Voltage fluctuations are a global phenomenon – above all in weaker grids of developing and emerging countries. Unlike fancy grids in industrialized nations, which mainly suffer from the growing volatility of renewable energies, the problem there is usually weak infrastructure. What both grids have in common is that suppliers only regulate on the medium-voltage level. However, fluctuations on the low-voltage level often go unnoticed, as there is no systematic monitoring.
Asian industry uses VRDTs in the fight against fluctuating grids
Voltage fluctuations are problems for industrial companies in all of Southeast Asia. Regulated distribution transformers protect production. The ECOTAP® VPD® takes on the task of regulation.
Asian industry uses VRDTs in the fight against fluctuating grids
Voltage fluctuations are problems for industrial companies in all of Southeast Asia. Regulated distribution transformers protect production. The ECOTAP® VPD® takes on the task of regulation.
From Taipeh to the rest of Southeast Asia
At the same time, the electronic controllers of systems and machines respond more and more sensitively to these fluctuations. Whether industrial companies can produce efficiently and reliably thus depends more and more on compliance with a specified voltage range. Any deviations automatically lead to interruptions in production processes.
Shihlin Electric & Engineering Corporation, headquartered in Taipeh, supplies customers throughout Southeast Asia with transformers. Joseph Kuo, Senior Vice President (left) and Larry Hsieh, Manager of Material Purchasing Center, want to stabilize the industrial processes with regulated distribution transformers.
Prevent production failures of 25,000 US dollars per month with the VRDT
These are the problems facing the customers of transformer manufacturer Shihlin Electric & Engineering Corporation (SE & EC). Joseph Kuo, Senior Vice President of Shihlin, says, "We deal with the weakest grids in Southeast Asia in Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. Here, protecting production is highly recommended." Ultimately, however, Kuo sees an enormous demand for technologies for industrial companies in all of Southeast Asia that want to protect themselves against the consequences of voltage fluctuations.
Thousands of factories in Southeast Asia are battling voltage fluctuations. The desire for stable grids is enormous.
He takes one customer as an example. A company that operates a production facility in a rural part of Vietnam reports extreme instabilities, especially during the summer months. Several times per month, there was a production standstill of ten to 15 minutes due to strong voltage fluctuations. The company estimated the production failures alone at over 25,000 US dollars. In addition, the main tap changer was damaged. Shihlin manager Kuo says, "Thousands of production companies in Southeast Asia have to battle these same problems. This give you an idea of how high the demand is for technology that stabilizes the internal company grids."
The ECOTAP VPD is absolutely competitive and also a product from the world's leading OLTC manufacturer.
Shihlin Electric & Engineering Corporation meets this demand with distribution transformers. Back in September 2017, Reinhausen delivered an ECOTAP VPD. The end customer was an industrial company in Myanmar that had ordered a regulated 1.5 MVA transformer from Shihlin Electric & Engineering Corporation. Larry Hsieh, Manager of Material Purchasing Center at Shihlin, explains the decision for the Reinhausen tap changer. "We were initially considering tap changers from a manufacturer from Shanghai. The short distance and language advantage appeared very attractive at first. As a buyer, of course, cost is the most important thing. Here, the ECOTAP VPD is absolutely competitive and it's also a product from the world's leading OLTC manufacturer. Together with the brand strength of Reinhausen, the reliability and quality of the products as well as the strong service support, this was the decisive factor in our decision."
Different countries, different challenges
Three regulated distribution transformers switched in parallel are used by Saxon-Bavarian Starkstrom Gerätebau GmbH to protect its company grid. Production failures due to voltage fluctuations have now become a thing of the past.
Using two regulated three-winding transformers, RWE Powere AG secures its grid for lignite extraction in Hambach in Germany.
