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Qualitrol Releases New Series of Smart Transformer Breathers for the Electrical Grid
FAIRPORT, NY, JUNE 7, 2018 – Qualitrol is proud to release the next generation of Smart Breather for power transformers. The STB000 series of breathers represents the latest in technology to keep a conservator style transformer dry by dehydrating the air “inhaled” as the transformer cools. It is unique in that it uses a pressure sensor to track a transformer’s breathing pattern and uses this data to schedule a time for desiccant regeneration.
The new STB000 series will be available in full production in the coming months.
“This breather represents a new era in smart transformer breathers. By using the knowledge we gained with our first generation product, as well as gathering feedback from both our customers and design teams, we have developed a product that will solve a lot of pain points in the industry. It is an exciting innovation for the industry.” states Product Manager Jesse Baker.
Qualitrol’s new STB000 series of smart breather uses a desiccant chamber to dehydrate the air that transformers breathe in as oil in the tank contracts. It then monitors, in real time, the moisture level and triggers a regeneration cycle as the transformer oil expands, known as the “exhale phase”. The “smart” aspect of the breather is that it uses a pressure sensor and a pattern recognition algorithm to ensure that the transformer is expelling the moisture, not bringing it into the tank upon regeneration. Using an onboard heater, it regenerates the desiccant and eliminates the need for frequent maintenance to replace the silica gel.
The new unit boasts a number of new features as well, offering options for current loop output, standalone software for communicating to the unit, Modbus communications, a test button to easily run diagnostics and more.
