator’s requirements,
Sensproducts family intended for grid
digitalization.
The Sensformer solution complies with

Some of the main features of Sensformer
the industry-leading cybersecurity re- include Mixed reality view, Active overload
quirements and uses state-of-the-art
security and encryption technologies, prediction, Load Simulation, Lifetime pre-
including ISO/IEC 27001. End-to-end diction and DGA and Multigas Sensor Inte-
encryption is employed for data transmis-
sion to cloud storage, with each Sensform- gration
er having a unique ID used for encryp-
tion. HTTPS with 256-bit TSL encryption
is used for transmission. To ensure strict
separation and security of data from dif-
ferent customers in the cloud, Sensformer
adheres to the best-in-class data handling
and management guidelines. After the
digital twin model of the transformer
is built on the cloud platform, detailed
information about the transformer can
be accessed via a mobile device/web UI.
Real-time temperature monitoring of oil and
winding is displayed on the digital screen,
with the digital twin providing real-time
loss of life calculation and active overload
prediction, as well as warning users when
the temperature exceeds defined limits.
Sensformer features
1) Mixed reality view – The operator

can interact with the web-based UI to ver-
ify physical signal values coming directly
from the transformer. The digital twin
of the transformer provides additional
calculated signals called ‘virtual sensors’,
which can be treated as real sensors. These
virtual sensors save money and time while Figure 2. Sensformer data flow
SMART GRID
A digital twin is a computer-based model cise due to the moisture modelling phe-
nomena.
that replicates a connected transformer us-
Sensformer benefits
ing design data and operational information
1. Real-time information of operational
parameters of the transformer is avail-
and overload prediction is possible up to In accordance with IEC loading guide- able anywhere and anytime.
3/24 hours into the future. Thus, trans- lines, the system also supports continuous 2. Early warnings and push notifications
mission capacity can be increased based lifetime evaluation over a longer period. on mobile devices to alert operators
on a very accurate forecast. At the same To accurately predict load, flexible param- about critical situations (e.g., oil loss,
time, operating flexibility is maximized to eterization for aging is necessary. By pre- excessive temperature, etc.)
match the operator’s business needs. dicting the transformer’s lifetime based on 3. Performance optimization is achiev-
insulation aging estimation, operators can able by monitoring the different pa-
3) Load Simulation – With a calibrat- assess the age profile of their transformers rameters of the transformer.
ed digital twin model, it is possible to at any given time, enabling them to plan 4. Sensformer data can be used to cut
evaluate the load cycle simulation for for future capital expenditures with maintenance costs by reducing man-
the following 24 hours based on the load greater accuracy. hours and preventing unscheduled
profile and ambient temperature. This outages.
provides advanced information regarding 5) DGA and Multigas Sensor Integra- 5. Customers have 24/7 access to Sens-
the operating condition of the transform- tion – The integration of H2 guard and former applications and can use the
er, including the top oil temperature and Multigas (Multisense5 and Multisense9) information provided to cut operating
winding hot spot. Different load scenar sensors with the Sensformer application expenses.
ios, along with ambient temperature, can is possible. This enables a detailed analy- 6. Historical data download is possible,
be simulated on the cloud platform in a sis of the concentration of gases present in and it can be used to understand trans-
short time. transformer oil, along with trend analysis. former behaviour in detail.
If the specified limits for any particular 7. Active overload prediction and insu-
4) Lifetime prediction – The Sens- gas are exceeded, the operator is alerted. lation aging support the lifetime plan-
former application allows operators to Online DGA monitoring allows for con- ning of transformers, which is benefi-
monitor the aging of insulation paper in tinuous tracking of transformer health cial for long-term grid modernization.
transformers by analyzing load and other and provides in-depth information about
operational parameters of the transform- the condition of transformer oil. The sys-
Digital twin
er. By retrospectively evaluating the trans- tem can also detect faults using techniques
former’s operating mode, it is possible to such as Rogers Ratio and Duval Triangle A digital twin is a computer-based model
calculate the actual lifetime losses over a based on standards. Furthermore, with that replicates a connected transformer
predefined period and generate both ab- the requisite sensor inputs from DGA, using design data and operational infor-
solute and relative lifetime loss forecasts. relative aging calculations are more pre- mation. This virtual replica can be created
a) Cross-section view of transformer b) Thermo-hydraulic model structure
Figure 3. Heat sources of a transformer to build a thermo-hydraulic model, including the oil flow

in real-time, using current data input, or
in advance, based on simulated operat-
By inputting various operational data for the
ing scenarios. The digital twin provides following 24 hours, customers can simulate
a detailed and accurate representation
of the transformer, allowing engineers
a load cycle and gain a deeper understand-
and operators to monitor and optimize ing of their transformer’s future behaviour
its performance, predict potential issues,
and simulate future operating conditions.
In cases where detailed design data is not with other important physical transform- calculation. This loss of insulation life is
available, modelling is done based on er models, such as those for moisture cal- calculated based on data from the pre-
IEC/IEEE standards. By using a digital culation. vious 24 hours, the previous 30 days, and
twin, utilities or operators can improve since the Sensformer application was com-
asset reliability, reduce downtime, and en- Currently, the digital twin model in Sens- missioned. This provides customers with
hance overall operational efficiency. former can be used for three scenarios. a real-time assessment of the transform-
Firstly, it can simulate load and ambi- er’s lifetime and the ability to compare the
The thermo-hydraulic model presented ent temperature cycles for a period of 24 thermal load of multiple transformers.
in Figure 3 is a powerful tool for com- hours in the future. Secondly, the model
puting the temperature behaviour of the can determine permissible overload with Customized design modelling
transformer. It takes a variety of factors specified boundary conditions. This fea-
into account, including the transformer ture enables the transformer to be oper- Each transformer has its unique design,
ratio and tap position, and distinguishes ated more efficiently and optimally with- which includes factors such as oil-natural
between different types of losses, such out the risk of damage or failure. Finally, or oil-directed cooling, the number of
as ohmic and eddy losses, which have the digital twin model can automatically windings, coolers, fans, and other speci-
distinct temperature dependencies. One calculate the relative aging of the trans- fications. To accurately predict the trans-
unique feature of this model is its ability former, which is crucial in predicting its former’s behaviour, a digital twin model
to incorporate real material characteris- remaining lifespan and scheduling main- is created, which is tailored to the trans-
tics, such as the masses and heat capacities tenance activities. former’s specific design. The digital twin
of conductive and insulating materials, to model is parameterized with design infor-
accurately predict the dynamic tempera- The Sensformer Advanced offers cus mation such as oil volume, heat capacities,
ture behaviour that occurs during oper- tomers valuable insights into the condi- insulation thicknesses, ohmic resistances,
ation. In addition, the model accounts tion of their transformers. By inputting hydraulic resistances, dimensions, mate-
for the hydraulic resistances of various various operational data for the following rials, thermal data, fan and pump charac-
transformer components such as the core, 24 hours, customers can simulate a load teristics, and many other factors. By utiliz-
windings, and radiators. It calculates oil cycle and gain a deeper understanding of ing real-world data, the thermohydraulic
flow based on buoyancy forces and, op- their transformer’s future behaviour. The calculation of the digital twin model can
tionally, additional pump pressures if thermo-hydraulic model then predicts predict the transformer’s overload capaci-
pumps are present. With this level of de- temperature behaviour for the trans- ty, aging, and service requirements with a
tail and accuracy, the thermo-hydraulic former, such as top oil temperature and high degree of accuracy. This level of ac-
model enables engineers to model the winding hotspots over 24 hours, starting curacy is crucial for ensuring the safe and
exact digital twin of the connected trans- with the current thermal condition of reliable operation of transformers in the
former. the transformer. Customers can also de- power system.
termine the maximum permissible over-
Consequently, and contrary to more sim- load capacity for the transformer over the The main difference between simplified
plified models, the Siemens Energy digital following 3 hours, considering different standard thermal models and the Sie-
twin does not rely on fixed thermal time boundary conditions such as temperature mens Energy digital twin is the multi-
constants. Instead, it can account for the limits and aging values. Additionally, the mass approach. Simple models often
relevant dynamic heat transfer mech- Sensformer Advanced can automatical- consider only the thermal behaviour of a
anisms in the transformer. Using this ly calculate the relative insulation aging single winding for a specific tap position
thermo-hydraulic approach, the heat of a transformer based on the IEC load- and specific cooling mode. It is only pos-
transfer equations take into account the ing guide formulas. It also considers the sible to simulate the hotspot temperature
relevant physical quantities such as oil moisture present in the oil for loss-of-life for load and ambient changes for this
temperature, oil flow, losses, etc. Consid-
ering the oil flow distribution and heat
transfer mechanisms results in a thermal
transformer model covering different Each transformer has its unique design,
cooling modes and the transient be- and to accurately predict the transformer’s
haviour between these modes, like ODAF
to ONAF or ONAN. The result is a precise behaviour, a digital twin model is created,
temperature calculation. Moreover, due to
the multi-mass approach linked to the oil
which is tailored to the transformer’s spe-
flow, it is possible to integrate the model cific design
SMART GRID
By accurately predicting temperature behaviour, the digital twin can pro-

