Development of Analytic Hierarchy Process Technique in Determining Weighting Factor for Power Transformer Health Index

Power transformer is a very valuable asset for the utility; therefore, it needs to be maintained. The large amount of power transformers leads to complications faced by the utilities in developing maintenance strategy. Health index is a condition monitoring instrument to quantify the transformer condition based on technical diagnostics measurements. When developed properly, Health Index can highlight the critical transformers enabling easier formulation of maintenance strategy. In composing a health index, weighting factor is a critical consideration. Expert judgment is a common norm in adjusting weighting factor. While the experts engage in many years of experience, this approach can lead to subjective result when done improperly. This paper presents, discuss, and apply the principles and technique of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to take advantage of asset manager expertise in determination of the power transformer Health Index weighting factor.