Love the care that is taken for each job that you do. Can tell that you love what you do. Gives me allot more respect when the power goes out, to give the lineman a break
After extracting the oil, we send it off to a lab where they do all kinds of tests and "science" stuff. (way over my head!✈️) These tests can often find clues within the oil that a particular unit may be about to fail! Oh yeah, this is more footage from back in October 😬 hence the mention of Halloween👻👊👊🍻 My costume ➡️ th-cam.com/video/K_0CVLhUCEI/w-d-xo.html
Jars go too! I think they use the larger amount in the jar for di-electric testing. I vaguely remember doing that back in 2004 when training with some sub techs
We use to have a lab in house of my old company but now they use Doble out of Watertown, Massachusetts. Important information is captured from these samples. They can tell you whether or not the equipment can continue to remain in service.
A lot of heavy equipment gets this type of testing regularly on engine oil and other fluids, especially Caterpillar stuff. When an oil change can cost thousands of dollars, plus down time, and not changing the oil in time can cost tens of thousands of dollars, it makes a lot more sense to test it for $25 so you know exactly when it needs to be changed, as well as being able to see if you have a bearing or cylinder or something starting to go out, since each part in the engine uses a different alloy, and so by looking for the phosphorus or brass or whatever in the oil sample you can see wear metals. Plus seeing if the additives are breaking down, it's getting contaminated, etc. A lot of trucking fleets use oil sampling as well, either to determine when to change the oil, or find the average life for a particular engine hauling a particular type of load. Trucks in stop and go traffic will wear the oil out faster than trucks on the open road, etc. FYI, if you want to test your own oil in a pickup or whatever, you can buy the prepaid oil sample test kits from Caterpillar (and other places too), and it comes with a mailer to send it to the lab. They do coolant etc too.
I DON'T miss taking oil samples, we used to have to take samples of all our equipment. Now it's contracted out. One important point when taking oil with a syringe for a DGA (dissolved gas analysis), which you most definitely were with a regulator. After you draw the sample and the oil sits, if you see an air space, do not burp the air. That is some of the dissolved gas coming out and that is what they are testing for. We had a guy years ago, he would take samples, let them sit for a day or so, them burp the air out. Since the instructions were to completely fill the syringe, but didn't mention that if you saw after it was full to leave it. Not good to do for a DGA! But it is amazing what they can look for and determine the health of the equipment based on what chemicals they find or don't find in the oil. Much more than just moisture and dielectric strength. Thanks for the video and work safe.
There are so few people who actually know how things work, how to repair them, and keep the world working. And almost all of them are unsung heroes, never getting recognition for their work, and often times getting screamed at by people who have not a clue, can't even fill their own gas tank, but they keep on, doing the job, while taking the abuse. I love the show Undercover Boss They have the owner or CEO and they are given entry level tasks to complete, and they do thousands of dollars in damage in just seconds, while the actor they hire to be the " competition" against the undercover boss does the job flawlessly It shines a stark spotlight on how the people at the top are completely useless If all of the people at the top, the CEOs, if they disappeared for a year, no one would notice But let just one of the people who they say aren't worth minimum wage not show up, and the business have to close, the power goes out all over the city, state, country And with the new corporate model of 1 employee doing all the work that literally used to have 6 employees, if that one person doesn't show up, the businesses literally have to close I really wish the little people would strike nationwide till their demands were met for a living wage, but they would all be labeled domestic TERRORISTS and the military would be sent to put them down, literally
thank you for the ongoing insights to the electrical distribution industry - I very much appreciate your efforts. From my comfortable desk in suburbia I am "learning"
I have a decent story regarding sampling of a 400kv bushing once. Transformer was only 9 years old. During routine maintenance we took a sample. The tell tale sign that something was wrong with the bushing was that when my coworker undone the sampling point cap it shot up in the air with the pressure inside. When the results from the sample came back it was full of acetylene and ready to explode. Bushing was changed and transformer returned to service. In the UK some of our transformers are fitted with Hydrans that monitor the oil quality constantly and give a good indication of equipment health. We also have trailers that can be attached to monitor the gas real time. They tend to use these when a transformer is near end of life and a replacement can take up to 18 months to build
@@jameswyatt1304 When the insulation starts to break down you get arcing occurring within the bushing. The by products of arcing are lots of different gases and acetylene being the most explosive of all the gases. The transformer was only 8 years old so it was lucky that we found the issue during maintenance. It was a 1000MVA transformer so a failure of a transformer that size would of been pretty spectacular.
I've never heard of Power Line Technicians taking gas-in-oil samples. That was always a task of Substation Technicians like myself and I don't recall ever taking one from a downline voltage regulator. We only did these tests on our main substation and generation transformers on a yearly basis. In addition we would always start with the syringe completely emptied of air and do a couple of "flushes" with the oil to be tested before doing the final fill to be sent off to Morgan Shaffer for dissolved gas in oil analysis. As well we would not do any type of sampling on a transformer with a "negative" pressure on the tank since opening the main valve at the bottom of the tank could possibly draw in air bubbles which could then work there way up through the oil and the windings and cause a fault. This of course was only an issue on nitrogen blanketed "sealed" tank transformers. In this case we would try again on a warmer day or add nitrogen to the top of the tank until a "positive" pressure could be seen on the pressure gauge. In addition we used mason jars to take larger samples which we would then take back to the shop to perform power factor and dielectric breakdown testing.
Our sub techs do the majority of this work (within our sub yards). Biggest reason we do it as well is because of the mounting height. We cover the VR's and Or's out on the line. There wasn't quite an actual negative pressure, just not enough pressure to push the oil out into the syringe as a result of the cold temperature. We cease testing once temps dip below 0. Great info also by the way, thank you! 👊👊
@@Bobsdecline No worries Aaron and as Daniel said I'm not trying to discount the content of your video either. As always you did a great job in this video keeping things accurate and concise. Cheers brother.
@@chosen1one930 that’s what I was getting ready to say. Work orders are different on the same jobs with different companies, they will put as much on you as they can get by with!
I'd like to see how you add or change the oil in these. With our last windstorm we were working alongside PUD to get the roads back open and they brought one of these out to replace what I assume was a damaged one. These things are huge up close. Much bigger than I thought. Got to give credit to those power guys, they did quick work. We had a mile long stretch where the poles were snapped or broken and they had the entire stretch fixed with brand new poles and wire in less than a day. Not an easy task when massive trees are down blocking the road too.
They are indeed a lot bigger up close. When I was in high school the local power company had a booth at a career fair. They had one of these regulators that probably was built for a trade show - the casing was glass or plastic so you could see the insides of it and there was no oil. It didn't have power to the 7200v windings of course but they demonstrated how the tap changer worked and you could actually see the parts moving around inside because of the glass case.
