CIGRE UK A2 elected regular member Zhongdong Wang during the Group Discussion Meeting in her role as a special reporter (Courtesy of Elizabeth MacKenzie).
From 28 August to 02 September the CIGRE Session 2022 took place at the Palais des Congrès in Paris and many UK A2 delegates were present amongst 3500+ delegates in total from 90+ countries and 300+ exhibitors. The event included Group Discussion Meetings (GDM) from each of the 16 study committees, a poster session of more than 950 new papers, study committee and working group meetings, workshops, tutorials, and various social events. The following will give an insight in chronological order throughout the week.
The CIGRE Session was opened by CIGRE President Michel Augonnet on Sunday afternoon, including a keynote speech from Arshad Mansoor (CEO, Electric Power Research Institute) on “A Climate Ready Power System”, various CIGRE awards and medals, and a reception afterwards.
On Monday morning 29th of August an A2 tutorial was presented by Ralf Schneider (CH) on the “Life extension of oil filled transformers and shunt reactors”.
The A2 Study Committee meeting took place on Tuesday 30th August, where the latest updates have been given to the following topics according to the agenda:
- Awards to members 2022
- Reports on Technical Council (TC) and Working Group (WG) activities
- New working group proposals
- Discussion on the preferential subjects for the 2024 session
- CIGRE Women in Energy
- Liaison reports
- Approval procedure of technical brochures
- Future events
Our UK additional regular member Elizabeth MacKenzie had the pleasure to give a short talk to the A2 Study Committee about Women in Energy and her experience in the field. She covered her long transformer career and her recent experience and upcoming challenges she foresees. Additionally, she urged the industry to get more young people interested in engineering, female as well as male.
The National Committees have also granted the “Distinguished Member” title to two of our UK A2 colleagues, namely Elizabeth MacKenzie and Simon Ryder, in recognition of their long-standing and important contribution through participation in the technical work of Study Committees or within their National Committee.
On Wednesday 31st August the registered UK delegates were invited for the CIGRE UK evening reception in the beautiful venue and garden of the Cercle de l’Union Interalliée. The reception did not only welcome conference attendees from the UK but also a number of international industry leaders and was made possible by several sponsors.
The Group Discussion Meeting took place on Thursday 01st September where many contributions amongst to the three Preferential Subjects (PS) have been reported. This year’s preferential subjects were:
- PS 1: Experience and new requirements for transformers for renewable generation
- PS 2: Beyond the mineral oil-immersed transformer and reactors
- PS 3: Best practices in transformers and reactors procurement
Our UK regular member Zhongdong Wang was invited as the special reporter for CIGRE A2 preferential subject PS 2, with the senior colleague’s support from Simon Ryder. Each of the Preferential Subject session included a keynote speech, a presentation by the winning Next Generation Network member, and the selected contributions to the questions outlined by the special report. We are delighted that our UK NGN was well represented by Christian Pößniker, who won the CIGRE UK national Showcase Competition earlier this year granting him this slot.
Various Working Group meetings took place during the week and our members are currently actively involved in the following ones:
| Working group | Title |
| A2/C4.52 | High Frequency Transformer Models for Non-Standard Waveforms |
| A2.54 | Power Transformer Audible Noise Requirements |
| A2.55 | Transformer Life Extension |
| A2.56 | Power Transformer Efficiency |
| A2.57 | Effects of DC Bias on Power Transformers |
| A2.58 | Installation and Pre-Commissioning of Transformers and Shunt Reactors |
| A2.60 | Dynamic Thermal Behaviour of Transformers |
| A2.62 | Analysis of AC Transformer Reliability |
| A2.63 | Transformer Impulse Testing |
| A2.64 | Condition of Cellulose Insulation in Oil Immersed Transformers After Factory Acceptance Test |
| D1/A2.77 | Liquid tests for Electrical Equipment |
| A3/A2/A1/B1.44 | Limitations in Operation of High Voltage Equipment Resulting of Frequent Temporary Overvoltages |
| AG2.08 | Low Voltage Applications |
Overall, the CIGRE 2022 Session was a great chance for all our delegates to meet peers and share expertise. We are looking forward to the next CIGRE session which will be held in Paris from 25th – 30th August 2024.
Meanwhile, between two CIGRE sessions, there will be the A2 Colloquium during 4th – 7th October 2023 in Split, Croatia.
