How can you identify electrical equipment that needs maintenance?

Visual inspection for different types of electrical equipment is required regularly, normally before we start any activities we should have a look for the devices visually to maintain there is no damage on the devices.

With my experience as a plant manager, from a performance perspective, Equipment have design performance parameters, deviation from these parameters is also a sign that some form of maintenance is required.

Following up with Preventive Maintenance Scheduled with Trained Technician closely observing physically and using the correct tools like Multimeter, Thermography, Ultra Sonic Tools, and checking every connections related to wiring in Panel Boards. Above all the frequency of Testing should be exceeded in case if the Power supply Fluctuations are on the higher side. On the function part you have to closely observe the Equipment performance has been effected in output. By observing the Related Parameters depending upon the Equipment, and History related to it. All the Details of Preventive Maintenance should be Logged along with the Asset Details so that at any given time we can find Readings so that we can come to the conclusion.

By routine inspection then measurement result it can be shown the condition trend. Considering the running hours and the environment where the equipment is operating can be aspect to decide time to execute the maintenance works.

1. **Visual Inspection:** Regularly visually inspect equipment for signs of wear, damage, or overheating. 2. **Electrical Testing:** Conduct routine electrical tests to assess the performance and integrity of components. 3. **Preventive Maintenance:** Implement scheduled preventive maintenance based on manufacturer recommendations or industry best practices. 4. **Predictive Maintenance:** Utilize advanced monitoring technologies to predict potential issues before they escalate. 5. **Maintenance Records:** Maintain detailed records of past maintenance activities and equipment performance for reference and trend analysis. By combining these methods, you can establish a comprehensive approach to maintaining electrical equipment.

We can test the equipment's electrically by multimeter to ensure that there is not current leakage, no losses and no sparks during operation.

We can measure dielectric strength of material, voltage drop, earth leakage, equipment parameters like winding resistance, reactance

Technicians must learn to READ!! I agree this is the second step. In addition, maintenance personnel must know the acceptable values or benchmark that tests must be referenced in order to determine the status of the equipment. These information can be identified from equipment name plate/ labels, MANUALS, and published regulatory guides.

One test that is very important and most of the electricians forget is to measure the quality of energy. Most of the times, you have some electricity disturbances and you struggle to find the fault, but you will fail if you do not connect a quality measurement tool and give some time to record all disturbances. Dip, swell, harmonics, notch, flicker and unbalance can be easily noticed if you have time and a correct tool.

Por ejemplo, una de las pruebas más comunes para determinar el estado de un transformador, es la medida de la resistencia de aislamiento eléctrico, que es la resistencia (en Megohms) que ofrece un aislamiento al aplicarle un voltaje de corriente directa durante un tiempo dado. Esta prueba se mide a partir de la aplicación de una tensión constante durante el tiempo que dura la prueba. De esta prueba cabe decir que resulta una peque?a corriente de fuga a través del aislamiento del equipo bajo prueba, que se va reduciendo hasta un valor mínimo constante. Los valores mínimos de resistencia de aislamiento (a 20oc) son: para 15.0 KV: 410 MEGOHMS, para 34.5 KV: 930 MEGOHMS y para 230/115 KV: 3100 MEGOHMS.

As manuten??es preventivas s?o necessárias para a identifica??o de futuros problemas nos equipamentos, principalmente em ambientes industriais hostis ou corrosivos, devem ser periódicas e organizadas, relatando anomalias e pequenas corre??es, troca de pe?as ou equimanentos.

In many small-scale industrial applications, a reactive maintenance approach is commonly employed. However, the downside emerges when a disaster occurs, and the root cause remains unknown. Implementing a preventative maintenance plan not only keeps us ahead of potential issues but also provides an opportunity to gather valuable data points on emerging problems.

Preventive or routine maintenance increases the service life of the equipment as we check and rectify the wear and tear, replace the damaged spares, poor test reports if any may be attended during preventive maintenance..cleaning and Lubrication leads smooth operations and better performance during changing loads or changing seasons too..

Monitoring parameters such as voltage, current, harmonics, and frequency can help identify irregularities that may indicate the need for maintenance. Sudden fluctuations or abnormalities in power quality can signal underlying problems.

Preventive maintenance is an intelligent way to ensure the extended durability and optimal functioning of equipment for as long as possible, delivering its intended functionality. Typically, the absence of preventive maintenance leads to time and financial losses, with halted processes and the need for quick decisions by the maintenance team, which may not always result in the most accurate choices.

Predictive and preventive maintenance is also useful to keep track of devices undergoing maintenance. Often, ISO (Independent System Operators) /RTOs (Regional Transmission Organizations) require advance notice regarding maintenance activities and outages or derates that will result from it. There are studies done based off these "scheduled" outages

Use of thermography, ultrasonic testers and current abnormality trend. Periodic current trending often helps to identify point of out of trend to bring immediate attention to corect or plan maintenance

For HV equipment, I found a range of condition monitoring techniques especially helpful. Infrared thermography is a simple and powerful tool in a modern electrical equipment maintenance arsenal. I also find the power of trending oil testing results including dissolved gas analysis and furanic analysis very potent. For transformers and motors, winding condition can be determined with sweep frequency response analysis, although this may be more helpful for fault diagnosis than predictive maintenance.

