A Power Transformer is also one of the highest capital expenditures (in terms of acquisition) for an Electric Distribution Company with a large coverage area. The average age of transformer is about 25 years. With new investments coming to the Philippines, more and more substations and transformers are being commissioned to address power requirements. This is increasing the need for data. Data Correlation between Transformer Health and Load Capacity are very important to an electric distribution company - it can save millions if the information is delivered to the right people at the right time. In the Philippines, where weather is a key factor and the environment changes suddenly, an adaptable, flexible, system is especially important.
The PI System was deployed to address this requirement by providing a Real-Time Data Infrastructure and central repository for data, to turn the data into useful information, and to provide anytime, anywhere, any device visualization for this information. The advantage of moving the data into the PI System is that it does not need to be as a big project but can be done in phases. In each phase of the project, Meralco has achieved a WIN due to the flexibility of the system. Once users see these benefits, they want more - which leads to more data being put into the PI System and more information being available to users. Users can now see at a glance which transformer in which substation have faults or even detect issues prior to faults using KPIs that are set within the system. The PI System also tracks Transformer inventory which can easily be relocated to another substation via PI Asset Framework. PI DataLink is provided automated reports for Dissolved Gas Analysis."