IOT Based Health Monitoring of Power transformer with Live Load Status

Distribution transformers are one of the most important and necessary power system equipment and they are usually distributed over a wide area in any city. K-Electric distribution network spans 6,500 km2 serving a customer base of over 2.5 million consumer

Project Title

IOT Based Health Monitoring of Power transformer with Live Load Status

Project Area of Specialization

Electrical/Electronic Engineering

Project Summary

Distribution transformers are one of the most important and necessary power system
equipment and they are usually distributed over a wide area in any city. K-Electric
distribution network spans 6,500 km2

serving a customer base of over 2.5
million consumers. K-Electric supplies its customers through power lines,
substations, and pole-mounted transformers (PMTs). Their distribution network
comprises (as of FY 18) 27,388 distribution PMTs. Due to a large number of
distribution transformers present in the electrical system, there exists a high probability
of the faults occurring. A large number of distribution transformers are being
monitored for faults by technicians and linemen on daily basis and this dependency
on human resource results in very slow determination, evaluation, and elimination of
the fault. In order to cater to this problem, we implemented the idea to monitor the
transformer operational parameters remotely using the internet. We acquired to monitor
operational parameters which included voltage, current, power, and temperature of
the machine. For that, we made use of different analog sensors, including a 64-bit
microcontroller (32-bit register width) and a Cloud platform namely, ThingSpeak.
The data from the sensors are recorded on the Cloud platform in a way that the sensors

send the signals to the microprocessor in a suitable form by making use of Analog-
to-Digital Converter (ADC). The microprocessor transfers the inputted data to the

Cloud platform using internet protocols and the data log is created on the platform
which is available by the authorized user to access remotely from anywhere.

Project Objectives

To develop a hardware model that includes a prototype of step-down

transformer connected with a load.

To explore and learn the basic programming of the microcontroller

(Arduino Nano ) and it’s interfacing with the sensors used.

 To monitor the operational parameters and condition of the transformer using

different digital and analog sensors.

 After the monitoring of the transformer’s key operational parameters, the data

from the sensors would be processed and then will be given to the

the microcontroller in a suitable form.

 The microcontroller would then send that data in real-time to the Cloud

platform creating a data log.

The authorized person would be able to access the real-time monitoring

interface and the data log via a specific Cloud channel.

 A prototype will be a “deliverable” at the end of the project which will be a

complete system for transformer monitoring.

Project Implementation Method

K-Electric supplies its customers through power lines, substations, and pole-
mounted transformers (PMTs). Their distribution network comprises (as of FY 18)

27,388 distribution PMT’s [1]. It is clear from the numbers how many
distribution transformers are needed in order to distribute the electricity to our
homes. But the main issue is the occurrence of a fault and its rectification. The
rectification process takes a lot of precious time and effort from the technical staff. To
cater to this issue, we developed a system that will monitor the main parameters of a
transformer through different sensors like voltage sensor, current sensor, temperature
sensor, etc. The deliverable includes a microcontroller interfaced with sensors and is
able to access the internet. The data from the sensors is given to the microcontroller
in digital form and is passed to the Cloud platform in real-time using the internet where
it remains there for analysis and for machine health monitoring purposes. Data will
be helpful to find the certain transformer on which the fault had occurred at a faster
pace.

Benefits of the Project

K-Electric supplies its customers through power lines, substations, and pole-
mounted transformers (PMTs). Their distribution network comprises (as of FY 18)

27,388 distribution PMT’s [1]. It is clear from the numbers how many
distribution transformers are needed in order to distribute the electricity to our
homes. But the main issue is the occurrence of a fault and its rectification. The
rectification process takes a lot of precious time and effort from the technical staff. To
cater to this issue, we developed a system that will monitor the main parameters of a
transformer through different sensors like voltage sensor, current sensor, temperature
sensor, etc. The deliverable includes a microcontroller interfaced with sensors and is
able to access the internet. The data from the sensors is given to the microcontroller
in digital form and is passed to the Cloud platform in real-time using the internet where
it remains there for analysis and for machine health monitoring purposes. Data will
be helpful to find the certain transformer on which the fault had occurred at a faster
pace.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

The parameters such as temperature, voltage, and current of a transformer are monitored, processed, and recorded in servers. For this purpose, we use three sensors interfaced with Arduino. The recorded data can be sent using a Wi-Fi module and accessed from anywhere around the world using IOT technology using the HTTP protocol. This helps in identifying without human dependency. This helps in identifying and solving a problem before a failure without human dependency.

Final Deliverable of the Project

HW/SW integrated system

Core Industry

Energy

Other Industries

Manufacturing

Core Technology

Internet of Things (IoT)

Other Technologies

Others

Sustainable Development Goals

Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Required Resources

If you need this project, please contact me on contact@adikhanofficial.com