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ON-LOAD TAP CHANGER RELIABILITY AND MAINTENANCE STRATEGY

M. FOATA*, C. RAJOTTE and A. JOLICOEUR

HYDRO-QUÉBEC

CANADA

SUMMARY

Hydro-Québec operates over 1,200 transformer units with On-Load Tap Changers (OLTC), covering a
wide variety of makes, models, ratings and technologies. Transformers with OLTCs are known to
have a lower reliability than transformers without. Statistics are provided to demonstrate the
importance of OLTCs in transformer reliability. Considering that around two-thirds of Hydro-Québec
transformers equipped with OLTCs are 25 years old or more, it becomes clear that OLTC performance
is a major concern and that maintenance strategies have to be developed to deal with this reliability
issue.

Regarding preventive maintenance, the vibro-acoustic diagnostic technique will be the cornerstone of
Hydro-Québec’s strategy for the coming years as it offers the widest detection spectrum and can detect
most degradation at the earliest stages. As for the corrective maintenance strategy, the approach is to
deal with OLTCs by family. Hence, in the first part of the analysis, a lower reliability OLTC family
must be identified for further examination. A number of technical aspects must then be assessed for
that particular family in a so-called OLTC Reliability Analysis process. Are the ageing mechanisms
identified and quantifiable? Are the weaknesses known? Are they predictable? At what cost can they
be fixed? Can the original design be improved? What are the retrofit possibilities? At what cost?

The information above is then integrated into a second process called OLTC Life Decision Making, in
which a techno-economic model takes into consideration book value, remaining life, life extension,
overhaul costs, losses and future load requirements. The common difficulty here is to express all these
quantities in terms of money units in order to compare different scenarios. This corrective
maintenance strategy has already been applied successfully to a number of families selected according
to their current incidence on transformer reliability; a complete example is illustrated in the present
paper.

KEYWORDS

Tap Changer – OLTC – Reliability – Maintenance – Diagnostic – Vibro-Acoustic – Transformer

___________________________________________________________________________
* foata.marc@hydro.qc.ca
1. INTRODUCTION

In operating transmission systems, major electric utilities must take into account their large inventory
of power equipment as well as the complexities of maintaining high-voltage apparatus. In the present
context, where transformers are increasingly solicited and continuously ageing, strategies must be put
forward to optimize maintenance efforts with a view to reliability. This paper describes Hydro-
Québec’s particular situation for which both preventive and corrective maintenance strategies have
been developed to specifically tackle the issue of On-Load Tap Changer (OLTC) reliability.

2. OLTC RELIABILITY – BACKGROUND

2.1 Hydro-Québec’s Context

Hydro-Québec operates more than 2,300 high-voltage transformers ranging from 49 kV to 735 kV.
More than half of these transformers are equipped with On-Load Tap Changers (OLTCs); the majority
of these OLTC (more than 50 models) can be grouped into 15 families from six main manufacturers.
Almost all OLTC technologies are represented: selector or diverter type, in-tank or bolt-on, resistive or
reactive, oil or vacuum technology.

2.2 Reliability and Maintenance Figures

A transformer with an OLTC requires more maintenance, of course, because of this additional
mechanical component. Hydro-Québec’s preventive maintenance standards specify a man-hour effort
that is generally 3 to 5 times higher for a transformer with an OLTC compared with an identical
transformer without an OLTC. Moreover, a transformer with an OLTC will have a lower average
reliability than a transformer without an OLTC. For corrective maintenance, similar ratios may be
observed.

The well-known international survey on large power transformers in service published in Electra in
1983 [1] revealed that for substation transformers equipped with an OLTC, about 41% of all failures
were due to the OLTC. Similar proportions have also been observed at Hydro-Québec since then.
Most recent data reveals that between 1998 and 2004, around 50% of the transformers (with OLTCs)
that had had major failures requiring replacement or transportation to a repair shop were caused by
OLTC failures.

This high proportion of OLTC failure is without a doubt a concern, but it can be partly explained by a
relatively low number of failures of other components. Indeed, Hydro-Québec’s transformer major
failure rate, all voltage levels included, remains below 0.5%. However, considering that around two-
thirds of Hydro-Québec transformers equipped with OLTCs are 25 years old or more, it becomes clear
that OLTC reliability is a major concern.

