Condition Monitoring of Power Station Primary Electrical Plant

Power stations now tend to operate against performance indicators based on their availability, reliability and flexibility, providing generation as required by an energy trading function. In order to meet these demands it is increasingly important that the condition of the plant is understood by the power station engineering and asset management teams, particularly where equipment is being operated beyond its design life or where little operational experience exists on newly built plant. Although some condition monitoring has always been carried out the techniques and tools available have now developed to a state where much more information can be obtained. This paper summarises the different condition monitoring tools that can be applied to generators, transformers and switchgear, identifying in particular where these tools need to be considered when the plant is first specified or where they can be retrofitted. Case studies are presented to demonstrate how the most recent techniques have been applied with positive results.