As South Africa\u2019s many thousands of oil-cooled mini substations reach the end of their operating lives, there is scope to replace them with a safer and more economical option, according to Trafo Power Solutions managing director David Claassen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThese mini substations are located all along our urban streets, in shopping centres and around industrial areas \u2013 in close proximity to growing numbers of people,\u201d says Claassen. \u201cAs municipalities struggle to maintain these properly, they pose an increasing safety risk and become more expensive to service and repair as they get older.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He points out that oil-cooled transformers require regular testing and maintenance, including monitoring and replacement of oil at regular intervals to ensure effective cooling of the unit. Without this maintenance, the risk of failure or even explosion is raised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDry-type transformers do not contain oil, being cooled by air moving over the components,\u201d he says. \u201cThis is one of the factors behind the significantly lower maintenance required by dry-type transformers, which of course translates into substantial cost savings over time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The absence of oil makes dry-type transformers considerably safer, he explains, as indicated by these units\u2019 F1 fire rating. This means that they are resistant to flammability, are flame retardant and generate no harmful emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Having no oil as a coolant also makes dry-type transformers less risky to the environment. The risk of oil spilling from an oil-cooled transformer \u2013 which can lead to the contamination of land and water \u2013 requires the construction of a bund wall. The dry-type option needs little of this kind of additional infrastructure, and so is more cost-effective to install.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTrafo Power Solutions has worked extensively with developers of high-traffic infrastructure like shopping centres, ensuring the highest level of safety in mini substations located in high-density areas,\u201d he says. \u201cWe are well positioned to supply public utilities with the same benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He notes that municipalities\u2019 financial resources to service and maintain substations are often severely stretched, so it makes sense for them to seek more economical alternatives. Dry-type transformers are almost maintenance-free, he explains, taking a considerable load off the owners\u2019 maintenance duties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe custom-design our solutions for dry-type miniature substations to meet customers\u2019 exacting requirements,\u201d says Claassen. \u201cThis includes any variation of medium voltage (MV) and low voltage (LV) needs and specific switchgear as well as customised control and protection options.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trafo Power Solutions supplies miniature substations from 200kVA to 2500kVA \u2013 ranging from 3,3kV to 33kV on the MV side, and from 400V to 1000V on the LV side. These substations are rated up to IP65 ingress protection.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Complicating South Africa\u2019s energy insecurity is the ageing fleet of mini substations up and down the streets of our cities and towns. Equipped with traditional oil-cooled technology, many of these \u2018mini subs\u2019 need replacement each year. When they reach end-of-life, asks Trafo Power Solutions, why not replace them with a safer option that costs less to maintain?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6148,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[123],"class_list":["post-6143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-client-focus","tag-trafo-power-solutions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coralynne.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coralynne.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coralynne.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coralynne.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coralynne.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6143"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.coralynne.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6143\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coralynne.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coralynne.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coralynne.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coralynne.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}