TRANSMISSION & DISTRIBUTION TECHNOLOGY
MONITORING SOLAR FLARES
The Vaisala unit provides oversight of the Scottish Power transformer’s condition Scottish Power manages solar fl ares with new a new monitoring solution B
ritish energy provider and distribution network operator for parts of Scotland, northern England and Wales,
Scottish Power, needed to protect a key site in Scotland’s central belt hosting a 1000MVA auto-transformer from the eff ects of solar fl ares - periods when intense high-energy radiation is emitted from the sun’s surface, causing radio and magnetic disturbances on Earth. Coupled with local geology, these have the potential to disrupt the magnetic circuit of transformers, leading to ineff icient power transmission as well as signifi cant damage. In order to accurately and continuously monitor the condition of its transformer, detect the eff ects of geomagnetically induced currents, and take proactive maintenance if required, Scottish Power commissioned the installation of a Vaisala unit called the Optimus DGA Monitor OPT100. Installation specialists Elimpus Ltd conducted the build. The OPT100 is Vaisala’s most advanced monitoring solution and assesses a transformer’s condition by measuring for the presence of moisture and seven diff erent fault
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gases in transformer oil. “Scottish Power has a number of strategic transformers on the transmission network that require advanced condition monitoring, and we have been increasingly wary of the eff ects of solar fl ares and geomagnetically induced currents to disrupt their eff icient performance,” said Keith Black, system performance senior engineer at Scottish Power. “The Vaisala unit was installed because it met our current specifi cation of online DGA devices with the addition of being maintenance free.”
ACHIEVING THE BEST OUTCOME The OPT100 draws on Vaisala’s long heritage in industrial measurement technology. High engineering quality is maintained by manufacturing all of the unit’s components in-house, including the innovative tuneable non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) fi lters, which ensure optimal condition monitoring performance regardless of operational conditions. The tuneable NDIR fi lter provides confi dence to the monitoring team
that their measurements are stable over the long term. The tuneable NDIR fi lter prevents drift and ensures all dissolved gas concentrations are accurately measured.
SIMPLE INSTALLATION An additional and key benefi t of Vaisala’s OPT100 over other transformer monitoring solutions is its simple installation process, which enabled Elimpus and Scottish Power to quickly and independently bring the unit online. And, with no consumables, the unit requires no regular maintenance of its own. Scottish Power has been using the OPT100 since November 2017, and has benefi ted from greater oversight of its asset’s condition. “The OPT100 gives us the ability to track any disturbance that may occur and extend the lifetime of our transformer, as well as reducing the possibility of any unplanned outages,” added Keith Black. ●
For more information visit
https://www.vaisala.com/en
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