Signature analysis of the factory test results, routine test results as well as results after breakdown to be compared to give a better validation for further decision on line of action to be taken.

predictive maintenance of electrical equipment should not only based on just data crusching but indentifying the beviour clubbing with in dept down stream process knowledge since the later has an huge impact on the data available for predicting. Mostly industries either rely too much on just data or too much on just the skill of human where the need of hour is how we can combine both working together.

Lendo os outros comentários, nao ha duvida que os registros anteriores de manutencao sao importantes para a tomada de futuras decis?es e manuten??es. Atualmente ha muitas solu??es de inteligencia quanto armazenamento, analises e estastiticas de manuten??o.

Analysing the trends of particular health parameters of the machine and deciding the maintenance strategy is helpful. Behaviour during any disturbance to be studied.

Maintenance records are very important to keep and track the device/equipment's failures, servicing and future planned actions. It gives the detailed history about the equipment..

Maintenance records in electrical infrastructure serve as a valuable asset. They provide a historical account of interventions, aiding in trend analysis and performance evaluation. This documentation is crucial for compliance, helping demonstrate adherence to safety standards. Additionally, maintenance records facilitate proactive decision-making, enabling timely and informed assessments of equipment health. Ultimately, they contribute to enhanced reliability, reduced downtime, and the optimization of long-term maintenance strategies in electrical systems.

I agree that all electrical equipment should be maintained correctly and it’s condition monitored throughout its lifetime. In the workplace there is legislation like the Electricity at Work Act 1989 that requires Duty Holders to ensure electrical systems and equipment are safely maintained throughout its life. However, outside the workplace say in rented accommodation Landlords also have a duty to maintain equipment supplied as part of the property rental under The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994. Electrical Equipment supplied shall safe and CE marked thereby meeting the minimum requirements of EU legislation. It doesn’t end there because tenants should be encouraged to check equipment before use and report any faulty items.

The most effective and important way to acquire required knowledge related to maintenance activity is training. Only after required training one can plan whether to go for visual, predictive or preventive maintenance to maintain electrical assets for desired performance and improve performance.

This is the most important feature.As updated trainings are required due to latest developments and updating of software by the manufacturers. This is just like airline pilot flight simulation training so as to handle all kind of emergencies.

There is nothing worse than pulling up to troubleshoot a system, just to realize you have no idea where to start. In order to stay confident in what you're doing, you have to make sure your files are updated! Share information with your fellow colleagues and keep up to date with the systems and software you are dealing with.

Maintenance Training Skill gets only developed in on job training & whole hearted participation. Unskilled Maintenance Engineer can damaged the important parts of equipment during testing, Hence , testing shall always be carried out by trained Supervisor or Engineer.

Training is essential and it is actually a part of the job description. A maintenance or repair engineer should always be up to date on the latest technology and updates. We should always pay close attention for any new training material issued by relevant manufacturers because it might provide information on changes in procedures or even characteristics of equipment.

In managing electrical equipment maintenance, a multifaceted approach is crucial. For legacy equipment, the key lies in maintaining accurate records and adhering to OEM-prescribed maintenance routines or better. Regular cleaning is also essential to prolong the equipment’s service life. In contrast, modern equipment benefits greatly from a condition-based maintenance approach, utilizing IoT and sensors. This innovative method allows for real-time monitoring and preemptive maintenance actions. Drawing from experience in both low voltage (LV) and high voltage (HV) electrical reactive maintenance, it’s clear that maintaining well-documented records and asset data, alongside a skilled team, is fundamental.

A utilizacao de ferramentas ja disponiveis no mercado como uso de inteligencia artificial, novos sensores de inovadoras tecnologias, softwares de gestao de ativos dentros outros contribuem para um melhor AssetManagement

Thermographic imaging can be a proper diagnosis method as well. More specifically about solar panels, it was a widely used methodology within the industry to check the arrays with Fluke or Flir thermographic cameras and then inspect the images to figure out hotspots, microcracks, ... This was usually done by operators showing up on site, setting the camera to a proper angle and following the instructions to get the most accurate results. While these days utilizing drones has made this procedure much faster, more accurate and even more cost-effective. In utility scale projects other methods such as EL testing, IV curve tracing, and ... might also be used.

Leveraging updated, searchable PDFs for as-built drawings proves invaluable in sizable projects, offering a comprehensive overview and enhancing efficiency compared to navigating outdated printed versions, ensuring a clear understanding of electrical device interconnections and applications prior to testing.

A combination of all of the above will aid any company to effectively manage the safety of their electrical equipment. Many are closely intertwined, for example performing electrical testing should involve comparing previous records for degradation.