A switchgear manufacturers perspective of condition monitoring and information management

The continuing development of monitoring techniques for high-voltage switchgear has been going on for a number of years and a great deal of experience on various sensors as stand-alone devices has been collected. More recently continuous monitoring systems have been applied with significant success. The adaptation of sensors to conventional electromechanical systems used for the control and protection of substations has, however, been complicated and made such solutions rather expensive. Currently digital, microprocessor-based systems for control and protection are being introduced on a broad basis. The author describes how this intense development coupled with ever improving signal processing capabilities are providing interesting opportunities for new, cost-effective monitoring systems as an integral part of an overall substation management philosophy