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Interpretation of the LF resonance in Frequency Response Analysis of

transformer windings

S. BANASZAK1, W. SZOKA1, K.M. GAWRYLCZYK1, J. SUBOCZ1, 2, M. SZROT2,

J. PŁOWUCHA2
1
West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, Poland
2
Energo-Complex, Poland

SUMMARY

In the last decade, Frequency Response Analysis (FRA) has become one of important
methods due to its ability to detect mechanical failures in the active part, although electrical
faults between turns and coils and some core problems can also be detected by FRA. Its
measuring techniques are currently well known and standardized; however, a yet-unresolved
problem is the interpretation of its results. FR can be measured in various test configurations;
however, according to the standard, the main configuration is the end-to-end test setup, where
a signal is given at the beginning of the winding and measured at its end, with the remaining
windings left open. The results are presented in the form of Bode plots, with damping of the
magnitude and phase shift shown on separate graphs. In end-to-end test setup can always be
found a characteristic first parallel resonance in LF range, which usually has the biggest
damping in the whole FR curve. The interesting fact is that the frequency of this resonance
measured for the high and low voltage sides of the transformer is usually the same for a given
unit. In addition, this resonance for both windings is often of a similar shape. It was assumed
that the origin of the first resonance is not only in the winding measured, but in the
capacitances of the other windings in the active part, which remain open during the
measurement, acting together with the main magnetizing inductances. Experiments were
planned in which the FR was measured on transformers with additional capacitors attached in
parallel to the bushings of the HV windings of a different phase than that tested. The
measured FR shows that the first resonance has shifted along the frequency, that the next
series resonance is influenced to a very small extent, while the rest of the FR remains
unchanged. In order to verify if the nature of the phenomenon under analysis also lies in the
capacitances of windings other than that measured, computer modelling has been introduced.
The model used for the abovementioned verification was based on the field RLC model with
input data obtained from FEM calculations. In modelling results additional capacitances have
changed the position of the first resonance in a similar way to the experimental results.
The conclusions drawn from these measurements, experiments and model show that the first
resonance on the FR curve (in an end-to-end open test setup) of any transformer depends not
only on the construction of the winding tested, but also on other windings.

KEYWORDS

Frequency Response, Resonance, Transformer, Transformer Windings, FRA

e-mail : szymon.banaszak@zut.edu.pl
1. INTRODUCTION
Diagnostics of power transformers is highly important and allows the planning of
repairs and replacements in the ageing population of transformers operating in distribution
companies. The heart of the transformer is its active part, which is subject to ageing processes
in the insulation system and to mechanical forces related to short-circuit currents or
overvoltages. In the last decade, Frequency Response Analysis (FRA) has become one of
important methods due to its ability to detect mechanical failures in the active part, although
electrical faults between turns and coils and some core problems can also be detected by FRA.
Typical examples of mechanical failures are winding displacement (both radial and axial) and
lead deformations. FRA measuring techniques are currently well known and standardized [1].
FRA is a strictly comparative method, therefore to assess the curve it is necessary to compare
it to previous data. In many cases, such data are not available, so measurements must be
compared to sister or twin units, or sometimes to other units of the same type. Another
approach is to compare unit phases, however in this case there are also many possibilities for
misinterpretation. An improvement in diagnosis can be achieved e.g. by the application of the
complementary measurements FRA+VM, where Vibroacoustic Measurement is also
introduced for the analysis of the mechanical condition of the active part [2].
FR can be measured in various test configurations; however, according to the standard
[1], the main configuration is the end-to-end test setup, where a signal is given at the
beginning of the winding and measured at its end, with the remaining windings left open. The
results are presented in the form of Bode plots, with damping of the magnitude and phase
shift shown on separate graphs (Fig. 1). Usually, only magnitude damping is used for
comparison of the test results. To analyze the test results, the Frequency Response (FR) range
is usually divided into three main subranges, sometimes including additional sub-bands.
These ranges are low, medium and high frequencies. Their borders depend on the
construction of the transformer, mainly on its geometrical size, and usually connected with its
power rating. The bigger the transformer, the higher the values of inductances and inner
capacitances and thus the FR is shifted into lower frequencies [3].

