Interview with Hitachi Energy’s Helmut Bockshammer at CWIEME Berlin 2023
Transformers Magazine’s team has talked with Helmut Bockshammer, Hitachi Energy’s Global Product Group Manager of Transformers Components and Service at CWIEME Berlin 2023.
Source: Hitachi Energy
Germany, Berlin: Transformers Magazine’s team has talked with Helmut Bockshammer, Hitachi Energy’s Global Product Group Manager of Transformers Components and Service at CWIEME Berlin 2023.
Hitachi Energy, a global technology leader advancing a sustainable energy future for all, participated at CWIEME Berlin, the largest exhibition on coil winding, insulation, and electrical manufacturing. The company presented its latest innovations in transformers, components, and accessories, offering interactive sessions with its experts and holding a product launch on its latest addition to its bushing portfolio: EasyDry®, a new, dry-type, paperless bushing.
In an exclusive interview with Transformer Magazine, Helmut Bockshammer, Global Product Group Manager of Transformers Components and Service, of Hitachi Energy, shares his insights about the EasyDry® bushing solution, the relevance of digitalization in the industry, and the challenges that they face on the road to carbon-neutrality.
Q: What can you comment about Hitachi Energy’s participation this year at CWIEME Berlin?
A: We are very proud to have participated in this year’s CWIEME, where we had the fantastic opportunity to connect with customers and showcase our products and solutions in transformers, components, and accessories. This year’s highlight was the launch of EasyDry®, the new paperless, dry-type, high-voltage (HV) transformer bushing up to 550-kilovolt (kV), a truly innovative solution that sets up a new concept on reliability, sustainability, and cost efficiency, in transformer bushings. We also showcased our new TXpert™ HUB, powered by CoreTec 5, the next evolution in our open Digital ecosystem. It can integrate TXpert™-ready sensors and is equipped with the latest cybersecurity technology to digitalize every transformer.
Above all this, it was fantastic to have interacted with our valued customers and partners at the event.
Q: What are the main advantages of the new EasyDry® transformer bushing to address the industry challenges?
A: Generally, operations in the transformers component industry face challenges in safety, reliability, availability, low maintenance and high productivity. Our mission is to enable our customers and partners to build great transformers and to manage and maintain them throughout its life cycle.
Hitachi Energy is a pioneering leader in transformer bushings. We developed the Resin Impregnated Synthetics (RIS) technology of paper-free, dry-type (liquid-free) transformer bushings back in 2012 at 245 kV. With over 20,000 paperless bushings globally in the field, we have leveraged on our experience and expertise by upgrading our EasyDry® bushing family to 550 kV.
The heart of our new bushing, the HV condenser core, is made from a paperless insulation that prevents any moisture during its ingress and accumulation, leading to an extremely stable dielectric insulation, even when under the most severe operating conditions. Moreover, the outdoor silicone insulator (porcelain optional for ≥ 245 kV) in the new transformer bushing prevents dirt and other aggressive environmental factors from entering the condenser core, thus further protecting it. These bushings have proven their quality under the toughest conditions, in various industrial applications like offshore, seismic regions, and high-altitude construction.
The EasyDry® bushings can likewise be used for retrofitting existing transformer bushings, allowing the upgrade of existing transformers from Oil Impregnated Paper (OIP) to paperless dry bushing technology. This can help to extend transformer life and offer a great option, when combined with a mid-life refurbishment or repair project.
In addition, due to the characteristics of the new EasyDry® transformer, the storage of paperless bushings is also easier compared to RIP bushings, making keeping spares more convenient.
Q: To finish our interview, please share your perspective on what Digitalization means for Hitachi Energy toward carbon-neutrality?
A: Decarbonization is transforming our energy system. Electricity will be the backbone of the future energy system. By 2050, the global power system is expected to have an installed power generation capacity of around four times that of today and be transferring around three times the electrical energy. Decarbonization is transforming our energy system, leading to a complex “system of systems” that must be integrated and managed.
Digitalization is the only way to manage the complexity to support the demand for greater flexibility, efficiency, and resilience in electricity networks, by simplifying the contextualization of massive amounts of data to deliver the necessary visibility, agility, and fast, data-driven decision-making across the entire business. This helps our customers and partners prioritize maintenance and to make informed investment decisions. By combining digital capabilities, Hitachi Energy provides innovative solutions that optimize energy production, distribution, and consumption, ultimately leading to a more sustainable, flexible, and secure energy system.
Let’s not forget that the future energy system will be built on the existing one, which means that we need to help make the existing infrastructure and installed base, “future-ready”. Hitachi Energy provides a wide array of services, leveraging technologies such as TXpert™, RelCare or the Lumada suite, to address individual customer needs. Leveraging on our global service footprint, digital and service really go hand-in-hand in supporting the decarbonization efforts to accelerate the energy transition further.
Source: Hitachi Energy
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