O. W.

Andersen

Short Circuit Proof Transformers

Transformers must be able to withstand the forces the windings are subjected to at short
circuits, but this is almost never verified by tests. One reason is that it is seldom possible to
perform such tests. Large power transformers in particular usually require more short circuit
power than the factories have available. If a test is unsuccessful, it can result in catastrophic
destruction both to the transformer and to the surroundings, including ignition of the oil. Even
a test which appears to be successful can result in hidden damage, which a customer wants to
avoid. It is therefore absolutely necessary to verify the short circuit withstand ability by
calculations. The manufacturer must have access to computer programs which do this in a
satisfactory way. The customer will often want to do the calculations himself or be able to
evaluate the manufacturers calculations, in order to decide if the results are satisfactory.
Calculations will always be more or less approximate, and safety margins will be subject to
judgement.
Forces
Forces result from the interaction of currents and magnetic fields and are at their peaks when
the currents are at their peaks. Fig.1 shows the conditions in a simple two winding
transformer. The section is bounded by the surface of the core to the left, the tank to the right
and the yokes up and down. The magnetic leakage field is shown as flux lines set up by the
currents, which flow in opposite directions in the two windings. The arrows show the
directions of radial and axial forces.

Fig.1 Two winding transformer

The magnetic field is calculated by a computer program based on the finite element method.
The calculations assume rotational symmetry, which is considered a necessary and acceptable
simplification of the actual conditions.
The directions of the forces can be found by the so-called left hand rule. When the left hand is
held flat with the thumb straight out, the thumb points in the direction of the force when the
magnetic field goes into the hand, and the hand points in the direction of the current.

Axial forces are of the same magnitude up and down in the figure because of the symmetry,
but if one winding is displaced axially a single millimeter with respect to the other, unbalanced forces of several tons can result in directions which tend to magnify the unbalance.
Stresses
Radial forces give tensile stresses in the outer winding in Fig.1, compressive stresses in the
inner winding. In the outer winding the inside conductors will be subject to the greatest
forces, because that is where the magnetic field is the strongest. The forces decrease toward
the outside. The inside conductors will therefore be supported by the conductors on the
outside, and the tensile stresses even out. Something similar happens to the compressive
stresses in the inner winding, so that all the stresses due to radial forces are evened out
radially. Axially they will have their maximum values in the middle of the windings in Fig.1,
where the field is the strongest.
In large transformers the windings are often made up of disks stacked on top of each other and
separated by spacer blocks, as shown on Fig.2. Axial forces add up, so that the spacers in this
case are subjected to maximum compressive stresses in the middle of the windings.

Fig.2 Disks and spacers

The radial magnetic field is strongest at the winding ends. Here individual disks are subjected
to the highest axial forces, trying to bend the copper down between the spacers, as shown on
Fig.3. The bending stresses are calculated as for columns built-in at both ends. The length
used in the calculations should be somewhat longer than the free length between spacers,
since the spacer material will also be subject to some deformation. As a rough estimate, the
spacer pitch (average distance between centerlines) minus half the tangential spacer width is
often used.

Fig.3 Bending between spacers

Bending stresses act tangentially. So do tensile and compressive stresses due to radial forces,
and they add directly. However, the axial magnetic field is usually weakest where the radial
field is strongest, so that stresses caused by radial forces in the middle of the windings must
be adjusted for the reduced axial field near the ends before they are added to the bending
stresses.

Short Circuit Current

The critical forces are proportional to maximum instantaneous values of short circuit current
squared. Fig.4 shows such a short circuit current. The dc component can increase the
instantaneous value by typically about 1.8.

Fig.4 Short circuit current

The current is limited by the leakage impedance of the transformer (mainly reactance) in
series with other impedances in the system. For calculation of the forces it is therefore
necessary to calculate the leakage reactance of the transformer with a high degree of accuracy.
This is also done with the finite element method in the same program where forces and
stresses are calculated. The reactance is proportional to the total magnetic energy in the Fig.1
section.
Buckling
The inner winding in Fig.1 is subjected to compressive stresses because of the axial field, and
it is supported against the core by a certain number of axial spacer bars. It has been explained
earlier that all the conductors in a disk get approximately the same compressive stress because
they support each other, but in the same way as a slender column subject to compression, it
can fail from buckling. Buckling of a column is an unstable deformation where bending
increases uncontrolled followed by increasing bending moments, and the column can fail long
before the compressive stress in itself reaches a critical value. The limit for buckling depends
on the length of the column, its cross sectional dimensions and the modulus of elasticity of the
material, but it is independent of the compressive strength of the material. Whether the
column is rigidly supported at one, both or none of the ends is of course also of decisive
importance, in the winding also if individual conductors can deflect independently of each
other, or if they for example are glued together.
Calculations of buckling give as a result the necessary number of spacer bar supports. The
bars themselves can be subject to some radial deformation because the core is not completely
circular, so in these calculations large safety margins are required.
More information
From the authors web site http:// home.broadpark.no/~oddwalte/ articles and program
descriptions can be downloaded, providing more information.