TRANSMISSION

Transformers make less noise

Information from Areva T&D
Transformers are never silent. But in an environmentally aware, highly regulated world, the issue is not the level of noise, but its nature.

Tr a n s f o r m e r s e m i t a l o w- f r e q u e n c y,
tonal noise that people living in their
vicinity experience as an irritating "hum"
and can hear even against a noisy
background. The power industry produces
a range of solutions to abate humming,
which originates in the transformer's
core and, when it is loaded, in the coil
windings. Core noise is generated by the
magnetostriction (changes in shape) of
the core's laminations, when a magnetic
field passes through them. It is also known
as no-load noise, as it is dependent of
the load passing through the transformer.
Magnetostriction takes place at twice the
frequency of the supply load: for a 50 Hz
supply frequency, a lamination vibrates
at 100 c/s. What's more, the higher the
density of the magnetic flux, the higher the
frequency of the even-number harmonics.
When core or tank resonance frequencies
coincide with the exciting frequency, the
noise level further increases.
Hum also arises through the vibration
caused when the load current passes
through the windings, interacting with the
leakage flux it generates. This load noise
level is determined by the magnitude of
the load current. It has always existed, but
is becoming proportionally more significant
since there are efficient means of reducing
the core noise source. In some situations,
the load noise is the dominant noise and
is raising increasing concern among new
transformer applications.
(Note that the broadband noise generated
by cooling fans contributes to overall noise
levels. But as cooling fans are widely used
in the industry, solutions are not specific to
T&D and so are not discussed here.)
Matters of design
Improvements in standard transformer
design and materials are cutting the
decibel count. High-permeability (Hi-B)
steel, for example, restricts magnetostriction
through a surface coating with higher
degrees of grain orientation. Another
increasingly popular method is highprecision stacking of the core's laminations
in step-lap patterns, reducing the formation
of air gaps in the core joints. Focus on
the linkages between the laminations to
stop them striking each other includes
gluing their edges together, standardizing
clamp pressure and removing through-

Fig. 1: Simplified vibroacoustic model of a transformer.

bolts. In addition, robust, flexible mounts

at all points of contact between core
and tank inhibit the structure- or oil-borne
transmission of resonance from one to
the other.
Sound ways of seeing
Areva T&D's R&D department employs
acoustic imaging, acoustic holography
and laser vibrometry to locate noise and
vibrations. Acoustic maps noise rapidly
and comprehensively by differentiating
sound levels to determine where it radiates
from. Areva T&D and AB Engineering
recently used 110-microphone arrays
2 m from the tank to measure noise in the
100 Hz to 500 Hz frequency bands. For
each band, an identically scaled map
showed red hot spots on noise-free blue
backgrounds, making it easy to pinpoint
noise sources. Acoustic holography which
analyzes near-field noise, was recently
used to map transformer noise, arranging
a 23-microphone antenna to scan a grid
of 20 x 20 cm squares. Algorithm-based
software computed the pressure field and
sourced the acoustic radiation, displayed
as spatially distributed 2-D maps for
different frequencies up to 850 Hz.
Laser vibrometry is a no-contact technique
for inaccessible or dangerous targets. It
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uses the Doppler effect, measuring the

frequency modulation in the laser beam
that rebounds from the vibrating target.
Laser vibrometers can automatically scan
large numbers of consecutive points,
delivering vibration measurements with
high spatial resolution.
When a transformer is loaded, vibration
energy from the coil and any flux control
devices is transmitted to the tank and
then to the air and local environment. It is
therefore important to design the tank so
that it does not resonate at frequencies
close to the exciting frequency. Measures
like resonance absorbers can gain 3 dB.
In-field solutions
A common on-site method of containing
noise radiation is tank-supported wall
panels. They generally cover only the sides
of the tank, bringing gains of between 4 dB
and 10 dB depending on the wall area they
cover. They may affect cooling, so acoustic
barriers are often used, mounted close to
the transformer on one or more sides, or
enclosing it. The simplest solution is a high
acoustic screen, which must extend past
each end of the transformer by at least
as much as it exceeds the height of the
transformer. But even single barriers can
lower noise levels by 10 - 15 dB, depending
on the position of the observer.

TRANSMISSION

Fig. 3: Acoustic holography is used to map transformer noise.

Complete top-bottom-and-side enclosure, of course,

produces the most radical results, up to 25 dB of
abatement, or even 40 dB if the enclosure is a massive
structure made of concrete or steel and fully vibrationinsulated. Care should always be taken that the space
between tank wall and the barrier is not an even multiple
of half of the wave length of the power frequency, e.g.,
1,7 m, 3,4 m, etc. for 50 Hz transformers. The result is
standing waves that will cause echoes and amplify
sound levels. Attenuation depends on how and how
many of these methods are used. Combining Hi-B steplapped core lamination with core vibration isolators can
gain 6 dB. Add tank-mounted wall panels and that is
10 dB. For greater improvement, a total contact-free
enclosure is the answer. Of course, designers can
build low noise into transformers by lowering the core's
induction level, or flux density. But the trade-off is a larger
core, larger windings and higher costs.
Need for R&D
R&D is addressing the need for reduced sound levels.
Some abatement techniques are well known, but others
can be very innovative, such as resonance absorbers
or resilient internal lining absorbers. Most of the selected
solutions require a good knowledge of noise field and
vibration mapping. New techniques are available to
identify this information and to better characterize noise
sources. Benefits can be a reduction of measurement
time, facilitated interpretation of measurements,
access to other information (as in source localization),
and more.
Acknowledgement
This article was published in Areva Think T&D, Winter
2008 - 2009 and is reprinted with permission.
Contact Francois De Vaux, Areva,
francois.devaux@areva-td.com v

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