On-line condition monitoring will play a central role in the future grid, according to Nicolaie Fantana. “This monitoring will also be important in dealing with dynamic operational conditions, grid complexity and more demanding equipment life management,” Fantana said.
Fantana, of ABB Corporate Research Germany, will chair theOn-Line Condition Monitoring: Value for Future Grids panel session at IEEE PES’ General Meeting in Vancouver from July 21 to 25. The session will cover the experience and value of on-line condition monitoring applications; and the chances, challenges, and synergies in the view of future grids and new technologies. The use of on-line condition monitoring systems is for better network and asset management over the lifetime of equipment and for making the networks more reliable and available.
On-line condition monitoring plays an important role in various installations worldwide. The experiences, and lessons learned from such installations, will be shared during the session. The panelists (international experts from utility, manufacturers, research) will present their views, experience and best practices. Also of interest will be synergies and future developments, new technologies to use for OLCM, interactions with installations on substation or network level, increasing use of communication and IT technologies, and how to better support and bring value to future grids.
“Attendees will learn about the status and future developments, which can motivate them to take part in the challenging evolution of our grids. The future grid will involve more real-time supervision and decision-making support,” Fantana said.
Fantana is well suited to put together and chair this particular session. He has been convener of CIGRE working groups, task force leader and member in working groups in the area of transformers and substations. He has worked on topics such as equipment life assessment, lifetime data management for transformers, obtaining value form on-line condition monitoring, intelligent monitoring systems and maintenance. He is interested in new technologies, including sensing and mobile devices for service. Fantana has more than 30 years of research, engineering and university experience.
He has learned from practical experience by his work with ABB Corporate Research and through activities in IEEE and CIGRE. “I have dealt with new and challenging topics, learning from practical cases,” he said. “It is also enriching getting to know people and interact with them on these practical cases.”
It is that interaction that he likes about his job. “I enjoy interesting and challenging topics and the possibility to work with customers and colleagues around the world.”
He earned the Dr.Ing. from the University Politehnica Timisoara Romania, where he was associate professor until 1991. He received a European grant and visited at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, KIT, Germany form 1991 to 1992. Since 1992 he has been with ABB Corporate Research Germany. As a student, he was fascinated with electrical engineering and computer science, so he decided to take the path to the power industry.
Fantana lives in Heidelberg, Germany, and has two sons and four grandchildren. He loves his work and research, but also likes hiking, music and photography
