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Technology advancements and new regulatory requirements could reshape how power plant owners operate and maintain large power transformers. Experts outline emerging strategies and call attention to overlooked components that could help prevent transformer failure.

Power transformers are arguably one of the most expensive and vital components in a power system. While they are typically reliable and relatively low-maintenance, sudden failures can result in the loss of power generation along with considerable costs and potentially wider implications for grid reliability.

According to SPX Transformer Solutions, a U.S. maker of medium and large power transformers, and which is also a transformer service solution provider, electrical disturbances are a leading cause of power transformer failure. An analysis it conducted of major failures between 1991 and 2010 (Figure 1) showed that phenomena such as switching surges, voltage spikes, line faults/flashovers, and other utility abnormalities are overwhelmingly responsible for transformer failures. Insulation, moisture, and foreign objects were also notable causes.

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