Fig. 1. Typical FRA curve with characteristic points

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 In this test setup and type of graph can always be found a characteristic first parallel
resonance, which usually has the biggest damping in the whole FR curve. This paper presents
an analysis of the factors influencing the position of the first parallel resonance which are
usually not taken into consideration when performing test result analysis. This problem
especially concerns the results measured for the LV or tertiary winding, which depend highly
on the capacitances of the HV winding, even in a different phase, which will be shown in this
paper.

2. TRANSFORMER RESPONSE IN THE LOW FREQUENCY RANGE

FR curve shape is mainly determined by winding inductances and capacitances. The
low frequency range is usually considered as the interaction of the magnetizing inductance
and bulk capacitance to the ground of the winding taken under consideration. In the lowest
frequency range (starting at 20 Hz, according to [1]), winding inductances are dominant,
resulting in a decreasing gradient. When the first resonance is reached, the dominant influence
of the winding capacitances appears (Fig. 1), reaching the end of the LF range. This range is
strongly influenced by short-circuits between the turns or coils, as the magnetic circuit takes
part in the phenomena present in the LF range [4-8]. The low-frequency range is often
omitted in test result analysis, because it shows natural differences between the three phases,
due to various magnetic flux distributions in the middle (one minimum) and side columns
(two minima) of the core, but this range can also be affected by the DC measurements
resulting in core magnetization or core construction [4, 9-10]. The end of the low frequency
range is at the inflextion point of the increasing capacitive slope of the FR curve. The position
of the first resonance depends on the winding self-inductance and total series and shunt
capacitances [11].
Paper [5] shows that all phases influence the FR in the LF range by the core magnetic circuit
in FRA end-to-end open test configuration using the example of the numerical model.
Methods for calculating model parameters on the base of FR measurements are described. A
similar approach is described in [6], analyzing the LF range to obtain parameters for a
computer model. Interesting results of numerical modeling are presented in [4], which show
that changes in the capacitances of non-tested windings have an influence on the first
resonance. Similarly in [7] influences of capacitive and inductive couplings on FR in the LF
range of the same phase are analyzed along with the influence of other phases by tertiary
winding coupling, but focused mainly on the double-peak feature of the autotransformer’s FR.
These two papers [4, 7] show, with the help of numerical models, that there are interactions
between the windings of the different phases in an autotransformer. The question is if the
same interaction (and on what scale) will be observed in the case of measurements taken on a
standard transformer with a smaller power rating, especially in the case where the results of
one transformer side are influenced by capacitance changes in the other side and other phase
of the non-tested winding (e.g. LV measurements in phase A vs capacitance changes in the
HV of phase B). This problem is analyzed by the author in this paper. In this paper, examples
of industrial measurements, experiments performed on real units and model verification are
given, showing that different side and phase windings other than the one under examination
have strong influence on the FR in the LF range.

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3. INDUSTRIAL MEASUREMENTS OF THE FIRST RESONANCE
Having observed many FRA test results from different transformer types, the author’s
interest was aroused by the nature of the first parallel resonance. The interesting fact is that
the frequency of this resonance measured for the high and low voltage sides of the
transformer is usually the same for a given unit. In addition, this resonance (or double
resonance if the side phase is considered) for both windings is often of a similar shape. Two
examples of FRA curves are given in Figs. 2-3. The low voltage winding has many times
lower number of turns, so its bulk capacitance and inductance are completely different, but
the resonant frequency remains the same as for a much bigger HV winding. The first example
is FR graph for 25 MVA (Fig. 2) distribution unit.

