


Inmr inset free#
In the case of condition assessment of electrical equipment, infrared (IR) inspection is also frequently used since it allows contact free measurements – a feature that is especially attractive in most HV applications. energy conversion in nuclear power plants. Monitoring temperature is already widely applied to characterize and identify problems in many industrial processes, e.g. Examples are also given of techniques for monitoring and diagnostics of certain overhead line and substation equipment. These include: temperature monitoring, aided visual inspection, measurements of insulator pollution performance and methods for detecting cracks in energized porcelain insulators.

The following are four broad approaches to meet these requirements without necessarily focusing on any specific component or technique. Allowing for easy integration of existing monitoring systems.Robust evaluation method providing reliable results.In addition to the above general considerations, there are also several other requirements that should apply to any useful monitoring system: This only further restricts the ability to draw firm conclusions. Moreover, the parameters of primary interest can themselves not always be easily measured, due to practical limitations. Instead measurements are limited to properties that only provide an indication of the condition of the equipment being monitored. what is the residual lifetime or risk of failure of the component being monitored? Unfortunately, there are no parameters that will always yield a clear and unambiguous answer to this question. Ideally, condition assessment should be based on data that most directly represents the property of interest, e.g. The next step, known as condition assessment or diagnostics, involves processing and interpreting all this data. This edited past contribution to INMR by Andreas Dernfalk, a Swedish-based expert in maintenance and diagnostics, examined technologies and tools available for improved condition monitoring.Ĭondition monitoring of network assets refers to the regular recording of operating parameters such as temperature, pressure, mechanical loading, leakage current, dielectric loss, gas concentration, etc. This type of information can also help optimize use of equipment, e.g. Based on data obtained, actions such as maintenance, repair or replacement can then be scheduled in a timely manner. In order to maintain high levels of availability while also controlling maintenance costs in this new industry environment, power utilities must rely on tools that allow effective, and ideally automated, condition monitoring of equipment and components. Taken together with increased and more dynamic loading, these changes have resulted in reduced safety margins. Similarly, the drive to re-invest in and maintain the network has also typically been reduced. As a result, time horizons for decisions about equipment replacement have generally been extended. However, deregulation of the electricity market has changed all this by placing much greater emphasis on purely economic considerations. Intensive manpower and time-based maintenance schemes with relatively short inspection intervals have also meant that potential problems were usually discovered before failures occurred. Ensuring a high level of availability in supply of electrical power has historically been accomplished through sufficient system redundancy as well as specification of only well-proven and sometimes over-dimensioned network components.
