Calculations for Design Parameters of Transformer

 October 14, 2016  Asad Ullah  Article, DIY, Project, Transformer

For Quick review and summary of Calculations, see the tables at the end of this article. (Table
1) (Table 2) For better understandings, go through the following steps for calculations. Make sure you have
knowledge of Basics of Transfomer

Design Parameters
Table of Contents
 Design Parameters
 Calculations:
o 1. Core Calculations:
 Primary Winding Calculations
o Number of Turns:
o Size of Conductor:
 Secondary Winding Calculations
o Number of Turns:
 Weight Estimation of Windings
o Primary side:
o Secondary winding weight:

For designing a transformer, we need:

1. Power rating
2. Voltage levels (primary and secondary)
3. Currents on both sides
4. Primary and secondary coils wire diameter/size
5. Iron Core area
6. Numbers of turns (primary and secondary)

We are going to design a 50 VA step down transformer of 230V to 12V. Necessary calculations
along with formulae are given below in details:
As we are going to design small transformer (of small power rating) so we are neglecting core and
copper losses as they doesn’t matters in small transformers and seriously considered in designing
power transformers (high power rating transforms).
Calculations:
1. Core Calculations:
Calculate area of core (central limb) by using following formula:

 
Ai= area of core
F= operating frequency
Bm= magnetic flux
Te= turns per volts
 (for derivation of this formula Click Here)
Assumptions:
So, we know the frequency of the power system. We need magnetic flux and turns per volts. For
designing a small transformer magnetic flux is averagely taken as 1 to 1.2.
By putting values we will get the area of core.
Current density of copper wire is taken as 2.2 A / mm2 to 2.4 A/ mm2 (approximately).
So, putting values
F= 50 hz
Bm = 1.2 wb/m2
Te = 4 (turns per volts)

As, we are going to design a practical transformer so we must consider the core available in market.
The standard Bobbins available in market practically is 1”x1”, 1.25”x1.5”, 1.5”x1.5” and so on. We
took nearest core area available to our calculation. We took bobbin of 2.25 inch2 (1.5”x1.5”) or
0.00145161 meter square.  We have the core area. We can calculate turns per volts using this area
by following:
Putting f=50 hz;                Bm = 1.2 wb/(m^2);             Ai= 0.001451 m^2,                 we got:

So, Turns per volts are 2.6 Turns per volts.

Primary Winding Calculations
Primary voltage = Vp = 230 V
Primary current = I1= VA / Vp = 50 / 230 = 0.218

Let transformer we are going to design is 95 % efficient so,

I1 = VA/ (efficiency x Vp) = 0.23A
Primary Current = 0.23 Amp (approx.)

Number of Turns:
Total number of turns = turns per volts x primary side voltage
= 2.6 x 230
N1   = 600 turns (approximately)

Size of Conductor:
As we know that

As, for copper the current density is taken as 2.3 A per mm square So, for area of copper conductor

 
From the standard American wire gauge table, we can choose wire of the same thickness. It can be
seen that it comes out that required primary side wire is of 27 gauge which can conduct required
current. (for AWG table Click here)
Selection of wire can also be done by calculating primary current and by cross match the standard
table of copper wire according to their current handling capabilities.

Secondary Winding Calculations

Secondary voltage = Vs = 12 V

Secondary current = Is = VA/ Vs = 50 / 12 = 4.2 Amp (approx.)

 
From the standard copper wire, table it can be seen that wire of this thickness is of 15 gauge. So for
secondary winding we need 15 gauge wire.
So,
                                     Secondary Wire =15 AWG

Number of Turns:
Number of secondary turns = turns per volts x secondary volts
N2 = 2.6 x 12 = 32 turns (approx.)

Weight Estimation of Windings

For weight calculations, following steps will be followed:

1. Approximate length of copper wire = perimeter of bobbin x number of turns

2. Cross sectional Area of copper conductor
3. Volume = Approximate length x Cross sectional area
4. Mass = density of copper x Volume

Density of copper = 8960 kg/ m3

Primary side:
Perimeter of bobbin = (1.75 x 4) = 7 inch  = 0.1778 m

So,

Length of one turn = 0.1778 m

Total length of all turns of primary = L1

L1 = (length of one turn) x(total number of turns of primary)

L1 = 0.1778 x 600
L1 = 106 m (approx.)

As,
 area of primary conductor = 0.1 mm2
                           = (0.1 x 10 ^ -6) m2
Volume of copper wire = area x length

And                                        density of copper = 8960 kg/ m3

So,

So we need approx. 100 grams of 27 gauge wire. 

Secondary winding weight:

Perimeter of bobbin = (1.75 x 4) = 7 inch = 0.1778 m

So,

                      Length of one turn = 0.1778 m

Total length of all turns of Secondary

= L2 = length of one turn x total number of turns of secondary

L2 = 0.1778 x 32
L2 = 6 m (approx.)

As,                    
area of primary conductor = 1.83 mm2 = (1.83 x 10 ^ -6) m2

Volume of copper wire = area x length

So, we need approx. 100 grams of 15 gauge wire.

So, from above calculations we can summarize in following table:
 Table 1:
Calculation for primary side
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Table
2: Design Summary for Secondary of transformer design
At this point you have done the Calculations and you have the characteristics of transformer
components. Now, for making in hard form, see few easiest steps of hardware implementation of
calculations:
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