Typical OLTC defects are from three different sources: mechanical, electrical or dielectric [2]. Tap
changer problems are often initiated by mechanical problems involving components such as springs,
bearings, shafts and drive mechanisms. These mechanical problems may cause only minor
inconvenience to transformer operation, but could degenerate to a problem of electrical or dielectric
nature and damage not only the OLTC itself, but also the regulation winding.

Another important fact about OLTC reliability: almost 25% of Hydro-Québec transformers with
OLTC have an acetylene concentration of more than 10 PPM in the main tank. The great majority of
these transformers do not have any problems, and these gases come from a leaking OLTC
compartment, or from an oil conservator design problem (oil or gas migration from OLTC to the main
tank). This situation has to be taken into account in DGA interpretation for the transformer main tank
[3], and in the worst case, a latent fault in the main tank could go undetected for some time.

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The OLTC reliability issue is being tackled by two complementary strategies: a revision of the
preventive maintenance program, and specific corrective maintenance programs applied to lower
reliability OLTC types.

3. PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE STRATEGY

3.1 Periodic Internal Inspection

Periodic internal inspection is specified in terms of both time and the number of operations. Based on
the manufacturer’s recommendations and Hydro-Québec’s experience, this task interval is 3 to 6
years, or 40,000 to 100,000 operations, depending on OLCT technology and type. Internal inspection
requires draining the oil from the OLTC compartment in order to examine the critical parts. Basically,
it consists of a visual inspection of the moving parts, a contact erosion measurement, a functional test,
and lubrication. For bolt-on OLTCs, where all components are in the same tank, selector and inverter
switches can also be easily inspected.

To improve OLTC reliability at Hydro-Québec, it was decided not only to maintain the internal
inspection, but even to improve it. This improvement will not necessarily take the form of a task
interval reduction but rather the use of good maintenance procedures conducted by well-trained
workers. Intensive efforts have thus been invested to review and improve maintenance procedures, to
ensure easy access to these procedures, and to enhance the training program based on these improved
procedures.

3.2 Off-Line Non-intrusive Electrical Tests

Non-intrusive electrical tests performed on each OLTC tap, such as magnetization current and winding
resistance, can be used for OLTC diagnostic.

A magnetization current test on each tap is not easy to interpret because its pattern is design dependent
[4], and because measurements are affected by residual magnetism that may be present in the
transformer core. Hydro-Québec is using this test only at transformer commissioning.

1,2 1
1,1
Resistance (ohm)

Resistance (ohm)

Phase A Phase A
0,9
1 Phase B Phase B
Phase C Phase C
0,9 0,8
0,8
0,7
0,7
0,6 0,6
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17
OLTC Tap position OLTC Tap position

a) Inverter problem b) Selector problem

Figure 1: Examples of winding resistance measurements

Figure 1 shows a typical winding resistance variation with OLTC tap position on a plus-minus OLTC
that normally exhibits a "V" pattern. This measurement may be useful to detect poor contacts on
inverter switches (Figure 1a) or on selector switches (Figure 1b). Phase comparisons may also reveal

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other abnormalities such as bad contacts on the diverter switches. Nevertheless, this test has a limited
sensitivity, especially for an OLTC located on the HV side of the transformer, where the relatively
high winding resistance may mask bad contacts. In addition to detecting contact problems, the winding
resistance test verifies that electrical continuity is maintained during all tap movements. At Hydro-
Québec, this test is performed during the same outage as the internal inspection described above. It is
fair to say that in general, this non-intrusive electrical test is effective as a routine test, but it can detect
only a limited number of OLTC failure modes.

3.3 OLTC DGA Analysis

Like the winding resistance test, DGA aims to detect bad contacts (coking, overheating) inside the
OLTC compartment. Theoretically, typical gases produced by a bad contact are different from those
produced during normal OLTC switching operation, but practical interpretation is rarely simple.
Nevertheless, even though this technique would permit to monitor some specific types of OLTCs with
a particular problem, it is not currently part of the Hydro-Québec routine maintenance program.

