Customer Background
Our customer is a global market leader in gas and temperature sensing instruments for the energy, industrial, and commercial sectors. With offices across the Americas, Asia, and Europe, they boast decades of trusted service, and are particularly renowned for their fiber optic temperature solutions for the energy market.
Customer Need
The most critical parameter to monitoring transformers — and therefore extending their lifespan — is temperature control, and the highest temperature of all is the Winding Hot Spot, the place inside a transformer most likely to break down first. Creating real-time temperature monitoring systems is thus crucial for the protection and control of transformers. The customer, who already had an existing temperature monitor to check winding hot spot temperature, wanted it to be re-designed to capture emerging markets. The upgraded solution would also have to be smart grid-ready, have a range of connectivity options to make temperature monitoring easier, and be completely configurable as per various use cases. They approached Softdel to build them a flexible platform that would perform direct and real-time winding hot spot measurements.
Softdel’s Solution
- Softdel designed and developed a touchscreen-based solution that offered simple tools, graphics, and extensive configuration ability to fit different end-user needs.
- The solution was made expandable to configurations, allowing it to support up to 16 analog and 16 programmable relays, and 6 digital I/Os.
- The Printed Circuit Board (PCB) was redesigned to add new I/O channels, while still retaining the original form factor.
- The solution was enabled with a range of connectivity protocols, including Modbus ASCII and RTU, among others.
- Softdel also conducted the de-facto standard testing, UL testing, for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) / electromagnetic interference (EMI), environmental, and safety standards.
Standards and Technology
Communication Protocols: IEC61850, DNP3.0, Modbus
Platform: Windows Embedded, Fluoroptic® Technology
Benefits
- Enables predictive and preventive maintenance: Softdel’s highly advanced solution offers better insights into real-time transformer temperatures, which can be used to control and protect the lifespan of transformers.
- Smart grid ready device: The technology used in this solution has not only made it an advanced platform for winding hot spot temperature measurements, but it has also cemented itself as the world's first smart grid-ready winding hot spot monitor.
- Extensive interoperability: This solution allows easy integration of critical data from the platform to end-users' automated data and control systems.
