FEATURE
TRANSFORMING TO A MODERN ENERGY
INFRASTRUCTURE Dr Alex Mardapittas, CEO of Powerstar, highlights the
importance of distribution transformers for large-scale facilities and discusses how evolving technology is driving change.
Across the UK, distribution transformers play a pivotal, but often overlooked, role in managing the high voltage (HV) infrastructure. Utilised to transform the energy supplied by the grid to a level usable by businesses and the on-site electrical equipment, distribution transformers are a critical and necessary component of electricity distribution.
In most cases, distribution transformers are energised 24/7, even when they do not carry an electrical load, simply to ensure that buildings receive the correct electricity supply that is safe for use and fit for requirements.
While distribution transformers are present in facilities throughout the UK, some companies operating in energy-intensive industries, such as manufacturing and engineering, will own their distribution transformers, and may have more than one covering the facility, depending on the site’s requirements.
However, as modern developments change the way energy performance is analysed and the way engineers, energy and facilities managers monitor electricity use across single or multiple sites, distribution transformers have been left behind technological developments in the current age of connectivity, smart assets and remote systems.
Currently, despite being a critical part of electrical infrastructure, distribution transformers are not integrated, or even compatible, with modern technology that allow businesses to take advantage of the wide range of benefits they can provide, including remote visibility of asset performance and condition which can help solve some of the challenges facilities managers face.
Nevertheless, smart distribution transformers are available and are changing the face of the industry, providing increased energy- efficiency, alongside Industry 4.0 ready systems that can be integrated with other facilities monitoring solutions for a complete, connected solution to HV infrastructure and maintenance with added value.
Facilities managers are well aware of the benefits connected solutions can provide, and similar benefits can be delivered with a smart distribution transformer, with remote monitoring capabilities built-in. When installed, the remote monitoring functionality can provide top-level information to facilities managers, displaying useful grid information, conditional performance and energy efficiency reports.
Such data is crucial in assisting companies to understand where further savings can be delivered
to ensure the best return on investment as well as allowing for the transformers condition to be constantly reported on providing the opportunity to identify issues sooner and allowing for preventative maintenance to be undertaken, ultimately lowering the transformers maintenance costs.
From this data, facilities managers can be provided with a greater understanding of how their distribution transformer is operating at all times, enabling issues to be identified before an electrical event occurs, minimising maintenance costs.
Intricate details can also be provided by a smart distribution transformer, including reports on oil analysis, voltage, amps, phase to phase metrics, real power, power factor, core temperature, harmonic distortion, system kVA, system kWh and GPS location, for larger sites. The granularity of the data that is provided by analysing a variety of different performance conditions can assist facilities managers, when working closely with engineers, to reduce the downtime and longer- term financial implications involved with distribution transformers that are out of use.
Facilities managers are often looking for avenues to reduce energy and costs across their estates. Even though distribution transformers play a vital role in the electricity supply of larger environments, many do not deliver optimum performance and cannot be frequently monitored. It is now time for facilities managers to look towards the future and evaluate upgrading current distribution transformers to complement the modern-day facility and its operations.
The amorphous evolution
Traditionally, the technology within the core of the distribution transformer has not been optimal to support the potential energy savings that facilities can make despite the growing pressures to increase
42 | TOMORROW’S FM
twitter.com/TomorrowsFM
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70