vide valuable information for monitoring and optimizing the transform-
er’s performance, leading to improved reliability and efficiency
winding. However, this is clearly less ac- oil-natural-cooled medium power trans- 220/22 kV. This pilot project has demon-
curate and not sufficient in terms of real former. The results show that the digital strated the capabilities of this technology
thermal stress within a transformer, as the twin provides the most accurate correla- and its potential benefits, providing us
position of the highest temperature can tion between the measured and calculated with first-hand experience in refining our
vary from one winding to another when temperature values. In contrast, the con- processes and developing best practices
a transformer is operated at a different tap ventional IEC standard model produces for our customers.
position. higher deviations, leading to less accurate
estimated conditions. This highlights the Figure 5 shows the actual site picture of
In contrast, the Siemens Energy digital importance of using a comprehensive the transformer and the commissioning of
twin covers all windings and the possible multi-mass approach such as the one used Sensformer. All the sensors on the trans-
cooling modes of the transformer. De- in the Siemens Energy digital twin, which former are connected to the IoT box and
pending on the tap position, the loss dis- considers all windings and possible cool- transmit the data of various operational
tribution occurring in the windings is cal- ing modes. By accurately predicting tem- parameters in real-time to the cloud plat-
culated, and consequently, the hotspot in perature behaviour, the digital twin can form for analysis. Figure 6 shows real-time
the transformer can be continuously cal- provide valuable information for moni- data of the transformer on the platform
culated. The Siemens Energy digital twin toring and optimizing the transformer’s and data analytics for decision-making.
is based on a multi-mass model, which performance, leading to improved reli- Figure 6 (a) shows the fleet management
also includes the oil flow. Only these mod- ability and efficiency. and status of all the transformers in the
els will really constitute a complete digital fleet and their running condition. Fig-
twin of a transformer, which will allow a ure 6 (b) shows the loading of the trans-
Successful installation of
very deep insight into the transformer. former and critical operating parameters.
Sensformer Advanced in India Figure 6 (c) shows the real-time data for
Temperature behaviour is a crucial as- As part of our initiative to drive digitali- each of the sensors which are connected
pect of digital twin technology, as it pro- zation activities for transformers in In- to the IoT box. Figure 6 (d) shows the
vides valuable insights into the accuracy dia, we have successfully commissioned transformer’s behaviour in real-time and
of the calculation model used. Figure the Sensformer Advanced solution on a the virtual sensor calculation for detailed
4 illustrates a comparison of measured transformer within our premises. This insights into the transformer behaviour.
and calculated values of top oil tempera- retrofit solution is installed on an existing Multisense 9 is integrated with the Sens-
ture over a certain period of time for an transformer with a capacity of 25 MVA, former application to check the condition
Figure 4. Comparison of different calculation methods for transformer top oil temperature

of the transformer oil, the concentration
of different gases and their trend analysis.
As part of our initiative to drive digitaliza-
The platform employs advanced analytics tion activities for transformers in India, we
and machine learning algorithms to pro-
cess the data, providing insights into the
have successfully commissioned the Sens-
transformer’s health and condition. This former Advanced solution on a transformer
enables predictive maintenance, reducing
downtime and repair costs and ultimately within our premises
extending the transformer’s lifespan. On-
line monitoring eliminates the need for
physical inspections and minimizes the
risk of human error.
The successful implementation of this

pilot project highlights Siemens’ com-
mitment to digital transformation and
paves the way for the adoption of digita-
lization in the power sector in India. This
installation is used as a demo platform for
our potential global customers to show-
case the capabilities and features of the
Sensformer application. This solution
is an IoT-based digital tool that allows
for transformer health monitoring and
transformer fleet management, optimiz-
ing transformer utilization in real-time.
With this solution, Siemens aims to drive
innovation in the power sector, delivering
sustainable and reliable energy solutions
to its customers.
Conclusion
The Sensformer system offered by
Siemens Energy is a digital solution for
transformer online monitoring to access
critical information about the status and
performance of transformers. It provides
customers with real-time access to criti-
cal data on their transformers, including
loadings, aging forecasts, temperatures,
and dissolved gas concentrations. This
system enables early fault detection with
automated alarms and provides maxi-
mum transparency regarding the actual
condition of the transformer. The digital
twin intelligence also allows for virtual
simulation of the transformers’ operating
parameters under different load condi-
tions.
By providing real-time data on trans-

former performance, the Sensformer
system enables customers to take proac-
tive measures to minimize risks, optimize
transformer operation, reduce OPEX
costs, and enhance transformer lifetime
planning, thus improving the reliability
and efficiency of power grids.
Figure 5. Site picture during Sensformer commissioning
SMART GRID
a) Fleet Management
b) Loading of the transformer
c) Operational parameters of the transformers d) Real-time data analysis
Figure 6. Sensformer Advance Platform showing Live Parameters
The Sensformer system offered by Siemens Energy is a digital solution

for transformer online monitoring to access critical information about
the status and performance of transformers
Bibliography
[1] IEEE Std C57.12.00_2015 Require-
ment for Liquid-Immersed Distribution, Authors
Power, and Regulating Transformers Amit Sherekar received his master’s degree in heat power
engineering in 2012. He has 11 years of experience in
[2] Transformer technology: The Heart thermal and cooling simulations. He is currently working
of the power system, ISSUE18, ISSN as a manager at Siemens Limited, India. He has developed a
2642-2689, February 2022 thermal-hydraulic network model for predicting oil flow and
winding temperature in transformers. He has experience
[3] IEC Std 60076-1_2011-04 – Power with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling for
Transformers-Part 1 predicting oil flow and temperature in various cooling
configurations of power transformers.
[4] IEC Std 60076-1_2011-02 – Power
Transformers-Part 2: Temperature Rise
for Liquid-Immersed Transformers Manan Pandya has 20 years of diverse experience in
large power transformer manufacturing, design, R&D
[5] Siemens Energy Global GmbH and and Innovation at ABB and Siemens. He has expertise
Co. KG Transmission, Freyeslebenstr. 1, in transformer mechanical design, electrostatics, and
91058 Erlangen electromagnetics field simulation. He was awarded the
“Innovator of the Year 2017” award at Siemens India and
[6] Sensformer user manual V2.7.0, Oc- holds 3 international patent applications. He established
tober 2021 the Transformer Competence Centre at Siemens India for
supporting engineering and R&D of Global Siemens transformer sites. Currently,
[7] https://www.siemens-energy.com/ he is working at Siemens Energy Transformers, Nuremberg, Germany, as an
global/en/offerings/power-transmission/ operational excellence manager.
innovation/sensproducts.html
EW ED
86 PEER REVI TRANSFORMERS MAGAZINE | Special edition: Digitalization | 2023
Transformer essentials – crucial skills
and competencies made accessible
Affordable access to fundamental knowledge at the
Transformers Academy. Suitable for those who want to
start fresh or get a clear reminder of the vital topics.
Visit for more information: https://transformers-magazine.com/module/transformer-essentials/
info@merit-media.com transformers-academy.com
FAILURES
Thermal failure in a
clamping bolt of a shunt
reactor
the insulation of the clamping bolt the core frame. From the simulation
ABSTRACT
was damaged by the loosening of results, the author determined that a
This article presents the detection the bolts produced by the vibration short circuit between the bolt and the
and analysis of a thermal failure proof the shunt reactor in conjunction core frame generated the gases and
duced in a core clamping bolt of a 5 with a possible low torque applied the high temperatures in the shunt re-
MVAr gapped three-phase shunt re- to the bolts. A short circuit between actor. Finally, the manufacturer of the
actor. Gases were detected in this the bolt and the clamping frame was shunt reactor decided to reinforce the
shunt reactor during its operation at produced, generating the circulation insulation of the clamping bolts us-
a substation in Mexico. Using dis- of eddy currents in the bolt producing fiberglass to avoid future possible
solved gas analysis (DGA) and Duval’s ing high temperatures and gasifying short circuit failures.
triangle method, temperatures up to the insulating oil in the shunt reac-
700°C were estimated in the shunt tor. Three-dimensional (3-D) finite KEYWORDS:
reactor. Overheating evidence was element (FE) simulations were per-
detected in one of the core clamping formed to verify the cause of the over- shunt reactor; short circuit failure; fi-
bolts during an internal inspection heating issue in the clamping bolt of nite element (FE) simulation, dissolved
of the shunt reactor. The author and the shunt reactor, simulating the short gas analysis (DGA), core clamping
the reactor manufacturer believe that circuit between the clamping bolt and bolt, Duval’s triangle method

Salvador MAGDALENO-ADAME
Thermal failures in core clamping bolt regions are common in

transformers and shunt reactors, and some of these thermal failures
are generated by short circuits between core clamping bolts and other
metallic parts
FAILURES
The presence of gases was monitored and detected in a 5 MVAr three-

phase shunt reactor during its normal operation condition
Introduction and overheating the regions of the bolts. On the other hand, other interest-
Thermal failures in core clamping bolt In [6], a severe thermal fault produced by ing thermal failures produced by core
regions are common in transformers and a melted core clamping bolt is present- clamping bolts have been detected in
shunt reactors [1]–[3]. Some of these ed. The stainless-steel clamping bolt was hydroelectric generators. For example,
thermal failures are generated by short completely melted in the interior of the in [8], thermal failures in the stator core
circuits between core clamping bolts and magnetic core of a transformer. The in- clamping bolts of a real hydroelectric
other metallic and magnetic parts, pro- sulation of the bolt failed and produced a generator were studied and analyzed
ducing the circulation of high currents short circuit between the bolt and the steel using finite element (FE) simulations.
in these bolts [4]–[7]. These currents can laminations of the magnetic core, gener- The authors performed an internal in-
develop high temperatures in the bolts ating the circulation of high currents in spection of the generator to detect and
and the near-clamping frame regions. In the bolt. The circulation of these high locate the thermal failures. Several sta-
power transformers and shunt reactors currents melted an important portion of tor core clamping bolts presented severe
that are immersed in insulating oil, these the clamping bolt. In [7], a thermal failure damage with visible signs of overheating
high temperatures break down the oil and was detected in a core clamping bolt of a and melting, while some bolts present-
generate gases, which leads to a failure of shunt reactor. The presence of gases was ed mechanical fractures. The insulation
these apparatus during their operation detected in the reactor using dissolved gas of the bolts was destroyed and carbon-
in the electrical power systems. Different analysis (DGA). Parts of a core clamping ized. The main cause of the overheating
overheating issues and overheating faults bolt were found in one of the core clamps failure was a short circuit between the
produced by core clamping bolts in trans- of the shunt reactor during an internal bolts and the core bars, precisely where
formers and shunt reactors have been de- inspection. The bolt and some core steel the insulation material was damaged and
tected and analyzed [4]–[7]. For example, laminations presented overheating signs. destroyed. When the insulation material
in [4] and [5], thermal failures produced The clamping bolt was removed from the between the core bars and the bolts was
in the connection bolts of core clamping magnetic core, and the insulation of the destroyed, a short circuit was produced
structures of transformers are present- bolt presented evident damage. In this between them. High currents circulated
ed. During internal inspections, some case, the overheating failure was produced in the bolts and core bars, subjecting the
regions with overheating evidence were by the circulation of a high current in the bolts to high electromagnetic forces, pro-
detected in the connection bolts of core bolt produced by a short circuit between ducing mechanical vibration that even-
clamping frames. The insulation of these the bolt and the laminations of the core tually led to overheating and melting of
bolts failed, and high currents circulated and the steel clamping structure of the the bolts of the generators.
in the bolts, producing high temperatures shunt reactor.
In this article, the origin of a thermal failure
in a core clamping bolt of a shunt reactor
is presented, analyzed, and demonstrated
using Multiphysics three-dimensional
(3-D) finite element (FE) simulations. The
process utilized to diagnose the thermal
failure in the shunt reactor is presented.
Utilizing electromagnetic and thermal
finite element simulations, the author
demonstrated that the thermal fault was
produced by a short circuit between the
bolt and one of the clamping frames pro-
ducing the circulation of high current in
the bolt and producing temperatures of
almost 850 °C.
Overheating Failure in the

