We Have a Transformer Shortage
Mar 15, 2023 10:15:51 #
Building projects are being held up because of a shortage of power transformers. Aside from new construction, there is no substantial supply in case of transformer failures. Delaying new construction is bad enough, but in case of a serious solar flare, we will be powerless for quite a while. Let's all cross our fingers and hope for the best - two traditional ways of guaranteeing success. 🤣
Mar 15, 2023 10:54:44 #
LOL, coming from the power industry this is nothing new. The U.S. used to build bulk transformers until government regulations made it difficult to make a profit. I found it very sad to have to commission transformers from Korea and other foreign nations. There is a database that power companies share with each to see who has what for spares.
Mar 15, 2023 11:05:36 #
jonyrot wrote:
LOL, coming from the power industry this is nothing new. The U.S. used to build bulk transformers until government regulations made it difficult to make a profit. I found it very sad to have to commission transformers from Korea and other foreign nations. There is a database that power companies share with each to see who has what for spares.
Awful!
Mar 15, 2023 11:13:03 #
jonyrot wrote:
LOL, coming from the power industry this is nothing new. The U.S. used to build bulk transformers until government regulations made it difficult to make a profit. I found it very sad to have to commission transformers from Korea and other foreign nations. There is a database that power companies share with each to see who has what for spares.
One of the reasons for the decrease in domestic production was the former use of PCBs as a dielectric oil. The contamination of the manufacturing environment with PCBs and the government cleanup of the sites and subsequent lawsuits drove manu US manufacturers out of business. We have such a site here in my city where transformers were rebuilt, and the company went bankrupt due to the cleanup costs and lawsuits. There are alternative dialectic oils now available, but many of the former manufacturers are gone.
Mar 15, 2023 11:26:42 #
TriX wrote:
One of the reasons for the decrease in domestic pr... (show quote)
The Hudson River was a prime garbage dump for General Electric's PCBs. For years, no one was supposed to eat fish from the Hudson. There was a certain amount of cleanup, but the PCBs sink into the mud, and digging down into the mud would just spread them around even more. It's unbelievable that so many companies saw water as the best place to dump all sorts of harmful materials.
Mar 15, 2023 11:29:20 #
jonyrot wrote:
...until government regulations made it difficult to make a profit.
If the regulations prevented them from dumping PCBs into rivers, then that was a good regulation. There's "profit," and there's "huge profit." It's huge profit that companies want.
Mar 16, 2023 12:10:19 #
Waukesha has been building up to 115 Kv, I had heard that Waukesha was going to start building larger transformers too. I hoping so, getting transformers from outside continental boundaries is difficult. Building here in the U.S. is a big part of national security, but the cost of transformers is so prohibitive that many companies won't order spares.
Mar 16, 2023 14:21:16 #
jerryc41 wrote:
Building projects are being held up because of a shortage of power transformers. Aside from new construction, there is no substantial supply in case of transformer failures. Delaying new construction is bad enough, but in case of a serious solar flare, we will be powerless for quite a while. Let's all cross our fingers and hope for the best - two traditional ways of guaranteeing success. 🤣
My wife sells control cable to all utilities east of the Mississippi River. The lead time is 50 weeks. So factor that in also. There are only 2 companies that make it. Southwire and Lake.
If you want to reply, then register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.