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The aging process of transmission lines has a direct impact on the reliability and safety of the power grid. Therefore, an accurate age estimation method is imperative for effective maintenance planning and infrastructure investment. This paper introduces a systematic methodology for estimating the age of overhead transmission lines, utilizing the percentage statistical health index (%SHI) and the failure probability curve-fitting (FPCF) method. The %SHI, employing a scoring and weighting approach derived from test results and inspections, is used to assess the actual condition of transmission line equipment. Additionally, the FPCF approach is applied to illustrate the connection between the SHI and the likelihood of failure, facilitating the assessment of transmission line age by fitting failure probability curves to the SHI data. This age is directly associated with the probability of experiencing a failure. The evaluation was conducted on 924 towers situated along four transmission lines connecting the 115 kV substations S1–S2, S3–S4, S5–S6, and S7–S8. These transmission lines are in four regions with diverse terrain and environments such as mountains, rice fields, and more. In the SHI calculation, practical testing results and historical failure data were applied. The results clearly indicate that there were notable disparities in the age estimations for transmission lines in diverse geographical regions of Thailand when compared to their actual ages. These discrepancies can be attributed to various factors, including the local environment, such as rainfall, flooding, and salt-laden air as well as specific geographical features like mountainous and coastal terrain. To mitigate the deterioration of transmission lines in all regions, it is essential to implement a proactive maintenance strategy. This strategy should involve more frequent inspections, the use of advanced monitoring technologies, and the establishment of robust maintenance procedures, with which it would become possible to enhance the accuracy of equipment condition assessments, ultimately resulting in an overall improvement in the reliability of transmission lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a fuzzy logic approach, a simplified and adaptable method, to determine the health index of gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) bay and their compartments. Since the traditional weighting and scoring method (WSM) is a subjective method, the fuzzy logic approach has been applied to enhance the accuracy of the health index (HI) determination by evaluating the detectable degradation and the incorporated conditional factor (CF) considering actual operating conditions and invisible ageing. The input data are first obtained from routine inspection and time-based testing and then converted to numerical values as the fuzzy logic model input to compute the component HI. The bay HI values are further calculated by applying the WSM using the obtained component of the HI. Then, the accuracy of the obtained HI of the bay has been improved by multiplying with the CF to obtain the overall bay HI values. The proposed methodology was implemented in an independent power producer in a large industrial estate in Thailand to evaluate 175 GIS bays with actual data. The results were compared against other HI evaluation techniques with a satisfactory outcome. Finally, the overall bay HI is used to prioritize maintenance activity, to effectively allocate human resources, to prevent unplanned outages, and to achieve cost-effective, condition-based maintenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents an analysis of the failure rates of SF6 puffer circuit breakers in the 230-kV voltage class. Historical failure recorded data for existing power circuit breakers in high-voltage substations in Thailand from 1992 to 2011 were retrieved. Subsequently, the data were analyzed and classified based on the causes of failure related to circuit breaker sub-components. The failure rates of the individual circuit breaker sub-components were determined. These failure rates were then categorized into three main circuit breaker component categories based on their functionality, which includes the live part and insulation, operating mechanism, and control part. The failure rates of the individual circuit breaker sub-components were calculated, and their associated probability distributions were estimated using Weibull distribution functions. The resulting Weibull distribution parameters were subsequently utilized in a circuit breaker preventive maintenance application to aid in the decision-making process for setting the maintenance schedule of the circuit breaker components. Finally, circuit breaker reliability is also monitored. This proposed method can also be applied to other high-voltage equipment in power systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an innovative risk-assessment strategy based on condition and importance criteria for power transformer maintenance in a transmission network. The condition assessment is performed by the analysis of different diagnosis methods such as electrical test, insulating oil test, and visual inspection. The importance assessment is evaluated from various aspects such as load criticality, impact on system stability, possibility of failure, failure consequence, damage to property, as well as social impact and environmental concerns. Weighting and scoring techniques are applied to determine the actual condition and importance of the power transformer with regard to condition and importance aspects. By combining