Weidmann Diagnostic Solutions 7th Annual Conference

Power Transformer Manufacturers

Experience with Transportation
Mishandling

Enrique Betancourt
Carlos Hernndez

New Orleans, LA, Sep.15-17.2008

Life Cycle Management

SPECIFICATION
Manage the total cost of a piece of equipment,
considering its entire service life.
ENQUIRIES Ideal balance:
Low purchase cost
CONTRACT REVIEW
Low cost of operating losses
DESIGN REVIEW
High reliability
MANUFACTURING Easy installation
Low maintenance effort
SHIPPING & INSTALLATION
Easy troubleshooting
OPERATION AND
MAINTENANCE Environmental friendly
Biodegradable
RECYCLING
Low CO2
Low Noise

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Importance of Transportation Process
Selection of transportation method has big influence on power
transformers:

Initial cost (materials, packaging and carrier)

Delivery cycle
Maintenance cost
Reliability
Insurance cost

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Transformer Transportation Map

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Transportation Method
Truck or Lowboy:
Lowest mechanical loads
Limited scope, depending on road availability
Higher cost
Slow, but easy follow up
Special trucks required for certain routes
Limited on load weight and size
Frequently exposed to vandalism

Railroad:
High dynamic loads, impact and continuous vibration
Widespread, heavy duty tracks
Cost in the medium range (except when dedicated train)
Open air transport: easy follow up

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Transportation Method
Sea Carrier:
Low impact, though continuous, quasi-static and rotational
loads
Load must be designed for and properly fitted within container
Indirect monitoring of impacts
Highly dependent on schedule control
Must be complemented with other method

Air Carrier:
Moderately heavy accelerations
Limited on size and weight
Very expensive, but fast
Normally approached as emergency measure

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Railroad Transportation Loads 40 ton shipment example

Longitudinal
Every manufacturer has its own
technology framework: 12
10

8
Load Stress Strength Field Exp.

Gs
6
4

2
RELIABLE 0
PRODUCT A B C D E
Technology

Transversal Vertical

6 4
5 3.5
3
4
2.5
Gs

Gs
3 2
2 1.5
1
1
0.5
0 0
A B C D E A B C D E
Technology Technology

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Experience with Longitudinal Loads

Example of a Specific Design Solution*

Damage
Longitudinal Impact (G)
3G

10 Service
Records
Damage probable
Design
No damage
dependent

Std.
Design
Normaly safe

0 20 60 80 120 180 240

Shipping weight (t)

* See Units particular Instruction Book

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Mechanical design

Design according to spec requirements or manufacturer

standards
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Shipment preparation ... Profile Measuring System

Procedure:
Measure dimensions of loaded railcar
Compare transformer shipping outline to carriers clearance file
Create transformers dimensions file
Forward dimensions file to carriers approval department

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Load Dimensions Measuring System

Objectives:
Minimize the risk of damage
Reduce transit time
Reduce dimensions verification cycle at shipping bay

Spec for the L-kopia System:

Fast (9,600 to 43,200 points/sec per laser unit)
Accurate (down to +/- 4 mm or 1/8 inch)
High resolution (one point every 0.125 0.375 degrees)
Measuring range from 0 70 meter (0 230)
Scans 360 degrees
100% eye safe (Laser Class 1)
Operates under most environmental conditions
Lightweight, compact operational full daylight or darkness

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Shipping Profile

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Compare measured dimensions vs. route clearance

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Preparation for shipment

Perform FRA test

Disassemble transformer

Pressurize with Dry Air (3 to 5 PSI)

Install impact recorders (digital and analog)

Ship Transformer to destination

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Delivery process

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Transformer receipt, assembly, operation &
maintenance

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Transformer reception

Verify registers of impacr recorder

Perform Dew Point test

Inspection for physical damage

Measure core insulation

Perform FRA

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Impact recorder reading

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Impact limits

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Railroad Transportation issues
Events
8 8
6
5

Humps Bridge Vandalism Trees

Cost from shipping issues Days impact on delivery cycle

85% 103

34
15%
0% 0% 0 2

Humps Bridge Vandalism Trees Humps Bridge Vandalism Trees

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Examples

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Test unit - 160 MVA GSU, 230 kV