Hey Mike as a substation electrician we deal with regulators on a normal basis. From what I can tell you at least for the company I work for we do not change or add oil to regulators. If they fail the Kellman test (oil sample test) the whole unit gets replaced.
Wow! Haven't seen glass syringes in 60 years. Back in the day, my dad had a project which required him to extract samples of transformer oil from some respectably-sized distribution transformers.
They are called gas tight sampling syringes, made of glass and teflon. Pretty expensive. They can also safely be filled up with some pretty horible chemicals as well.
I did work on testing/identifying dioxin contaminated oils used heavily until it was banned many decades ago. Lots of this equipment exists in the wild. Knowing about PCB/Dioxin and it's effects on human health made me outright quit. Too much personal risk even with proper handling. Keep an eye open for old transformers, you simply don't want to have contact with that poison.
Hi Aaron, great to see preventative maintenance being done. So rare these days with many providers thinking it is cheaper to wait for failures (and screw the customers). I've used syringes like those for more than 40 years, for handling air-sensitive chemicals, mostly pyrophorics like triethylaluminum.
I work for an environmental company from the United States that responds to the transformer spills and pumpouts, we also take samples, ours are to determine pcb content in the oil, prior to late 1960s, pcb oil was used and long term exposure can lead to cancer and health problems for those who might not know. I find it very interesting to see the day to day life as a lineman and how it all works. Stay safe out there.
Love your videos, planning on going to line school next august and getting into the trade! Incredibly excited and eager to get going! Have always had the dream to work on the most powerful force on earth and you have been a huge inspiration to get me ready to go and make the jump! Thank you and keep these videos coming! ⚡️
Money is the most-powerful force on Earth. Second place goes to the Strong atomic force. Wife force comes in third. Electromagnetic force comes in fourth.
"Checking the oil" in some electrical equipment sounds like one of those made-up tasks you prank newbies with 😂. Like "blinker fluid" or the "keys to the sea chest."
I sent you a notice about a glove company in Chicago called Kunz Gloves. Looks like they have a wide variety of equipment. They've been in business a long time. I used to buy mittens and liners when I was still working on a large Chicagoland freight railroad, through some bitterly cold winters in the '70s. Hope this helps, it's pretty hard to keep out rain, very miserable when it's 40°F and blowing sideways, sometimes partially frozen. Always did like working during a snow storm, though. Thank You for your fact based videos, and appreciate the thorough procedures you follow. Regards, T.
I do remember remember seeing a mention of "Kunz" somewhere. It must have been your. I'm going to screen shot this comment right now so I don't lose it and I'll check it out! Appreciate it ! 👊👊
@@ntsecrets LOL. Little to no PCBs, right. :) It sounds like ACS which depending who you ask is either American Cement Sheeting or Abestos Cement Sheeting. I have adopted it from Australia.
@@gorillaau actually the power company at first did not want to replace it, so I called the EPA state agency and they had a truck out within an hour to replace it!
Morning Aaron🤝 Going over transformer maintenance checked out the tap changer counter for an OLTC..extracting oil samples from a tap changer...cool stuff.
Been meaning to say: love the hat 👍🏽 🏳️🌈 Cheers from the Bay Area in northern California. Not a lineman, but I love learning about this stuff. Thanks!
Thanks for the info, I also take samples to make bio diesel for my truck, there are a lot of transformers in my area so no need to pay for fuel these days.
I used to work for Hydro-Québec in 1971 and when we took oil sample from big transformers and breakers, we had to save some on the side. A lot of old guys were using old oil for rubbing on their rhumatism, I knew it was not good, but since I was beginning my 'career' , I did not argue. The oil had to have suffered some arcing to be good.....Of course at that time the oil was full PCB!
How many times can you sample the oil like that before it needs topping up? Love the vids. I’m not a lineman, I don’t play one on TV. lol. Just always wondered how most of that was done, then I stumbled across your channel.
Back in the late 1970's POS GE service department would check our 13.200 & 4,160 volt transformers. They would test it what looked like a basic Megger to test oil. If reading was low they would run oil thru a blooter press for a few hours. Halve ass GE used the same hoses on transformers so ended up contaiminating one of the 13,200 volt transformers with PCB'S
Whats fun is when you see a failure and the oil spews out and catches fire. Ive seen that a couple times, its pretty wild. Get that stuff hot enough and it burns.
In a apocalypse type situation, him showing you this is vital for the ability to drive. Maybe not the new diesels but older diesel engines will run on the mineral oil if the oil supply chain dies in a event. Just get a large tarp and brace it on all four corners and run a small round in the bottom and badda boom you have fuel to run your diesel if you can catch it. It will render the unit completely useless but it may get you farther down the road in a apocalypse situation. It does work and could be vital info to save you and your family sometime.
Just be aware that not all Transformer oil is Mineral oil. Not sure how some of the synthetic esters they use these days will go. Might be fine.. Might be a fine mess to fix.
Why isn't there a regular service interval to just change the oil? Seems like over time if you keep draining to oil to check it you have to add more eventually right?
It's actually not ideal to change oil on a regular schedule, because oil doesn't wear or get contaminated on a regular schedule. Imagine a car in Florida by the beach, and one in Nevada in the desert. Same miles per day, which will actually need an oil change first? With cars we are used to fixed schedules, but that's just for convenience, and because it's a small cost to change the oil. But when you get to larger engines, heavy equipment, etc, the best practice is to periodically test the oil, looking at additive levels, oil breakdown, wear metal levels, contamination, etc, and only change it when it actually needs it, partly because if it's under mild conditions and light use, it may be able to go twice as long and thus save a lot of money, but on the flip side, if it's under heavy use or harsh conditions, or has a leak or something wearing badly, it may need to be changed much more frequently to avoid engine damage. Also, if you see a high level of a particular metal in the oil sample, you can get early warnings that a bearing is going out, or something else is having issues, so that you can plan for preventative maintenance before it fails, or replace a bearing before it destroys a crankshaft or block. With this application, you are not just checking oil condition, you are basically taking a blood sample from the device, so you can actually see if the device itself is having any problems, whether major ones like a leaky seal allowing moisture in, or subtle ones like arcing inside that will leave dissolved gasses and probably elevated copper or aluminum levels in the oil. And if you find those problems, then you can repair or replace the unit before it fails. Just changing the oil won't identify the unit faults.
Круто! У нас пробы масла берутся только из силовых трансформаторов на подстанциях напряжением от 35 кВ и выше, а на линиях 10 кВ у нас применяются вакуумные трехфазные выключатели.
Wish our utility installed regulators this way. Instead of a 3 pole stand for the bank they have them each hung on their own individual pole in a row. A B C. And they don’t have bypass switches. They are actually tapped directly to the line. Their reasoning is they down want anyone to be able to just throw in the byspass unknowing that they must be in neutral position. Makes sense but it makes it interesting when you have to put them on line to zero them out.