Shunt Reactor
The presence of gases was monitored and
detected in a 5 MVAr three-phase shunt
reactor during its normal operation in a
substation in Mexico [9]. Table 1 shows
the characteristics of the shunt reactor
Figure 1. Identification of the thermal fault in the shunt reactor using Duval’s triangle method [10]. Over five months, high amounts of

hydrogen (H2), ethylene (C2H4), acetylene Visible signs of overheating were found in
(C2H2), and methane (CH4) were detected
in the shunt reactor, indicating the pres- the region of one of the non-magnetic stain-
ence of a possible high-temperature fault.
Table 2 shows the dissolved gas analysis
less steel clamping bolts in one of the top
(DGA) results obtained in the shunt reac- low-carbon steel clamping frames of the
tor [9]. A thermal fault was confirmed us-
ing Duval’s triangle method and the DGA shunt reactor
results of Table 2. From Duval’s triangle,
a thermal fault type T3 was diagnosed in
this shunt reactor, see Figure 1. A thermal The carbonized residue of insulation was To verify this assumption about the short
fault type T3 indicates a failure in insulat- found around the bolt region, with more circuit between the bolt and the frame,
ing oil and/or paper above 700 °C with found on the top coil region. The clamp- 3-D Multiphysics FE simulations were
evidence of carbonized oil, with metal ing bolt was removed from the top frame, performed to verify the cause of over-
coloration or melting. The possible caus- and the manufacturer discovered that an heating in the bolt of the shunt reactor. In
es for these thermal faults could generate important part of the insulation along the the next sections of this paper, the results
overheating regions, partial discharges, bolt had been damaged and destroyed, of the 3-D FE simulations will be pre-
and sustained electric arcs [11]-[13]. De- leaving the bolt bare, see Figure 2 (b). sented, and the origin of the overheating
spite the detection of gases in the shunt Generally, several layers of insulating pa- fault will be demonstrated.
reactor, the Mexican electric utility com- per are employed to insulate the clamp-
pany and substation operators decided to ing bolts from the core yokes and frames.
run the failure of the shunt reactor, which The insulation along the bolt prevents Table 1. Characteristics of the shunt
never fully occurred. possible contact between the bolt and the reactor [9], [10]
core frames and contact between the bolt
After detecting the thermal fault, the and the magnetic core laminations. The Characteristic Value
shunt reactor was put out of service, and author and manufacturer believe that
the substation staff decided to send the the main cause of the damaged bolt in-
Number of phases 3
shunt reactor for repair to the original sulation was produced by the loosening
manufacturer. An internal inspection of the bolts produced by the vibration
was performed to locate the failure region of the shunt reactor in conjunction with Nominal Power 5 MVAr
in the shunt reactor. Clear signs of over- a low torque applied to the bolts during
heating were found in the region of one of the tightening process [14]. The reactor Nominal Voltage 115 kV
the non-magnetic stainless steel clamping vibration loosened the clamping bolt,
bolts in one of the top low-carbon steel damaging and destroying its insulation Nominal current 25.1 A
clamping frames of the shunt reactor, see and producing a short circuit between
Figure 2 (a). The bolt presented evidence the core frame and the bolt, generating Frequency 60 Hz
of carbonized oil and insulation residues, the circulation of a high current in the
but it did not present cracks or evidence bolt and generating high temperatures Cooling system ONAN
of melting. It indicates that the tempera- in the bolt-frame region. Thermal faults
ture of the clamping bolt reached tem- have been detected in high-voltage shunt Top oil temperature 80 °C
peratures below 1400 °C (melting point). reactors due to vibrations [15], [16].
Table 2. DGA results of the shunt reactor [9]
Gas, content Dec 10th Dec 12th Dec 31st Jan 31st Feb 28th Mar 31st Apr 30th May 31st
CO, ppm 80 90 130 160 175 195 210 215
H2, ppm 80.5 186 760 3110 8500 10100 12700 12300
CH4, ppm 123 317 1650 7220 19300 45500 64600 73100
C2H6, ppm 43.2 93.8 508 2420 5840 11000 17200 19100
C2H4, ppm 181 437 1800 7120 25900 51600 70500 78500
C2H2, ppm 1.8 2.4 2 9.4 34.2 163 153 262
FAILURES
Figure 2. a) Bolt and frame with signs of overheating, b) insulation of the bolt destroyed [9]
3-D finite element

electromagnetic and
thermal simulations
were performed to
figure out the cause
of overheating in the
clamping bolt of the
5 MVAr shunt reactor
Multiphysics Analysis
3-D finite element (FE) simulations were
performed to figure out the cause of over-
heating in the clamping bolt of the 5 MVAr
shunt reactor. Time-harmonic FE simu-
lations were performed to compute the
power losses in the clamping system of the
shunt reactor, including the power losses
in the bolt. The current circulating in the
bolt was computed in this analysis. Static
thermal simulations were carried out to
compute the temperature distribution in
the clamping system and clamping bolt
utilizing the power losses computed in the
time-harmonic analyses. The Multiphysics
FE analyses permit us to analyze the
presence of hot spots or regions with high
temperatures in structural parts of power
transformers and shunt reactors [17], [18].
Moreover, the Multiphysics FE analyses
permit us to analyze different techniques
for the reduction of these hot spots or high
temperatures in shunt reactors and pow-
er transformers, for example, magnetic
shunts, electromagnetic shields, stainless
steel inserts, etc.
The interest regions of the 3-D shunt re-

actor model are presented in Figure 3.
The coils of the shunt reactor are made of
Figure 3. a) shunt reactor model, b) lateral view of the shunt reactor model, c) view of copper conductors, and the magnetic core
the clamping bolt region
is made of laminations of grain-oriented them. For this reason, these bolts are omitted A current density of
electrical steel. The clamping frames in the model of Figure 3. A current density
are made of low-carbon steel, while the of 130 A/cm2 and a short circuit current of 130 A/cm2 and a
bolts, nuts, and flat washers are made of
non-magnetic stainless steel.
160 A were computed in the clamping bolt
under short circuit conditions. This current
short circuit current
circulates in the bolt, passing through the of 160 A were com-
magnetic core holes. This current produces
Overheating Failure Analysis
a small and saturated region with a magnetic puted in the clamp-
of Clamping Bolt flux density of 2 T around the magnetic core ing bolt under short
A single clamping bolt is modeled and put holes, see Figure 4.
in direct contact with one of the clamping circuit conditions
frame sides of the shunt reactor to simulate Figure 5 shows the loss density distri-
the short circuit conditions presented in bution in the clamping frame region. A
the real shunt reactor. All the other clamp- maximum loss density of 3000 W/m2 was circulating in the bolt during the short
ing bolts are completely insulated from the computed in the frame region in the bolt- circuit between the bolt and the clamping
frames, and no current is circulating through hole region. Figure 6 shows the current frame of the shunt reactor.
Figure 4. Magnetic field distribution in the magnetic core region around the magnetic core hole
Figure 5. Loss density distribution in the bolt-frame region
FAILURES
Acknowledgements
The author thanks R. Ocon from Indus-
trias IEM and E. Cortina and J.C. Olivares
from UAM for the technical and design
information about the shunt reactor, and
the author thanks them for the invitation
to be a consultant and external assessor
for the analysis of this shunt reactor.
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Figure 6. Short circuit currents circulating in the clamping bolt
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950 °C. The poor circulation of the oil in Because of the loosening of the clamping Mellah, and S. Benlahneche, “Power
the bolt-magnetic core region helped to bolt produced by the vibration of the shunt transformer faults diagnosis using und-
increase the temperature of the bolt. reactor during its normal operation, the estructive methods (Roger and IEC) and
main insulation of the clamping bolt was artificial neural network for dissolved gas
Based on the simulation results, the damaged and destroyed, producing a short analysis applied on the functional trans-
manufacturer decided to repair the circuit between the bolt and the frame of the former in the Algerian north-eastern: a
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pressboard spacers with thick fiberglass down the oil and generated gases, and a ure by using DGA and SFRA analysis,”
spacers, and a bolt torque of 57 Nm was thermal failure was diagnosed for the shunt 2012 IEEE 10th International Conference
verified for all the bolts during the tight- reactor. Temperatures up to 800 ºC were on Properties and Applications of Dielec-
ening process. Finally, the temperature estimated in the bolt region of the shunt tric Material (ICPADM), pp. 1-4.
of the repaired shunt reactor was moni- reactor. Finally, the reactor manufacturer
tored and tested in the high-voltage lab- decided to reinforce the insulation of the [6] V. Srinivasan, B. Subathra, S. Srini-
oratory before shipping the shunt reactor clamping bolts to prevent the risk of future vasan, and S. Kannan, “Asset management
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ence on Power and Advanced Control
Engineering (ICPACE), pp. 333-338.
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turer decided to repair the reactor, reinforcing [7] J. Doncuk, P. Trnka, and J. Pihera,
“Failure gas generation within the oil-pa-
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trical Insulation and Dielectric Phenome-
prevent future short-circuit failures na, pp. 371-374.

