Diagnostics Lab

The Power Transformer Monitoring & Diagnostics Research Laboratory (Diagnostics Lab) was built at Monash University Clayton in 2003. The laboratory has three separate work areas: the shielded (Faraday cage) lab, the processing lab and the office.

The shielded room has been built as a Faraday cage using copper foil applied to the walls, ceiling and floor. Strips of the copper foil have been overlapped by approx. 100 mm and silver soldered. The Faraday cage is connected to a grounding system at a single point. Temperature control of ±1°C is maintained in the laboratory continuously.

The laboratory facilitates research and development in the following directions:

• New monitoring and diagnostics techniques for on-line and off-line applications;
• New algorithms;
• New test methods;
• Equilibriums in paper-oil, paper-air, oil-air and paper-oil-air physical complexes;
• Ageing mechanisms of transformer insulation systems;
• Chemistry of paper and oil degradation by-products and oil polar contaminants;
• Mineral vs. vegetable oils;
• New vs. old oils;
• Non-thermally upgraded vs. thermally upgraded papers;
• New vs. old papers;
• Moisture-in-oil solubility;
• Moisture-generating and gas-generating capacities of various oils and papers;
• Physical and chemical tests of oil, paper and pressboard samples obtained from:
  • Monash test rigs
  • Transformers operating in power utilities worldwide
  • New transformers manufactured at the local factory.