Trick is not to break the tap off like a college did on a JW420(large 275kv oil filled circuit breaker). Had to wedge a bit of wood in there to stem to flow. So he could go get the circuit tripped out and arrange and emergency oil tanker
having worked on oil spill/pipeline spill clean ups, some from leaked transformers, that mineral oil was by far the worst as to how far into the ground it leeched
Water is heavier than oil therefore it tends to settle at the bottom. If there were any contamination with water entry, you should notice it right away.
I love that physics permeates everything. Head is head whether you work in Wastewater or Hydro. I enjoy your perspective and insights Aaron. Wonderful work as always! Thankfully I’ve never had to experience work in Delta P.
Very cool video! I’m not familiar with oil filled voltage regulators(I usually work with PCB boards) but if you took oil samples every year wouldn’t the oil eventually run out of oil in the voltage regulators? Keep up the great content and stay safe up there!
They do a DGA (Dissolved Gas analysis) on the transformer oil, usually Shell Diala. Why? Arcing in the oil when contacts operate, creates acetylene gas. All regulators have moveable contacts in the oil that are part of the tap changing mechanism. Usually this test is done based on a calendar or based on a mechanical counter at the regulator or recloser that counts the number of times the electrical contacts submersed in the oil have moved. At First energy we collected this data based on quarterly inspections. If the amount of dissolved gas exceeds the parts per million threshold, the oil has to be replaced. Acetylene is a combustible explosive gas. Also the oil has an affinity for moisture which has to be analyzed. We did not do DGA on fixed PAD and pole transformers as there are no contacts in the oil that move or operate on a regular basis. Some transformers have a NLT (NO Load Tap Changer) that should only be moved when the device is ***de-energized***. This is how we avoid making acetylene gas in the transformer oil.
3:31 it sounds like you're speaking from experience haha. Actually I'm kind of curious how those regulators work, I assume it's basically an autotransformer, but how does that work with only 1 wire going in then out? I guess basically same idea as single earth wire return?
One side of the transformer is connected together. Both the incoming neutral/ground and the outgoing neutral/ground are connected, and even share just one bushing which you can see in the video. Generally the incoming wire ratio is fixed. The outgoing wire ratio has the tap changer. Most tap changers I've read out on regulators have 32 positions with each position having a certain additional deviation (like 1.5% V) off of neutral. The box at the bottom of the pole that the big black wound-up cable runs to monitors the voltages and adjusts the taps automatically as needed to keep the output voltage the programmed level.
It always seems like those VR's or tapchangers are near a church! In my "roaming area" there are a couple of sets of those and both sets of them are in front of a church. Before I knew what they were I was really curious as to why a church would need 325kW to praise the Lord lol...
I would guess there's a special task force to handle that aspect of doing a full service. I would also surmise they have extra oil in there so the level stays above acceptable for the 10 year service interval.
@@Bobsdecline yes if they're going to a lab they probably don't care if you can see the sample...and want to protect it from light breakdown. Thanks for responding all.
yes i've heard of that happening when there's an existing fault which has filled the air space with explosive gases... I would suggest a hazard assessment for this task
I say negative pressure in the video as it acts like that with the syringe in place, but it isn't quite there yet. The initial drainage into the jar comes out fine, there just isn't quite enough force to overcome the pressure from the gas within the syringe and it's tiny hole. Once temperature drops below zero degrees we will cease any sampling until next spring. There are some pieces of equipment that we de energize before sampling
Very cool videos. I appreciate the Chanel. One question about an observation- I notice not all tools have a wrist lanyard or other tie off. Before university and becoming an EE I apprenticed in a rigging related Industry. There any tools with overhead workers had to have have a security line in case dropped elevated. Thoughts and perspectives from your industry? I am sure there is always a compromise where one safety mitigation might make another factor more hazardous. Cheers.
Hi Aaron, i have a question. Durring the night at my home, i read higher voltage than usual. Sometimes arround 2h AM, i can reach up to 127 volts on both phase durinng a couple minutes. I know metal is more conductive at lower tempeture but i think my 127 volts is way over the normal standard. Should i contact my electrical company?? [Hydro-Quebec] And what is causing that kind of problem, am currious? [I use 3 different voltimeter, my readings are accurate]
127 is a bit high, Our acceptable range is 114-126. The most common cause when seeing a voltage around 127 is a bad neutral. If that's the case, then the other phase would be low. It might look something like 127 on one leg and 117 on the other. Once load is removed (main break open) it would revert back to say... 122 and 122. If you're for sure getting 127 on both sides at the same time, it could be a couple things. - bad timing and being too close to a tap changer of some sort. In which case the power company should adjust the bandwidth to prevent that from happening. - bad connection on a potential transformer or similar equipment that monitors voltage and communicates with a sort of tap changer. * In either of those cases, neighbors would be experiencing same issues. - could be an "off" load tap setting on the particular transformer feeding your home. Easy fix, open tx and adjust... But not all tx have them. - could also be a failing transformer that has damage to windings, but this would like cause a more catastrophic failure. Regardless of what it is, I would give them a call. If you find out anything, I'd love to hear back!
Couldn't it just simply be that there is only light load on his area of the grid at that time of the night/morning? I would expect voltages to climb in this scenario. I actually see it in my house during the day - when folk are at work and homes are just ticking over I can often see 250V on my mains (Scotland), and back down to 240 in the evening when everybody is home (I live on a large housing estate). Regards!
In a case where voltage gets high as load drops off the grid, it should still regulate automatically. Either a Load tap changer on the power tx at the sub or a voltage regulator should still identify the high voltage and tap it lower as required. Sometimes the bandwidth may be set at 126 (252) to account for customers further down the line. That's where you may see 127 briefly at times until the equipment taps accordingly
@@Bobsdecline ... I have seen this slightly high reading a few times if the feed starts off as 2 legs from a 3 phase, instead of the normal single phase feed. This could be a mixed use area where they keep the nominal 208 volt slightly high to compensate for long runs within a facility that tends to brown-out during the day at peak use.
Does the oil ever get too hot to comfortably handle? What is the typical operating range high end on pole transformers, regulators, etc? I have noted convection cooling tubes or fans on substation equipment (and sometimes pole transformers too)...
Do you guys have any HDD pipe for grid, e.g. river crossings done UG and not cheaper aerial? Those also get oil testing, for pollution, oxidation, water influx, dielectric breakdown, and signs of lightning hits. The technology shift from paper conductor insulation of that uniform spacing and twist triplex to modern plastics, and estimated life increase from 35 to 80-ish years, has yet to undergo a full life cycle, as tech experiments on further design improvements are being done at some specialized utility systems lab sites. Imagine the nuisance if you had to replace a 14,000 foot pull of 1200 amp, 230 kV cable in 12" diameter thick wall pipe, with one intermediate splice box under the middle of a river.... By comparison, swapping out 7200 volt, 600 amp step regulators is routine and easy. In those systems, oil is pumped back and forth between reservoirs at either end of the pipe, and does all of improve heat transfer from I^2R losses, prevents moisture influx, acts as further insulation, and quenches any irregular corona fields. Imagine if you had all 3 grid phase legs, at voltages that get 6 or 10 foot separations when aerial, inside one 12" pipe....
