Prognostics and Health Monitoring of Grid Connected Assets

Completed

Other Power and Storage Technologies(Electricity transmission and distribution)

Applied Research and Development

PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Chemistry)
PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Metallurgy and Materials)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering)

Not Cross-cutting

Project Contact
Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution plc (SHEPD)

Network Innovation Allowance

Ofgem

01 December 2012

01 June 2016

42 months

£158,550

Power

Scotland

Network Innovation Allowance

Project Contact, Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution plc (SHEPD)

Conduct a literature review of PHM, gain understanding of the various tools used and identify optimal tools for use with this project Undertake a small initial relay based project using knowledge from the literature review to consolidate project researchers’ experience in the concepts of PHM Develop and optimise an online oil condition monitoring and prognostics system prototype Test the prototype on a decommissioned SHE Transmission grid transformer and evaluate its cost-effectiveness The success criterion for this project is to deliver sufficient data to enable evaluation of the PHM-based monitoring system’s suitability to meet the requirements of TOs and its cost-effectiveness.

SHE Transmission, and the other GB Transmission Network Operators (TOs), have a vast amount of ageing infrastructure presently in use on the GB transmission network which means that asset management is becoming an ever-more important factor for the continued operation and maintenance of the network. Much operational plant is ageing and approaching the latter part of its life so it is important to be able to monitor condition and accurately estimate how much longer we can reliably and safely operate the asset. A useful measure of a transformer’s estimated remaining life in service is through the assessment of its internal winding insulation. This is done through oil monitoring since transformers tend to release contaminants generated by degradation of insulation into their oil as they age. Through manual and periodic sampling of oil from transformers, chemical analysis of the composition of contaminants by tests such as Dissolved Gas Analysis (DGA) can be used to determine the extent to which insulation has deteriorated. That information is vital in helping planners to reach optimum asset replacement decisions. The problem with using this method of monitoring is that it is based on the rate of sampling and also on the quality of samples collected. If deterioration escalates between sampling intervals, it may not be detected until it is too late to intervene. In new transformer installations, this is being mitigated by installation of online DGA equipment on the transformers to provide continuous monitoring. Commercially available online DGA measurement systems are very expensive and too prohibitive to be adopted grid wide. A less expensive means of online monitoring is therefore essential to provide business justification for a wider roll-out. This project proposes to take advantage of the extensive knowledge of Heriot Watt University’s Micro Systems Engineering Centre (MISEC) in microfluidics and novel sensor design to develop a cost-effective online sensing technology for transformers and potentially other assets of a similar nature. A technical method is proposed in this project and is carried out through a 3. 5 year PhD at Heriot Watt University. The project will commence with literature review of the science of Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) to identify optimal tools for determining asset health and forecasting remaining useful life (RUL). Knowledge from the review will initially be applied in the development of a small scale condition monitoring and prognostics system for predicting the RUL of an electromagnetic relay with a failure history which appears to exhibit a correlation between life expectancy and the applied voltage. Relays are portable and can easily be tested on a bench in the lab. It is anticipated that rigorously testing the conceptual system on this relay will allow most fine-tuning to be performed within the university lab. This stage will also inherently assist the researchers involved to develop deeper knowledge about the stages needed to link up the essential development tools of a functional PHM system. Subsequently, an online oil condition monitoring and prognostics system prototype will be developed incorporating a dedicated intelligent sensor system with data handling and communication capability. Once tested in the lab and optimised, the prototype will be evaluated by testing on a decommissioned transformer in SHE Transmission’s licence area.Note : Project Documents may be available via the ENA Smarter Networks Portal using the Website link above

09/10/18