Upgrading a 400-Zone SF6 Gas Density Monitoring System

The Problem

A U.S. utility realized they had an issue; their existing SF6 Gas Density Monitoring system had obsolete hardware, operating system and software. The original supplier was not interested in developing an upgrade solution. The hardware had excessive power consumption and was very complex. They had no support, no data or report integration, and relied on their ability to cut and paste information manually.

They were looking for a supplier they could trust to partner with them for the life cycle of their assets. They also wanted the ability to integrate the transformer monitoring application to include partial discharge and bushing monitoring.

The Solution

Dynamic Ratings expressed interest right away. Our LIFESTREAM™ Support Team supplied a comprehensive solution using existing gas sensors and as much of the communications backbone as possible. Improvements were also made by simplifying the number of components and minimizing rack space requirements. The reduced power consumption allowed easier battery/UPS backup. As a bonus, Dynamic Ratings incorporated existing and enhanced transformer monitoring capabilities, including partial discharge and bushing monitoring along with a data interface to existing DGA devices.

The new solution included 20,000 Pi Historian points, extended data and reporting capabilities and graphical displays…no more cut and paste! They also provided system planning, field installation and commissioning services using the LIFESTREAM™ Service Team.