Power transformer manufacturer relies on Yokogawa power analyzer to optimise their efficiency guarantees,

Amersfoort, the Netherlands         Yokogawa Europe
July 15th 2020

CASE STUDY

Power transformer manufacturer relies on Yokogawa power analyzer to optimise their efficiency guarantees

By using the Yokogawa WT5000 Precision Power Analyzer, Società Elettromeccanica Arzignanese S.p.A (SEA), an Italian manufacturer of power transformer and reactors with a worldwide reputation for engineering excellence and high production quality, is able to closely match the efficiency performance guarantee that it makes to a customer, with the actual performance of the transformer.
 

Founded in 1959, SEA supplies high-value assets which are expected to provide a return over decades. Quality, durability, safety and reliable performance are therefore key characteristics that customers are looking for when they specify a new transformer or reactor.

Transformers play a crucial role in the transmission and distribution of electrical energy; they precisely regulate the voltage of the electricity supply as it is transmitted from power stations to homes, offices, factories and high power consumers, such as railways. There is always some power loss when one voltage level is changed to another. In a transformer operating at transmission-network voltages of tens of thousands of volts, the loss of even a fraction of 1% of the converted power can result in losses of many thousands of Watthours of energy every year. 

A primary requirement is therefore to make a transformer as efficient as possible to reduce both the financial loss and the emissions of greenhouse gases, and other pollutants, when generating the extra energy required to make up for the power lost in transmission.
The efficiency of a transformer, needs to be carefully verified before shipment to the customer; the terms and conditions of the sale of a transformer typically specify financial penalties running to tens of thousands of Euros if it fails to operate as efficiently as specified by the manufacturer.

The measurement of a transformer’s efficiency, according to the IEC60076-1 industry standard, requires an instrument capable of measuring voltage, current, phase and power (W) over a range of power factors from 1 down to 0.01.

SEA entrusts these critical transformer power measurements to the Yokogawa WT5000, the world’s most accurate precision power analyzer, which offers an AC power measurement accuracy of ±0.03% at 50 / 60 Hz and provides performance guarantees from 1% to 130% of the selected voltage and current ranges. High accuracy measurements at very low power factors particularly requires a power analyzer to possess very low uncertainty for its internal phase shift. This along with all other influences are fully specified for the WT5000, which makes it ideal for the measurement of transformer losses under no-load conditions.

Renato Franco, Testing Manager at SEA, says: “When buying an instrument intended for use over a period of many years, measurement stability is as important as accuracy.” Continuing he says: “Evidence from accredited calibration shows that the instrument not only provides us with the accuracy we need, but also maintains its performance over many years of use – this is a very important reason for us to choose the WT5000.”

SEA’s customers therefore benefit from the highest possible specified operating efficiency, which in turn gives the manufacturer a competitive edge in the market, since claimed efficiency is one of the most important factors affecting the transformer buyer’s choice of product. 

Renato Franco of SEA concludes: “For us, it is vital to deliver a product that matches its high design specifications. By using the proven accuracy and stability of the WT5000 to both specify our transformers and to check their individual performance, we are confident that our customers are really getting what they are paying for.”

About Yokogawa Test & Measurement
Yokogawa has been developing measurement solutions for 100 years, consistently finding new ways to give R&D teams the tools they need to gain the best insights from their measurement strategies. The company has pioneered accurate power measurement throughout its history, and is the market leader in digital power analysers.

Yokogawa instruments are renowned for maintaining high levels of precision and for continuing to deliver value for far longer than the typical shelf-life of such equipment. Yokogawa believes that precise and effective measurement lies at the heart of successful innovation - and has focused its own R&D on providing the tools that researchers and engineers need to address challenges great and small.

Yokogawa takes pride in its reputation for quality, both in the products it delivers - often adding new features in response to specific client requests - and the level of service and advice provided to clients, helping to devise measurement strategies for even the most challenging environments.

The guaranteed accuracy and precision of Yokogawa's instruments results from the fact that Yokogawa has its own European standards laboratory at its European headquarters in The Netherlands. This facility is the only industrial (i.e. non-government or national) organisation in the world to offer accredited power calibration, at frequencies up to 100 kHz. ISO 17025 accreditation demonstrates the international competence of the laboratory.

- Meet the precision makers at http://tmi.yokogawa.com/eu/

About Yokogawa
Founded in 1915, Yokogawa engages in broad-ranging activities in the areas of measurement, control, and information. The industrial automation business provides vital products, services, and solutions to a diverse range of process industries including oil, chemicals, natural gas, power, iron and steel, and pulp and paper. With the life innovation business, the company aims to radically improve productivity across the pharmaceutical and food industry value chains. The test & measurement, aviation, and other businesses continue to provide essential instruments and equipment with industry-leading precision and reliability. Yokogawa co-innovates with its customers through a global network of 113 companies spanning 60 countries, generating US$3.6 billion in sales in FY2018. For more information, please visit www.yokogawa.com.
   

For further information please contact:

Kelvin Hagebeuk
Marketing Manager - Test & Measurement 
Yokogawa Europe BV
Euroweg 2
3825 HD Amersfoort
The Netherlands

Tel: +31 (0) 88 464 1803
Email:  kelvin.hagebeuk@nl.yokogawa.com

http://tmi.yokogawa.com/eu/

Dave Ingle 
Armitage Communications 
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Email : dave@napierb2b.com

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