The little valve on the end of your syringe is called a three-way stop cock. It is mainly used in the medical system to control fluids going into or out of the body. I used to make about 3 million of the a year at my manufacturing company.
What's that big dial indicator on top of the voltage regulator with the yellow arrow showing? It seems to have a "left" and "right" side, does it show current, or tank pressure...?
I began explains this in the original edit, but then found myself trying to cover every other feature as well and opted to edit it out... The dial simply identifies the current "tap". The left most and right most indicators are drag hands that keep a record of the highest and lowest tap reached since it was last reset. There's a reset button in the panel at ground level. It's ideal to have it operate nearest zero to manage both peaks and valleys of power use throughout the day
@@Bobsdecline Oh that's interesting. Does the regulator change taps automatically I guess to maintain a set voltage to counter grid voltage drift, does it use some kind of relay/contactor at each tap that it automatically switches to adjust to the required voltage? I guess it isn't solid state right? How big is the voltage step of each tap (resolution), like 100V seeing that it's running at 7-12kV? Thanks for all the great content!
Disregard I watched that part 5 more times and noticed that those are double knife with a third horizontal knife for bypass up top. Do those have a safety to prevent them being closed before zeroing out the regs? Or just common sense hahahaha
Mostly common sense! Haha. Actually VR's are one of the device included in a list that absolutely cannot be operated without first communicating with our dispatch. The communication includes a 3 way conversation of the zeroing procedure. (2 means of identifying "0"). Operating a device without permission in our company results might result in some pretty serious consequences. That all being said. Your right, this particular one is a 3 in 1 with the horizontal by-pass. We have many versions, this one does not have a lock out. We sometimes build the entire setup with cut outs and also have auto by pass switches which can be kinda sketchy if they're stiff. I should also add that regardless of the type of switch we have another rule that states: Any device can be operated to ISOLATE a line only, without permission is it's an emergency.... Like a fire or a life is in danger.
You didn't use the syringe correctly! You're supposed to plug in the syringe and let some oil spill out of the vent that goes off to the side, THEN you rotate the syringe valve to direct the oil into the syringe. By not doing this, you contaminated the sample with the air that was in the needle.
interesting, Im an HVAC technician so I too work with voltage and mineral oil in that hermetically sealed compressors use mineral oil to lubricate the compressors and electric motors inside the hermetic cans. tell me this, are the transformer cans put in a vacuum before they are filled with mineral oil? a refrigerant system as well as the compressor must be put in a deepvacuum below 700 microns before refrigerant is added but this also includes the oil as well . I'm also wondering if you have any guidelines to megohm readings and oil contamination. we can determine how contaminated a system is by taking a megohm reading on the windings to determine if a system can even be cleaned or it must be replaced.
I work in the HVAC field as well, we take oil samples from our compressors and send them in for testing on a yearly basis. Moisture, acidity, viscosity and any abnormal particles from wear on parts. I'm from South Africa and the company we use is called Wearcheck.
Regulators make me nervous. Lol especially working hurricane damage and restoration. Great vid!
I just pulled oil samples out of 2 station transformers, but never out of voltage regs, unless we’re performing acceptance testing. Great video, Aaron
Love the care that is taken for each job that you do. Can tell that you love what you do. Gives me allot more respect when the power goes out, to give the lineman a break
After extracting the oil, we send it off to a lab where they do all kinds of tests and "science" stuff. (way over my head!✈️) These tests can often find clues within the oil that a particular unit may be about to fail!
Oh yeah, this is more footage from back in October 😬 hence the mention of Halloween👻👊👊🍻
My costume ➡️ th-cam.com/video/K_0CVLhUCEI/w-d-xo.html
You mentioned that you send off the syringe for testing, but what do you do with the other 90% of the oil you drained into the jars?
Jars go too! I think they use the larger amount in the jar for di-electric testing. I vaguely remember doing that back in 2004 when training with some sub techs
We use to have a lab in house of my old company but now they use Doble out of Watertown, Massachusetts.
Important information is captured from these samples. They can tell you whether or not the equipment can continue to remain in service.
A lot of heavy equipment gets this type of testing regularly on engine oil and other fluids, especially Caterpillar stuff.
When an oil change can cost thousands of dollars, plus down time, and not changing the oil in time can cost tens of thousands of dollars, it makes a lot more sense to test it for $25 so you know exactly when it needs to be changed, as well as being able to see if you have a bearing or cylinder or something starting to go out, since each part in the engine uses a different alloy, and so by looking for the phosphorus or brass or whatever in the oil sample you can see wear metals.
Plus seeing if the additives are breaking down, it's getting contaminated, etc.
A lot of trucking fleets use oil sampling as well, either to determine when to change the oil, or find the average life for a particular engine hauling a particular type of load.
Trucks in stop and go traffic will wear the oil out faster than trucks on the open road, etc.
FYI, if you want to test your own oil in a pickup or whatever, you can buy the prepaid oil sample test kits from Caterpillar (and other places too), and it comes with a mailer to send it to the lab.
They do coolant etc too.
That's great info Ben! I didn't realize that, thanks for sharing. Cheers!🍻
I DON'T miss taking oil samples, we used to have to take samples of all our equipment. Now it's contracted out. One important point when taking oil with a syringe for a DGA (dissolved gas analysis), which you most definitely were with a regulator. After you draw the sample and the oil sits, if you see an air space, do not burp the air. That is some of the dissolved gas coming out and that is what they are testing for. We had a guy years ago, he would take samples, let them sit for a day or so, them burp the air out. Since the instructions were to completely fill the syringe, but didn't mention that if you saw after it was full to leave it. Not good to do for a DGA!
But it is amazing what they can look for and determine the health of the equipment based on what chemicals they find or don't find in the oil. Much more than just moisture and dielectric strength.
Thanks for the video and work safe.
Excellent advice! I didn't know that, Thanks for sharing 👊👊
There are so few people who actually know how things work, how to repair them, and keep the world working.
And almost all of them are unsung heroes, never getting recognition for their work, and often times getting screamed at by people who have not a clue, can't even fill their own gas tank, but they keep on, doing the job, while taking the abuse.
