A New Testing Method for the Diagnosis of Winding Faults in Transformer

In this article, a new testing method for the diagnosis of winding faults based on the resonant frequency of the transformer is proposed. The system that consists of the high-voltage dc power and high-voltage insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) could charge the transformer periodically. The response measured from the bushing of the winding is the oscillating wave that can be used for evaluating the status. Carrying out the new test on a 220-kV three-winding, three-phase transformer in the field, the tests of insulation and the winding have been completed in one test. The calculated frequency verifies the feasibility and applicability of the method in theory and the voltage does not affect the resonant frequency in the test. The three-winding, three-phase model transformer was built to simulate the various parameters of the power supply, which proves that the features of the oscillating waves are brought about by the properties of the transformer. Also, the new testing method provides a new opportunity to do parameter identification of axial displacement and short-circuit (SC) fault. The abovementioned research shows that the proposed method can conduct the test of winding and insulation in one test for a short time, which proves a reference in the field.