A novel approach to diagnostics of transformer winding deformations, caused by mechanical forces from short-circuit currents, is presented. We employ a simple model of a transformer as a two-dimensional parallel plate waveguide. The upper plate represents the transformer tank wall and the lower plate represents the iron core which carries the magnetic flux. Between the two plates, we model the transformer winding by a set of parallel conductors. We utilize commercial simulation software to simulate the generation and measurement of microwave radiation at both ends of the winding structure. The radiation interacts with the metallic structures in the model waveguide. The measured responses from the model waveguide are expected to be sensitive to mechanical deformations of the transformer winding. We use conventional waveguide theory to solve the direct propagation problem, and an optimization method to solve the inverse problem. In particular, we determine the locations of winding segments, and obtain a good agreement between reconstructed and true conductor positions.

A study of a novel method to detect mechanical deformations of windings in a power transformer, while in operation, is presented. We employ an approximate model of a transformer winding surrounded by the transformer-tank wall and the magnetic core. The transformer winding is viewed as a structure consisting of thin conducting cylindrical rings (winding segments or turns) situated within a coaxial cylindrical waveguide, where the inner conducting cylinder represents the iron core that conducts the magnetic flux and the outer conducting cylinder represents the wall of the transformer tank. The basic principle is to insert antennas inside the transformer tank above and below the winding to radiate and measure microwave fields that interact with the metallic structure and the insulation. The responses from the radiated waves are assumed to be sensitive to any mechanical deformations that could be caused by electromagnetic forces due to short-circuit currents and possible manufacturing weaknesses. The goal is to be able to determine the radial locations of the individual winding segments or individual turns from measurements of the scattered fields at both ends. The propagation problem is solved by conventional waveguide theory, including mode-matching and cascading techniques. We utilize optimization as a suitable method to solve the inverse problem and obtain a good agreement between the reconstructed and true positions of the winding segments.

An on-line method to detect radial mechanical deformations of power transformer winding turns is presented. First-order perturbation theory is applied to a transformer winding surrounded by the transformer tank wall and the iron core. The transformer wind- ing is modeled as thin conducting cylindrical rings (winding segments or turns) situated within a coaxial waveguide, where the outer con- ducting cylinder represents the transformer tank wall while the inner conducting cylinder represents the iron core. Antennas which radi- ate and measure microwave fields are proposed inside the transformer tank in order to identify and quantify the mechanical deformations of winding turns. The direct propagation problem is solved using conventional waveguide theory with mode-matching and cascading techniques. An optimization algorithm is then used to solve the inverse problem whereby a good agreement between the reconstructed and true deformations of the winding segments is obtained.

We study a detection method for continuous mechanical deformations of coaxial cylindrical waveguide boundaries, using perturbation theory. The inner boundary of the waveguide is described as a continuous PEC structure with deformations modeled by suitable continuous functions. In the present approach, the computation complexity is significantly reduced compared to discrete conductor models studied in our previous work. If the mechanically deformed metallic structure is irradiated by the microwave fields of appropriate frequencies, then, by means of measurements of the scattered fields at both ends, we can reconstruct the continuous deformation function. We apply the first-order perturbation method to the inverse problem of reconstruction of boundary deformations, using the dominant TEM-mode of the microwave radiation. Different orders of Tikhonov regularization, using the L-curve criterion, are investigated. Using reflection data, we obtain reconstruction results that indicate an agreement between the reconstructed and true continuous deformations of waveguide boundaries.