Failure mode and effects analysis

Voltage

Engineering

Reliability engineering

Distribution transformer

Materials science

Criticality

Nuclear physics

Risk analysis (engineering)

Business

Failure mode, effects, and criticality analysis

Physics

Transformer

Failure rate

Electrical engineering

Engineering Failure Analysis

Distribution transformer is a most important component of the distribution system to provide uninterrupted power supply to the consumers and it should be highly reliable. Distribution transformer failure affects the reliability and power quality of the supply system. This paper presents distribution transformer failure analysis to find out causes of failures responsible for very high rate of failure in a state owned electric utility Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) in India. Detailed failure analysis is conducted on 348 distribution transformers failed from 2010 to 2015 in a city based sub division area. Failure analysis is carried out in accordance with IEEE standards and summarized the results statistically in the first part. In second part, the failure modes, effect and criticality analysis (FMECA) is used to analyse distribution transformer failure modes, causes of failure and effects of failure. Further, criticality analysis is performed and a risk priority number is assigned based upon the severity classification, probability of occurrence and probability of detection to identify most critical parts of transformer. FMECA leads to identify preventive actions to be taken to reduce the risk of the transformer in future by eliminating the causes of failure, reducing severity and probability of occurrence.

Distribution transformer failure modes, effects and criticality analysis (FMECA)