ECE 4501 Power Systems Laboratory Manual Rev 1.

4.2 TRANSFORMER POLARITY

4.2.1 OBJECTIVE

To determine transformer winding polarity and explore the impact of connecting windings in
series aiding and series opposing configurations.

4.2.2 DISCUSSION

Exciting the primary winding of a transformer with an AC source establishes an alternating

magnetic flux in the transformer core. The alternating flux links the turns of the primary and
secondary windings, inducing a voltage across the secondary terminals. Since the AC source
voltage is continually changing, the voltage applied to the primary is also continually changing.
On the positive half of a sinusoidal voltage cycle, H1, the primary winding terminal of the
transformer shown below, is of positive polarity with respect to H2. Likewise, on the negative
half of a sinusoidal voltage cycle, the polarity of H1 becomes negative with respect to H2.

In addition, the transformer windings may be considered to have polarity marks on each winding
to signify all terminals that have the same polarity at any given time. For example, when H1 is
positive with respect to H2 in the diagram above, X1 will also be positive with respect to X2 and
T1 will be positive with respect to T2 and also to T3. The convention is that current entering a
polarity mark on one winding will leave the other winding at its polarity mark.

Transformers are an extremely efficient means for changing the voltage level in power systems,
allowing the use of extremely high voltages for low loss transmission of electric energy while
maintaining low utilization voltages. Two-winding transformers also offer electric isolation
between source and load. Large power transformers are often not built as two-winding
transformers however. Due to cost per KVA of transformation, large transformers are usually
built as autotransformers, a one-winding transformer with a tap for the low voltage side. See the
figure below: