On Sept. 20, 2010, Siemens Energy held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new building on the site of its transformer manufacturing plant in Nuremberg, Germany. With this investment totaling 14 million euros, the energy location will expand its world leadership in transformer technology.

The new building, covering an area of 2500 sq m (27,000 sq ft), will become a service center for Transformer Lifecycle Management (TLM) with operations focusing on Europe. Within the framework of TLM, old power transformers of all ratings and brands will be repaired and overhauled and made ready for further periods in service. Thus, transformer operators will have an economic and technically interesting alternative for extending the life cycle of their transformers. The transformer service center in the new building is scheduled to start operations in July 2011.

Power transformers are often in operation for decades and thus inevitably subjected to aging and wear mechanisms. As part of the Siemens TLM concept, the condition of power transformers is continuously monitored and assessed in order to be able to offer customers a tailor-made service strategy. If a repair can no longer be avoided, the transformer is replaced with a reserve transformer and shipped to the Siemens transformer production plant in Nuremberg. With its railroad link and the connection to the inland harbor, the plant is well equipped for this.

Siemens will expand its transformer servicing operations with construction of the new TLM building on the company's premises. A decisive advantage here is that the service center will have state-of-the-art facilities and have at its disposal the comprehensive know-how and innovational power of the Siemens transformer production plant. The experts in Nuremberg also will offer their services for transformers built by other manufacturers.

“As part of this expansion, we'll also be creating about another 50 jobs. With a team of around 100 specialists with the appropriate know-how and experience, we'll then be able to quickly implement the right maintenance strategy,” said Jürgen Vinkenflügel, CEO of the transformers business unit of Siemens Energy. “Our customers are happy if they can bridge the long waiting periods for a new transformer with a lifetime extension for an old machine.”

In the new building, the Siemens service team will refurbish transformers with ratings up to 1200 MVA for further periods in service. A 500-ton heavy-load crane will be installed especially for this purpose. In the 25-m (82-ft)-high building, it will be possible to perform repairs and upratings simultaneously on as many as five generator transformers. In the new drying oven, the overhauled active parts with their cellulose-insulated windings will be dried before being re-installed in their tank. Following a test performed on one of the three advanced test beds, they will be prepared for ex works dispatch and shipped back to their home site.

Visit www.siemens.com/energy.