Seismic Resilience of Large Power Transformers: Shake Table Test

INTRODUCTION

Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC (BEA) Management & Operating Contractor of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) owned Idaho National Laboratory (INL), is seeking an Expression of Interest (EOI) from industry providers to provide information regarding solutions aimed at increasing the seismic resilience of large power transformers.

BACKGROUND

The flexibility and density of massive power transformer tanks can cause them to act as a vibration amplifier for equipment mounted on them. During an earthquake, the transformer tank and mounted bushings can be in resonance, increasing the shaking in the bushing beyond its design levels and resulting in bushing failure. As seen in past earthquakes around the world, this seismic vulnerability can concurrently damage many transformers and cause cascading failures on the grid. INL is currently working to address this vulnerability by developing a low-cost retrofittable bushing decoupler system. The system will be designed with modern materials, mounted at the bushing base, and can be tuned to any bushing-transformer combination to avoid resonance.

As a part of this effort, INL is performing large-scale shake table testing of a fully dressed 230 kV power transformer at the University of California San Diego Large High Performance Outdoor Shake Table (LHPOST) facility. In addition to this first-of-a-kind bushing decoupler system, INL will also test another mitigation option called seismic base isolation, which involves placing the transformer on isolator devices that absorb the incoming earthquake energy and alter the system structural dynamics to protect the transformer. A few units have been installed this way; however, full scale experimental testing on a fully dressed power transformer is lacking. The bushing decoupler technique is the focus of this project, which aims to perform a shake table test of a large power transformer in its substation installation configuration.

INL is seeking industry partners interested in participating in this first-of-a-kind test by providing feedback on test plans as well as additional experimental suggestions that should be considered during this test. Depending on the scope of additional experimental suggestions and involvement, partner(s) could provide funds and additional equipment resources necessary to facilitate additional concurrent testing or testing extensions.

SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS

Interested entities are requested to provide expressions of interest (via email) by close-of business on 06/01/2026. Note that responses must be no more than 2 pages in length in PDF format.

Should you have questions, or need additional information, please contact Bjorn Vaagensmith, Power Systems Researcher via email at Bjorn.Vaagensmith@inl.gov and Small.Business@inl.gov or Jake Gentle, Program Manager, via email at jake.gentle@inl.gov with the subject line “Response to Seismic Resilience of Large Power Transformers: Shake Table Test.” Technical questions must be submitted in writing via email no later than 3 days prior to final submission.

Only potentially qualified offerors, as determined by BEA, will be contacted for further discussions or the release of a request for proposal for the project.

PROPRIETARY INFORMATION

Because information received in response to this EOI may be business sensitive or proprietary to the responding party, respondents must mark information in their responses accordingly.