Economic Efficiency Assessment of Automated Monitoring Systems for Oil Transformer Technical Condition in Railway Transport

This paper deals with various operational aspects of transformers, including traction substations of railway transport. It proposes the structure of an automated system for monitoring and diagnosing the technical condition of oil transformers, and selects the configuration and components of such a system for a typical railway traction substation. The complete set enables the maintenance and repair of oil transformers in accordance with their technical condition using a minimum number of system elements. An improved methodology for calculating the economic efficiency of an automated system for monitoring the technical condition of railway transport oil transformers has been developed. The methodology takes into account the minimum required equipment of the automated system for monitoring and diagnosing of the technical condition, type and purpose of the transformer, potential power failure and false alarms, the current regulatory framework, as well as the maintenance of the transformer in accordance with its technical condition. It has been estimated that the automated system for monitoring and diagnosing the technical condition of oil transformers on railway transport is economically efficient. This estimation is based on technical condition parameters.