Figure 7. Temperature distribution in the clamping bolt and frame region
[8] Zhi-Ting Zhou, Zhen-Nan Fan, Ji- joints of oil filled transformers,” Indian Engineering Failure Analysis, Vol. 104,
an-Fu Li, Kun Wen, Bide Zhang, Tao Journal of Science and Technology, Vol. pp. 1157-1173, October 2019
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2300, 2018 2020 IEEE 1st China International Youth
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M.Sc. thesis, UAM, 2021 jia-Lara, “Root cause analysis for shunt formers Magazine, Special Edition: New
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[10] S. Magdaleno-Adame, R. Ocón-Val-
PEER REVIE
dez, D. Juarez-Aguilar, E. Corti- WED
na-González, and J. C. Olivares-Galván,
“Electromagnetic analysis of the bevel Author
edge technique in high voltage shunt re- Salvador Magdaleno-Adame received a B.Sc. degree in
actors,” 2021 IEEE International Autumn electrical engineering from the Universidad Michoacana
Meeting on Power, Electronics and Com- de San Nicolas de Hidalgo in 2008 and an M.Sc. degree
puting, pp. 1-6. in electrical engineering from the Instituto Tecnologico
de Morelia in 2013. From 2008 until 2010, he worked
[11] M. Duval, “Transformers with low at Industrias IEM S.A. de C.V. as an R&D engineer
degree of polymerization of paper,” Trans- for power transformers, where he conducted research
formers Magazine, Vol. 1, No. 3, 2014 and design reviews on shell-type and core-type power
transformers, and he also worked on the development of HV shunt reactors.
[12] W. Binder, “Trends in power trans- He has occupied several magnetic and electromagnetic engineering positions
former failure analysis,” Transformers in companies in the United States, working in diverse magnetic and
Magazine, Vol. 1, No. 3, 2014 electromagnetic technologies, including transformers, permanent magnet
motors, actuators, loudspeakers, permanent magnet technologies, magnetic
[13] M. Griaru, “Where to perform the materials applications, etc. He has authored over 60 papers for journals
dissolved gas analysis?,” Transformers and conferences, and he has over 20 years of experience in finite element
Magazine, Vol. 9, No. 3, 2022 electromagnetic analysis of electromagnetic devices. He owns a consultancy
business called “Salvador Consultant – www.salvadorconsultant.com”
[14] R. Krishnan and KRM Nair, “Fasten- to support the magnetic and electromagnetic industry in the United States.
er spacing and tightening torque of gasket
DIGITAL TWINS
Digital twin of cast resin

transformers
Introducing eDOC:

Mehran TAHIR
The electrical power system world is changing, and

the power grid continues to increase in complexity
by integrating intermittent renewables, distributed
energy resources, electric vehicle charging stations,
data centers
DryTrafo, a digital twin application designs, forecasting the transformer

ABSTRACT
for cast resin transformers using thermal behaviour under different
This article presents the benefits and multiphysics simulations. A three- load cycles, visualizing maximum
development process of transformer phase rectifier transformer unit, 2000 permissible overload capabilities,
digital twin applications to manage kVA 10500/720 V is used to explain and remaining useful life estimation.
the current and future challenges to the development and working
the transformer industry. Computer- principle of the twin simulations KEYWORDS:
aided engineering (CAE) tools under the portfolio of DryTrafo.
such as the finite element method These transformer digital twins can digital twin; cast-resin transformer;
(FEM) simulations play a vital role provide value in several stages, from multiphysics simulation; FEM
in the development of transformer planning and realization to field
digital twins. HTT has developed operations to help produce efficient
DIGITAL TWINS
A digital twin is a virtual replica of each al data like winding current and voltages,
type of insulation and cooling systems,
physical transformer unit developed from ambient conditions, etc. Digital twins pro-
the transformer design data vide value in several stages, from planning
and realization to field operations to help
produce efficient designs, forecasting the
transformer thermal behaviour under dif-
1. Introduction better insights are needed in order to en- ferent load cycles, visualizing maximum
In the past, grid conditions were quite sure sound decisions on transformer de- permissible overload capabilities, as well
stable, and transformers were therefore sign optimization, maintenance, repair, or as remaining useful life estimation, as de-
considered to operate under stable condi- new investment. picted in Figure 1.
tions in a centralized power grid. Due to
stable load conditions, many transform- These challenges can be addressed by im- Computer-aided engineering (CAE) tools
ers had a long lifetime. However, at pre plementing smart and digital technologies, such as the finite element method (FEM)
sent, the world is changing, and the power such as a transformer digital twin. In re- simulations play a vital role in the develop-
grid continues to increase in complexity cent years, few transformer manufacturers ment of transformer digital twins as they
by integrating intermittent renewables, have made efforts in power asset digitaliza- shorten analysis and design cycles and as-
distributed energy resources, electric ve- tion and asset digital twin developments, sure optimized results by allowing a great-
hicle charging stations, data centers, etc. such as the Siemens Senseformer and the er number of scenarios to be investigated.
All these factors result in more dynamic ABB Ability [1, 2]. These development ac- This reduces the time to market and over-
loading of transformers. Irrespective of tivities in transformer digitalization sup- all cost. Moreover, these twin simulations
the changing generation and demand port and remove uncertainty during de- help optimize transformer operations by
trends, transformers are expected to last sign and configuration while supporting simulating and forecasting transformer
for 30-40 years. According to ABB, ef- applications and ensuring availability and behaviour under various operating condi-
fective monitoring of a transformer can reliability through condition monitoring tions. This provides improved operational
reduce repair costs by 75%, catastrophic and advanced services. reliability and productivity.
failure by 50%, and lost revenue by 60%,
while the annual saving of 2% of the price Hochspannungstechnik & Transforma-
2. What is a “transformer
of a new transformer can be achieved with torbau (HTT) makes extensive use of
proper monitoring of the transformer [1]. digital twin”? simulations in product development.
However, manufacturers and asset own- A digital twin is a virtual replica of each Simulations cover a wide range of fields,
ers feel the pressure to ensure competi- physical transformer unit developed from including electromagnetics, thermody-
tiveness and effective allocation of capital the transformer design data. This replica- namics, mechanics, fluid dynamics, and
and operational expenditures. Therefore, tion is based on the design and operation- material science. Increasingly, simulations
Figure 1. Transformer Digital Twin concept

also combine several of these domains and
capture not only the sum of their effects
In this article, a three-phase rectifier cast res-
but also the coupling and interactions be- in transformer unit, 2000 kVA 10500/720 V
tween them in what is called multiphysics
simulations. In 2022, HTT initiated a
is used to explain the development of twin
DryTrafo transformer digital twin project simulations
for cast resin transformers using multi-
physics simulations [3]. Since then, various
twin simulation applications have joined In this article, a three-phase rectifier former with basic components, where the
the portfolio, for example, electromag- cast resin transformer unit, 2000 kVA low voltage winding is made of continu-
netic simulations, power loss calculation, 10500/720 V is used to explain the de- ous aluminium strips (1) and high volt-
thermal analysis, hotspot temperature velopment of twin simulations. Figure age winding is a foil winding separated
monitoring, etc. These tools provide more 3 shows the schematic view of the trans- by two layers of insulation material (2).
scope to be innovative, the possibility of
testing a far greater number of variants
and their combinations, experimenting
with unorthodox approaches, enhancing
the ability to make key decisions rapidly,
and, of course, engaging customers with
the specific designing and optimization of
transformer operations during field utili-
zation. This article looks at how a team of
engineers at HTT develops multiphysics
twin simulations and custom-built ap-
plications to develop transformer digital
twins for their cast resin transformers.
3. Development of
transformer digital twin
Several parameters must be considered
before developing a transformer digital
twin. Among them is the scale of the digi-
tal twin, e.g., component modeling or sys-
tem level modeling, the type of predom- Figure 2. Graphical illustration of DryTrafo twin application
inant physics involved and their mutual
coupling, input parameters such as design
and operational data, computational ac-
curacy, and finally, computation time, i.e.,
how quickly a twin model yields action-
able information [4].
Another important aspect is the deploy-

ment of the digital twin, as the complex-
ity of these tools limits their use to skilled
users. With this in mind, HTT used the
application builder tool to build special-
ized, easy-to-use shorthand apps from
complex models. These applications are
then shared with end users as standalone
applications, which can run on a desktop
or laptop computer without a COMSOL
server license. In this way, the apps then
make the simulation engineer’s expertise
available to everyone involved in the de-
sign and manufacturing processes across
all engineering disciplines in the organi-
zation. Similarly, HTT has built various
apps at different scales involving different
dominant physics, and a graphical illus-
tration of this is shown in Figure 2. Figure 3. Schematic view of cast resin transformer with basic components
DIGITAL TWINS
The simulation of actual transformer be- surement procedure, a short circuit test
is simulated by shorting the LV winding
haviour and computation of copper losses and applying a voltage to the HV to en-
is carried out in COMSOL multiphysics soft- sure a nominal current flowing through
the circuit in order to compute the copper
ware based on the finite element method losses in the transformer.
In the case of the three-phase cast resin

transformer, the HV and LV windings
The major objectives in this process are as are induced in the core in this condition. are complex as well, as there is a large
follows: However, the core may also experience number of turns. While a reliable com-
losses because of eddy currents. These are putation of copper losses demands ex-
• Computation of power losses generally smaller than hysteresis losses plicit modeling of the detailed conduc-
• Dielectric performance assessment thanks to the use of laminated iron, which tors to account for skin and proximity
through electric field strength moni- minimizes eddy currents. Copper losses effects, such a detailed 3D model requires
toring are due to the electrical resistance of the a large number of computation costs and
• Thermal behaviour under various conductor. These losses can drastically time. However, the windings power loss
loading cycles and with different cool- increase due to the skin and proximity and core loss distribution of each phase
ing systems effects. Auxiliary losses contribute to the are almost the same, which is why only
• Hotspot temperature analysis for tem- losses that occur in metallic structures one of the three phases is supposed to
perature sensor installation that support the transformer. In this arti- be analyzed. Additionally, the structure
• Calculation of electromagnetic forces cle, the modeling of copper losses will be of one phase is also axisymmetric. Thus,
for fault analysis addressed in detail. a 2D axisymmetric model which incor-
• Ensuring optimized design and effi- porates individual conductor domains
cient electrical performance The simulation of actual transformer to understand the current density of the
behaviour and computation of copper conductors is developed. In this way, the
3.1 Computation of power losses losses is carried out in COMSOL mul- solution time was significantly reduced.
tiphysics software based on the finite To gain confidence in the accuracy of
Transformer losses can be classified into element method [3]. FEM is a spatial the model, the adaptive mesh refinement
core losses, copper losses, and auxiliary discretization approach to numerically feature is used, which allows the control
losses. Core losses are mainly governed solve electromagnetic fields in the time of the mesh size and levels in different
by hysteresis. Hysteresis losses are intrin- and frequency domain and lead to a parts of the model. This strategy not only
sic to any magnetic iron core. These losses single solution. In this article, frequency leads to a decrease in the use of compu-
are maximum under the open circuit con- domain study is used to solve Maxwell’s tational resources but also increases the
dition, as the maximum magnetic fields equations. To emulate the actual mea- accuracy of the model.
Figure 4. DryLoss twin application results of magnetic field density (left) and current density (right)

