ISUBSTATION TRANSFORMER OIL SAMPLING INFORMATION

Tharnlk you for taking the time out of your busy day to review the services we provide. Ivery much appreciate your interest in the transformer oil sampling. I will provide a briefdescription of the process I perform in the field collecting of the sample and the role ofthe lab providing the customers with the data. Being substation and OSHA certified, if itis the desire of the utility, I can go to the substations by myself to collect the sample,thus saving the cost of the utility sending two men and a truck at approximately $150 anhour or more, with labor, equipment, and benefits. It also allows the utility crew toprovide a needed task elsewhere while the transformer sampling is being completed. Iprovide this solo service to many utilities across the United States. The utilities utilizingthis service issue me a list of locations or map, and a key or electronic name badge toaccess the substations. I have GPS technology to assist with location of the stations.When entering a substation a safety inspection of the station is performed as part of theservice. If any equipment or apparatus is in danger of failure or a safety risk I notify thesupervisor immediately. I have equipment with internet capability to remotely email, text,send photos, or call from the substation location to discuss the issue with the supervisoror engineering staff. Grounds are also inspected before any contact is made and valvesare opened for oil discharge and collection. Temperatures are recorded on thenameplate data sheet and the nitrogen level is checked for positive pressure. Fluidlevels are always evaluated and a test number is assigned to the unit correspondingwith the serial number. If needed, nitrogen is installed to bring the unit to positivepressure. Oil is flushed from the unit to remove moisture contaminated oil near the valvebefore the sample collection begins. The bottle sample we take, approximately one pintis used for many diagnostic tests and the air tight syringe, approximately 40 eels, weuse to capture all of the dissolved gases present inside the unit to provide you with thevery best data after the field sample is carefully collected and sent to the ATIIab inBurnsville, Minnesota. At the lab a very seasoned and expert staff with 35 plus years ofexperience will analyze the sample and provide you with a certified report, very easy toread and user friendly. The ATI Lab is one of the highest regarded labs in the country,very well respected in the industry, and is known for its excellence in accuracy, service,data, and very competitive pricing. As we discussed it is a very cost effective andefficient way of seeing what is going on inside the transformer with regard to insulationbreakdown or oil degradation which could lead to an untimely failure. Most importantlythe level of dissolved gases in the unit could be of real safety concern with staffrestoring service to the unit or changing taps by stepping a regulator up or down forvoltage regulation changes or monthly inspections. As you know Federated Insurancerecommends annual substation transformer oil sampling data and monthly substationinspections. I had a real life situation back in early 2000 when lightning struck one of our34.5 KV / 14.4 KV (5 MVA) transformers and the first request from Federated wasdocumentation of the last 3 years of dissolved gas and oil quality testing along with themonthly substation inspection documents. Just another good reason to have the dataavailable in the event of a failure, that the utility is justly compensated by its insurancecarrier, as some of the bigger units that can run up into the hundreds of thousands ofdollars and then into the millions with the large ower plant units. The EPA rule of 1979dictated all transformers, poles, pads, and sub tation units have to be tested for PCB

and properly labeled. We also include the PCB test in our process. It is always good toretest in a few years for PCB just in case somebody has added some contaminated oilor a PCB filled bushing has started leaking into the main tank, now contaminating it.With regulators, some of the old units had PCB contaminated components such ascapacitors, which had the ability to contaminate the unit. The following are the list oftests available to be performed by the lab after the sample is drawn and sent in:dielectric voltage, interfacial tension, acid number, color number, specific gravity, visualexamination, Karl Fischer moisture, dissolved gas analysis, PCB analysis, power factor,DBPC oxidation inhibitor, metals in oil, and viscosity. The lab has the right combinationfor tests that are the most beneficial and give you the best bang for your buck. There isso much that can be seen from the testing and sampling process. The dissolved gastest can be so important in finding a beginning gassing problem and fixing it before acatastrophe occurs costing several hundred thousand dollars or possible death or injury.The color change in the oil indicating deterioration or contamination. The power factormeasures the dielectric losses in oil with direct relation to over heating. The visual testcan detect particles of insulation and metal corrosion products which help predict thelongevity of the transformer, just to name a few. You definitely want to know if water iscontaminating your transformers through a leaking bushing or something else makingthe Karl Fischer moisture test very valuable, and possibly warding off massive failure. Ihave also enclosed material giving a more comprehensive description of each test andthe ASTM and EPA number referencing each test. We can provide all field techniciansampling service including the safety inspection and oil collection process, using all ofthe ATI recommended high end syringes and tubing, collection bottles, and all otherneeded valve equipment or fittings as part of our single price deal. All samples collectedwill be sent to the ATI Lab where a very close study will take place, after which acertified report will be issued with results and recommendations if needed. The lab isalways available to answer all questions and offer their opinion on what mayor may notbe needed or what may be going on inside the transformer. All vehicles, equipment,material, labor, lab work, and reports are in included in the price of $130 per unitsampled. If there are large numbers of units or multiple transformers in close proximity,the cost per unit is reduced. This applies to all three phase and single phase units. Mostutilities test their LTC's, three phase and single phase substation transformers everyyear and their single phase regulators every three to five years. I have attached a sheetexplaining my back ground, certifications, and insurance for your convenience. If I cananswer any other questions feel free to call or email. Thank you so much for yourinterest in our services.

John W. NaniniElectrical TechnicianAnd ConsultantVictor Utility ServiceVictor Mountain Inc.PO Box 924Philipsburg, MT. 59858Phone 406-450-1061johnnanini@victormountain.com