Earthquake proofing transformers for a safer grid
A team of power engineers is building a low-cost device to prevent transformer bushing failures during earthquakes - full-scale testing is planned for 2026.
Image for illustrative purposes
USA, Idaho: In earthquake-prone regions like California, the power grid’s most fragile giants – high-voltage transformers – are at risk of failure. Their weakest points are the bushings, porcelain insulators that channel electricity out of the transformer. If they break, replacement takes months and costs millions.
The main culprit? Resonance. During a quake, vibrations can cause a transformer tank and its bushings to move in sync, magnifying stress and damaging the brittle porcelain.
The principal investigative team of power engineers is tackling the issue: Chandu Bolisetti and Bjorn Vaagensmith of Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and Jon Bender of W. E. Gundy and Associates (WEGAI). Their solution is a mechanical decoupler, a small, tuneable device mounted at the bushing base that shifts its natural frequency away from the transformer’s, preventing destructive vibration.
The decoupler is cost-effective, mechanically simple, and can retrofit existing transformers. Funded by the US Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity’s Transformer Resilience and Advanced Components (TRAC) programme and the department’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response (CESER), the team is preparing for a groundbreaking test using a 227,000 kg (500,000 lbs) transformer on UC San Diego’s massive earthquake simulator in 2026.
“This is a rare opportunity,” said Bolisetti. With wide industry interest, the team’s innovation could dramatically boost grid resilience without forcing utilities or manufacturers to redesign legacy systems.
Source: newswise.com
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