Figure 4 illustrates the simulation results
of the TrafoLoss twin application. The re-
Dry-type transformers’ thermal perfor-
sults are validated with measurements at mance is generally worse than that of oil-
different stages. A comparison of simula-
tion and measurement results is shown in
filled transformers due to their cooling me-
Table 1. The TrafoLoss app can effective- dium (air) and the fact that they use natural
ly replicate the transformer short circuit
routine test with a maximum deviation of convection for heat transfer
5%. The key features of the TrafoLoss twin
app are given below:
3.2 Thermal Analysis timized design for dry-type transformers.
• Computation of DC and AC losses, With this in mind, HTT has developed a
which facilitates the design optimization Dry-type transformers are highly sensi- TrafoHeat twin application based on the
as well as provides the opportunity to tive to temperature changes. Their ther- maxwell-CFD multiphysics approach.
study the performance of different types mal performance is generally worse than HTT’s TrafoHeat twin app can satisfac-
of windings and their arrangements. that of oil-filled transformers due to their torily compute winding temperature rise,
• Magnetic and current density fields cooling medium (air) and the fact that including hotspot temperature, by con-
provide a visual assessment to identify they use natural convection for heat trans- sidering all details of winding, core, and
high and low-loss pockets in the transfer. The hotspot temperature determines cooling system within seconds.
former geometry. the loading of the transformer, the aging
• Generation of automatic reports, of the transformer, and, thus, its remain- Heat transfer in a cast resin transformer
which facilitates the communication of ing useful life. Therefore, it is imperative mainly involves conduction, convection,
results in the most readable format for to have reliable thermal calculation tools and radiation. The effect of heat radiation
designers. at the designer’s disposal to achieve an op- is much smaller as it is mainly reflected in
The TrafoLoss app can effectively replicate the transformer short circuit
routine test with a maximum deviation of 5%
Figure 5. Transformer heat dissipation structure
DIGITAL TWINS
Table 1. Comparison of simulation and measurement results
Short circuit Impedance and short circuit Winding temperature rise

losses (IEC 60076-1:2011, clause 11.4) according to IEC 60076-2
Short circuit losses Short circuit System 1 System 2

Pk [W] at 120°C impedance Uk [%] ΔT1 [K] ΔT2 [K]
Measurement 14202 6.19 85.1 K 80.6 K
Simulation 14441 6.05 88.3 K 76.5 K
Deviation 1.68 % 2.26 % 3.2 K 4.1 K
non-contact solid materials. During the

operation of the transformer, the electro-
magnetic losses in the core, windings, and
structural parts are the main heat sources
of the cast resin transformers. The sol-
id parts mainly transfer the heat to their
surface by conduction and dissipate heat
to the surrounding environment. Be-
tween solid and air-fluid, heat is mainly
transferred by convection due to the tem-
perature difference in both mediums. The
internal heat dissipation phenomenon
of a cast resin transformer is shown in
Figure 5.
The TrafoHeat app considers all the phys-

ical phenomena that occur during the
standard heat run test. For thermal calcu-
lations, it solves three physical field mod-
ules in the time domain to capture ther-
mal images of the transformer, i.e., solid
and fluid heat transfer, laminar flow, and
Figure 6. DryHeat twin application result of temperature distribution and hotspot indication
surface radiation. Thanks to the multi
physics feature, these heat transfer studies
are tightly coupled with electromagnet-
ic physics, which takes into account the The multi-component thermal analysis and
electrical losses, and skin and proximity
effects, temperature effects on material
multiphysics approach make TrafoHeat a
resistivity are also considered. The tem- different digital twin app from conventional
perature distribution of each component
of the cast resin transformer is shown thermal models
in Figure 6. In this figure, hotspot tem-
peratures and their locations can also be
identified in different components. The Currently, the TrafoHeat app can be use- • Forecasting thermal performance for
multi-component thermal analysis and ful in the following scenarios: different load cycles and ambient tem-
multiphysics approach make TrafoHeat perature cycles for 24 hours in the fu-
a different digital twin app from conven- • Analyzing the thermal behaviour of ture.
tional thermal models. The simulation re- cast resin transformer
sults are validated with the measurement • Possibility of design optimization to re-
4. Conclusion
results at different stages, as appreciated duce thermal stress
in Table 1. HTT’s TrafoHeat app can sat- • Determining permissible overload ca- The growing complexity of grids brings
isfactorily capture the real-time thermal pability with user-defined boundary new challenges to the transformer indus-
image of the cast resin transformer with a conditions try, which can be mitigated by implement-
maximum deviation of 5 K from the mea- • Monitoring hotspot temperature and ing smart and digital technologies such as
surement results. their locations to install temperature a transformer digital twin. In this article,
sensors a three-phase rectifier transformer unit,

2000 kVA 10500/720 V is used to explain Bibliography al/en/products/simcenter/magnet.html
the development of digital twin applica-
tions, for example, DryLoss and DryHeat, [1] ABB, ABB Review Transformers Spe- [3] COMSOL Multiphysics® v. 6.0. www.
under the portfolio of DryTrafo. DryLoss cial Report, 2018, http://www.abb.com/ comsol.com. COMSOL AB, Stockholm,
twin application computes AC and DC abbreview Sweden
losses, and it also provides a visual as-
sessment of magnetic and current density [2] Siemens Digital Industries Software, [4] F. Tao, M. Zhang and A.Y.C. Nee,
fields to identify high and low-loss pock- 2D/3D electromagnetic field simulation Digital Twin Driven Smart Manufac-
ets in the transformer geometry, which software for accurate analysis, https:// turing, Academic Press, 2019, https://doi.
facilitates design optimization. DryHeat www.plm.automation.siemens.com/glob- org/10.1016/C2018-0-02206-9
twin application analyses the thermal
behaviour of cast resin transformers,
PEER REVIE
including the identification of hotspot WED
temperature. It is also valuable for deter-
mining permissible overload capability Author
with user-defined boundary conditions
and forecasting thermal performance for Mehran Tahir received his M.Sc. in power engineering
different load cycles. Another key feature from the Technical University of Munich, Germany, in
is automated report generation. This facil- 2016. In 2017, he was appointed as a scientific assistant
itates the communication of results in the at the Institute of Power Transmission and High Voltage
most readable format for designers.
Technology (IEH), University of Stuttgart, Germany.
In conclusion, DryTrafo offers insight He completed his PhD work in High voltage engineer-
into transformer designs and allows engi- ing in 2021. In 2022, he joined Hochspannungstechnik
neers to provide a complete optimization & Transformatorbau GmbH (HTT) and worked as Head of Technology. At
of transformer design within minutes.
HTT, he is responsible for designing and calculating Dry and oil-immersed
Further digital twin applications will fol-
low in the near future, complementing the transformers and leading the R&D team. He is an active member of the IEEE,
dynamic and new challenges to the trans- CIGRE SC A2 (Power Transformers).
former industry.
TECHNOLOGY
Overcoming bottlenecks in
digitalization for renewable
energy and EV charging
infrastructure
ABSTRACT pand the market for grid digitalization. ed to be integrated at the medium volt-
However, there are bottlenecks which age level in the future.
Economies all over the world are stakeholders must remove before
pushing to deploy greater renewable digitalization becomes widespread,
energy and electric vehicle charging including cyber security, workforce KEYWORDS:
infrastructure. This requires signifi- training, and costs. Currently, the dig- digitalization; renewable energy; elec-
cant investment in the electrical grid italization of electricity is taking place tric vehicles; charging infrastructure;
infrastructure, which is expected to ex- largely at high voltages but is expect- grid investment

Azhar FAYYAZ
Economies across the globe, specifically

advanced economies such as the US and
EU member states, are rapidly deploying
renewable generation and electric vehicles
in order to combat climate change
TECHNOLOGY
According to forecasts by Power Technology Research (PTR Inc.),

global renewable capacity is projected to increase by 60% for the
five-year period 2018-2022 relative to 2023-2027
1. Introduction 2.1 Decarbonization 2036 and install 300,000 chargers by 2035.

