Basic Principle of Application

Because of the predominantly inductive character of the power system,

an active power flow between source and load must be accomplished
with a phase lag between the terminals. Phase-shifting transformers are
a preferred tool to achieve this goal.

Where and Why Do We Use Phase-Shifting Transformers (photo credit:

BTW Atlanta)
Two principal configurations are of special interest:

1. The power flow between transmission systems operating in parallel

where one system includes a PST and
2. Where a single transmission line which includes a PST is connecting
two otherwise independent power systems.
The latter is in fact a special case of the first, but it has become more
important nowadays for the interconnection of large systems. For the
following considerations, it is assumed that the ohmic resistance R is
small compared with the reactance X and thus has been neglected.
Situation – One practical basic situation is that a location where power is
needed (load side) is connected to the source side through two systems
that need not necessarily have the same rated voltage level.
See Figure 1 below.

Figure 1 –
Parallel systems
Without any additional measure, the currents I1 and I2 would be
distributed in proportion to the ratio of the impedances of the systems,

I1 = I × X2/(X1 + X2)
I2 = I × X1/(X1 + X2)
and there is no doubt that system 2 would take only a small part of the
load because of the additional impedances of the two transformers in
that branch.

If the power flow in system 2 should be increased, an additional

voltage ΔV must be introduced to compensate the increased voltage
drop in system 2.
Presuming that active power should be supplied to the load side and
considering the inductive character of the systems, this voltage must
have a 90° phase lag to the line-to-ground voltages of the system
(VL).

In principle, the source of ΔV could be installed in each of the two

systems. Figure 2 shows the voltage diagrams of both options. Figure
2a corresponds to Figure 1 with the PST installed in system 2,
the system with the higher impedance. The additional voltage reduces
the voltage drop in system 2 to that of system 1.

The voltage at the output or load side of the PST VL* leads the voltage at the input
or source side VS. Per definition, this is called an advanced phase angle. If the PST
were installed in system 1 (Figure 2b), the additional voltage would increase the

voltage drop to that of system 2.

In this case, the load-side voltage VL* lags the source side voltage V S,
and this is defined as retard phase angle. As can also be seen from the
diagrams, an advanced phase angle minimizes the total angle between
source and load side.

Figure 2 – No-load voltage diagram of parallel systems

The second important application is the use of a PST to control the
power flow between two large independent grids (Figure 3). An
advanced phase angle is necessary to achieve a flow of active
power from system 1 to system 2.
Figure 3 – Connection of two systems
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Types of Phase-Shifting
Transformers
General Aspects
The general principle to obtain a phase shift is based on the connection
of a segment of one phase with another phase. To obtain a 90º
additional voltage ΔV, the use of delta-connected winding offers
the simplest solution.

Figure 4 shows a possible arrangement and is used to introduce a few

basic definitions. The secondary winding of phase V2 – V3 is split up into
two halves and is connected in series with phase V1. By designing this
winding as a regulating winding and using on-load tap changers (OLTC),
ΔV and the phase-shift angle can be changed under load.
The phasor diagram has been plotted for no-load conditions, i.e., without
considering the voltage drop in the unit. It also should be noted that the
currents in the two halves of the series winding are not in phase.
This is different from normal power transformers and has consequences
with respect to the internal stray field.

Figure 4 – Single core symmetrical PST – Phase-Shifting Transformer

VS1 = V10 + (ΔV1/2)

VL1 = V10 − (ΔV1/2)

ΔV1 = VS1 −VL1

From the phasor diagram (Figure 4b) follows (VS1 = VL1 = V):

V0 = V × cos(α/2)

ΔV = V × 2 × sin(α/2)

VΔ = V × cos(α/2) × √3

and with IS = IL = I, the part of the current that is transferred to the

exciting winding becomes:

IΔ = (ΔV/VΔ) × I × cos(α/2) = I × (2/√3) × sin(α/2)

The throughput power can be calculated from

PSYS = 3 × V × I
and the rated design power, which determines the size of the PST,
becomes

PT = 3 × ΔV × I = PSYS × 2 × sin(α/2)

A third kind of power (PΔ) is the power that is transferred into the
secondary circuit. This power is different from PT because a part of the
primary current is compensated between the two parts of the series
winding itself.
In two-core designs (Equation ΔV1 = VS1 −VL1), this power determines
also the necessary breaking capability of the OLTC.