I love the show Undercover Boss
They have the owner or CEO and they are given entry level tasks to complete, and they do thousands of dollars in damage in just seconds, while the actor they hire to be the " competition" against the undercover boss does the job flawlessly
It shines a stark spotlight on how the people at the top are completely useless
If all of the people at the top, the CEOs, if they disappeared for a year, no one would notice
But let just one of the people who they say aren't worth minimum wage not show up, and the business have to close, the power goes out all over the city, state, country
And with the new corporate model of 1 employee doing all the work that literally used to have 6 employees, if that one person doesn't show up, the businesses literally have to close
I really wish the little people would strike nationwide till their demands were met for a living wage, but they would all be labeled domestic TERRORISTS and the military would be sent to put them down, literally
thank you for the ongoing insights to the electrical distribution industry - I very much appreciate your efforts. From my comfortable desk in suburbia I am "learning"
I have a decent story regarding sampling of a 400kv bushing once. Transformer was only 9 years old. During routine maintenance we took a sample. The tell tale sign that something was wrong with the bushing was that when my coworker undone the sampling point cap it shot up in the air with the pressure inside. When the results from the sample came back it was full of acetylene and ready to explode. Bushing was changed and transformer returned to service. In the UK some of our transformers are fitted with Hydrans that monitor the oil quality constantly and give a good indication of equipment health. We also have trailers that can be attached to monitor the gas real time. They tend to use these when a transformer is near end of life and a replacement can take up to 18 months to build
Satisfying & informative video Sir. Do you ever smell the oil as well as (just) look at it as a preliminary inspection ?
Wow! How does it get pressurized with Acetylene? Someone thought it was nitrogen or what?
@@jameswyatt1304 When the insulation starts to break down you get arcing occurring within the bushing. The by products of arcing are lots of different gases and acetylene being the most explosive of all the gases. The transformer was only 8 years old so it was lucky that we found the issue during maintenance. It was a 1000MVA transformer so a failure of a transformer that size would of been pretty spectacular.
@@Marks-Garage Yes! Regular maintenance!
I've never heard of Power Line Technicians taking gas-in-oil samples. That was always a task of Substation Technicians like myself and I don't recall ever taking one from a downline voltage regulator. We only did these tests on our main substation and generation transformers on a yearly basis. In addition we would always start with the syringe completely emptied of air and do a couple of "flushes" with the oil to be tested before doing the final fill to be sent off to Morgan Shaffer for dissolved gas in oil analysis. As well we would not do any type of sampling on a transformer with a "negative" pressure on the tank since opening the main valve at the bottom of the tank could possibly draw in air bubbles which could then work there way up through the oil and the windings and cause a fault. This of course was only an issue on nitrogen blanketed "sealed" tank transformers. In this case we would try again on a warmer day or add nitrogen to the top of the tank until a "positive" pressure could be seen on the pressure gauge. In addition we used mason jars to take larger samples which we would then take back to the shop to perform power factor and dielectric breakdown testing.
I’m a substation technician as well and I agree with your post. Certainly not discounting any content of this video.
Our sub techs do the majority of this work (within our sub yards). Biggest reason we do it as well is because of the mounting height.
We cover the VR's and Or's out on the line. There wasn't quite an actual negative pressure, just not enough pressure to push the oil out into the syringe as a result of the cold temperature. We cease testing once temps dip below 0.
Great info also by the way, thank you! 👊👊
@@Bobsdecline No worries Aaron and as Daniel said I'm not trying to discount the content of your video either. As always you did a great job in this video keeping things accurate and concise. Cheers brother.
Every country or even company does it differently im sure
@@chosen1one930 that’s what I was getting ready to say. Work orders are different on the same jobs with different companies, they will put as much on you as they can get by with!
I'd like to see how you add or change the oil in these. With our last windstorm we were working alongside PUD to get the roads back open and they brought one of these out to replace what I assume was a damaged one. These things are huge up close. Much bigger than I thought. Got to give credit to those power guys, they did quick work. We had a mile long stretch where the poles were snapped or broken and they had the entire stretch fixed with brand new poles and wire in less than a day. Not an easy task when massive trees are down blocking the road too.
They are indeed a lot bigger up close. When I was in high school the local power company had a booth at a career fair. They had one of these regulators that probably was built for a trade show - the casing was glass or plastic so you could see the insides of it and there was no oil. It didn't have power to the 7200v windings of course but they demonstrated how the tap changer worked and you could actually see the parts moving around inside because of the glass case.
Hey Mike as a substation electrician we deal with regulators on a normal basis. From what I can tell you at least for the company I work for we do not change or add oil to regulators. If they fail the Kellman test (oil sample test) the whole unit gets replaced.
Yeah, they're like 7-8 feet tall. Big cans!
Wow! Haven't seen glass syringes in 60 years. Back in the day, my dad had a project which required him to extract samples of transformer oil from some respectably-sized distribution transformers.
We use them regularly.
They are called gas tight sampling syringes, made of glass and teflon. Pretty expensive. They can also safely be filled up with some pretty horible chemicals as well.
As a Lineman, I have performed these tasks many time inside and outside of sub stations.
I did work on testing/identifying dioxin contaminated oils used heavily until it was banned many decades ago. Lots of this equipment exists in the wild. Knowing about PCB/Dioxin and it's effects on human health made me outright quit. Too much personal risk even with proper handling. Keep an eye open for old transformers, you simply don't want to have contact with that poison.
Were you using HPLC or GC for dioxin?
After I found out how much PCB/DLC is in some fish, I severely cut back how much seafood I eat.
You are so correct.
You are the Doctor for the electric grid...
Hey it's no fair when you're the first one on your channel LOL be safe keep up the good work
As always, thanks so much for all the work all linewomen/ linemen do!!
Hi Aaron, great to see preventative maintenance being done. So rare these days with many providers thinking it is cheaper to wait for failures (and screw the customers). I've used syringes like those for more than 40 years, for handling air-sensitive chemicals, mostly pyrophorics like triethylaluminum.
I think the nurse used a syringe-like that drawing my blood the other day LOL. Keep up the great work.
🤣 Them ones hurt!! 👊👊🍻
Good post, never knew that was part of the duties of being a lineman.
I work for an environmental company from the United States that responds to the transformer spills and pumpouts, we also take samples, ours are to determine pcb content in the oil, prior to late 1960s, pcb oil was used and long term exposure can lead to cancer and health problems for those who might not know. I find it very interesting to see the day to day life as a lineman and how it all works. Stay safe out there.
Love your videos, planning on going to line school next august and getting into the trade! Incredibly excited and eager to get going! Have always had the dream to work on the most powerful force on earth and you have been a huge inspiration to get me ready to go and make the jump! Thank you and keep these videos coming! ⚡️
Money is the most-powerful force on Earth. Second place goes to the Strong atomic force. Wife force comes in third. Electromagnetic force comes in fourth.
That is interesting!! I like how you explain things, clear and simple!!
"Checking the oil" in some electrical equipment sounds like one of those made-up tasks you prank newbies with 😂. Like "blinker fluid" or the "keys to the sea chest."
