Transformer DGA or Dissolved Gas Analysis Oil filled transformers make up the majority of power transformers in the industrial and utility markets. These transformers are costly and found at critical points of the power system. Transformer DGA offers the best opportunity to understand the condition of a transformer at a snapshot. Typically, samples are taken and the DGA is performed in a third party lab as part of a regular preventative maintenance program or when a problem is suspected due to over heating or ground fault detection. Trending DGA results, at a more regular time interval, give facility managers the opportunity to predict transformer failure and deal with the issue on a schedule where the best outcome can be achieved and the effects minimized through planning. GE M&D (Monitoring and Diagnostics) offers the most advanced transformer management solutions, starting with permanent DGA equipment combined with data management software, to compare, analyze and decipher valuable insight. The GE M&D Kelman Multi-gas products utilize a patented Photoacoustic process that requires no re-calibration, no consumables with repeatable results and accuracy within a few PPM (parts per million). GE M&D offers single gas products for transformers valued below $75K, as a rule-of-thumb. Permanent DGA makes sense for even the smallest Oil filled transformers and especially when the day-to-day process value is greater than the DGA itself. For critical power services, up time is the name of the game and ROI is almost guaranteed for every event detected by a DGA, because the process and asset is so valuable. What is more difficult to quantify is the piece-of-mind permanent DGA provides to maintenance and facility managers. Every transformer with a permanent DGA can be removed from regular testing intervals, leaving more time for other preventative maintenance activities and opportunities to improve reliability.
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