Analytical Modeling to Pinpoint Cause
Altran Solutions investigated a transformer rupture in order to answer two questions for the owner:
- Why did a power plant main output transformer rupture?
- Why did it contaminate a nearby river with hazardous PCBs when it was believed to have been previously abated?
The cause of the rupture was not evident by inspection. Therefore, Altran Solutions was able to develop an analytical model to calculate the energy required to induce the observed damage. Armed with this information, a failure scenario was constructed that pointed to a source referred to as an electrical “through fault.” This fault caused a pressure pulse in the oil filled transformer, rupturing the tank and releasing the contained oil.
The source of the PCB oil was still a mystery at this point. Laboratory testing and detailed examinations concluded that residual PCBs “hiding” in the transformer tank were not the source of the PCB. Rather, unknown to the owner a fully confined cavity in the structural reinforcement of the transformer contained an unknown source of PCB oil.