I sent you a notice about a glove company in Chicago called Kunz Gloves. Looks like they have a wide variety of equipment. They've been in business a long time. I used to buy mittens and liners when I was still working on a large Chicagoland freight railroad, through some bitterly cold winters in the '70s. Hope this helps, it's pretty hard to keep out rain, very miserable when it's 40°F and blowing sideways, sometimes partially frozen. Always did like working during a snow storm, though. Thank You for your fact based videos, and appreciate the thorough procedures you follow.
Regards,
T.
I do remember remember seeing a mention of "Kunz" somewhere. It must have been your. I'm going to screen shot this comment right now so I don't lose it and I'll check it out! Appreciate it ! 👊👊
Be careful taking samples with the live regulator you might accidentally suck out some electricity.
I nvr knew there was oil inside those transformers until I started watching your channel.
I had a circa 1950s transformer leak all over my lawn - they had to replace it.
@@ntsecrets Did they replace the lawn?
@@gorillaau it was like a 2x2 foot square... so no. But they assured me that the 1950s oil had "little to no PCBs" lol. It did grow back.
@@ntsecrets LOL. Little to no PCBs, right. :) It sounds like ACS which depending who you ask is either American Cement Sheeting or Abestos Cement Sheeting. I have adopted it from Australia.
@@gorillaau actually the power company at first did not want to replace it, so I called the EPA state agency and they had a truck out within an hour to replace it!
Morning Aaron🤝
Going over transformer maintenance checked out the tap changer counter for an OLTC..extracting oil samples from a tap changer...cool stuff.
Been meaning to say: love the hat 👍🏽 🏳️🌈
Cheers from the Bay Area in northern California. Not a lineman, but I love learning about this stuff. Thanks!
Thanks, Cheers Omari!
Love your videos man
Thanks! 🙏👊
Thanks for the info, I also take samples to make bio diesel for my truck, there are a lot of transformers in my area so no need to pay for fuel these days.
mmm Dioxin! Timesbeach says hi.
I used to work for Hydro-Québec in 1971 and when we took oil sample from big transformers and breakers, we had to save some on the side. A lot of old guys were using old oil for rubbing on their rhumatism, I knew it was not good, but since I was beginning my 'career' , I did not argue. The oil had to have suffered some arcing to be good.....Of course at that time the oil was full PCB!
Ouch!!
Sometimes it is not if you are a good Lineman but how good a secretary you are.
People say electricity keeps world going
Nope paper work. 🤦♂️👷
Yo another great video Keep on making them.. people need to see where and how they get their Electricity
How many times can you sample the oil like that before it needs topping up? Love the vids. I’m not a lineman, I don’t play one on TV. lol. Just always wondered how most of that was done, then I stumbled across your channel.
Back in the late 1970's POS GE service department would check our 13.200 & 4,160 volt transformers. They would test it what looked like a basic Megger to test oil. If reading was low they would run oil thru a blooter press for a few hours. Halve ass GE used the same hoses on transformers so ended up contaiminating one of the 13,200 volt transformers with PCB'S
Didn't know that was a part of your job. Quite surprised!
I like the cap you had on in the shop.
Whats fun is when you see a failure and the oil spews out and catches fire. Ive seen that a couple times, its pretty wild. Get that stuff hot enough and it burns.
In a apocalypse type situation, him showing you this is vital for the ability to drive. Maybe not the new diesels but older diesel engines will run on the mineral oil if the oil supply chain dies in a event. Just get a large tarp and brace it on all four corners and run a small round in the bottom and badda boom you have fuel to run your diesel if you can catch it. It will render the unit completely useless but it may get you farther down the road in a apocalypse situation. It does work and could be vital info to save you and your family sometime.
Just be aware that not all Transformer oil is Mineral oil. Not sure how some of the synthetic esters they use these days will go. Might be fine.. Might be a fine mess to fix.
Do you ever check the potential on transformers and voltage regulators whose cases "are supposed to be" bonded to ground before you touch them?
I freaked the fuck out watching him do that
@@credit__devin He had probably already tested it before watching the video. This guy is very meticulous.
Why isn't there a regular service interval to just change the oil? Seems like over time if you keep draining to oil to check it you have to add more eventually right?
Mineral oil is considered hazardous waste so utilities in different areas properly want to minimize the amount they have to dispose of.
They get a top up about every 10 years! While it's a big jar, it doesn't take much from those big tanks
It's actually not ideal to change oil on a regular schedule, because oil doesn't wear or get contaminated on a regular schedule.
Imagine a car in Florida by the beach, and one in Nevada in the desert. Same miles per day, which will actually need an oil change first?
With cars we are used to fixed schedules, but that's just for convenience, and because it's a small cost to change the oil.
But when you get to larger engines, heavy equipment, etc, the best practice is to periodically test the oil, looking at additive levels, oil breakdown, wear metal levels, contamination, etc, and only change it when it actually needs it, partly because if it's under mild conditions and light use, it may be able to go twice as long and thus save a lot of money, but on the flip side, if it's under heavy use or harsh conditions, or has a leak or something wearing badly, it may need to be changed much more frequently to avoid engine damage.
Also, if you see a high level of a particular metal in the oil sample, you can get early warnings that a bearing is going out, or something else is having issues, so that you can plan for preventative maintenance before it fails, or replace a bearing before it destroys a crankshaft or block.
With this application, you are not just checking oil condition, you are basically taking a blood sample from the device, so you can actually see if the device itself is having any problems, whether major ones like a leaky seal allowing moisture in, or subtle ones like arcing inside that will leave dissolved gasses and probably elevated copper or aluminum levels in the oil.
And if you find those problems, then you can repair or replace the unit before it fails.
Just changing the oil won't identify the unit faults.
PCBs are still found at permitted levels in a small and decreasing number of in-service transformers...
@@Bobsdecline TY sir
Not sure why I got recommended this, but have watched it anyways
Hah sweet! 🍻
Good job Aaron.
Hey man from Wallingford Connecticut USA 👊 stay safe and happy Thanksgiving
Always very interesting. Thanks
Круто! У нас пробы масла берутся только из силовых трансформаторов на подстанциях напряжением от 35 кВ и выше, а на линиях 10 кВ у нас применяются вакуумные трехфазные выключатели.
Howdy Aaron. Hope all is well with you amd your family!
Hey Mike! Thank you and hope all is well with you and yours! 👊🍻
Wish our utility installed regulators this way. Instead of a 3 pole stand for the bank they have them each hung on their own individual pole in a row. A B C. And they don’t have bypass switches. They are actually tapped directly to the line. Their reasoning is they down want anyone to be able to just throw in the byspass unknowing that they must be in neutral position. Makes sense but it makes it interesting when you have to put them on line to zero them out.
use to take samples and test the oil , pcb's ,low arc range , recomend changing .