the condition and importance assessment, the overall risk to the power transformer is assessed and differentiated into nine categories in the risk matrix from the lowest to the highest risk. Additionally, by applying distance 'd' technique, the risk-based assessment matrix for the power transformer can be identified into five zones: healthy, good, moderate, bad, and risky. These five zones are also represented by color indicators as green, blue, yellow, orange, and red, which are further interpreted to five steps of maintenance tasks. The transformer with longer distance 'd' is subjected to higher risk and should be maintained first. By this method, a total of 19 power transformers were analyzed and are presented as examples for risk-based maintenance. Then, risks of a total 598 power transformers are shown in the risk matrix. A computerized web application program is developed for practical implementation in a utility in Thailand. Finally, the systematic risk assessment and maintenance task of the power transformer fleet in Thailand are effectively managed. Thereby, the total maintenance cost of power transformer can be reduced. © 2014 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new asset value estimation of high-voltage equipment for renovation planning in power substation. The high-voltage equipment includes power transformer, high-voltage circuit breaker, current transformer, voltage transformer, disconnecting switch, and surge arrester in 115 and 230 kV substations. The zero profit method is applied to estimate the asset value of equipment. To obtain the zero profit, the summation of maintenance cost and outage cost are annually compared with the remaining asset value. At the point of zero profit, the useful lifetime of equipment is given. From this point onwards, the utility obtains risk from further usage of equipment because the total maintenance and outage costs are greater than the remaining asset value. Additionally, the utility encounters the high risk to outage according to high probability of failure of the degraded equipment. The asset value and useful lifetime estimation of high-voltage equipment in two 115 kV power substations in Thailand transmission network are presented. The asset value of all equipment and bays in such power substations are evaluated in order to prioritize the maintenance tasks of equipment and bays. This zero profit method is a simple but powerful tool to determine the net asset value of existing equipment, which can significantly help the utility to allocate the tight budget, to plan the effective maintenance of equipment and to make a decision whether to repair or to replace of the aged equipment. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new D-distance factor is proposed to determine the failure probability and to prioritize maintenance actions of power circuit breakers in high-voltage substations. The D-distance factor is calculated by using the condition index and renovation index of a high-voltage circuit breaker (HVCB). To facilitate effective decision-making on maintenance with a simple method and less computational effort, the proposed model incorporates the weighting–scoring method (WSM) and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) with the various diagnostic methods for condition index assessments as well as the operation requirements of HVCBs for renovation index assessments. Many significant parameters from circuit breaker testing, such as insulation resistance, contact resistance, contact timing, SF6 gas measurements, gas leakage rate, visual inspection, etc., have been considered for condition index determination. In addition to these, other significant parameters, such as age of the circuit breaker, age of the interrupter and mechanism, number of fault current interruptions, actual load current to rated current ratio, actual short circuit current to rated interrupting current ratio, maintenance ability, spare parts availability, maintenance expertise level, etc., are also considered for renovation index determination. To validate the proposed model, the practical test data of twenty 115 kV HVCBs in various substations of a distribution utility in Thailand were utilized and tested. By analyzing the actual condition and operation requirement of the circuit breaker, the output, as the condition index and renovation index using the proposed method, is discussed with HVCB experts in the utility to adjust the scores and weights of all criteria to obtain the most accurate and reliable model. The results show that the D-distance technique measured from the risk matrix, which is defined as the failure probability, can be used to rank the maintenance schedule from urgent to normal maintenance tasks. In addition, various failure probabilities in the risk matrix of the circuit breaker can be used to determine the appropriate maintenance strategies for the power circuit breaker in each group. Finally, the proposed method could help the utility managers and maintenance engineers manage the maintenance planning effectively and easily for thousands of HVCBs in the grid, and it can be further applied with other high-voltage equipment in both transmission and distribution systems to facilitate the maintenance activities according to available costs and human resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a modeling method for estimating the remaining useful life (RUL) of aged underground cable systems is proposed that uses statistical health index (HI) and operating factor (OF) data of retired systems. The HI is an indicator which identifies the condition of an underground cable system and its components