Online Dissolved Gas Analysis (DGA) Monitoring System

TL;DR

This paper presents an online Dissolved Gas Analysis (DGA) monitoring system for transformers, leveraging new technology to improve detection of transformer health issues and support operational decisions.

Contribution

The paper introduces a novel online DGA monitoring system with laboratory-verified analysis methods and threshold derivation based on IEEE standards for transformer health assessment.

Findings

The system can provide prescient information on transformer failures.

Laboratory verification confirms the effectiveness of the analysis methods.

Test results demonstrate the system's practical utility in operational settings.

Abstract

Transformers are critical assets in power systems and transformer failures can cause asset damage, customer outages, and safety concerns. Dominion Energy has a sophisticated monitoring process for the transformers. One of the most cost-efficient, convenient and practical transformer monitoring methods in industry is Dissolved Gas Analysis(DGA). Leveraging new technology, on-line transformer monitoring equipment is able to measure samples automatically. The challenges of unstable sampling measurements and contradicted analysis results for DGA are discussed in this paper. To provide further insight of transformer health and support a new transformer monitoring process in Dominion Energy, a DGA monitoring system is proposed. The DGA analysis methods used in the monitoring system are selected based on laboratory verification results from Dominion Energy. After derive the thresholds from IEEE standard, the solution of the proposed monitoring system and test results are presented. In the end, a historical transformer failure case in Dominion was analyzed and the results indicate the monitoring system can provide prescient information and sufficient supplemental report for making operational decisions.