THE INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE OF THE REINHAUSEN-GROUP – 2006 ISSUE ON LOAD VACUTAP® Worldwide Powering the Big Apple Pushing them to the Limit We are Family From offshore to arc-furnace Latest Reinhausen technology Doing a bit more for safety: Presenting the whole applications round the globe for Con Edison – New York Reinhausen’s test department VACUTAP® product range VACUTAP® SPECIAL 02 EDITORIAL Dear Customers, Dear Readers, Among transformer operators throughout the world, the name Reinhausen stands for extremely reliable, innovative products. Our development engineers have put all their experience and know- ledge into a particularly ambitious project: They succeeded in creating a world premiere, the VACUTAP® VR 1300. The first on-load tap-changer which is, under network application condi- tions maintenance free during the entire life of the transformer. This means 300,000 switch operations without any maintenance. Learn more about the VACUTAP® product range in this special issue of our customer magazine ON.LOAD. Get to know interesting VACUTAP® applications which have already been implemented all over the world. Accompany our service specialists in action to faraway regions. And be impres- sed with the products and services of Reinhausen and its subsidiary Messko. There’s one thing you will notice when you browse through this magazine: In the end it always pays off to invest in technology made by Reinhausen. I hope you enjoy this issue and find its contents helpful for your daily work. Yours truly, Michael Rohde Managing Director CONTENTS 03 04 Consolidated Edison, Inc., New York Interview with Donald Chu, Section Manager 06 06 Powering the Big Apple A history of Con Edison 10 “A bit more for safety“ Interview with Dr. Dieter Dohnal, Director of R&D 12 Stable Voltage under the Eiffel Tower Reinhausen vacuum technology for the Paris Métro 14 The Future in Power Transmission Prestigious 1000 kV project of China State Power 14 VACUTAP® on the Beach Hainan Tropical Island uses VACUTAP® VR 15 Reliable Power Supply for China’s Cigarette Manufacturer No.1 VACUTAP® AVT for dry type transformers 16 A Wind Farm in the East Irish Sea 12 VACUTAP® for Barrow Offshore Substation 17 Power for Pippi Långstrump’s Home VACUTAP® VR advancing in Sweden 18 “Pushing them to the Limit“ Interview with Dr. Axel Krämer, Head of test department 20 Stress Test for Tap-Changers Hard conditions in a Russian steel mill 21 Switched: from OILTAP® to VACUTAP® Argentina’s main aluminium company ALUAR bets on latest Reinhausen technology 22 Tradition and Technology More than 200 VACUTAP® OLTCs for Kuwait Ministry of Energy (MoE) 23 Advantage VACUTAP® 16 HVDC-applications significantly improved by vacuum switching technology 24 World Premiere for Operation at Explosion-Prone Sites Reinhausen OLTCs made to Ex-standards 26 From Vision to Reality Sealed power transformers 30 Maintenance-Free Dehydrating Breather MTraB® - Worth the Switch A field report by German utility Mark-E company 32 Happy Birthday, On-Load Tap-Changer! Looking back on the development of resistor-type OLTCs 80 years ago 34 It’s a Long Way to Maricunga 20 A service job at the world’s highest gold mine in Chile 36 Service Down Under Impressions of Reinhausen Australia’s maintenance activities 38 Join us at MRcademy Sharing our knowledge with our customers 40 The VACUTAP®-Family 42 FAQ & References 44 Reinhausen Worldwide 45 Contact 47 Imprint 04 U.S.A. Powering the Big Apple Customer Portrait: Consolidated Edison, Inc., N.Y. An Interview with Donald Chu. He is ON.LOAD: What Reinhausen products do you use at Con Ed? D. Chu: We have about 360 regulated transformers, 90 of which Section Manager at Con Edison where are equipped with Reinhausen on-load tap-changers. I have to add that we have been using only Reinhausen on-load tap-changers for he is responsible for Equipment & Field the last 20 years. Engineering. The interview was conducted ON.LOAD: For about how long has Con Ed been using tech- by Markus Stank, Regional Manager Direct nology made in Regensburg? D. Chu: Larger exchange measures were already undertaken about Business Division. 