Figure 2. In cases where no exact replacement units are immediately available, similar units are available for rent from companies such as ELSCO until the original plant transformer is remanufactured and back on the pad.
“The main problem I’ve seen with some installations is adapting to existing facilities; it may seem like a small thing but it’s really huge,” cautions Johnson. “Obviously there will be mating and connectivity issues between your substation transformer and the secondary switchgear. I’ve seen cases with mass-produced transformers where at the end of the day you have to kluge it together to make it work. Sometimes it turns into a ‘beat to fit, paint to match’ sort of thing.”
“Our old on-campus equipment dated anywhere from the late 1920s to the 1980s,” continues Johnson. “This is where a custom-designed transformer and bus bar, like we get with the ELSCO transformers, really shines. The known reliability and track record of their transformers played a part in my selection of ELSCO. I’m an EE by trade and have been involved in electrical construction for over 25 years, so I have a respect for hardware.”
As more campuses like WKU—with approximately five million square feet under roof—must switch out dozens of distribution transformers, cables and underground vaults, the process will not take place overnight. Johnson recommends tackling the oldest transformers first.
“Of the 58 buildings we have on campus, I’ve still got about 18 to go so we’re still working it,” adds Johnson. “We replaced our worst equipment first to get them offline before we had more failures. Since we’ve had two-thirds of our system already replaced, obviously our failure rate has gone way down. We’ve never had any issues out of anything we’ve ever put in.”
“For other engineers in the same situation as I’m in here at WKU, I would absolutely recommend replacing your old transformers at your university,” continues Johnson. “Even though we are a public institution and must put everything out to bid, we are permitted to buy from a sole source to alleviate the emergency. Few would argue against a power outage as being an emergency.”