Small bushings added for monitoring of

transportation

Unit arrived with no issues

Perfect match between traces before and after

shipping

Demonstrated feasibility and reproducibility, for

GSUs and no bumps

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E1. Railroad impact - 200 MVA Auto, 230 kV
Multi-unit package
Unit E suffered 8g bump, resulting slight change in tertiary FRA
traces
Fig 1
Y1-Y2
0
100,000 1,000,000
01 F
02 F
-10 04 F
06 F
05 P
-20
05 F

-30

-40

-50

-60

-70

-80

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E1. Railroad impact - 200 MVA Auto, 230 kV
Multi-unit package
Unit E suffered 8g bump, resulting slight change in tertiary FRA
traces
Fig 2
Y2-Y3
0
100,000 1,000,000
01 F
02 F
-10 04 F
06 F
05 P
-20
05 F

-30

-40

-50

-60

-70

-80

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E1. Railroad impact - 200 MVA Auto, 230 kV
Multi-unit package
Unit E suffered 8g bump, resulting slight change in tertiary FRA
traces
Fig 3
Y3-Y1
0
100,000 1,000,000
01 F
02 F
-10 04 F
06 F
05 P
-20
05 F

-30

-40

-50

-60

-70

-80

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E1. Railroad impact - 200 MVA Auto, 230 kV
Unit shipped back to factory, inspected, reassembled and tested
Factory inspection disclosed slight shift on core support and one phase
winding package; no other displacement or damage

This case showed that FRA could detect minor changes, but yet hard
to interpret

FRA seems sensitive and meaningful ... But practical

interpretation rules must be developed.

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E2. Railroad impact - 700 MVA Auto, 345 kV
Multi-unit package
Unit suffered 7g bump, resulting in tie down damage

Fig 1 Fig 2

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E2. Railroad impact - 700 MVA Auto, 345 kV

Unit shipped back for inspection and repair

On transportation back unit suffered 17.5g bump

Factory inspection disclosed slight gap in top and bottom step blocks
close to phase C; no other displacement or damage

Reassembled and tested

This case showed that the windings are not sensitive to heavy vertical
humps, but C&C clamps to tank might fail under high vertical
acceleration

Correction of displaced components re-establishes

the integrity of the unit

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E3. Truck impact - 45 MVA SUB, 115 kV
On transportation suffered 6g bump
Insulation resistance tests presented no deviations
Internal inspection without any deviations
No paper, blocks or insulation damaged or out of position
No leads out of position or loose
No core lamination sheets bent or out of position
No loose hardware and no broken nylon bolts
No foreign material on the bottom of the tank
No spacers block out of position or loose

No correction required ... field tests and inspection

could not be avoided

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E4. Railroad impact - 72 MVA SUB, 345 kV
On transportation suffered 17.5g bump
Insulation resistance tests presented no deviations
Internal inspection without any deviations
No paper, blocks or insulation damaged or out of position
No leads out of position or loose
No core lamination sheets bent or out of position
No loose hardware and no broken nylon bolts
No foreign material on the bottom of the tank
No spacers block out of position or loose

No correction required ... field tests and inspection

could not be avoided

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Examples Summary
Activities Potential
($K USD)
Example 1 Field tests
Inspection $700
Transportation
Factory work
Example 2 Field tests
Field inspection $1,100
Transportation
Factory work
Example 3 Field tests $25 to $40
Field inspection
Example 4 Field tests $30 to $50
Field inspection

Who is paying?

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Conclusions

Power transformer transportation is a process that requires highest attention, as it

bears impact on reliability, cost and delivery cycle.

FRA is a powerful tool, that must be paired with good engineering judgement and
supplemented with basic tests.

Transformer specifications should reflect users experience with their own

geographic conditions, as a resource to spare costly issues and project delays.

Research work is desirable to develop more tools for detection and analysis of
effects from transportation loads (Dynamic Response models?).

In our experience, the mechanical design of power transformers should consider

pessimistic impact loads for railroad transportation, mainly dependent on
transformers shipping weight, as effective control still seems a challenge for many
carriers.

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Further Readings

T.Lundquist, E.Schweiger, M.Silvestre, W.Hoffman, Transportation Issues of

Power Transformers , IEEE TC Meeting, San Diego, CA, 2004

Minutes from DOBLE Engineering Conferences (SFRA methodology and

experiences)

Minutes from WGs Transportation Issues Guide and Frequency Response

Analysis Guide, from IEEE Transformers Committee

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