France targets electricity generation from
Economies across the globe, specifically According to forecasts by Power Tech- renewable energy sources at over 40% by
advanced economies such as the US and nology Research (PTR Inc.), global 2030. France also aims to install 7 mil-
EU member states, are rapidly deploying renewable capacity is projected to in- lion EV chargers by 2030. Italy plans to
renewable generation and electric vehi- crease by 60% for the five-year period increase the share of renewables to over
cles in order to combat climate change. 2018-2022 relative to 2023-2027. In 30% and install 30,000 EV chargers by
The Paris Agreement played a significant comparison, the global electric vehicle 2030.
role in this regard. It is a legally binding market is expected to grow with a Com-
international treaty on climate change pound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of Moreover, Spain has an ambitious target
that aims to curtail an increase in the 20% from 2022 to 2030. of renewable energy generation to over
global average temperature below 2 de- 70% by 2030, followed by 100% genera-
grees Celsius relative to pre-industrial Notably, a global renewable generation tion from renewable energy sources by
levels. The “stretch goal” is an increase of capacity of approximately 1300GW was 2050. To cater to EVs in the Spanish mar-
only 1.5 degrees Celsius [1]. Signatory installed between 2018 and 2022. It is ket, it has set a target of 3 million char-
countries have set ambitious targets in expected that 2000GW of renewable gers by 2030. The Netherlands plans to
line with international commitments on generation capacity will be installed increase the share of renewable energy to
climate change. globally between 2023 and 2027. As to over 70% by 2030, followed by 100% by
utility-scale solar capacity, 390GW of 2050. To assist widespread deployment
As countries push toward these targets, generation capacity was installed be- of EVs in the Netherlands, they plan to
the demand for renewable energy gen- tween 2018 and 2022. In the future, install 88,000 EV chargers by 2030.
eration and electric vehicles has grown 710GW of generation capacity will be
over the years. In turn, this necessitates installed from 2023 to 2027, according to The United States plans to generate 80%
consideration of their impact on the PTR Inc.. On the other hand, additional of electricity from renewable energy
power grid and how to manage it. Dig- wind power capacity between 2018 and sources by 2030, followed by 100% by
italization of the electricity grid has 2022 accounted for 405GW. This in- 2035. In order to pave the way for the
emerged as a solution which enables cludes onshore wind capacity of 355GW widespread deployment of electric vehi-
widespread integration of renewable and offshore, 50GW. Going forward, cles, the US aims to install 60,000 chargers
generation and electric vehicle charging PTR Inc. forecasts wind power capaci- by 2050 and 500,000 by 2030. Canada is
infrastructure in an efficient and reliable ty additions of 610GW from 2023 un- pushing to increase the share of renewable
manner. til 2027. This includes onshore wind of energy sources to 90% by 2030. It also tar-
490GW and offshore, 120GW. gets to install 5000 EV chargers by 2029.
Australia is moving to increase the share
2. Developments in the
Key economies across the globe have set of generation from renewables from
market supportive of grid ambitious targets for the deployment of 27% to 82% by 2060. They target to in-
digitalization renewable energy generation and EV stall 90,000 EV chargers by 2030. India is
chargers, including Germany, the UK, planning to install 500GW of renewable
Economies are pushing to decarbonize France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, generation capacity by 2030, including
the power and transportation sectors in a Saudi Arabia, the United States, Canada, 280GW of solar and 140GW of wind
bid to achieve net carbon neutrality over Australia, India, and China. Germany power.
time. This is expected to drive significant targets 80% of electricity generation from
growth in renewable generation capacity. renewable energy sources by 2030, fol- Saudi Arabia aims to generate 50% of
In turn, more electric vehicles will increase lowed later by the goal of 100%. Germany its electricity from renewable energy
the demand for charging infrastructure. also strives to install 1 million charging sources by 2030. China targets wind and
The surge in deployment of re- stations by 2030. solar capacity of 1200GW by 2030. State
newable generation capacity and Grid targets to install 18,000 public char-
EV charging infrastructure is expected to The UK aims to generate 100% of elec- gers by 2025.
spur digitalization. tricity from renewable energy sources by
2.2 Grid modernization
The United States plans to generate 80% of Utilities across the globe are making
electricity from renewable energy sources significant investments in grid modern-
ization with a focus on digitalization. A
by 2030, followed by 100% by 2035 Distribution System Operator (DSO)

Utilities across the
globe are making sig-
nificant investments
in grid modernization
with a focus on digita-
lization
in the UK, UK power Networks plans
to invest USD 5.7 billion between 2023
and 2028. This includes USD 161 mil-
lion allocated to the development and
deployment of digital solutions [2]. A Figure 1. Total global renewable capacity additions.
DSO in Spain, Endesa, plans to invest Source: PTR Inc.
USD 13 billion from 2021 to 2030 on
network digitalization and moderniza-
tion, aiming to reduce network losses
by 3% [3]. An electricity and gas DSO
in Belgium, ORES is spending USD 810
million from 2021 to 2023 with a focus
on energy flow measurement upgrades,
remote electricity network reconfigura-
tion, and fibre optics for telecommuni-
cations reinforcement [4]. HydroOne
plans to spend USD 3.9 billion on grid
modernization and digitalization in
Canada [5]. Italian DSO ACEA plans to
invest USD 1.275 billion from 2022 to
2024 in smart meters, new control cen-
tres, and digitalization through IoT and
remote control [6]. At the same time, Figure 2. Total utility scale solar capacity additions.
HEP - a Croatian national electric pow- Source: PTR Inc.
er company - plans to invest USD 1.17
billion from 2022 to 2031. HEP is dig-
italizing management systems in distri-
bution control centres and distribution
dispatch centres. This will be followed
by the modernization of remote-control
systems in power facilities [7]. To con-
clude, massive investments are being
made globally to modernize electricity
grids. This facilitates the integration
of renewable energy and supports EV
charging infrastructure, and will, in
turn, drive the growth of the global dig-
italization market.
3. Challenges and barriers to

growth Figure 3. Total global wind power capacity additions.
Source: PTR Inc.
Besides investment challenges for grid
modernization driven by decarboniza-
tion, the grid faces other challenges to dig- Besides investment challenges for grid
italization. The market must cater to the
challenges of cyber security, workforce modernization driven by decarbonization,
training, and costs. Unless bottlenecks are
removed, digital technologies will not be
the grid faces other challenges to digitali-
fully adopted in electricity grids. zation
TECHNOLOGY
market players will be reluctant to adopt

the technology. In turn, this could hamper
long-term climate goals. This holds true
especially in the power sector, as digitali-
zation is a key enabler for the deployment
of renewable energy and the EV charging
infrastructure.
3.2 Workforce training
Digital technologies are relatively new,

especially for electricity grid equipment,
and the utility workforce lacks training.
Accordingly, initiatives should be taken
to bring technician skill levels up to mod-
ern requirements.
3.3 Cost implications
The costs of integrating digital technolo-

Figure 4. Global EV annual market (2021-2030). gies into the electricity grid fall into three
Source: PTR Inc. categories.
Simple advancement is achieved by in-

3.1 Cyber security security concern. Cyber security must be stalling sensors in grid equipment, for
Cyber security is a serious concern for prioritized and strengthened in order to example, on conventional transformers.
governments, utilities, and consumers: avoid leakage.
the data of millions of consumers could Mid-level digital advancement is reached
be leaked in a breach. The protection of Unless these concerns are addressed by when both sensors and communication
electricity grid information is a national stakeholders in the digitalization industry, devices are installed on grid equipment.

This enables real-time monitoring. Market stakeholders must cooperate to re-
High-level (and higher cost) digitaliza- move bottlenecks such as cyber security
tion entails the integration of sensors,
communication devices, and data analy-
concerns, workforce training, and costs to
sis software. As we move from low level enable widespread digitalization
to higher level digitalization, cost in-
creases as well. It is critical for net cost to
decrease in a manner that a business case
can be made to integrate digital tech veloping countries which have limited [6] ACEA, “Acea Business Plan
nologies with grid equipment. budgets. 2020/2024,” 2020
[7] HEP ODS, “DESETOGODIŠNJI

4. Conclusion Bibliography
(2022. – 2031.) PLAN,” 2021
Notably, digitalization is taking place [1] UNFCCC, “The Paris Agree-
mostly at high voltage. But it is expect- ment,” [Online]. Available: https:// [8] [8] power transformer news,
ed to migrate to medium voltage levels. unfccc.int/pro cess-and-meetings/ “Enel to deploy digital transformers
Recently, the Enel Infrastructure and the-paris-agreement?gclid=CjwKCA- from Hitachi ABB Power Grids,” [On-
Networks division opted to install the jwsvujBhAXEiwA_UXnAPv-6_az5W- line]. Available: https://www.power-
TXpertTM Ecosystem for the digitaliza- jDY0CTyNfjNS55i5E_LGsujrzuFi- transformernews.com/2021/02/12/
tion of transformers from ABB Pow- o3Xnryazjg0lijDBoCdX4QAvD_BwE. enel-to-increase-grid-reliability-by-de-
er Grids. Installation of the TXpertTM [Accessed 06 June 2023] ploying-digital-transformers-from-hita-
Ecosystem not only improved the effi- chi-abb-power-grids/. [Accessed 6 June
ciency and reliability of transformers [2] UK Power Networks, “RIIO-ED2 2023]
but also the connected grid [8]. The Business Plan 2023 – 2028,” 2023
digital Ecosystem also helped optimize [9] Transformers Magazine, “Hitachi
maintenance, in turn increasing equip- [3] endesa, “Endesa has reinforced its ABB Power Grids installs TXpert™ digi-
ment life. outlook for 2030 with a 22% increase in talized transformer for Fortum,” [Online].
investment to €31,000 million,” 25 No- Available: https://transformers-maga-
Additionally, Hitachi ABB Power Grids vember 2021. [Online]. Available: https:// zine.com/tm-news/hitachi-abb-pow-
has replaced a 50-year-old transformer www.endesa.com/en/press/press-room/ er-grids-installs-txpert-digitalized-trans-
with a TXpertTM enabled power trans- news/economic-information/endesa- former-for-fortum/. [Accessed 6 June
former for Fortum [9]. The digitalized has-reinforced-its-outlook-for-2030- 2023]
transformer is instrumented with tem- with-a-22-increase-in-investment-to-
perature, pressure, oil condition, and 31000-million. [Accessed 6 June 2023] [10] Hitachi Energy, “Enabling Chile to
voltage sensors to monitor and ana- efficiently integrate renewables with dig-
lyze its health, which improves perfor- [4] ORES, “Strategic Plan,” 2022 ital transformers,” [Online]. Available:
mance and reliability. Similarly, in Chile, https://www.hitachienergy.com/news/
Hitachi ABB Power Grids’ digital trans- [5] Hydro One, “Powering Ontario: Hy- features/2020/05/enabling-chile-to-effi-
formers are improving access to reliable dro One’s 2023-2027 Joint Rate Applica- ciently-integrate-renewables-with-digi-
and clean energy. It enabled major new tion Investment Plan,” 2021 tal-. [Accessed 6 June 2023]
wind and solar power projects in the
country [10]. Mainstream Renewable
Power’s 1.3GW wind and solar platform
Andes Renovables used digitally enabled
transformers from Hitachi ABB Power
Grids for the integration of sustainable Author
electricity across nine of Mainstream’s Azhar Fayyaz is a Market Analyst at Power Technology
Chilean projects [10]. Research. He is involved in projects on power grid top-
ics at Power Technology Research, gathering data on the
Market stakeholders must cooperate to
remove bottlenecks such as cyber se- network structure of distribution utilities, estimating the
curity concerns, workforce training, installed base of T&D equipment, and analyzing infor-
and costs to enable widespread digita- mation to predict future market trends. As a market ana-
lization. Cyber security will be a major lyst at PTR Inc., he performs competitive analyses of com-
concern for import-dependent mar-
kets (for power transformers) which panies operating in a region and determines their market share for a specific
have conflicts, like the United States. product. He also has more than 2 years of experience working as a senior shift
Workforce training will be required engineer at Chashma Power Generation Station. Azhar comes from a techni-
globally. As to digitalization cost, it will cal background and has a M.Sc. in Power Engineering.
be a major concern for utilities in de-
STANDARDIZATION
The 100th meeting of NEC

