Varixx's ZYGGOT^® Raddia TF revolutionizes thermographic monitoring for transformers. Safe, wireless, and battery-free, it prevents failures and complies with standards.

The “Why” of Continuous Thermographic Monitoring in Transformers

First and foremost, a power transformer is one of the most critical and expensive assets in any electrical system. Its failure not only results in replacement costs; it causes unplanned downtime, production losses, and serious safety risks. The silent enemy and main agent of degradation of this equipment is heat.

The service life of a transformer is directly linked to the health of its insulation system. In principle, there is a well-known engineering rule, based on Arrhenius' Law, which states that the rate of a reaction increases with temperature, so the service life of the equipment is actually reduced due to exposure to high temperatures.

This overheating, often caused by overloads, poor ventilation, or bad internal connections, degrades (for example) the insulating paper and deteriorates the equipment, leading to short circuits, partial discharges, and eventually catastrophic failures.

The challenge has always been: how to monitor these “hot spots” safely? Manual inspection requires opening energized panels, a high-risk practice now prohibited by safety standards such as NR-10. In response to this critical dilemma, Varixx, which introduced the world's first online thermography system in 2004, presents ZYGGOT^® Raddia TF.

Key Innovation of Raddia TF: Continuous Thermography Without Batteries

One of the biggest barriers to adopting wireless sensors in industrial environments is battery maintenance. ZYGGOT^® Raddia TF completely eliminates this problem.

Raddia TF sensors do not use batteries. They are passively powered by the electromagnetic flux (Energy Harvesting) generated by the transformer field. This translates into zero maintenance, simplified installation, and continuous reliability for years.

Similarly, the system's intelligence is centralized in the ZYGGOT® Relay, an HMI with a color touch screen that offers total control:

• High Capacity: A single relay monitors up to 125 sensors simultaneously.

• Industrial Connectivity: Equipped with Ethernet (TCP/IP) and Modbus RTU, the relay integrates seamlessly with remote supervisory systems (DCS), making all readings available for Industry 4.0.

• Active Protection: Allows you to configure individual Alarm and Trip (shutdown) levels for each sensor, actively protecting the asset.

• Advanced Diagnostics: Records real-time trend graphs and stores a complete history of failures with time stamps for root cause analysis.

• Quick Installation: As a radio system (433/470 MHz), installation is quick, non-invasive, and ideal for retrofits, without the need for complex cabling.

The Future of Predictive Maintenance in Transformers

In short, ZYGGOT^® Raddia TF is not just a product; it is a paradigm shift in predictive maintenance. It replaces reactive, high-risk inspection with automatic, continuous, and safe monitoring.

Therefore, by ensuring that your transformers operate within optimal temperature ranges, you are not only complying with safety standards. You are actively extending the life of your most expensive asset, avoiding production downtime, and optimizing the reliability of your entire electrical system.

Don't wait for your transformer to fail. Migrate from reactive maintenance to predictive protection.

To learn about all the technical specifications and see how ZYGGOT^® Raddia TF can be applied to your transformer park, visit the official product page and talk to our experts.