This textbook covers in detail the problem of improving the reliability and service life of high-voltage equipment in electric power systems, mainly through testing, monitoring, and diagnostics, which support the timely repair or replacement of equipment. The main focus is on high-voltage power and instrument transformers, switching devices, powerful rotating electric machines, capacitors, bushings, and power cables.
The design, purpose, and principle of operation for each respective type of equipment, as well as adverse factors that can lead to defects (primarily in insulation) – and, as a result, to accelerated aging (wear) and failure – are considered.
In turn, the scientific and technological foundations and practical application of testing, monitoring, and diagnostics to determine the technical condition of equipment are described. Considerable attention is paid to new and promising methods for testing under voltage (without interrupting operation) – such as pulsed flaw detection and dielectric spectroscopy. In addition, the authors propose a number of helpful physical concepts and technical solutions.
The book stands out in terms of the breadth and depth of the consideration of the problem, which reflects recent trends and concepts for the development of the electric power industry, and its convincing demonstration of the capabilities of traditional and advanced methods in relation to the main equipment used in electric power systems.
The textbook is intended for undergraduate and graduate students in the field of high-voltage technologies for electric power systems. It also benefits engineering personnel working with electric power systems and in the electrical industry.
Vasiliy Ya. Ushakov is Honored Worker of Science and Technology of the Russian Federation. Now he is Professor at the Energy Engineering School of Tomsk Polytechnic University. He has many years of experience teaching special disciplines (“High-voltage engineering”, “Current state, problems and perspectives of Electrical engineering”, “Energy saving ”) in Russian and in English (including abroad – Ulsan University, South Korea) and the course "Professional English" for Russian-speaking students. He has published over 300 scientific articles and 24 monographs and textbooks (five of them in Springer Verlag) and received 38 invention certificates and patents. Under his leadership, 37 candidate and 7 doctoral dissertations were defended. In different years, he held the following positions: Head of High Voltage Department of the Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU), Head of High Voltage Research Institute at TPU, Vice-Rector for Research of TPU, and Head of Regional Resources Saving Centre. He has several government awards.
Alexey V. Mytnikov received the M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Tomsk Polytechnic University in 1988. He received the Ph.D. degree in 2001. He is Associate Professor of Power Engineering Institute, Tomsk Polytechnic University (Tomsk, Russia). His research interests focus on power transformer diagnostics, high-voltage technologies, and engineering pedagogics. Also, he provides full range of special courses for bachelor’s and master’s teaching specialization “High Voltage Power Engineering”, including lectures, practices, and workshops. New technology of winding condition control, which is based on the nanosecond probing impulses, is the result of his experimental work. Simulations are a useful tool but as Hippocrates once said: “Clever man is not who knows a lot, but whose knowledge is useful”. I follow this motto now. Alexey V. Mytnikov published more than 80 scientific articles.
Ikromjon U.Rakhmonov is Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, and Head of the Department of Power Supply, Tashkent State Technical University. The scope of his scientific interests is increasing the efficiency and reliability of meeting the energy needs of industrial enterprises by predicting, standardizing of energy consumption, and monitoring the state of power-consuming equipment.
He published about 200 scientific and educational works, including 4 monographs and 48 articles in journals from the SCOPUS database. His Hirsch Index is 10 (in the SCOPUS database). Under the scientific supervision of IU Rakhmonov, 2 doctoral dissertations were defended; currently, 2 doctoral students and 4 independent researchers are preparing their scientific qualification works (dissertations). During his pedagogical work, he published 7 textbooks, 5 manuals, and more than 20 guidelines.