10 since 1924
Dutch Standards Committee
Introducing eDOC:
this article, we highlight the trends in technology since its

ABSTRACT
establishment in 1924.
The Dutch standards committee NEC 10 follows the
international IEC TC 10. During one hundred years, the KEYWORDS:
topics and scope changed as they were developed. In insulating fluids; standards, NEC, IEC

Pieter DE BIJL, Philip SALVERDA, Marike GELDERBLOM
The NEC was established on March 17, 1911,

allowing the Netherlands to actively participate
in international electrotechnical standardization
within the IEC
From insulating oils to fluids for electrotechnical resources – The NEC 10 standards committee celebrated its 100th meeting.
STANDARDIZATION
TC 10 is one of the oldest IEC Technical Committees, established in

1924 and initially named “Transformer oils”, obviously reflecting the only
practical application of that era
1. History obviously reflecting the only practical 4. Trends in technology

In 1886, the first public electric street application of that era. In 1926, the The constant increase in the power of
lamps in the Netherlands were lit at the title and the scope were expanded to electrical equipment combined with
Waalkade in Nijmegen. The power was include “Insulating oils”. In 1961, the reductions in size and manufacturing
generated in the first power station in Chairmen of TC 10 and TC 15 reached costs means that insulating fluids must
the Netherlands by Willem Smit & Co.’s an agreement based on which all mat- satisfy increasingly demanding perfor-
Transformers NV in Nijmegen under ters concerning liquid and gaseous di- mance requirements. Product specifi-
the direction of Ir. Rosskopf. He was a electrics would be handled by TC 10. cations, as well as the usage and mainte-
pioneer in building transformers and This agreement fostered a permanent nance guides, must be adapted to these
was also one of the co-founders of the liaison between the two IEC com- requirements.
Dutch Electrotechnical Committee mittees, TC 10 and TC 15. In 1964,
(NEC) . The NEC was established on it was decided that TC 10 would also As also reported in the TC14 SBP, nat-
March 17, 1911, allowing the Nether- deal with insulating liquids other than ural ester-based insulating fluids be-
lands to actively participate in interna- oils and with insulating gases, includ- gan to be used commercially in North
tional electrotechnical standardization ing askarels, silicone fluids, synthetic America for small transformers, while
within the International Electrotech- dielectrics, sulfur hexafluoride and their application for larger power trans-
nical Commission, IEC . One of the others. In 1966, three sub-committees formers is under development. Import-
oldest standards committees is NEC were established to study the various ant applications have been made, espe-
10, which was created around the same insulating fluids: cially in South America. A significant
time as the IEC TC 10 in 1924 . NEC 10 advantage of this fluid is its greater en-
is celebrating its 100th meeting and its • SC 10A: Insulating hydrocarbon oils vironmental friendliness compared to
almost 100-year anniversary. • SC 10B: Insulating liquids other mineral oil.
than hydrocarbon oils
• SC 10C: Insulating gases Recent work for NEC 10 was to ap-
2. Scope
prove the standard for natural esters, as
The Dutch standard committees align In 1980, the scope was extended to an increasing number of transformers
with the international IEC TCs. The include lubricants for turbines and in the Netherlands are also being used
scope of TC 10 and NEC 10 is to pre- control fluids, thus prompting a name with these specific liquids. Changes
pare product specifications, test meth- change to “Fluids for electrotechnical are planned for synthetic esters, which
ods, and maintenance and usage guides applications”. The most recent reorga- NEC 10 will monitor, review, and ap-
for liquid and gaseous dielectrics. They nization of TC 10 took place in 1987 prove.
also prepare specifications, mainte- when all the sub-committees were dis-
nance, and usage guides for lubricants banded, and all work was placed un- Additionally, more recent technologies
and control fluids for steam turbines, der the responsibility of the Secretary now allow for the design and construc-
generators, and control systems. Addi- of TC 10. TC 10 publications, which tion of advanced units, such as special
tionally, they assist in the preparation include about 50 documents ranging transformers and shunt reactors, which
of test methods for such fluids. from International Standards to Tech- operate at very high temperatures. This
nical Reports, fall into the following 3 necessitates the use of insulating liquids
categories: with much higher performances, like
3. Writing history
those with a higher “fire point”.”
TC 10 is one of the oldest IEC Tech- • Test methods
nical Committees, established in 1924 • Specifications The rapid proliferation of online and of-
and initially named “Transformer oils”, • Maintenance and use guides fline monitoring systems and the need
for a more reliable diagnosis of HV
strategic equipment, which generally
still uses oil-paper insulating systems,
Recent work for NEC 10 was to approve the require possible rapid standardization
standard for natural esters, as an increasing of simpler or alternative oil tests. Al-
ternatively, an advanced approach to
number of transformers in the Netherlands interpreting tests on insulating fluids
are also being used with these specific could be introduced in the Standards
to facilitate the use of these online and
liquids offline technologies.

When it comes to mineral oil, how-
ever, there have also been remarkable
Very recently, trends in oil quality moni-
changes regarding its further classifi- toring have evolved, and NEC 10 has con-
cation into different qualities, such as
standard- and high-grade oils. This is
tributed to updating the relevant standard
in contrast to earlier times when only (IEC 60422)
one base oil type was mentioned.
This relevant standard also offers the
possibility of using recycled oil. The
reuse of insulating oil was specifically whose native language is English. In This resulted in some interesting mis-
documented in England in a British those circumstances, language can understandings that one does not en-
Standard around 2013. This concept sometimes be an obstacle. The mean- counter every day. Luckily, we always
was initially met with scepticism in ing and connotation of certain words came to an agreement, likely because
the Netherlands, especially concern- can vary significantly based on one’s all participants hailed from Europe
ing the traceability of this reusable native language. It was also notable and had a common understanding
oil and the miscibility of different oil that various participants would some- across borders. The membership in
qualities. However, there was con- times revert to their own language or this MT gave me a lot of insight into
siderable pressure from the IEC to even use dialects during discussions. insulating oil laboratories.”
swiftly adopt this standard within
the involved maintenance team. As
always, this team comprised a di-
verse international group with highly
committed individuals and a range of Authors
languages. NEC 10 was also involved Pieter de Bijl is a senior insulation consultant at Royal
(IEC-60296). Smit Transformers in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. He
is also the chairman of the standards committee NEC
Very recently, trends in oil quality
monitoring have evolved, and NEC 10 10 - Fluids for electrotechnical applications. He is a
has contributed to updating the rele- member of Cigre WG47 (New frontiers of Dissolved
vant standard (IEC 60422). Important Gas Analysis (DGA) interpretation for power
changes include adjustments related to transformers and their accessories), and a member of
water content in oil and further classifi- IEC/TC10/MT25 Maintenance of IEC 60475, IEC 60567 and IEC 61181,
cations with the addition of tap chang- member of IEC/TC10/MT20 Maintenance of IEC 60475, IEC 60567 and
ers, circuit breakers and switchgear, as
IEC 60599. He is a former member of IEC/TC112/WG6 (general methods
well as bushings. The effects of water
content on transformer paper and oil of evaluation of electrical insulation).
temperature have been thoroughly as-
sessed under various operating condi- Philip Salverda is asset manager at TenneT TSO BV, a
tions. technologist, transformer and reactor specialist. He is
a member of the standards committee NEC 10 - Fluids
5. Anecdote for electrotechnical applications, and a member of
Here is a short anecdote from one IEC/TC10/MT38 Maintenance of IEC 60296 and of
of the members of the Maintenance CLC/SR10 (Fluids for electrotechnical applications).
Team of IEC 60296 and member of
NEC 10, Mr. P. Salverda of TenneT:
Marike Gelderblom is a senior consultant for
“During my time as a member of the
NEC 14 committee, I was involved in Electricity Supply, Systems and Products, Dutch
merging the standards for new and Standardization Institute in Delft, The Netherlands.
reusable oil, namely the IEC 60296 She serves as the secretary of the following standards
standard. There was considerable committees: NEC 10 - Fluids for electrotechnical
pressure from the IEC to quickly adapt applications, NEC 11/36 Overhead Lines, NEC 14/38
this standard within the Maintenance
Power and measurement transformers, NEC 15/112
Team 38 (MT38). This involved many
oil suppliers, some transformer manu- Solid electrical insulating materials, NEC 22 Power electronic systems,
facturers and end users. It was indeed NEC 23 Electrotechnical accessories, NEC 27 Industrial electroheating
an international company, with En- and electromagnetic processing, NEC 31 Equipment for explosive
glish as the working language. Imag- atmospheres, NEC 47 Semi-conductors, NEC 82 Solar photovoltaic
ine discussing content with a German energy systems and NEC 115 High Voltage Direct Current (HDVC)
chairman, Italian, Dutch and French transmission for DC voltages above 100 kV.
experts, but also with team members
EVENTS
My Transfo 2023: A return to

knowledge sharing
Rekindling connections after hiatus, which was in part attributed to the er. Conceived and organized by Sea Mar-
5 years global pandemic, the highly anticipated coni since 2002 and always held in Turin,
event marked its return. The excitement Italy, My Transfo 2023 was not only a
The transformer industry witnessed an- could be heard in the voice of Cristina testament to the resilience of the trans-
other gathering of experts this year at Tumiatti (Business Development Execu- former and insulating oil industry but
My Transfo 2023. After a long, five-year tive of Sea Marconi), the opening speak- also highlighted its ongoing commitment

