Grant: Engage Grants Program

Power transformers are important and one of the costliest equipment used in the transmission and distribution*of the electric energy. Despite great progresses in their design in recent years, the Achilles heel still remains the*insulation system. When power transformers fail, the fault can be traced usually to defective insulation.*Unexpected failures cause major disturbances to operating systems, resulting in unscheduled outages and*power delivery problems. Extreme reliability is demanded of electric power distribution as when failures occur*they inevitably lead to high repair costs, long downtime and possible personnel safety risks. By accurately*monitoring the condition of the insulation (moisture ingress, temperature, vibration, etc.) many types of faults*can be discovered before they become serious failures and outages.*Some of the research and development accomplishments by QPS during the past years have resulted in the*development of a Phase Shifted Gratings recoated sensor with multilayers of polyimide films. This fiber optic*sensor is designed to help plant owners monitor moisture, vibration and temperature inside oil filled*transformers. The proposed research aims at analysing field test data records and accurately calibrating the*sensor. The knowledge and technology that will develop from the proposed research are of great importance to*both Canadian manufacturing and power utility industries. The sensor has high potential for on-line monitoring*of transformers. Using the improved sensor will provide solutions to transformers integrity in smart grids,*assuring the system reliability.