Benefits of transformer rental service
Transformer rental aims to maximize the availability of drive system and reduce the cost impact as much as possible. In this post we will briefly describe the benefits of transformer rental service.
Reliability of transformers
Transformers belong to some of the most reliable electric equipment. The reliability can be quantified e.g. by mean time between failures (MTBF). For power and distribution transformers the MTBF figure may be as high as 2’000 years. Hence a transformer failure is quite unlikely. However, such event can never be completely excluded. And when it happens it may have very dramatic impact on the company (loss of production, penalties, negative publicity, broken image etc). Therefore, it makes sense to at least think of a plan B.
In the past, customers used to have capital spare equipment somewhere in the warehouse. That was the case also for transformers, motors and so on. Nowadays, most companies do not have such option any more. Capital spare is not “in”. It is an unproductive asset that is just sitting in the corner under a layer of dust. But WHAT IF something really happens? What if your VFD transformer fails?
The consequences could be quite severe. First of all, you would find it difficult to get a spare VFD transformer unless you physically own one. VFD transformers have a specific design fitting the VFD model. They differ from distribution transformers and you normally do not find them on stock.
It is a bit of paradox that so many users are concerned about the availability of the VFD but few of them spend some thoughts on the availability of a VFD transformer.
Downtime until getting a new transformer
Think for a minute how much time would be required to get a new transformer. Here are some of the steps you would need to go through:
- Preparing technical specification for a new transformer
- Clarifying some details with VFD manufacturer and finalizing the specification
- Sending the specification to perspective transformer manufacturers
- Waiting for their response (plus answering their questions if applicable)
- Receiving offers, evaluating them and selecting the transformer manufacturer
- Optional: Negotiating terms and conditions (T&Cs)
- Releasing formal purchase order or letter of award
- Design and engineering by transformer manufacturer
- Review and approval of technical documents and production release
- Manufacturing phase of transformer
- Factory testing
- Packing, expedition and transport to site
- Installation and commissioning
That sounds like lot of time. Let’s make a brief estimation of the duration.
Table 1: Expected time to replace a faulty VFD transformer
Realistic estimation
As we can see in Table 1, there is a considerable time period between the failure of original transformer and its replacement by a new unit. In our model example it would take between 30 and 108 days, i.e. a period of 1 month to 3.5 months.
Note that the minimum duration of 30 days is very optimistic assuming that all tasks go extremely smooth and the manufacturer has free engineering and manufacturing capacity to start immediately. In reality, such short time would be really hard to achieve.
The manufacturer with the best lead time may not be around the corner so the transportation takes few days extra. Moreover, the manufacturing lead times are highly dependent on actual factory loading. The supply chain may be disrupted as we have experienced it recently. And there are public holidays or some unforeseeable challenges.
Therefore, one must expect a severe impact on the availability of the drive system. 30 days are absolute minimum and it probably sounds too optimistic. More realistic estimation would be around 45 working days or 6-7 weeks, respectively.
Consequences of such long downtime may be dramatic for the business. However, it does not have to be like that. With our transformer rental service you get a spare transformer that will do the job until the original unit is repaired or a new transformer is manufactured.
Our solution
With our transformer rental service you can reduce the downtime to an absolute minimum. Let’s have a look at some details of our solution:
- Dry type VFD transformer
- Flexible design
- Suitable for indoor or outdoor installation
- Substituting dry type of liquid immersed original transformer
- Up to 5 MVA (higher on request)
- Supporting multiple grid voltages up to 11 kV
- Compatible with VFDs from various manufacturers (ABB, Ansaldo, GE, Ingeteam, Schneider, Siemens etc.)
- Ready for shipment
Why do we offer this service?
This idea was inspired by a real need. We have seen cases where users experienced a transformer failure and were desperately looking for a temporary replacement. However, as explained, VFD transformers are not of the shelf products. They use non-standard voltages, often incorporate multi-winding design with special connections and differ from one VFD model to the other. Hence it had always been difficult to find a suitable unit.
As we have witnessed such difficulties we decided to provide a solution that dampens the consequences of a transformer failure.
Benefits of transformer rental service
Thanks to our transformer rental the user can minimize the impact on his business. The operation can be quickly resumed, large liquidated damages can be avoided, reputation of the company is not compromised, customers are not lost. That sounds like couple of good reasons.
Check the suitability of our solution (free of charge)
Although we have used all our knowledge and experience from the VFD market to provide a versatile and universal solution we still cannot cover any possible case (configuration) that the users may have.
If you think that transformer rental might be something for your company we encourage you to check whether our solution fits. It does not cost you anything besides few minutes of your time. You will know in advance if we can cover your case.
Simply hit the button below, fill in basic technical data and we will come back to you.
We do reply to everyone checking the compatibility!
