Risks & Protection
Understanding and Controlling Transformer Risks
From internal faults to cascading failures — how to protect critical infrastructure before incidents escalate.
Not all transformer failures are preventable. Engineering responsibility starts with understanding which risks can be avoided — and which must be contained.
Why Transformer Risks Cannot Be Treated in Isolation
Transformer incidents are rarely standalone events. Internal faults can escalate into explosions, fires, and cascading outages, affecting personnel safety, critical assets, and grid stability. Managing these risks requires understanding failure physics, propagation mechaisms, and response timing.
Three Interconnected Risk Domains
Traditional electrical protections and fire systems are designed to react after thresholds are exceeded. However, explosion and fire dynamics unfold faster than relays, breakers, or suppression systems can respond.
A Mechanical Line of Defence When Time is the Critical Variable
Effective transformer protection requires solutions capable of acting within milliseconds, addressing root physical phenomena rather than secondary effects.
