A Review of Methods for Diagnosing Incipient Faults in Power Transformers using Dissolved Gas Analysis

Abstract

Power transformers play an important role in ensuring efficient and reliable transmission and distribution of electrical power. Their failure can lead to significant disruptions in power supply and safety concerns. Transformer incipient faults may occur due to various reasons, including electrical, mechanical or environmental factors. They develop slowly and can lead to serious damage if not diagnosed and corrected in time. In this review, various techniques for diagnosing this category of faults are highlighted before focusing on Dissolved Gas Analysis (DGA). Discussion on DGA centres on the traditional methods for fault diagnosis as well as various stand-alone and hybrid artificial intelligence techniques developed to improve the fault diagnostic ability of the traditional methods.