3.4 New On-Line Vibro-Acoustic Diagnostic

The vibro-acoustic diagnostic for OLTCs is a relatively new technology. Early development started
about 15 years ago [5,[6], and the method is currently being implemented at Hydro-Québec [7]. This
technology was developed to address the following needs: ability to detect a wide range of OLTC
failure modes (mechanical problems as well as electrical malfunctions), capability to be used on-line
to verify an OLTC’s condition between internal inspections, simplicity of testing, low cost, and
compatibility with all OLTC technologies, old or new.

An acoustic sensor, actually an accelerometer, is simply applied to the OLTC tank wall so that it picks
up waves transmitted from the internal parts in the same way that a stethoscope would. A current
sensor is also installed on the OLTC motor supply. Figure 2 shows a typical signature of a motor
current and of an acoustic signal that can be interpreted and associated with different stages of OLTC
operation in the tap changing sequence.

Courant Moteur
Motor Current
Startup Diverter switch Selector switch
Acoustic High
Acoustique Frequencies
Basses-Fréquences
Change-over switch Contactor Acoustic Low Frequencies
Acoustique Hautes-Fréquences
30.0

25.0 Braking

20.0
Diverter switch
15.0

10.0 Post-operation

5.0

0.0
0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00 7.00 8.00 9.00 10.00 11.00

Temps
Time (s) (s)

Figure 2: Decomposition of an OLTC signature during a change-over operation

With the capabilities of this new instrument, acoustic measurements are performed on-line yearly.
During this measurement, the OLTC is operated six times around its operating position (up and down
1 tap). In addition, the measurements are performed before an internal inspection, which may help to

3
focus on suspected problems. The measurement is repeated after the internal inspection to confirm the
OLTC’s condition before the transformer is returned to service.

Results from partial implementation have confirmed the potential of this new method. This diagnostic
will therefore be introduced into the standard preventive maintenance program in the near future.

4. CORRECTIVE MAINTENANCE STATEGY

The OLTC corrective maintenance strategy implemented at Hydro-Québec consists in applying two
complementary processes:

1. The OLTC Reliability Analysis Process, which is applied to families of OLTCs (Figure 3)
2. The OLTC Life Decision Making Process, which is applied to individual units (Figure 4)

4.1 OLTC Reliability Analysis Process

This process is an extensive investigation of the performance of a type of OLTC; it has been
conducted at Hydro-Québec on a number of cases and has matured to the stages described below.

Failure data & Continuous

Maintenance Reliability Monitoring
costs statistics

Lowest reliability
OLTC type

Failure OLTC Failure

Investigation Modes Analysis Revised maintenance
Reports

OLTC
weaknesses

OLTC Experts OLTC Corrective

Manufacturer Solutions Analysis Minor work solutions
New Suppliers

Major work
solutions

Solutions Cost
Analysis

Major Work Solutions

for OLTC Family

Figure 3: OLTC Reliability Analysis Process

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Continuous Reliability Monitoring

As part of Hydro-Québec’s standard practices, OLTC reliability is regularly monitored mainly through
the maintenance database. Usual indicators include maintenance costs, outage time and failure rate. At
this stage, data is compiled according to families of OLTCs. The information is then tentatively
correlated with age, number of operations and field experience, to identify any anomaly.

Continuous reliability monitoring would, under normal circumstances, occasionally identify an

emerging OLTC reliability issue that would, in turn, trigger an in-depth analysis. However, the result
of the first application was actually a backlog of OLTC types, which were then ranked by severity.

OLTC Failure Modes Analysis

At this stage of the analysis, failure data is examined from the causal relationship perspective. While
the immediate cause of the problem may seem obvious (broken parts, for example), the basic reasons
are often underlying and must be determined in order to solve the problem rather than only fixing the
consequences.

Therefore, the primary output of this failure modes analysis is a complete portrait of OLTC family
weaknesses; in other words, a ranking of all types of failures by family. Another important result is a
review of the maintenance procedures for this family.

OLTC Corrective Solutions Analysis

Starting from the main results of the failure modes analysis, more specifically the weak points
identified, corrective solutions are sought. This stage takes the form of workshops for OLTC experts
from all fields. Maintenance specialists (workers, technicians and engineers) from throughout the
company are invited to exchange their ideas and experience. Manufacturers are also involved as early
as possible, and their participation may take on a preponderant role as the analysis progresses.
However, this expertise is not always available as some manufacturers have been out of the market for
a number of years. In this event, new suppliers may be called upon.

