SC ANNUAL

REPORT
2012

SC A2 Annual Report 2012

for Electra

SC A2

Scope
The scope of Study Committee A2, simply named Transformer, covers different
types of equipments and components, included in the following items:
Power transformers (including industrial, DC converter and phase-shifting
transformers)
Reactors (shunt, series, saturated and smoothing)
Transformer components (bushings, tap changers, accessories, etc.)
In the past, the activities of SCA2 Transformers (and its predecessor SC12)
focused on design problems related to the rapid increase of rated voltage and
power; whereas now, the application of new materials, service conditions and
their impact on transformer performances have become of central importance. SC
A2 orientations are also taking into account CIGRE strategic directions as The
electrical system of the future, Making the best use of the existing system and
Focus on environment and sustainability.
The four key domains for SC A2 are described in the Life cycle diagram shown
in the following figure:

The different activities in each of these key domains will be described in this
report.

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Specifications, procurement and economics
A recent contribution of SC A2 is to review and create tools to improve the
transformer procurement process, a critical process to insure transformer
sustainability. WG A2.36 Guide for Transformer Procurement Process reviewed two
existing brochures on Transformer specification and Design Review and created
a new guide for assessing the capability of transformer manufacturing plants. These
three new brochures were completed in 2012 and will be published in April 2013. WG
A2.33 Guide for Transformer Fire Safety Practices also prepared a brochure in 2012.
This highly anticipated brochure includes recommendations for transformer fire
safety practices that will help transformer designers and users define and apply best
practices in that domain to reduce the probability and consequences of transformer
fire. This brochure is also planned to be published early in 2013.

2012

SC A2

Finally, energy efficiency is a very important topic for CIGRE and SC A2 published
a report in Electra in August 2012 titled Transformer Efficiency Avenues to make
a good thing even better to discuss the origin of transformer losses, typical losses,
application considerations and the different avenues to reduce transformer losses.

Design, manufacturing and testing

Up to the middle of the twentieth century, system voltage rose step by step to a
maximum level of roughly 300 kV, climbed to 800 kV around 1965 and, in the 21st
century, is now reaching level as high as 1100 kV. During this impressive evolution,
SC A2 played an important role for a better comprehension of the performance of
transformers under transient and overvoltage, short-circuits as in DC condition.
The thermal performance was also part of the subject analysed by SC A2. With the
increased stressed applied to transformer and with evolution of the technologies,
there are still many issues where SC A2 is contributing. An example of new
technology is the thermal modeling tools used in transformer design. WG A2.38
Transformer Thermal Modeling has the purpose of describing state-of-the-art
techniques in transformer thermal modeling to evaluate winding hottest-spot
temperature as well as hot spots on other metal parts. Transformer loadability in
service will also be explored through dynamic modelling to insure the best use of
existing transformers.
Moreover, as there are still significant number of unexplained transformer
dielectric failures, JWG A2/C4.39 Electrical Transient Interaction between
Transformers and the Power System was created to assess and discuss the different
types of electrical transient interaction between transformers and other components
of the T&D power system. In addition, as HVDC converter transformer reliability
is an important concern, it motivates the creation of JWG A2/D1.41 HVDC
Transformer Insulation Oil Conductivity as it was shown that oil conductivity
variation in oil/solid insulation impacts the design and reliability of transformers.
A better standardization to measure oil conductivity is one of the main aims of
this WG. Finally, WG A2.48 Technology and utilization of Oil Insulated High Voltage
Shunt Reactors was created in 2012 to analyse in particular the aspect of design
and testing of shunt reactor, but also other aspects as specification, reliability and
condition assessment.

Operation, reliability, safety and environment

Transformers are among the most important and more costly items of equipment
in an electrical network. As transformers are not uniform with respect to voltage
ratio, power, impedance, dimensions, etc., they are not easy to replace quickly if a
major failure occurs. Thus, information about transformer reliability is of a