Trick is not to break the tap off like a college did on a JW420(large 275kv oil filled circuit breaker). Had to wedge a bit of wood in there to stem to flow. So he could go get the circuit tripped out and arrange and emergency oil tanker
Oh dear!! 😲
I'm surprised more people aren't stealing ground wires from the poles.
having worked on oil spill/pipeline spill clean ups, some from leaked transformers, that mineral oil was by far the worst as to how far into the ground it leeched
Water is heavier than oil therefore it tends to settle at the bottom. If there were any contamination with water entry, you should notice it right away.
wow cool i really hope you added some oil back after doing that as if it gets too low or no oil at all it might explode on you guys
Oh wow, this is right at Crossroads Pentecostal! I know where that is :)
I love that physics permeates everything. Head is head whether you work in Wastewater or Hydro. I enjoy your perspective and insights Aaron. Wonderful work as always! Thankfully I’ve never had to experience work in Delta P.
Love the Oakley pride cap! 😍🏳🌈
Love the videos!
aahhh yes the regulators are grand standing upthere just regulating lol anyway happy thanksgiving to you and your family
Thanks Marc! Cheers!
Very cool video! I’m not familiar with oil filled voltage regulators(I usually work with PCB boards) but if you took oil samples every year wouldn’t the oil eventually run out of oil in the voltage regulators? Keep up the great content and stay safe up there!
Yeah, a syringe-worth didn't seem that bad, but that jar... was that close to a liter? I hope they check the oil windows after they're done, too.
Thanks I like to wach all your videos
Support educational I had no idea
I would've thought the sediment was nessacery in the oil test since it would show how much material has dissolved into the oil
Allahu bless you care and health for workI am Indian (Kerala)god's own country Electricity Lineman
Thank you🙏 cheers!
Fantastic 😍😍
Спасибо, интересная тема про трансформатор)
My neighbors kid was shooting holes in transformers draining the oil out of 9 different transformers
I'm curious why they want a jar and a syringe both. I would have assumed the syringe would be all the science types would need.
I think they need a larger volume for the di-electric test
They do a DGA (Dissolved Gas analysis) on the transformer oil, usually Shell Diala. Why? Arcing in the oil when contacts operate, creates acetylene gas. All regulators have moveable contacts in the oil that are part of the tap changing mechanism. Usually this test is done based on a calendar or based on a mechanical counter at the regulator or recloser that counts the number of times the electrical contacts submersed in the oil have moved. At First energy we collected this data based on quarterly inspections. If the amount of dissolved gas exceeds the parts per million threshold, the oil has to be replaced. Acetylene is a combustible explosive gas. Also the oil has an affinity for moisture which has to be analyzed. We did not do DGA on fixed PAD and pole transformers as there are no contacts in the oil that move or operate on a regular basis. Some transformers have a NLT (NO Load Tap Changer) that should only be moved when the device is ***de-energized***. This is how we avoid making acetylene gas in the transformer oil.
Excellent explanation! 🙌🤝🍻
this is awsome i have the same job
3:31 it sounds like you're speaking from experience haha. Actually I'm kind of curious how those regulators work, I assume it's basically an autotransformer, but how does that work with only 1 wire going in then out? I guess basically same idea as single earth wire return?
One side of the transformer is connected together. Both the incoming neutral/ground and the outgoing neutral/ground are connected, and even share just one bushing which you can see in the video. Generally the incoming wire ratio is fixed. The outgoing wire ratio has the tap changer. Most tap changers I've read out on regulators have 32 positions with each position having a certain additional deviation (like 1.5% V) off of neutral. The box at the bottom of the pole that the big black wound-up cable runs to monitors the voltages and adjusts the taps automatically as needed to keep the output voltage the programmed level.
It always seems like those VR's or tapchangers are near a church! In my "roaming area" there are a couple of sets of those and both sets of them are in front of a church. Before I knew what they were I was really curious as to why a church would need 325kW to praise the Lord lol...
Lol, it's true tho eh!? 🤔🤔
Aaron (or anyone knowledgeable) please give an explanation of what is the proper way to interpret oil levels with a ball-in site gauge.
How do you add / top off the oil when it gets too low? Guessing at some point that happens If you’re testing it on a regular basis?
I would guess there's a special task force to handle that aspect of doing a full service. I would also surmise they have extra oil in there so the level stays above acceptable for the 10 year service interval.
That's correct!
6:48 if you used clear jars it would be easier to tell if oil was actually contaminated...
To be honest I'm not sure why the jars are ordered tinted like that!
@@Bobsdecline I would assume to prevent UV breakdown of the sample.
@@BlackBaron705 Much like beer bottles. To prevent it oxidizing
I was thinking that, but then wondered why the syringes were clear 🤔. That's gotta be it tho!
@@Bobsdecline yes if they're going to a lab they probably don't care if you can see the sample...and want to protect it from light breakdown. Thanks for responding all.
Did you check the sight glasses after taking the samples?
You pull oil while energized? I’ve heard of transformers exploding when an air bubble from pulling oil exposed the windings creating an arc.
He checked the site glass first. I think that's probably why.
yes i've heard of that happening when there's an existing fault which has filled the air space with explosive gases... I would suggest a hazard assessment for this task
They check to ensure it's not under a vacuum.
Was just going to say the same thing. If it's a vacuum in the tank that air bubble being pulled in could cause an arc in the tank!
I say negative pressure in the video as it acts like that with the syringe in place, but it isn't quite there yet.
The initial drainage into the jar comes out fine, there just isn't quite enough force to overcome the pressure from the gas within the syringe and it's tiny hole. Once temperature drops below zero degrees we will cease any sampling until next spring.
There are some pieces of equipment that we de energize before sampling
Very cool videos. I appreciate the Chanel. One question about an observation- I notice not all tools have a wrist lanyard or other tie off. Before university and becoming an EE I apprenticed in a rigging related Industry. There any tools with overhead workers had to have have a security line in case dropped elevated. Thoughts and perspectives from your industry? I am sure there is always a compromise where one safety mitigation might make another factor more hazardous. Cheers.
Happy thanksgiving
Thanksgiving was last month bud! You're on the wrong side of the 49th parallel 😂
🤣👊👊🍻
@@Bobsdecline 🍻👍👌
Hi Aaron, i have a question. Durring the night at my home, i read higher voltage than usual. Sometimes arround 2h AM, i can reach up to 127 volts on both phase durinng a couple minutes. I know metal is more conductive at lower tempeture but i think my 127 volts is way over the normal standard. Should i contact my electrical company?? [Hydro-Quebec] And what is causing that kind of problem, am currious? [I use 3 different voltimeter, my readings are accurate]
127 is a bit high, Our acceptable range is 114-126. The most common cause when seeing a voltage around 127 is a bad neutral. If that's the case, then the other phase would be low. It might look something like 127 on one leg and 117 on the other. Once load is removed (main break open) it would revert back to say... 122 and 122.
If you're for sure getting 127 on both sides at the same time, it could be a couple things.
