Why install fluorescent fiber optic temperature measurement devices on transformer windings-INNO

Installing a fluorescence fiber-optic temperature monitoring system on transformer windings aims at מְדוּיָק, כַּסֶפֶת, real-time hotspot temperature monitoring, which is crucial for ensuring reliable operation, extending service life, and preventing faults. The necessity is analyzed below from three perspectives: transformer operational needs, limitations of traditional temperature measurements, and the advantages of fluorescence fiber-optic technology.

אֲנִי. Core need: winding temperature is the “lifeline of safe operation”

A transformer is a key device in power systems. Its windings (copper/aluminum conductors) continuously heat up under load due to copper loss (I²R heating) ו core loss (hysteresis/eddy currents). Winding temperature directly determines the transformer’s operating state:

מדידת טמפרטורה של סיבים אופטיים שנאי-1

Limits loading capability: According to international standards, כאשר טמפרטורת הנקודה החמה המתפתלת של שנאי טבול בשמן עולה על הערך הנקוב שלו, חיי השירות מתקצרים במהירות. עבור שנאים מסוג יבש, טמפרטורת סלילה מוגזמת מאיצה את הזדקנות הבידוד. לָכֵן, טמפרטורת סלילה היא הבסיס המרכזי להחליט אם היחידה יכולה לפעול ב"עומס מלא" או תחת "עומס יתר".
מונע כשלים פתאומיים: התחממות יתר מקומית בפיתולים (לְמָשָׁל, תקלה של פנייה לפנייה, קשר מנצח לקוי) יכול לפגוע במהירות בבידוד. אם לא זוהה בזמן, זה עלול להוביל לשחיקה מתפתלת, פיצוץ שנאי, או אפילו הפסקות רשת.
מייעל את O&אסטרטגיית M: ניטור טמפרטורה מתפתל בזמן אמת מונע גם "תחזוקה יתר" (לְמָשָׁל, השבתות מיותרות) ו"תת תחזוקה" (לְמָשָׁל, התעלמו מסיכוני התחממות יתר), המאפשר תחזוקה מבוססת מצב.

II. מגבלות של שיטות מסורתיות: cannot meet the need for “precise monitoring of the winding itself”

Before fluorescence fiber-optic sensing, common approaches (לְמָשָׁל, oil temperature thermocouples, DC resistance-based estimation) had clear shortcomings and could not reflect true winding hotspots:

שִׁיטָה	Measured object	Core drawbacks
טמפרטורת השמן העליון	Transformer oil (עָקִיף)	1) Oil is a heat transfer medium; oil temperature is lower than winding hotspots and cannot reflect true winding temperature; 2) Only overall oil temperature is seen; local overheating (לְמָשָׁל, a specific turn fault) cannot be located.
DC resistance method	התנגדות מתפתלת (עָקִיף)	1) לא מקוון: Requires outage, cannot monitor temperature in real time; 2) Reflects only average temperature, missing “hotspots.”
תרמוגרפיה אינפרא אדום	משטח מתפתל (external)	1) Mainly for dry-type units and often requires opening enclosures; it cannot monitor internal windings of oil-immersed transformers; 2) Affected by dust and insulation遮挡, leading to larger errors.

בקיצור, traditional methods are either “indirect estimation” or “offline and lagging,” and cannot meet the demand for בזמן אמת, direct, and accurate monitoring of winding temperature — the core reason to adopt fluorescence fiber-optic systems.

III. Advantages of fluorescence fiber-optic systems: perfectly matched to winding temperature monitoring

Fluorescence fiber-optic sensing is based on the “fluorescence lifetime principle.” Sensors are embedded directly in the winding’s “hotspot regions” (often mid-to-upper sections where heat concentrates). When excited by light, the sensor emits fluorescence whose lifetime shortens as temperature rises. By detecting lifetime changes, the system computes real-time temperature. Its advantages fit the winding scenario:

1) Accurate measurement: directly captures winding “hotspot temperature”

Sensors can be embedded between conductors, avoiding indirect heat transfer through oil or other media. This reflects the winding’s true maximum temperature (hotspot), solving the lag of oil-based estimation.
Supports multi-point monitoring (לְמָשָׁל, several sensors on HV and LV windings), enabling localization of local overheating and providing precise data for diagnostics.

2) בטוח ואמין: suitable for high voltage and strong EMI environments

בידוד חשמלי: Silica-based optical fibers are non-conductive and free from electromagnetic induction. They can be placed close to high-voltage windings without introducing leakage or short-circuit risks, avoiding interference with the insulation system.
חסינות EMI: Transformers produce strong electromagnetic fields (לְמָשָׁל, leakage flux, short-circuit forces). Traditional electrical sensors (צמדים תרמיים, RTDs) are susceptible to interference, causing distortion. Optical fibers carry light, immune to EMI, and remain stable under short-circuit and lightning events.

3) יציבות לטווח ארוך: withstands harsh internal environments

Inside transformers there are heat, שֶׁמֶן, ורטט. Fluorescence fiber sensors offer high temperature tolerance, chemical resistance to transformer oil, and strong mechanical robustness to winding processes and vibration, aligning with transformer O&M cycles.

4) Real-time response: gains time for early warning

With rapid sampling, sudden temperature rises from issues like turn-to-turn faults can be detected in seconds, triggering alarms (לְמָשָׁל, audible-visual alerts, messages) so operators can derate or schedule maintenance in time to avoid escalation.

תַקצִיר

Installing fluorescence fiber-optic temperature systems fundamentally solves the core pain points of winding temperature monitoring — “hard to measure, inaccurate, unsafe.” Through direct, מְדוּיָק, ניטור בזמן אמת, it provides a sound basis for “full-load operation,” enables early warning of local overheating, ensures grid stability, and reduces economic loss and outage risk. This approach has become a standard monitoring option for high-voltage and large industrial transformers.