and is calculated from testing and inspection results. The OF takes actual operating conditions and technical data from the system into consideration. Both factors are then combined to determine the overall health index (OHI) of each system. For RUL estimation of underground cable systems, normal distribution and Weibull distribution analyses are first applied to determine a health index curve and an aging line. The relationship between these two curves gives an estimate of the system's apparent age. The RUL of the system is then calculated in terms of the difference between its apparent age and its actual chronological age. In this study, thirteen retired systems and ten operating systems were evaluated and analyzed, and accurate results were obtained. Using the methods described here, the apparent age and the RUL of underground cable systems can be accurately estimated. Finally, a maintenance strategy for underground cable systems is recommended, which promises more efficient maintenance and greater cost-effectiveness in the management of underground cable systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a comprehensive procedure to assess the condition of gas insulated switchgear (GIS) equipment by using the conventional weight and score method and introducing a conditional factor to improve the accuracy of the health index evaluation. Generally, the inspection and testing of GIS components are conducted according to manufacturer recommendations and guidelines in the international standards. However, this raw data has not been simplified and systematically processed for condition assessment. The score and weight technique are applied to transform the physical condition according to visible and measurable aging to numerical values in terms of component and bay health index values. The accuracy of the obtained health index has been improved by a conditional factor, which considers invisible aging factors, such as age, number of switching operations, degree of satisfactory operation, obsolescence, and adequacy of the interrupting rating. Here, a condition evaluation procedure has been developed and compared with the fuzzy logic method and the health index dominant score technique with satisfactory results. Subsequently, the proposed procedure has been developed as web application software to evaluate 175 bays of GIS in both 115 and 230 kV networks of an independent power producer supplying electricity of 3094 MW to a large industrial estate in Thailand. Eight GIS bays showed moderate or poor condition and the proper actions were assigned to prevent their failure. The software is in use in practice as a decision support tool to effectively manage the maintenance tasks and to improve supply reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we apply the Failure Modes, Effects, and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) approach to the criticality and risk analysis of the efficiency, safety/reliability, environment, and financial criteria of the high voltage transmission line. In the efficiency analysis, the weighting-scoring method and analytical hierarchy process are applied to obtain the line renovation index, which is interpreted as efficiency severity. The safety/reliability severity relates to the system impacts are caused by failure of the equipment and the system. The environmental severity takes social impacts and pollution into consideration. The financial severity involves the cost of spare parts and maintenance costs, which are interpreted as the financial severity of the lines. Twenty practical transmission lines in Thailand with actual data for 115, 230, and 500 kV were studied. The transmission line components are divided into eight components including the conductor, conductor accessories, insulator, steel structure, foundation, lightning protection system, tower accessories, and right-of-way. The severity and criticality of the components and transmission lines are analyzed and plotted in criticality matrices based on four criteria. This criticality matrix is presented at four different levels including very low, low, medium, and high risk, as represented by four color bands: green, yellow, orange, and red, respectively. The results show that three 115 kV lines are the first priority for short-term reconstruction planning because of their unacceptable condition and high risk in terms of safety/reliability and financing. Recommendations for maintenance strategy and risk mitigation are proposed for the utility according to the utility's actual criticality. Ultimately, maintenance planning of the transmission system can be effectively managed with higher reliability, a lower risk of failure, and a lower cost of maintenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research focuses on problem identification due to faults in power transformers during operation by using dissolved gas analysis such as key gas, IEC ratio, Duval triangle techniques, and fuzzy logic approaches. Then, the condition of the power transformer is evaluated in terms of the percentage of failure index and internal fault determination. Fuzzy logic with the key gas approach was used to calculate the failure index and identify problems inside the power transformer. At the same time, the IEC three-gas ratio and Duval triangle are subsequently applied to confirm the problems in different failure types covering all possibilities inside the power transformer. After that, the fuzzy logic system was applied and validated with DGA results of 244 transformers as reference cases with satisfactory accuracy. Two transformers were evaluated and practically confirmed by the