More specifically, the following questions are addressed:

• Is the OLTC technology under examination obsolete?

• What solutions have been tested in the field?
• Are they palliative or do they solve the root problem?
• What modifications should be required from the manufacturer?
• What are the possibilities of retrofitting with a new OLTC technology?

The corrective solutions analysis produces two sets of technical solutions depending on the amount of
work required. The minor work solutions include simple design enhancements and palliative
recommendations, while Overhaul, Replace and Retrofit are considered major work and will be
examined further from a cost viewpoint.

Solutions Cost Analysis

In this last stage of the process, all the technical solutions are evaluated from an economic point of
view. One difficulty here is to evaluate field complications that may arise from the implementation of
new solutions. In some cases, it may be decided to carry out a pilot experiment. The output is a set of
major work corrective solutions that is agreed on with all participants and standardized in the

5
corrective maintenance program. These solutions are then available when individual OLTC units are
examined under the complementary process: OLTC Life Decision Making.

4.2 OLTC Life Decision Making Process

Contrary to the previous process, which is applied to a complete OLTC family, the OLTC Life
Decision Making Process (Figure 4: OLTC Life Decision Making Process) is applied to units
individually.

The most important benefit from this process is that the entire transformer must be analyzed before
any major work is performed on the OLTC. In many instances, a complete cost analysis will reveal
that it is not economically sound to invest in the OLTC of a transformer that either has a short
extendable life, or does not fit in with future plans for the network.

Individual OLTC
Data :
- Failure
- # Operations OLTC Unit
- Age Condition Appraisal
- Reliability
- Preventive
Maintenance

Major Work Solutions Major Work on No

Minor OLTC repair
for OLTC Family OLTC required? Return to service

Yes
Transformer
overall condition:
- Insulation Xfo Life Extension No
Replace/Discard
- Components Assessment Transformer
- Etc.
Network Planning
Yes

Apply Decision to
OLTC Unit

Replace Retrofit Overhaul

Figure 4: OLTC Life Decision Making Process

OLTC Condition Appraisal

The process can be triggered by a number of different events: failure, ageing, number of operations,
tagging of the OLTC type with a low reliability, or advanced degradation revealed by a preventive
maintenance inspection.

At the first stage of this process, there is a necessary OLTC Condition Appraisal, which will usually
consist of an internal examination with precise guidelines on anomalies and degradation signs to look
for.

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Decision: Major Work Required on OLTC?

This decision has always been troublesome to substation managers. However, once a Reliability
Analysis Process has been applied to a given OLTC family, a decision regarding an individual OLTC
will be based not only on the condition of the unit in question, but also on due consideration of all the
problems identified for that family. The listing of major and minor work solutions considerably
facilitates and improves decision making.

Transformer Life Extension Assessment

Considering that most OLTCs that need major work are installed on old transformers (more than 30
years old), the cost of repair/overhaul can be quite significant in relation to the remaining book value
of the whole transformer. Therefore, a OLTC life decision should always trigger a complete
assessment of the transformer. At this stage, it becomes necessary to extend the analysis to all
components (windings, bushings, accessories etc.) and to produce a number of estimates, namely:

• Expected life extension

• Total cost of life extension
• Cost of losses
• Maintenance costs
• Other possible costs such as transportation or environmental.

All the above information is fed into a so-called techno-economic model so that all the different life
extension scenarios, as well as a replacement scenario, can be compared on a common basis that is Net
Present Value. This assessment can also be influenced by network planning considerations such as the
load growth or any possible voltage changes.

Apply Decision to OLTC Unit

At this final stage, the decision on the OLTC (Replace, Retrofit, or Overhaul) should be
straightforward, but there may be exceptional circumstances for which it is not possible to estimate all
the costs (such as emergencies), and those cases could require a judgment call by substation managers.

5. CASE EXAMPLE

The reliability strategy described above will be illustrated with the example of a bolt-on, selector
switch, resistor type family of OLTCs that was targeted following a marked decline in performance
after about 30 years of duty. Priority was also given to this family due to the high number of units
(close to 200) that Hydro-Québec operates.

Failure modes analysis resulted in a review of the maintenance procedures, as summarized in Table I
below. It can be seen that preventive maintenance actions can address a wide range of problems.
However, the corrective solutions analysis also revealed a number of failure modes that required more
extensive work.

