Pacific Crest To Attend Doble Conference And Speak On Wind Farm Transformer Design
Pacific Crest Transformers (PCT), a leader in the design and construction of liquid-filled distribution transformers, announces that it has been selected to give a presentation on “Wind Farm Transformer Design Considerations” at the International Conference of Doble Clients, which will take place from March 27 through April 1, 2011, at the Westin Hotel Copley Place, in Boston, MA. Don Ayers, PCT’s Vice President for Engineering and Manufacturing, will make the presentation.
Mr. Ayers will discuss the most likely causes of wind turbine step-up transformer failures, including heat build-up from rapid and irregular thermo-cycling and frequent fault conditions. He will discuss issues related to variable loading, harmonics and non-sinusoidal loads, transformer sizing and voltage variation. He will also discuss the need for low-voltage-fault-ride-through with wind farms, as well as protection and fire behavior and switching surges and transient over-voltages.
According to Mr. Ayers, “In the rush to cash-in on wind energy, developers are often trading low first costs for higher total costs of ownership to be shouldered later by the wind farm owners and operators.” He adds, “The practice of using conventional “off the shelf” distribution transformers as a low cost solution is folly. The role of the wind turbine step-up transformer in this process is critical and, as such, its design needs to be carefully and thoughtfully analyzed and reevaluated.”
Now in 110 countries, Doble Engineering helps clients in the electric power industry improve operations and optimize system performance. The 2011 Conference marks the conference’s 78th year. Doble Engineering offers diagnostic instruments, services, and a premier library of statistically significant apparatus test results for the benefit of energy generation and delivery companies and industrial power users worldwide.
PCT has significant expertise in the wind farm transformer industry. The company offers the PCT WTSU, an engineered solution that addresses the specific needs of the wind farm turbine. The WTSU features an innovative design that includes round coils, a cruciform, mitered core with heavy-duty clamping and a proprietary pressure plate design. The transformer features circular windings that spread the radial forces evenly over their circumference and have cooling ducts throughout the coils, eliminating hot spots that lead to premature breakdown and ultimately to transformer failure. Coil end blocking with heavy duty steel bracing and proprietary pressure plates contain the axial forces exerted during a fault condition. These forces can cause telescoping of the coils, shortening transformer life.
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