Why Condition Monitoring Matters as Power Grids Ask More from Existing Assets
From Higher Utilization to Better Asset Visibility
Power systems are being asked to do more.
Electrification, renewable energy integration, data centers and industrial development are all increasing demand for electricity infrastructure. At the same time, utilities are facing longer equipment lead times, supply chain constraints and rising investment costs.
This creates a fundamental challenge: how can the existing power infrastructure be used more effectively while maintaining reliability and managing asset risk?
A recent CIGRE article, “A Grid That Must Do More – Possibilities, limits and risks for increasing transformer overload capability," examines this question from the perspective of transformer loading. The article highlights a broader shift in power-system asset management: instead of relying only on fixed operating limits, utilities are increasingly looking toward condition information, monitoring technologies and risk-informed decision-making.
The same principle is relevant to other critical electrical assets, including GIS and GIL.
Why Operating Limits Are Not the Whole Story
Traditionally, electrical equipment is operated with defined margins to ensure reliability under normal and contingency conditions.
For transformers, for example, higher loading can increase temperature, accelerate insulation ageing and increase stress on components. CIGRE notes that advances in thermal modelling, insulation ageing research, moisture assessment and online monitoring are providing greater visibility into transformer condition and creating opportunities for more condition-based asset management.
The important concept is not simply:
“How much can the equipment carry?"
but increasingly:
“What condition is the equipment in, and how much operating capability remains?"
This change from static limits toward condition-informed decisions is becoming increasingly important as utilities seek to extract more value from existing infrastructure.
The Same Principle Applies to Gas-Insulated Equipment
For GIS and GIL systems, the insulating gas is an essential part of the equipment’s insulation system.
The quality and condition of the gas can therefore provide important information during commissioning, maintenance and troubleshooting.
Several parameters are particularly relevant:
- SF₆ purity
- Dew point / moisture content
- SO₂ and other decomposition products
- Gas pressure and density
- SF₆ leakage
These measurements do not replace other forms of GIS condition assessment. Instead, they provide complementary information that can help engineers evaluate gas condition and identify potential issues during the equipment lifecycle.
Moisture is particularly important
Moisture inside gas-insulated equipment can affect insulation performance and may also indicate problems associated with installation, sealing, maintenance or gas handling.
For this reason, dew point measurement is commonly used when evaluating the condition of insulating gas.
A reliable measurement can help answer practical questions such as:
- Is the gas sufficiently dry?
- Has moisture entered the enclosure?
- Is the equipment ready for commissioning?
- Has gas quality changed after maintenance?
- Is additional drying or gas treatment required?
This makes moisture measurement more than a simple laboratory test. It can become part of the overall maintenance and asset-management process.
From Testing Individual Parameters to Understanding Asset Condition
Modern asset management increasingly depends on combining multiple sources of information.
For a transformer, CIGRE highlights technologies including fibre-optic temperature monitoring, dissolved gas analysis, moisture sensors, thermal modelling and digital twins. These technologies can help asset owners better understand the relationship between operating conditions and equipment condition.
For GIS and GIL, a similar approach can involve combining:
Gas quality + moisture + decomposition products + pressure/density + leakage information + operating history
Rather than looking at a single measurement in isolation, engineers can use multiple parameters to build a more complete picture of equipment condition.
This is particularly relevant when equipment needs to remain in service for many years and maintenance decisions must balance reliability, operating requirements and lifecycle cost.
Why Accurate Gas Testing Becomes More Important
As utilization of existing electrical infrastructure increases, the importance of reliable condition information also increases.
If equipment is operated closer to its practical limits, uncertainty becomes more significant.
For GIS and GIL, accurate gas testing can support several stages of the equipment lifecycle:
1. Commissioning
Before energization, gas quality and moisture can be checked to verify that the insulating medium meets the required condition.
2. Routine Maintenance
Periodic measurements can help establish gas-quality records and identify changes over time.
3. Troubleshooting
Unexpected increases in moisture or decomposition products can provide useful information when investigating abnormal conditions.
4. Gas Recovery and Reuse
During maintenance, recovered SF₆ can be analyzed before treatment and reuse. Gas analysis can help determine whether recovery, purification or further processing is required.
5. Environmental Management
Accurate leak detection and controlled gas handling can reduce unnecessary SF₆ emissions and support responsible management of this high-impact insulating gas.
Moving Toward Condition-Based Asset Management
The discussion around transformer overload capability illustrates a larger transformation in power-system asset management.
The objective is not simply to operate equipment harder.
It is to understand equipment better.
Better sensors, improved modelling and more comprehensive diagnostic information can reduce uncertainty and allow asset owners to make more informed decisions about loading, maintenance and replacement.
CIGRE’s work on transformer loading reflects this broader direction. Its Joint Working Group A2/D1.82 is examining ageing mechanisms, moisture behaviour, thermal modelling, component limitations, monitoring technologies and risk mitigation as part of a structured assessment of increased transformer loading.
For gas-insulated equipment, reliable gas measurement is one part of the same broader philosophy:
Measure → Understand → Assess → Maintain
KSTONE: Supporting Gas Condition Assessment
KSTONE develops testing and gas-handling equipment for SF₆-insulated and eco-friendly electrical equipment.
Our product range covers several stages of gas management and condition assessment, including:
- SF₆ leak detection
- SF₆ purity measurement
- Dew point and moisture measurement
- SF₆ decomposition product analysis
- Multi-gas analysis
- SF₆ recovery and gas handling
- SF₆ separation and purification
- Gas analysis for eco-friendly switchgear
For GIS and GIL operators, these technologies provide practical measurement tools for commissioning, maintenance, troubleshooting and gas management.
As power systems continue to demand more from existing infrastructure, better asset utilization will increasingly depend on better asset information.
For gas-insulated equipment, understanding the condition of the insulating medium is an important part of that information.
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