The New York Power Authority (NYPA) was recognized for its first-of-its-kind transformer asset health system that helps to predict failures in electricity generation transformers before they occur with a Technology Transfer Award from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI).
The annual industry awards recognize industry leaders and innovators who demonstrate excellence in innovation through the application of research and development in the utility industry.
“This cutting-edge digital innovation has significantly improved our ability to assess the health of our critical assets and predict any potential failures before they cause disruption,” says Gil C. Quiniones, NYPA’s president and CEO. “Utilities need informed data to use in their decision-making processes and we at NYPA are so pleased to receive this recognition from an influential national and international energy research organization like EPRI.”
In the early stages of the development of this asset management system, NYPA worked with EPRI to further understand dissolved gas analysis monitoring and how it can be used to detect transformer issues. NYPA then began using the on-line sampling of gases together with a first of a kind asset health system to monitor its fleet of transformers and indicate any needs for maintenance, replacement or repair.
NYPA partnered with mPrest Systems, an Israeli software company, in 2017 to develop new software that uses advanced prediction and smart analytics technologies to monitor all sensor-enabled transformer equipment and reduce costs. The software system integrates the algorithms developed by the EPRI collaborative. NYPA has since installed the application at several of its plants, including the Robert Moses Niagara Power Project in Lewiston and the St. Lawrence Power Project in the North Country.
EPRI presented its 2018 Technology Transfer Awards for Power Delivery and Utilization (PDU) R&D to 97 individuals, representing 22 electric power companies, on Feb. 12.
”Collaborative R&D is necessary to transfer to market the technologies and methodologies that can vastly improve the reliability, resiliency, safety, security and sustainability of our electric power system,” says Andrew Phillips, EPRI’s vice president of Transmission and Distribution Infrastructure. “NYPA’s R&D capabilities and their talented team of professionals have contributed greatly to the advancement of this research for the benefit of the public.”
