Research summary
In our increasingly deregulated and electricity-dependent world, the ability to extend the life span of power equipment is an important consideration. As this equipment ages, the risk of failure and major power outages grows.
Dr. Issouf Fofana, Canada Research Chair in the Aging of Oil-Filled Equipment on High-Voltage Lines, is tackling the problem of aging electrical switchgear. He and his research team hope to gain new knowledge about how insulators (the cornerstones of power equipment) degrade and about their integrity in grids as we increasingly rely on renewable energy sources and drive electric vehicles. Fofana and his team hope to develop more reliable diagnostic techniques and contribute to the synthesis of materials for sustainable insulation design.