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2012

SC A2

great importance, to establish for example an optimized strategy for transformer

redundancy and spare.
The last internal survey on transformer reliability was published in 1983. In
subsequent years, attempts were made to update and improve the 1983 report without
any real success. Recent reorganization of the electricity industry also seems to affect
the availability of information concerning equipment failures. As the reliability data
are under great demand, SC A2 started WG A2.37 Transformer Reliability Survey to
prepare a brochure describing international transformer reliability survey practices
and to attempt to update and improve the 1983 survey. An interim report was publish
in Electra by this WG in April 2012. WG A2.43 Transformer bushing reliability also
deals with reliability but focussed on a major transformer component responsible
to a significant proportion of transformer failure. Because of bushing failure mode
may be violent, this component also affect the safety that justified the attention of
WG A2.43. Moreover, examples of recently reported events leading to severe damage
during transformer transportation led to the starting of WG A2.42 Guide on
Transformer Transportation. Guidance on the relations between the transformers
mechanical design, the design review, action when an unwanted transportation
event occurred, measurements during transportation and their interpretation, and
internal inspection on the installation site are addressed.
Another important contributor to this key domain is WG A2.45 Transformer
failure investigation and post-mortem analysis. When a transformer is scrapped, it is
very important to collect all relevant information and make as much observations as
possible; as such information can be used to guide future decisions on the transformer
population. This WG will develop a structured procedure from the decision to take
the transformer and shunt reactor out of service to careful dismounting.
Finally, WG A2.50 Effect of the distributed energy sources and consequent induced
reverse power flow (step up) on transmission and distribution transformers is
addressing the effect of step up operation on transformers that were not designed
for this purpose. This new way of operating transformers became possible by the
introduction of more and more renewable or distributed small power generation
that created power injection in the lower voltage level and creates an upstream
power flow and changes the usual step down operation of the transformer into a
step up mode to transfer the energy. In the network of the future, the design of
the transformer and regulation of the voltages may no longer be suitable for a
safe and long-term operation. Furthermore, most distributed energy generation
utilises inverters, which may produce harmonics on the network which also affect
transformer life.

Maintenance, diagnostics, monitoring and

repair
Transformers are usually robust, very reliable apparatus requiring relatively little
maintenance. Nevertheless, maintenance programs must be constantly optimized
as the transformer population changes, new problems and solutions emerge, and
monitoring and diagnostic technologies develop. During the life of a transformer,
the users must establish a maintenance strategy that will ensure the appropriate level
of reliability and optimized service life and SC A2 always dedicated intensive efforts
to these matters.
Copper sulphide in transformer insulation still raises issues of concern to
the transformer industry even if the number of reported failures due to copper
sulphide deposition on the windings remains quite low. WG A2.40 Copper Sulphide
Long-Term Mitigation and Risk Assessment continue to work in this field to study

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the long-term efficiency of these thousands of transformers have been passivated in
recent years to mitigate the effect of corrosive oils.
Dissolved Gas Analysis is one of the most powerful and the most used technique
for transformer diagnostic. JWG D1/A2.47 New frontiers of Dissolved Gas analysis
interpretation for power transformer and its accessories has the challenge to improved
further interpretation methods to localize problems inside equipments and to
recommend appropriate corrective actions.

2012

SC A2

Transformer health indices may be used for a variety of transformer management

purposes where an understanding of the overall condition of each power transformer
in a fleet is required for the best use of the existing transformer fleet. WG A2.49
Condition Assessment of Power Transformers is looking at the information used
to derive transformer health indices, the way that information is consolidated and
the uses to which transformer health indices are put. Considerations will also be
given to the transformer health indices scales and whether a common method of
stating transformer asset condition could be put forward for future comparison and
benchmarking between operators. Moreover, a significant parameter to evaluate
transformer health is the condition of the solid insulation, which justifies a specific
attention. JWG A2/D1.46 Field experience with transformer solid insulating ageing
markers is studying the correlation between paper condition and the different
ageing markers available. State-of-the-art on the available ageing markers/models
and its interpretation will be studied by the analysis of field cases study.
Finally, the use of on-line monitoring and diagnostics systems for power
transformers are growing in popularity. Nevertheless, the lack of standardization
and doubts regarding the reliability and potential benefits of such systems are
impeding technology consolidation. The market now offers numerous sensors
and monitoring systems but there is no consensus on how to manage, process
and convert data to derive relevant information. WG A2.44 Transformer Intelligent
Condition Monitoring objective is to explore the processing of transformers data, its
conversion into relevant information, the most appropriate diagnostics algorithms
and specifications for standard and interoperable diagnostics modules.

Outlook
Several workshops are available within SC A2 to disseminate the results of the WGs
during local and international events. The already long list of available workshops
will continue to extend by the preparation of workshop for each completed brochure.
The different Advisory Groups are working together with SC Members and SC
Chairman and Secretary to select the most interesting subjects for WG, session
and colloquium. Among the possible future subjects for Working Groups are
transformer efficiency, On-Load Tap Changer selection and utilisation, the use of
UHF and acoustic techniques for transformer diagnostic, Geomagnetically Induced
Current effects on transformer, transformer repair and testing on workshop or
on-site, optimization of transformer cooling, and so on.
In 2013, Study Committee A2 will hold a Joint Colloquium in collaboration with
Study Committee C4. The colloquium will be held in Zurich, September 8-14, 2013
www.cigre2013zurich.org. In 2015, SC A2 colloquium will be held in China, in the
city of Shanghai on September 20-25.

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