After a long, five-year hiatus, which was in
part attributed to the global pandemic, the
highly anticipated event marked its return
prints. “Drink easy and sustainable, just breadth of Sea Marconi’s initiatives,
like sampling” was the slogan that every spanning Turkey, Japan, Poland, Argen-
My Transfo participant read on the fold- tina, and South America.
able water bottle they received, along with
an invitation to fill it at the water dispens- He gave insights into the three areas of
ers and reduce plastic usage. This phrase risk in the transformer lifecycle, those
perfectly combines environmental being financial, fire, and environmental,
awareness, which has always been a part while also proposing potential solutions
of Sea Marconi’s identity, with the launch for mitigating these risks and emphasiz-
of the new ISA (Inspection Sampling Au-
dit) kit for inspections and sampling of
transformers with insulating fluids. It’s no
coincidence that the water bottle distrib-
uted at My Transfo closely resembles the
innovative element of Sea Marconi’s new
to sustainability, asset, risk, and solutions, kit, which consists of an innovative, flex-
which were the four main pillars of this ible bag that reduces shipping costs and
year’s edition. waste production, especially when com-
pared to aluminum bottles.
In Cristina Tumiatti’s opening speech,
she expressed her gratitude for partner-
Vander Tumiatti’s keynote
ships and sponsorships. The speech drew
attention to the conference’s most prom- speech
inent sponsors in particular, including In his keynote speech, Vander Tumiatti,
Omicron, COMEM, DASOTEC, A&A the founder and general partner of Sea
Fratelli Parodi, Doble, and DEPUROLL. Marconi, took the attendees on a jour-
Reflecting My Transfo’s greener ethos, ney that traced the growth of My Transfo,
the attendees of the conference were wel- its global outreach, and the great signif-
comed with eco-friendly gestures like icance of transformers in today’s world.
water bottles and reduced paper foot- What stood out in his address was the
EVENTS
ing the importance of innovation, best

The idea behind the creation of My Transfo practices, and eco-sustainability. In his
in 2002 was the need to have a meeting speech, Tumiatti also reminded the at-
tendees of important historical figures
point for industry professionals to share such as Aurelio Peccei and Nikola Tesla
experiences and find solutions to emerging and their innovations, thus emphasizing
the ever-evolving nature of the industry
issues and the real and urgent need for more
sustainable solutions.
Technical contents
The idea behind the creation of My
Transfo in 2002 was the need to have a
meeting point for industry professionals
to share experiences and find solutions
to emerging issues to which industry
standards, with a slow approval process,
could not respond.
This fundamental principle has remained

in every edition of My Transfo, and in
2023, one of the critical issues to address
was the corrosion of the silver contacts
of OLTC (On Load Tap Changers). Sea
Marconi is one of the world’s leading ex-
perts on corrosion phenomena, having
discovered DBDS in 2005 as the primary
cause of failures related to sulfur corro-
sion (C1). In the last 2 years, Sea Marconi
has provided assistance and been directly
involved in several cases of corrosion-
related failures on the silver contacts of

OLTCs, with significant consequences corrosion theme also featured the presen- was found to be selective depolarization
in terms of damage and production loss. tation of Omar Ali Al-Ghamdi, Director by Sea Marconi. This technique has been
Known cases occurred in 2021 and 2022; of GCC Technical Services at the Saudi proven to remove DBDS and oil corro-
in Europe, there was a catastrophic fail- company GCC Lab, which assists the sive compounds and restore all chemical
ure on a 440 MVA, 400 KV GSU step- Saudi national transmission network in and physical properties of the oil, even
up transformer with evidence of silver asset management. Omar Ali Al-Ghamdi after a year.
sulfide on the selector contacts, and the outlined the maintenance strategy adopt-
same evidence was found in Brazil, Co- ed by the Saudi electrical grid to prevent
Closing speech
lombia, and Argentina on highly stra- the loss of large transformers caused by
tegic 500 KV HVDC equipment. These corrosive sulfur. Based on international During his speech at the end of the con-
events add to the cases of failure men- standards and the local context, the most ference, Vander Tumiatti returned to
tioned in an IEEE article from 2021 that effective long-term mitigation technique the stage to express his gratitude. He
states, “In Australia, most transformers
that have suffered failures due to silver
sulfide corrosion were originally filled...”.
Sea Marconi has identified and defined a
new pathology: “C5 - Corrosion of silver
contacts from total sulfur compounds.”
In this regard, My Transfo 2023 had the

pleasure of hosting Sameera Samarasing-
he, Asset Strategy Engineer at the Aus
tralian company Energy Queensland,
who is one of the authors of the article on
the cases in Australia mentioned above.
In his presentation, Sameera Samaras-
inghe helped understand this significant
issue, identifying new risk assessment
strategies. The topic was further explored
with the contribution of Vojko Mrdic,
Application Engineer at DV Power, who
proposed the DVtest (DRM) method for
detecting bad contacts in OLTCs. The
EVENTS
expressed his appreciation for everyone

involved in My Transfo, including the
In a way, My Transfo 2023 was a celebration
speakers and attendees. The spotlight on of collective knowledge, shared experienc-
the two organizers, Stefano Girolamo
and Enrica Bertero, and a mention of the es, and renewed hope for a more sustain-
host venue highlighted the human ele-
ment involved in making the event suc- able future in the transformer industry
cessful and memorable.
“It has been a great pleasure and a great have participated in previous editions valuable insights, knowledge, and a sense
satisfaction to see the surprise in the eyes that they thought it couldn’t get any bet- of commitment to a greener and bright-
of My Transfo participants during the ter than the previous one, but surpris- er future for the industry and for the
exclusive evening visit to the Royal Pal- ingly, we manage to do so every time” world.
ace of Turin. My Transfo is not just about - Stefano Girolamo said.
high-level technical content but also
about beauty, culture, and relationships. Meanwhile, Tumiatti emphasized the
familial essence of Sea Marconi and ac-
We are well aware that there are many knowledged his family, especially his
industry events worldwide, all quite sim- wife and daughters, which was a person-
ilar to each other. My Transfo is probably al touch that must have impressed many
the only event in Europe with simulta- attendees. His concluding remarks paint-
neous translation into three languages. ed a vivid picture of My Transfo’s past,
Furthermore, it is held every two years present, and its promising future, and he
precisely to avoid repetition and provide didn’t forget to remind the attendees to
participants with genuine industry inno- come back again in 2025.
vations and, if possible, solutions to take
home and apply in their daily work from
Conclusion
the very next day. Even the way we pres-
ent the content and structure the agenda My Transfo 2023 was a great success.
is meticulously planned. In fact, the two According to the responses from the at-
conference days are interspersed with tendees in a post-event survey, the aver-
more relaxed moments, and this year, age note for the conference was 4,71/5. It
the surprises we had prepared truly hit can be said that it was also a celebration
the mark. of collective knowledge, shared expe-
riences, and renewed hope for a more Stefano Girolamo, Communication Manager at
One of the compliments that fills me with sustainable future in the transformer Sea Marconi and one of the organizers of My
pride the most is hearing from those who industry. The attendees took with them Transfo 2023

“
Dr. Levi’s book is deﬁnitely a unique and outstanding compila�on of ﬁeld expe-
rience over many years, many designs, worldwide exchanges, and of countless
onsite tests to improve prac�cal diagnosis on OLTCs.
Jean SANCHEZ, PhD | Transformer Engineer at EDF
Execu�ve Editor of Transformers Magazine
The book incorporates Dr. Levi’s knowledge and experience

collected throughout his professional career.
Take corporate subscription and ensure access for all your

colleagues! h�ps://transformers-magazine.com/books/
contact us for further information: info@merit-media.com

We publish reports on topics useful for a large
audience of transformer industry professionals
��
Take corporate subscription and ensure access for all your colleagues!
h�ps://transformers-magazine.com/books/
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00 70 70 30 30 100 100 60 100 100 70 70 30 30 100 100 60 100 100 70 70 30 30 100 40 100 40 40 100 10 40 40 20 70 70 70 70 40 70 40 40 0000 3.1 2.2 2.2 10.2 7.4 7.4 25 19 19 50 40 40 75 66 66 100 10
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SPECIAL EDITION: DIGITALIZATION 2023 MAGAZINE

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OVERCOMING BOTTLENECKS IN DIGITALIZATION

THE 100TH MEETING OF NEC 10 SINCE 1924

MY TRANSFO 2023: A RETURN TO KNOWLEDGE

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Power transformer sustainability is achiev-

Modern solid insulation materials re-

Fig 2. Mineral oil decomposition mechanism

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Typical Fatty Acid Composition of Some Vegetable Oils

Vegetable Oil Saturated Fatty Acids, % Unsaturated Fatty Acids, %

Mono- Di- Tri

Canola oil* 7.9 55.9 22.1 11.1

Corn oil 12.7 24.2 58 0.7

Cottonseed oil 25.8 17.8 51.8 0.2

Peanut oil 13.6 17.8 51.8 0.2

Olive oil 13.2 73.3 7.9 0.6

Safflower oil 8.5 12.1 74.1 0.4

Safflower oil, high oleic 6.1 75.3 14.2 -

Soybean oil 14.2 22.5 51 6.8

Sunflower oil 10.5 19.6 65.7 -

Sunflower oil, high

ware diagnosis digitalization, and even

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Shell Diala is a more reliable

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Diala S5 BD has high

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The book incorporates Dr. Narasimhan’s knowledge and

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