Hitachi ABB Power Grids will be providing online monitoring and diagnostics devices, the TXpert™ Hub (based on CoreTec™4) and TXpert™ Ready CoreSense™ sensors, to Tata Steel, a release by Hitachi ABB Power Grids said.
To start with these will be deployed on five critical transformers at Tata Steel’s flagship Jamshedpur plant in Jharkhand. These online diagnostic devices will provide real-time insights into the transformers’ health and performance levels by measuring and carrying out real-time diagnostics on parameters such as oil temperature, gas-formation and load. The technology will provide actionable intelligence for predicting and preventing failure, reducing downtime and enabling planned outages. This will also reduce transformer maintenance costs and ensure smooth and enhanced business performance.
Designed for decades of operation, these critical assets will be secured with digital technology to provide uninterrupted service.
The steel manufacturing processes require high currents that enable extremely high temperatures and frequent on-and-off switching for rapid cool down. These huge fluctuations in power consumption create voltage variations, stressing the electrical infrastructure to its limits.
Tata Steel needed a cost-effective and robust asset management solution to implement preventative maintenance to its transformers, thus extending their life and minimizing risk of outage.
The benefits of transformer digital sensing and monitoring are well recognized. A CIGRE study has shown that transformer monitoring can reduce the risk of catastrophic failures by 50 per cent. Furthermore, annual cost savings can amount to 2 per cent of the price of a new transformer—approximately $40,000 to $80,000, the release from Hitachi ABB Power Grids said.
The TXpert™ Hub and sensors are part of Hitachi ABB Power Grid TXpert™ Ecosystem – an open, scalable, manufacturer agnostic ecosystem for digitalization of transformers with a complete suite of products, software, services and solutions. Based on deep domain knowledge, it provides data driven intelligence for optimization of transformer and grid operations and maintenance. Applicable for all transformer applications across the energy value chain from generation, transmission, distribution, industries and infrastructure, it helps to reduce costs, optimize operations, extend life-expectancy and enhance environmental performance.
(Featured photograph is for representation only)