Digitalization of Transformers to Improve Electrical Asset Reliability and Performance

Providing a new level of insight into transformer behavior by using digital models

The need to consistently supply power in a manner that meets corporate objectives has never been greater. Problems with aging infrastructure, increasingly volatile weather patterns, and more complex contractual and regulatory requirements challenge operational and engineering teams to innovate and make consistently good decisions.

Unfortunately, those decisions are often delayed due to poorly organized asset information that cannot be accessed or applied fast enough to properly manage outages, let alone prevent them before they occur.

However, using highly accurate digital models of transformer assets connected to physics-based engineering simulation models provides a new level of insight into transformer behavior for engineering teams who don’t like surprises. Similarly, the addition of real-time IoT data from advanced sensor technology provides engineering and operations with new ways to monitor transformer health and identify performance degradation earlier, allowing them to apply corrective actions before the next critical event occurs.

Agenda

• How to develop a comprehensive digital twin of your power distribution assets and use it to improve operational reliability.
• How engineering simulation tools can be connected to the digital twin of a transformer to monitor asset health and performance monitoring.
• How a major hydroelectric power generation, transmission, and distribution enterprise employed a 'Production Digital Twin' to enhance operations.

Presenters

Matt McCullum
Enterprise Account Executive, Siemens Digital Industries Software
Matt joined Siemens in 2016 through the acquisition of CD-adapco, a global engineering simulation company, where his career in software began in 2011. In his role of Account Executive, Matt was responsible for expanding CD-adapco’s presence throughout Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada which resulted in CD-adapco’s simulation software being leveraged for numerous engineering design projects and product development efforts at companies throughout the aerospace and defense, transportation, industrial machinery, and marine industries.

Today, Matt serves in the role of Enterprise Account Executive where he focuses on the Energy and Utilities industry within Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada. His decade worth of software experience, spanning across multiple industries across Canada, has provided him with a unique perspective on how engineering and business challenges within energy and utilities can be solved with today’s digital solutions.

Matt has a strong passion for helping companies achieve their engineering and business aspirations that result in a positive impact on the lives of others.

Guy Dulude
Portfolio Director, Siemens Digital Industries Software
Guy is in his 25th year at Siemens, background in mechanical engineering, he originally held the position of application specialist supporting the implementation of different digitalization products at major customers in Industrial Machinery, Automotive and Aerospace in central Ontario. He then moved into a sales leadership role in developing new business for Eastern Canada customers for Utilities, Aerospace and Industrial Machinery. Now located in Montreal, QC, Guy holds the position of Country Portfolio Director where he is responsible for the business strategies and the adoption of the Siemens Xcelerator platform for all industries throughout Canada and is helping customers understand the benefits of digitalization and closed loop performance digital twins.

Moderated by:
Aaron Larson
Executive Editor, POWER magazine
Aaron Larson joined the POWER team in September 2013 as an associate editor and was named executive editor in 2017. Aaron has a bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering technology and a master’s degree, specializing in finance. He spent 13 years in the U.S. Navy nuclear power program, advancing to Chief Petty Officer. He has worked at commercial nuclear, biomass, and coal-fired power plants, functioning in operations, maintenance, safety, financial, and management capacities. Aaron holds a Chief A Engineer boiler operator license in the state of Minnesota.