Advanced online electrical testing in real time aided by electromagnetic signature analysis (EMSA) and artificial intelligence (AI) technology
Since its inception in the late 19th century, the electrical power grid and the apparatus that support it have experienced continuous advancements.
byRichard Ladroga
Since its inception in the late 19th century, the electrical power grid and the apparatus that support it have experienced continuous advancements in voltage and insulation levels, power throughput, efficiency, and economies of scale. Yet throughout this period, the methods of dielectric testing have remained largely static and relatively unchanged. In recent years, however, the advancement of complex sensor technology, powerful computers, telecommunications, the internet, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have set the stage for a quantum leap forward in the electrical testing of large power apparatus. A radical form of electrical testing has been under development for several decades and has proven itself as a welcome and worthy platform for advanced electrical system diagnostics. This testing is known by the acronym EMSA, which is the shortened version of Electromagnetic Signature Analysis. EMSA testing represents a major breakthrough in the field of electrical apparatus testing, as it is performed at power, with the apparatus or system undergoing testing remaining fully energized and loaded. Electrical system testing, while fully energized, represents a radical step-change in technological advancement, and it yields major gains in personnel safety, strategic operations, budgeting, forecasting, outage planning or outage deferment, and risk / reliability maximization. The availability of extremely powerful computing capabilities, high-bandwidth data transmission, and artificial intelligence allows for massive data set streaming and analysis in real-time, resulting in the ability to instantly monitor and analyze complex electrical apparatus. This radical improvement in testing and monitoring methodology allows for instant real-time analysis and notification of system anomalies and initiating faults long before they become a major concern for the owner / operator of the asset in question. Online EMSA testing represents a paradigm shift in how electrical testing will be performed in the future as it becomes adopted globally and accepted as a superior testing technology.
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