LESA’s ‘desi jugaad’ to keep city transformers running

The initiative comes in response to a series of alarming incidents, including transformers and electrical wires catching fire. The situation escalated on Monday when an underground power cable in Lalbagh ignited due to overloading, further highlighting the critical need for enhanced cooling mechanisms.

LUCKNOW: In a novel approach to tackling transformer overheating, the engineers of the Lucknow Electricity Supply Administration (LESA) have devised a ‘desi jugaad’ (unique solution). Monster coolers are being installed to keep the transformers cool in the blistering heat, ensuring their safety and efficiency.

The adoption of these monster coolers highlights the resourcefulness and adaptability of LESA engineers in addressing complex challenges. (Sourced)

Chief engineer LESA (Central), Ravi Kumar Agarwal, said, “It’s an old way of keeping the electrical apparatus and machines cool. At low temperatures, the efficiency of transformers increases. Suppose if the transformer is heated to 100 degrees Celsius and we bring its temperature to 50 degrees by using this technique, then the transformer would be in a position to take more load. This simple technique is effective in maintaining the city’s power infrastructure.”

The initiative comes in response to a series of alarming incidents, including transformers and electrical wires catching fire. The situation escalated on Monday when an underground power cable in Lalbagh ignited due to overloading, further highlighting the critical need for enhanced cooling mechanisms.

“The root cause of these issues can be traced to the surging power demand in Lucknow, which has recently spiked to 1750 MW. Last year, the maximum demand was around 1650 MW. This unprecedented increase has significantly strained the city’s power grid, necessitating immediate and innovative solutions to prevent further incidents and ensure uninterrupted power supply,” Agarwal said.

Meanwhile, LESA will install a new 10 MVA transformer at the new substation at Pal Tiraha in Rajajipuram to offload the Rajajipuram main substation, where frequent outages were taking place due to overloaded transformers.