Minor work solutions included modification of the mechanical couplings of the drive mechanism and
installation of a new mobile contact design, both solutions as per the manufacturer’s
recommendations.

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 Table I : Summary of preventive maintenance review from failure modes analysis

Problems Weakness Revision

Erroneous DGA interpretation
due to contaminated oil leaks
Wrong tap indication
Loss of clamping pressure on Retighten clamping bolts with
sealing gasket specified torque
Oxidation of relay contact Emphasize cleanup of relay
surfaces contacts
Emphasize verification of drive
Drive strap failure
strap condition

Remove built-up grease on

Wrong or incomplete OLTC Insufficient braking brake flywheel
operation Check for brake pad wear

Excessive wear or abnormal Emphasize lubrication of

effort on the drive mechanism critical parts

Dielectric failure or arcing

Mobile contact mechanism
misadjusted
Overheating Transition resistor failure
Issue more precise procedure
for contact replacement
Caution when handling fragile
transition resistors

The two overhaul options examined necessitated what is considered major work: 1- changing the
sealing gaskets between the OLTC and the main tank, and 2- changing the epoxy blocks supporting
the stationary contacts. Following the process, these major work options had to be compared with
replacing and retrofitting alternatives on a total cost basis.

The retrofit solution was offered by the original manufacturer starting from a recent design modified
to fit on the older tap lead connection panels. This retrofit was submitted to a field pilot installation
where some minor retrofit problems were discovered but quickly solved, so that overall, the operation
was considered a success.

Since this specific OLTC family was no longer supported by the original manufacturer, the
replacement solutions were developed with either a new parts supplier or using recycled parts.

At the end of the cost estimate, the following general guidelines were decided:

• The OLTC family must be declared obsolete

• When major work is required, the retrofit solution with the newer generation must be applied
• The replacement solution with new parts manufactured by a new supplier must be eliminated
• For emergency purposes only, a couple of old units are to be reconditioned and put into
storage

The final decision for each individual unit was left to the techno-economical evaluation of the OLTC
Life Decision Making process.

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6. CONCLUSIONS

With respect to the present situation, it is observed that:

• OLTC performance has a significant impact on transformer reliability.

• In the context of an ageing inventory, it is expected that OLTC reliability may take on
increasing importance, and that utilities will have to keep adapting their preventive
maintenance strategies.
• Utilities are in need of new on-line diagnostic tools or methods.

On the new reliability process, it is concluded that:

• It is important to identify low-reliability OLTC families at the very first stage.

• Corrective maintenance strategies must be then personalized for each family of OLTCs to take
their particularities into account.
• The OLTC reliability process by family becomes very helpful to substation managers when
decisions on individual units have to be made.
• High cost decisions on an OLTC unit should always trigger a question on the transformer’s
life.
• Know-how and skilled personnel are keys to success. Accordingly, maintenance procedures
should be updated regularly.

On future work, it is recommended to:

• Finalize the on-going implementation of the vibro-acoustic diagnostic technique.

• Exchange experiences on OLTC reliability and diagnostic methods with other utilities.

7. BIBLIOGRAPHY

[1] CIGRÉ WG 12.05, “An International Survey on Failures in Large Transformers in Service”.
Electra 88, 1983, page 21.
[2] CIGRÉ, “Guide for Life Management Techniques for Power Transformers”. Brochure WG
A2.18, 2003.
[3] CIGRÉ, “Recent Developments in DGA Interpretation”. Brochure JTF D1-01/A2-11, 2004
[4] M. F. Lachman, “The Influence of Transformer Load Tap Changers on Single-Phase Exciting-
Current Test Results”. Doble User’s Conference, Boston, 1992.
[5] EPRI, “Study of Improved Load-Tap-Changing for Transformers and Voltage Regulators”.
Report EL-6764, April 1990.
[6] T. Bengtsson, M. Foata, et al., “Acoustic Diagnosis of Tap Changers”. CIGRÉ 1996, paper 12-
101.
[7] M. Foata, B. Girard, C. Landry, A. Mow and C. Rajotte, “Field Experience with the
Implementation of a New On-Line Vibro-Acoustic Diagnostic for On-Load Tap Changers”.
Doble User’s Conference, Boston, 2005.