A Progress of Condition Monitoring and Diagnostic Technology employed at the KEPCO Grid Substation

Entering the 21st century, the failures at long-running power grid substations have risen due to the high demand for electricity in many areas. According to the investigation, they are caused mainly by the insulation breakdown of the transformer or gas-insulated switchgear (GIS), giving rise to physical damage such as fire and explosion and sometimes resulting in local blackouts with enormous economic losses. For this reason, the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) has conceived to adopt the online condition monitoring and diagnosis (CMD) technology for the power apparatus at the substations, looking forward to safe and effective power grid management with high reliability, reducing economic losses.