OMICRON Magazine

Improving effiency and effectiveness “One of our biggest challenges is handling resources and scheduling. As our services are highly sought after, it is very challenging to meet market demands. Therefore, we are always on the lookout for new technologies and equipment that can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our tests. We want to help our customers accurately evaluate and assess the condition of their assets so they can achieve maximum reliability and commercial life for their assets,” explains Jimmy Kuang. “Prior to using TESTRANO 600, we had to carry several pieces of testing equipment to a site to perform various tests. Test leads had to be set up multiple times for the different test sets, and different software was needed to operate the equipment. “One of the major reasons we bought a TESTRANO 600, was its abil- ity to perform various tests with a single setup. This has significantly reduced our need to get to the top of the power transformer and hence minimized the risks and hazards associated with working at those heights. In my opinion, another advantage is the demagne- tization function that prevents the protection relays from tripping when the transformer is energized. “In terms of operation, I normally use the PTM software because of its user-friendliness. The test circuits are also displayed which helps the junior testers understand the principles of the measurements.” Jimmy also shared one remarkable situation from the recent past: “During a power station maintenance outage, several power trans- formers had to be fully tested and there was a lot of pressure to finish all the tests on time. With TESTRANO 600, we could take advantage of the single setup for multiple tests. By only setting up the test leads once, we were able to complete ratio, short-circuit impedance and DC winding resistance measurements. Furthermore, due to the three- phase injection function we only had to operate the tap changer through the taps once.” All of this contributed to reducing the testing time by a significant amount. “The employment of TESTRANO 600 allowed us to complete all of the tests earlier than originally planned, which pleased our customers,” he adds with a smile. Jimmy Kuang, Senior High-Voltage (HV) Testing Engineer, Mondo «TESTRANO 600 helped us save a lot of set-up time as well as reduce the total testing time.» Mondo is AusNet Services’ com- mercial energy business, based in Victoria, Australia. It is the leading service provider for the electricity, gas, transport and infrastructure sectors, special- izing in condition assessment, commissioning and investiga- tive testing on primary assets. Jimmy Kuang is a Senior High- Voltage (HV) Testing Engineer at Mondo’s HV Testing Group, which is responsible for testing all of the primary electrical assets in AusNet Services’ Transmission and Distribution Network. He also serves a large pool of external clients. 20