Delta-X Research at the Doble International Conference 2026

From March 30 through April 1, 2026, the transformer diagnostics industry convenes for one of its most important annual gatherings: the International Conference of Doble Clients [1]. Delta-X Research is proud to join DNV, Kinectrics, and Systems With Intelligence as co-hosts of the TransformerMonitoring.com Hospitality Suite: three evenings of informal conversation, food, and the kind of substantive technical exchange that happens best away from conference floor noise.

Where to find us:

• 📍 Deco Room, Level 3
• 🗓️ March 30 – April 1, 2026
• ⏰ 7:30 PM – 10:30 PM each evening

The Doble Conference and Its Role in Transformer Practice

The International Conference of Doble Clients [1] has been a fixture of the power transformer maintenance and testing community for more than 90 years. It is attended by utility engineers, testing specialists, transformer manufacturers, and asset management professionals from across North America and internationally. The technical programme covers the full range of transformer condition assessment topics, including DGA, partial discharge, insulation resistance, power factor, frequency response analysis, and thermographic inspection, and its proceedings serve as a reference point for field practice.

Jim Dukarm's early published work on statistical interpretation of transformer oil analysis reports was first presented to the Doble community in the 1993 conference proceedings [2], a fact that illustrates how deeply the history of Reliability-based DGA methodology is intertwined with this event. The ideas that became TOA's analytical core were tested and refined through years of engagement with the Doble technical community.

TransformerMonitoring.com and the Co-Host Partnership

TransformerMonitoring.com is the industry portal that brings together the organisations most deeply invested in transformer condition monitoring as a practice area. The Hospitality Suite at the Doble conference, co-hosted under the TransformerMonitoring.com banner, is an expression of that collaborative spirit: companies whose products and services are complementary rather than competitive, creating a shared space for informal conversation with the utility engineers and asset managers who make up the event's core audience.

This year's co-hosts are:

• Delta-X Research: Transformer Oil Analyst™ (TOA) and Monitor Watch, R-DGA-based decision-support software for DGA interpretation and fleet management.
• DNV: Global independent advisory and assurance company with deep expertise in energy infrastructure asset management.
• Kinectrics: Nuclear and electrical industry services, including transformer testing, diagnostics, and asset management consulting.
• Systems With Intelligence™ Inc.: Transformer monitoring hardware and integration solutions.

Together, these organisations cover the full scope of transformer condition monitoring: from the hardware that generates the data, through the laboratory analysis and diagnostics, to the software platforms that support fleet-level decision-making and the engineering expertise to validate those decisions. The suite provides Doble conference attendees with access to all of it in one place, in a relaxed setting.

What to Discuss

The TransformerMonitoring.com Hospitality Suite is not a sales environment; it is a technical conversation environment. The format works precisely because the people who attend are engineers and asset managers who want to think through real problems, not watch product demonstrations. Recent topics that have generated the most productive discussions at events like this include:

Integrating online DGA monitoring with periodic laboratory sampling. Utilities that have deployed online monitors on critical units face a genuine data management challenge: how to maintain a consistent risk picture when two data streams, periodic lab samples and continuous sensor readings, are being analysed under different frameworks. Monitor Watch directly addresses this, and the practical details of implementation are worth discussing in depth.

Fleet prioritisation at scale. As transformer fleets age, with North America's installed base skewing old and a large fraction of the transmission fleet now exceeding 40 years in service [3], the challenge of deciding which units to repair, which to replace, and which to continue monitoring is intensifying. R-DGA's CSEV and HF metrics provide a quantitative framework for this prioritisation [3], but the translation from metrics to operational decisions involves judgment that is best developed through conversation with other practitioners.

DGA interpretation for non-standard insulating fluids. As utilities deploy more transformers filled with natural esters, synthetic esters, and other alternatives to mineral oil, the established DGA interpretation criteria, including IEEE C57.104-2019 [4] thresholds and CIGRE guidance [5], require adaptation. This is an active area of research and a topic where the Doble community's collective experience is invaluable.

A Note on Format

The TransformerMonitoring.com Hospitality Suite is designed for informal engagement. Sliders and gelato are provided. The conversations tend to be direct, technical, and useful. This is one of the genuinely valuable formats that conference culture has developed: structured enough that the right people are in the room, informal enough that real problems get discussed honestly.

If you are attending the 2026 International Conference of Doble Clients, we look forward to seeing you in the Deco Room. If you have specific topics you would like to discuss with the Delta-X Research team, whether on DGA methodology, TOA implementation, or Monitor Watch integration, you are also welcome to reach out in advance via the contact page to arrange time.

For background on R-DGA methodology and the science behind TOA, visit the Science page.