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In the Bucket: What you need to know about maintaining your substation
November 30, 2016
In the Bucket: What you need to know about maintaining your substation

Q1: How often should substation maintenance be performed?

A: LTL recommends annual maintenance for all electrical substations to ensure optimum efficiency and minimal downtime. 

Q2: Why is early detection of electrical equipment weakness important?

A: Early detection of electrical equipment weakness is beneficial for many reasons. It helps keep operational and associated costs to a minimum, extends the life of an electrical system, and also improves safety conditions for your electrical system operating personnel.

Q3: What is included in your substation maintenance program?

A: All substation maintenance services are directed and performed by LTL's in-house experienced certified technicians, and include

  1. Testing and calibration;
  2. Inspection;
  3. Adjustment;
  4. Cleaning;
  5. Repair;
  6. Analysis of electrical insulating fluids

as required of high and low voltage electrical and mechanical components.

Also included in the program is a detailed engineering report summarizing any deficiencies found and recommendations for repair. Collected data is recorded for historical reference and used to monitor the electrical system's overall performance from year-to-year.

Q4: How do your preventative substation maintenance programs differ from others?

A: At LTL, we offer customized maintenance programs that suit our customer's budgetary and operational requirements. Our in-house experienced, certified technicians also ensure electrical equipment meets all applicable regulatory and legislated requirements.

As timely execution of all projects is important to LTL, we maintain a comprehensive inventory to ensure expedient delivery of equipment and materials. We stock high quality surplus, new and used high and low voltage substation equipment including new and used transformers, switchgear, fuses, lightning arrestors, insulators, towers, poles and other related equipment for sale, and benefit from direct access to a broad supplier network. This allows for timely repairs when required as well as temporary power solutions for unplanned power outages, as well as emergency call-outs.

Q5: How important is Infrared Scanning and what is the recommended frequency?

A: Infrared Scanning, also known as Infrared Thermography, is a highly beneficial element to the preventative maintenance program because it can identify potential electrical equipment problem areas such as faulty connections, poor contacts, phase imbalances and overload conditions requiring immediate attention, allowing for repairs before failure or damage occurs. We recommend Infrared Thermography twice a year for all electrical equipment where systems reliability and continuous operation is needed. 

Q6: Why is it important for on-site technicians to be licensed in Infrared Thermography?

A: The credentials of the technician determine the quality and accuracy of the survey. Hiring a certified technician who is licensed in Infrared Thermography guarantees that infrared scanning has been performed by an expert who understands the effects of the hot spots that are captured on camera. This is of utmost importance when determining what hot spots are critical to on-going equipment performance from those which are less immediate and can be addressed during regular annual preventative maintenance.

Q7:  What Transformer field services do you provide?

  • Complete transformer commissioning and transformer testing services
  • Transformer assemble/disassemble, transportation
  • Fin replacement
  • Bushing replacement
  • Tap changer maintenance, repair and replacement
  • Oil leak termination
  • Painting
  • New unit specification, supply and installation
  • Mobile Transformer oil regeneration
  • Rewind service (shop only)

 

 

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