Brazil, Sao Paulo - Brazil's power system operator ONS has requested that 662 transformers, all made by one US-based transformer manufacturer, be removed from the country's grid after a number of explosions involving these transformers, Energy World reports.

According to the document prepared by ONS and submitted to the Brazilian Ministry of Mines and Energy, 53 of these transformers exploded in the past six years, suggesting that the incidents may be associated with the product or its materials. All 53 transformers are all the same transformer model.

The manufacturer of the transformers stated it was aware of the incidents, but that there was no evidence that the cause could be related to the design, the materials or the product's manufacturing, and that the same transformers were used around the world.

It also pointed to the fact that all incidents occurred in one part of Brazil's electric network, suggesting the problem might lay with the operators.

However, ONS in its document concluded that similar incidents had not been recorded with other transformer manufacturers or different models from this transformer manufacturer.

Source: Energy World