Remote Inspection of Transformer Enclosures

Overview

Utilities depend on regular, reliable inspection of transformer enclosures to prevent failures, maintain safety, and meet compliance obligations. Manual rounds are slow, labour-heavy and often limited by distance, staffing, or weather.

The Transformer Exterior Inspector Vision Agent automates these checks by analysing images from fixed cameras, drones, or technician devices. It flags visible issues early so operators can act before they result in outages or safety incidents.

Problem

Transformer enclosures deteriorate from exposure, wildlife, corrosion and general wear. Issues such as open cabinets, missing labels, oil leaks or physical damage create:

• Safety risks for crews and the public
• Compliance failures
• Equipment breakdowns and costly emergency repairs
• Poor visibility across large, distributed assets

With manual inspections, coverage is limited and consistency varies. Scaling them is expensive.

Solution

The Transformer Exterior Inspector performs rapid visual checks of transformer housings and returns a structured result that highlights:

• Oil leaks or fluid residue
• Open or incorrectly closed cabinets
• Corrosion or surface deterioration
• Cracks, dents or other physical damage
• Missing, damaged or obscured warning labels

Operators simply provide an image; the agent analyses it in seconds and returns issue types, confidence scores and optional metadata for logging or system integrations.

How It Works

1. Capture an image from a drone, site camera or technician device.
2. Send the image to the Transformer Exterior Inspector Agent.
3. Receive a structured output including:
   • Pass/Fail status
   • Detected issue type
   • Confidence score
   • Optional metadata for asset tags or maintenance logs
4. Feed results directly into CMMS systems, workflows, or automated alerts.

The agent requires no templates or manual annotation. It is trained on real-world operating conditions.

Benefits

Prevent costly failures

Detect leaks, damage and early deterioration before downtime or equipment loss occurs.

Strengthen compliance

Confirm that cabinets are sealed and safety labels are in place and visible.

Expand inspection coverage

Monitor remote or dispersed assets continuously without sending crews on site.

Improve response times

Gain immediate visual assessment to prioritise maintenance tasks.

Reduce manual labour

Cut the number of routine visits and allow teams to focus on genuine issues.

Example Applications

• Daily drone sweeps of substation yards with automated detection
• Remote monitoring of rural transformers using fixed cameras
• Rapid pre- and post-storm assessments to guide dispatch
• Automated label-compliance checks across large asset fleets
• Verification of contractor work after repairs or maintenance