e-News for power industry leaders

Issue 6 - April 2016

Welcome to our second edition for 2016. 

We have recently concluded our CIGRE Tutorial event in Sydney which saw six of our expert members presenting on a range of technical topics in the transformer and substation areas and discussing the relevant global work taking place in this area.
 
The Tutorial included presentations and updates from three of our international CIGRE  members from Canada, Switzerland and Austria as well as updates and information from our 'home grown' talent.  (Click here to see some photos from the event.)  

Of note this year is the biennial Paris Session which will see over 3000 engineers, academics and suppliers come together to review the last two years activities, present on outcomes and plan the future work program.
The session in 2014 saw some 3200 delegates and 8500 participants from 90 countries - registrations to date indicate that this could well be exceed this year.   

In conjunction with the Paris session, CIGRE Australia is making available two scholarships for young engineers  of members to attend and participate.  These scholarships present a unique opportunity for young engineers to attend an international meeting, broaden their knowledge base and develop some excellent international contacts and networks. More information can be found here.

More information on this event is available on our website under events and the latest news section,  or you can call our office if you would like more detail (07 3310 8838)

On the topic of seminars and conferences,  we have firmed up SEAPAC 2017 to run in Melbourne on 14th and 15th March 2017 and the CIDER renewable conference will run in Sydney during August 2017 - dates and times to be advised.   Keep an eye on our events webpage and/or subscribe to our LinkedIn site to be updated.

In this edition, we present some findings related to corrosive sulphur in transformers, references to CIGRE technical brochures on undersea cables, and an article discussing the work being completed on reviewing global markets and their operations.

I trust you find the articles interesting and informative, and if you would like any further information, please feel free to contact us.  enquiries@cigreaustralia.org.au

Thank you for reading and if you have specific topics or ideas for articles you would like to see in future editions, please fee free to contact us or send us your thoughts.

Terry Killen
Executive Manager
CIGRE Australia

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Corrosive Sulphur in Transformers - a Serious Problem?

Corrosive Sulphur in transformer oil is a serious problem, which has caused failure of several hundred transformers and shunt reactors in the last 15 years. Over this time there has been a very significant increase in the number of shunt reactor and transformer failures. These failures were different to the type of corrosive sulphur failures seen in earlier years, as they were predominantly caused by copper sulphides [Cu2S] being deposited on the insulated papers and winding conductors leading to partial discharge and eventual failure of the transformer. CIGRE has been investigating this problem over this period and has produced a number of publications on how to mitigate failure risk. Immediate past AP A2 Convenor, Arne Petersen contributed to the most recent WG, which concluded in 2015. He notes that CIGRE publications #378 and #625 are a must read for anyone with responsibility for management of transformer assets


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CIGRE Work supports analysis of Basslink cable fault.

In late December 2015 the populous of Tasmania discovered the significance and importance of underground cables when the Basslink connection to Victoria faulted. Much has been written in the intervening period but currently the link remains out of service and substantial contingency measures have been established to ensure continuity of supply to the Island. Members of the CIGRE APB1 panel have been closely involved with the initial fault location and repair process. Globally ithe rate of installation of underground and submarine cables is increasing due to the benefits of interconnecting power systems and the difficulties in obtaining easements for overhead lines. CIGRE Study Committee B1 Working Groups have recently produced Technical Brochures on offshore generation cable connections and mechanical testing of submarine cables. A further Working Group is examining the techniques for fault location in cables.


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CIGRE working group contributes to development of global markets.

Over the last four years, CIGRE Australia member Mark Miller has participated in the international Working Group C2/C5.05 which has been considering the work, role and structure of market Operators globally. Internationally, there has been a significant move toward competitive or at least market based electricity markets and Australia has been one of the nations at the forefront of these developments. This working group has been able to collate information from both existing markets and new market development to enable it to report and provide a guide on the benefits of different structures in place around the world.


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