16 Mar Keeping The Plug In The DNO Downtime Drain
Posted at 11:40 in Flood Resilience by Rene Willemsen
For DNOs, transformer downtime is a destructive and expensive problem.
With RIIO fines for loss of service and a massive value placed on reputation, the responsibility lies heavy on engineers to solve problems quickly and get their asset back on line.
I spend a lot of time speaking with project engineers about the consequences of downtime, and thinking about how to mitigate the losses it brings. Resources and reputation get sucked down that drain, and every minute has meaning in getting an asset up and running again.
There can be many causes for an asset going or staying offline, but there are three that come up again and again which just shouldn’t exist in the face of current technology:
- Repair time from flood damage.
- Shutdown during bundworks and protective measures.
- Long clean up times from oil leaks and contamination.
I believe that innovation is the plug for the DNO downtime drain.
Flooding is an inevitable hazard in this industry, and a resilient bund is the best defence. Installing or repairing a standard concrete bund means turning off the transformer, but there are new and innovative solutions that circumvent that problem. Our JBAR® bund, constructed of non-conductive glass-reinforced plastic, does not require the transformer to be off during installation or repairs – reducing build costs by up to 40% and time on-site by 80%.
A secondary innovation to bolster the new bund design is a protective coating called Adalline® 400. Guaranteed against leaks for ten years, it is also fully hydrocarbon resistant – protecting the environment from contamination and greatly speeding up the clean up process.
If you are fighting similar problems with old solutions, consider investing in innovative new technology that will save your time, money and reputation.