- bad timing and being too close to a tap changer of some sort. In which case the power company should adjust the bandwidth to prevent that from happening.
- bad connection on a potential transformer or similar equipment that monitors voltage and communicates with a sort of tap changer.
* In either of those cases, neighbors would be experiencing same issues.
- could be an "off" load tap setting on the particular transformer feeding your home. Easy fix, open tx and adjust... But not all tx have them.
- could also be a failing transformer that has damage to windings, but this would like cause a more catastrophic failure.
Regardless of what it is, I would give them a call.
If you find out anything, I'd love to hear back!
Bobsdecline - Lineman blogger Oh, that was a QUICK reply. Thanks!
Couldn't it just simply be that there is only light load on his area of the grid at that time of the night/morning? I would expect voltages to climb in this scenario. I actually see it in my house during the day - when folk are at work and homes are just ticking over I can often see 250V on my mains (Scotland), and back down to 240 in the evening when everybody is home (I live on a large housing estate).
Regards!
In a case where voltage gets high as load drops off the grid, it should still regulate automatically. Either a Load tap changer on the power tx at the sub or a voltage regulator should still identify the high voltage and tap it lower as required. Sometimes the bandwidth may be set at 126 (252) to account for customers further down the line. That's where you may see 127 briefly at times until the equipment taps accordingly
@@Bobsdecline ... I have seen this slightly high reading a few times if the feed starts off as 2 legs from a 3 phase, instead of the normal single phase feed. This could be a mixed use area where they keep the nominal 208 volt slightly high to compensate for long runs within a facility that tends to brown-out during the day at peak use.
My Ford Transit 2.0tddi is working great on oil from transformer. It runs more quiet than diesel 😂
In Africa they use that oil for frying street food.
Does the oil ever get too hot to comfortably handle? What is the typical operating range high end on pole transformers, regulators, etc? I have noted convection cooling tubes or fans on substation equipment (and sometimes pole transformers too)...
Do you guys have any HDD pipe for grid, e.g. river crossings done UG and not cheaper aerial?
Those also get oil testing, for pollution, oxidation, water influx, dielectric breakdown, and signs of lightning hits. The technology shift from paper conductor insulation of that uniform spacing and twist triplex to modern plastics, and estimated life increase from 35 to 80-ish years, has yet to undergo a full life cycle, as tech experiments on further design improvements are being done at some specialized utility systems lab sites.
Imagine the nuisance if you had to replace a 14,000 foot pull of 1200 amp, 230 kV cable in 12" diameter thick wall pipe, with one intermediate splice box under the middle of a river.... By comparison, swapping out 7200 volt, 600 amp step regulators is routine and easy.
In those systems, oil is pumped back and forth between reservoirs at either end of the pipe, and does all of improve heat transfer from I^2R losses, prevents moisture influx, acts as further insulation, and quenches any irregular corona fields. Imagine if you had all 3 grid phase legs, at voltages that get 6 or 10 foot separations when aerial, inside one 12" pipe....
Do that mineral oil also had a second function like a cooler of some sort?
6:29 the cables just below this are they Fiber/Copper for network purposes?
Which day of the year is the sun scheduled to shine in that part of Canada?
What’s up? Uhhh… power lines? 😜
The little valve on the end of your syringe is called a three-way stop cock. It is mainly used in the medical system to control fluids going into or out of the body. I used to make about 3 million of the a year at my manufacturing company.
forbidden broth
What's that big dial indicator on top of the voltage regulator with the yellow arrow showing? It seems to have a "left" and "right" side, does it show current, or tank pressure...?
I began explains this in the original edit, but then found myself trying to cover every other feature as well and opted to edit it out...
The dial simply identifies the current "tap". The left most and right most indicators are drag hands that keep a record of the highest and lowest tap reached since it was last reset. There's a reset button in the panel at ground level. It's ideal to have it operate nearest zero to manage both peaks and valleys of power use throughout the day
@@Bobsdecline Oh that's interesting. Does the regulator change taps automatically I guess to maintain a set voltage to counter grid voltage drift, does it use some kind of relay/contactor at each tap that it automatically switches to adjust to the required voltage? I guess it isn't solid state right? How big is the voltage step of each tap (resolution), like 100V seeing that it's running at 7-12kV? Thanks for all the great content!
Be safe oooooooooooooooooot there in Canada
Are those frayed conductors on that pole sticking out at 3:50
my problems were getting oil to come out the port, someting it would not flow out ...valve not working.
Quick question. To me it looks like line side and load side bypass switches are closed in. Where is the bypass to take them offline?
Disregard I watched that part 5 more times and noticed that those are double knife with a third horizontal knife for bypass up top. Do those have a safety to prevent them being closed before zeroing out the regs? Or just common sense hahahaha
Mostly common sense! Haha. Actually VR's are one of the device included in a list that absolutely cannot be operated without first communicating with our dispatch. The communication includes a 3 way conversation of the zeroing procedure. (2 means of identifying "0"). Operating a device without permission in our company results might result in some pretty serious consequences.
That all being said. Your right, this particular one is a 3 in 1 with the horizontal by-pass. We have many versions, this one does not have a lock out. We sometimes build the entire setup with cut outs and also have auto by pass switches which can be kinda sketchy if they're stiff.
I should also add that regardless of the type of switch we have another rule that states:
Any device can be operated to ISOLATE a line only, without permission is it's an emergency.... Like a fire or a life is in danger.
No rubber gloves on 5:42 I know you don’t need them for what you’re doing, but I would wear them anyway in case of electricity is in there
You didn't use the syringe correctly!
You're supposed to plug in the syringe and let some oil spill out of the vent that goes off to the side, THEN you rotate the syringe valve to direct the oil into the syringe.
By not doing this, you contaminated the sample with the air that was in the needle.
interesting, Im an HVAC technician so I too work with voltage and mineral oil in that hermetically sealed compressors use mineral oil to lubricate the compressors and electric motors inside the hermetic cans. tell me this, are the transformer cans put in a vacuum before they are filled with mineral oil? a refrigerant system as well as the compressor must be put in a deepvacuum below 700 microns before refrigerant is added but this also includes the oil as well . I'm also wondering if you have any guidelines to megohm readings and oil contamination. we can determine how contaminated a system is by taking a megohm reading on the windings to determine if a system can even be cleaned or it must be replaced.
I work in the HVAC field as well, we take oil samples from our compressors and send them in for testing on a yearly basis.
Moisture, acidity, viscosity and any abnormal particles from wear on parts.
I'm from South Africa and the company we use is called Wearcheck.
@@alwayslost3008 interesting, I'm going to look for that service here...
@@johnnyb8629 We are like a third world country, I'm pretty sure you'll have a similar, if not much better, service there.
Please tell me you carry another adjustable spanner. I can only imagine the expletives that would resonate round the area if I dropped it.
The gears turn counterclockwise