Water and Energy International

In the present scenario, utilization as well as dependency on electricity has increased tremendously and it has become an essential part of day-to-day life as a fourth necessity. The use of electrical appliances and gadgets has made human life easy and comfortable apart from the necessity of it. To keep alive all these equipments and gadgets, electricity is required for 24 × 7 with quality power. Apart from increasing dependence and necessity of electricity, transition towards zero emission grid is also playing and major role in grid operation and its dynamics. It demands more reliable and stable operation under normal as well as various contingency scenarios and disturbance. This is imposing challenges for better monitoring and maintaining of assets and calls for enhanced practices. To provide uninterrupted quality power supply, most of all the power utilities have adopted condition-based maintenance philosophy. In the condition-based maintenance philosophy, each equipment in the power system is tested with online and/or off- line test equipment at a regular intervals and its condition is being monitored. Any abnormality in test results is analyzed and corrective action is taken accordingly to avoid equipment failure in the grid and thereby to avoid grid disturbances. On the other end, deterioration in parametric property may lead to abnormal behaviour and serious power quality issues. Thus appropriate practices of condition based monitoring is the key to reliable and quality power supply.