PΔ = VΔ × IΔ = 1/3 × PSYS × sin(α)

In addition to the transferred power, the phase-shift angle is also

important.

A phase-shift angle of 20° means that the PST has to be designed

for 34.8% of the throughput power, and an angle of 40° would require
68.4%. In this respect, it has to be considered that the effective phase-
shift angle under load is smaller than the no-load phase-shift angle.
In the optimum case when the load power factor is close to 1, a PST
impedance of 15% would reduce the load phase-shift angle by 8.58.

In practice, various solutions are possible to design a PST. The

major factors influencing the choice are:

1. Throughput power and phase-shift angle requirement

2. Rated voltage
3. Short-circuit capability of the connected systems
4. Shipping limitations
5. Load tap-changer performance specification
In addition, preferences of a manufacturer as to the type of transformer
(core or shell) or type of windings and other design characteristics may
also play a role.

Depending on the rating, single- or two-core designs are used. Two-core designs

may require either a one-tank or a two-tank design.

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Single-Core Design
Symmetrical conditions are obtained with the design outlined in Figure
4a. Figure 5a and Figure 5b show the general connection diagrams
with more details of the regulating circuit.

The advantage of the single-core design is simplicity and economy. But

there are also a number of disadvantages.

Disadvantages – The OLTCs are connected to the system and directly

exposed to all overvoltages and through faults. The voltage per
OLTC step and the current are determined by the specification and
do not always permit an optimal economical choice of the OLTC. The
short-circuit impedance of the PST varies between a maximum and
zero.
Therefore, it can not be planned that the PST will contribute to
the limitation of fault currents in the system.
The advantage of the symmetrical design (Figure 5a) is that the phase-
shift angle is the only parameter that influences the power flow. The
design needs two single-phase OLTCs (for low ratings, one two-phase
OLTC may be used instead) per phase or two three-phase OLTCs.

Figure 5 – (a) Single-core symmetrical PST (b) Single-core unsymmetrical PST

Figure 5b shows an unsymmetrical solution. Only one-half of the
regulating windings is used. The number of necessary OLTCs is
reduced, but the ratio between source voltage and load voltage
changes with the phase-shift angle and additionally influences the power
flow.

A solution that often is used for transformers interconnecting two

systems is shown in Figure 6.
The tap winding of a regulating transformer can be connected to a
different phase, causing a voltage shift between the regulated winding
and the other windings of the unit.

Figure 6 – Regulating
transformer with PST effect
The regulated winding normally is connected to the source side, but
indirect regulation of the load-side is also possible. The change
from the normal regulating transformer state to the phase-shifting state
is possible in the middle position of the OLTC without the need to switch
off the unit.

Another solution of a symmetrical PST, the delta-hexagonal phase-

shifting transformer, is shown in Figure 7.
 Figure 7 –
Delta-hexagonal PST

Two-Core Design
The most commonly used circuit for a two-core design is shown in
Figure 8 below. This configuration consists of a series unit and a main
unit. For smaller ratings and lower voltages, two-core PSTs can be built
into a single tank, while larger ratings and higher-voltage PSTs require a
two-tank design.

The advantage of a two-core design is the flexibility in selecting the

step voltage and the current of the regulating winding. These can be
optimized in line with the voltage and current ratings of the OLTC.
Since OLTCs have limited current ratings and step voltages per phase
as well as limited switching capacity, they are the main limiting features
for the maximum possible rating of PSTs. More than one OLTC per
phase may have to be utilized for very large ratings.
 Figure 8 –
Two-core PST
Up to a certain rating, three-pole OLTCs can be used. For higher
ratings, three single-pole OLTCs are necessary. The OLTC insulation
level is independent of the system voltage and can be kept
low. The short-circuit impedance is the sum of the impedances of the
main and series transformers.

Because the impedance of the series unit is constant and independent

from the phase angle, the unit can be designed to be self-protecting, and
the variation of the impedance with the phase-shift angle can be kept
small when the impedance of the main unit is kept low.

Quadrature Booster Transformers

Quadrature booster transformers are a combination of a regulating
power- or auto-transformer with a phase-shifting transformer. The PST,
which can be a single- or two-core design, is supplied from the regulated
side of the power transformer (Figure 9).
 Figure 10 – Quadrature booster—
simplified connection diagram
By this method, the output voltage can be adjusted in a four-quadrant
(magnitude and phase) relationship.

Reference // Electric Power Engineering Handbook by Leonard L.

Grigsby (Purchase hardcopy from Amazon)