30 years ago. There are still many older types in operation, such as, for example, TU, Siemens, older Reinhausen D, T, H on-load tap-changers as well as OILTAP® R and G. The most often used type is the OILTAP® M, followed by Reinhausen Manufacturing’s VACUTAP® RMV II, and – brand new – the VACUTAP® VR which we customize according to its specific application. We also use Messko products: From the pressure relief device MPreC® to the 05 maintenance-free breather MTraB®. Brand new in the field monitoring system at all times. That’s why even if a sensor fails, of voltage regulation is the TAPCON® XPA I together with the the trouble-free operation of transformers is assured. Our moni- TAPCON® 260 MD. toring policy has the same goal as our safety policy. We know which transformers are ready for use at any time so that they may ON.LOAD: Are your transformers also located at famous compensate weak points in the system and/or transformer break- sites in the city? downs effectively while at the same time not losing any other D. Chu: Our high power transformers are working, for example, transformers. And here the TM 100 concept is very helpful. at such world-famous places as Wall Street. They permit smooth and trouble-free operation at the world’s most important financial ON.LOAD: How do you see the future development of moni- center. However, they are also standing in the new World Trade toring systems? Center Area. They are to supply energy to the new facilities and D. Chu: All our monitoring systems are part of a system’s net via the buildings which are currently under con- Ethernet. This also applies to the TM 100. struction there. A large 575 MVA transformer, Together with Reinhausen, we have clearly equipped with an OILTAP® G tap-changer, structured all events which are displayed by helps to feed energy into the PSE&G power the TM 100. That’s how our service staff in supply net. Other well-known places are the substation will know immediately where Queens as well as Seaport Village. the cause of the problem is and what they have to look out for in particular. In the future, ON.LOAD: What is Con Ed ’s safety policy? we wish to apply the IEC61850 protocol as D. Chu: We put a lot of emphasis on the a standard in our system. That is what we reliability of the equipment. In emergency need in our future monitoring systems. situations, we have to be able to go all the way to the operational limits of our trans- “We have been ON.LOAD: What can Reinhausen do for you formers and tap-changers while, at the same in the future? time, assuring a high degree of safety. Thus, using only D. Chu: It is an immense challenge to launch our emergency plans require that transfor- electronic products which last as long as the mers are still able to run even when they transformer. In other words, more than 30 would have long been switched off in other Reinhausen OLTC´s years. Reinhausen should, above all, con- supply systems. Only this way can we ensure tinue to maintain its outstanding reliability that the people are given enough time to for the last which Con Ed has come to rely on in the leave, for example, elevators or the subway. on-load tap-changers, the OILTAP® M, R, and That’s why we put our trust into the relia- G, for more than 20 years now. This should, bility of Reinhausen products. In case of a 20 years.“ of course, also apply to the VACUTAP® transformer breakdown, we use our monito- OLTCs. ring system and supply net control system to find another transformer on short notice ON.LOAD: In your opinion, what is the which has the capacity to run under overload greatest benefit of your cooperation with conditions. That’s how we are able to com- Reinhausen? pensate such situations relatively quickly D. Chu: We have, for example, defined our and reliably. own motor-drive standard in order to reduce the training costs of our staff. The different ON.LOAD: Why are you relying on connection diagrams of the diverse manufac- Reinhausen’s TM 100 monitoring system? turers hindered the efficiency. They also D. Chu: Our safety policy is really simple: We want to know made the transformer exchange more complicated during trans- at all times the status of our systems. That’s why we changed former breakdowns. Reinhausen made sure that our standard was already from time-based maintenance to condition-based mainte- applied by various OEMs. This resulted in Con Ed as well as the nance a few years ago. This has turned out to be successful. With OEMs and Reinhausen saving a lot of effort and money. So when the help of our monitoring systems, we were able to reduce the a new transformer is ordered, this standard makes the verification number of service jobs from an average of 100 to only 40 per year. of the technical details very easy and quick. ON.LOAD: What has been your experience with the TM 100? ON.LOAD: Any closing remarks? D. Chu: When Reinhausen introduced its TM 100 monitoring D. Chu: We are fully aware that it is very difficult to really meet concept to the market in 1999, Con Ed was a partner who showed all the specific needs and requirements of a customer with a new great interest and provided support in the continued development product.