investigation results of an un-tanked power transformer. Finally, the DGA results of a total of 224 transformers were further evaluated by the fuzzy logic system. This fuzzy logic is a smart, accurate tool for automatically identifying faults occurring within transformers. Finally, the recommendation of maintenance strategy and time interval is proposed for effective planning to minimize the catastrophic damage, which could occur with the power transformer and its network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY Nowadays, the requirement on diminishing operating and maintenance costs is highly concerned for utilities in competitive electricity market. Power transformer is first focused due to its acquisition costs and failure consequences (FCs). Traditional preventive maintenance for power transformer is generally applied. However, it is very costly and does not take into account actual transformer condition. Hence, risk-based maintenance is introduced in this paper to facilitate the maintenance works of power transformers. The conditions of power transformers are evaluated from electrical test, insulating oil test and visual inspection by using the ranking and weighting techniques. In addition, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is proposed to determine the important weighting factor of each transformer component. The three main criteria of the AHP are maintenance difficulty, FC and failure history. Moreover, the Weibull distribution techniques are applied to analyze failure causes. The computerized web-application program is developed and implemented for practical use in a utility in Thailand. The power transformers installed in 115 kV and 230 kV transmission systems in Thailand are assessed due to availability and quality of data. From statistical analysis of failure records, the conditions of power transformer can be divided into three different zones as risk, moderate and healthy zone. The defective components in risk zone with higher proportion of failure should be carefully focused. The components and overall condition of the transformers are perceived from the analysis of test results. Subsequently, the risk-based maintenance is properly planned according to the actual condition. Therefore, maintenance of power transformer fleet can be effectively managed resulting in higher availability and reliability, lower risk of failure and lower cost of maintenance. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a lifetime estimation method for underground cable systems is proposed by combining a health index (HI) and conditional factor (CF). The underground cable system consists of underground cable, joint, termination, manhole, and duct bank. The HI is an indicator to indicate the actual condition of underground cable components and systems whereas the CF is used to indicate different operating stresses of the system under different operating conditions such as percentage loading, electrical stresses, laying structure, environment, etc. The actual technical data as well as historical operating and testing records are applied. The weighting and scoring method with the analytical hierarchy process are used to classify an importance of underground cable components, testing methods, and criteria used in the HI and CF calculation. The annual calculated HIs are plotted to investigate the lifetime trending curve by using a polynomial function. The degradation curve based on calculated CF is estimated by using the Weibull distribution function. Finally, the remaining life of the underground cable system is determined by matching the lifetime trending curve with the degradation curve. Ten practical underground cable systems supplying power in a high voltage power delivery system are evaluated with effective results. The lifetime of the underground cable system can be successfully estimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Determination on withstand voltage strength rating of HV equipment was performed by insulation coordination. • Calculation on required operating voltage and transient overvoltage on the system was presented. • A 115 kV substation in Thailand was modeled by EMTP/ATP to acquire electrical stress by using practical data. • Calculation under complicated process was expressed to be accessible to utilities. • Appropriate insulation level and electric clearance were selected under switching overvoltage analysis. This article aims to determine a proper voltage rating known as the withstand capability of HV equipment in a 115 kV air insulated substation in Thailand because some of the HV equipment were severely damaged by high switching transient overvoltages. Then, this case was investigated by using a simulation model in the ATP/EMTP. Actual data acquired from all the equipment or derived from physical dimension of equipment was used as input parameters in the simulation model. In different switching operation cases as load rejection, earth-fault, capacitor bank switching etc., the maximum overvoltage was obtained from the simulation and subsequently applied in the insulation coordination procedure. The systematic modeling to evaluate electrical stress and insulation coordination process were thoroughly expressed to simplify the process for utility applications. Finally for this 115 kV substation, the short duration withstand voltage of 275 kV and the lightning impulse withstand voltage of 650 kV were selected from the insulation coordination and practically applied to determine the minimum electrical clearance of HV equipment for both phase-to-earth and phase-to-phase distances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]