Technology is enabling utilities to be more effective, especially in terms of monitoring transformers, according to Grant Wells of Dynamic Ratings, represented by Martec in South Africa.
Wells gave an in-depth and highly technical and scientific presentation on the management of energy transformers for optimising utilisation and reliability at the African Utilities Week (AUW) conference and exhibition at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
“Technology exists today to enable us to monitor our systems in real time and predict what could happen and react to that before it does happen,” said Wells.
He said the best solution for a transformer management system is online monitoring because it allows for real time information on the transformer itself, measures data accurately, allows for trending of the data to see changes and provides the relaying of an alarm system when a problem occurs.
Wells then used the example of a traditional temperature indicator, which cannot be used as a monitoring device because it is a thermometer that “in many cases cannot be inaccurate”, especially the older they get.
During his presentation he presented modern online monitoring devices, such as the DR-C50 and “its big brother” the DR E3.
“By taking advantage of this [technology] we can realise financial savings and we can improve our effectiveness and our workforce. It enables our operators to interact wth the device (transformer),” said Wells.
