Have you heard of something called "incipient faults"?? Do they really exist in an electrical power system?
YES, they do exist in an electrical system. They have got their own significant effects as well. This article is all about the incipient faults and their effects in a power transformer.
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| Fig 1. Power Transformer |
The power transformer is an expensive as well as an important device for an electrical power system. A fault in a distribution transformer can result in absence of electrical supply to thousands of residential buildings. Monitoring of these transformers, therefore, is a crucial work.
Information regarding the live status of the transformer's insulation behavior, temperature, and loading conditions is very necessary in order to evaluate the system performance regarding reliability, availability, and safety. Systems abnormalities, loading, switching, and ambient conditions normally contribute towards accelerated aging and sudden failure.
INCIPIENT FAULTS
Incipient faults are one among the internal faults of power transformers. They are slowly occurring uncommon faults in an electrical transformer. They are not serious at the beginning but they gradually develop into hazardous faults. Internal incipient transformer faults result in insulation deterioration. The incipient faults in transformers are due to the following reasons.
- Contamination of the insulating oil in the transformer.
- Core bolt insulation failure.
- Rust or other materials on the core.
- Short circuits in the lamination.
- Moisture content in the insulating oil.
Incipient faults causes mechanical stresses to the transformers. These stresses gradually affect the insulation system of the transformer. So the protection schemes of transformers are very much essential in order to prevent the winding faults resulting from the insulation failure.