Fig. 2. FRA curves of transformer TNARBA-25000/110PNPN, 115/16.5 kV, 25 MVA, Ynd11

It can be seen that both local minima of the LV and HV side (300-500 Hz) have the
same position, similarly to the next series resonance (6 kHz). This phenomenon is also visible
in the case of a large autotransformer (230/110 kV, 160 MVA) with a tertiary winding. This
winding has a different construction and size (15 kV) and different connection configuration
(delta connected) – see Fig. 3. All three curves show local minima at the same frequencies, in
the 200-500 Hz range. It can be concluded that in the case of LV and tertiary windings, this
resonance does not depend on the winding, but on the entire construction of the transformer.

Fig. 3. FRA curves of autotransformer RtdXP-125000/200, 230/120/15.75 kV, 160 MVA, Yna

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 In recent years, the author has also performed several experiments on transformers
under conditions where controlled deformations were introduced into the windings. The aim
of these measurements was to check the influence of the various deformations (different type,
scale and location) on the results of the FRA. Such experiments were done on units 0.8, 1, 16,
25 and 160 MVA in laboratory conditions or before scrapping the transformer in field
conditions. Different deformations were introduced into the windings, i.a. axial shifts or radial
deformations of the coils. There was not a single example of deformation in the windings that
would cause changes in the first resonance. The faults that influence this frequency range are
a short-circuit in the winding, which – depending on its scale – leads even to removing the LF
range (similarly to the end-to-end measurement with a shorted opposite side) or major
damage/overheating of the magnetic circuit. Such changes in the FR are related to changes in
inductance.

4. EXPERIMENTS WITH CAPACITANCES

It was assumed that the origin of the first resonance is not only in the winding
measured, but in the capacitances of the other windings in the active part, which remain open
during the measurement, acting together with the main magnetizing inductances. Especially in
the case of an LV winding, there is a dominant influence of the HV winding capacitances. In
order to confirm the abovementioned assumption on the source of the first resonance, some
experiments were planned in which the FR was measured on transformers with additional
capacitors attached in parallel to the bushings of the HV windings of a different phase than
that tested (the capacitor connected between the base and the inner lead of the bushing). The
FR was measured both on the HV and LV side (the capacitor always remained on the HV
side). The measured FR shows that the first resonance has shifted along the frequency, that
the next series resonance is influenced to a very small extent, while the rest of the FR remains
unchanged. There are two examples of transformers given below in Figs. 4-5. The first two
examples (Fig. 4a and 4b) were measured under industrial conditions on a large
autotransformer unit 400/123/31.5 kV, 250 MVA while the second two were registered on a
small distribution unit tested in the laboratory (15/0.4 kV, 800 kVA – Figs. 5a and 5b).
(a) (b)

Fig. 4 FRA curve of autotransformer AFLOC-3MNYCP, 400/123/31.5 kV, 250 MVA with capacitors
connected to the HV winding of phase B; a) HV winding in phase A, b) LV winding in phase A

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 In the next cases (Figs. 5a and 5b), there is a shift in the first resonance both when the
capacitance is connected to a different phase on the same side (HV A measured and
capacitance added to HV B) and to a different phase on the other side of the transformer (LV
B measured, capacitance added to HV C).

Fig.5. FRA curve of transformer 15/0.4 kV, 800 kVA; a) HV winding in phase A with capacitor
connected to the HV winding of phase B; b) LV winding in phase B with capacitor connected to the
HV winding of phase C

The examples of experimental measurements with additional capacitances showed

clearly that the first resonance depends also on the parameters of windings different than
tested one, which concerns both the other phase (other column) and the opposite side (HV vs
LV side). In the case of the latter, there was no galvanic connection between the winding
measured and the capacitor attached to the opposite phase on a different phase, but the effect
was still the same. The frequency of the resonance analyzed is approx. 1 kHz, which is the
value at which the magnetic coupling coefficient is still close to value 1.

5. MODEL VERIFICATION
In order to verify if the nature of the phenomenon under analysis also lies in the
capacitances of windings other than that measured, computer modeling has been introduced.
Transformer models have a long tradition and have many applications, such as the behavior of
transformers in transient conditions [12], interaction with a power system [13] or for faults
detection purposes [14-16]. In the case of FRA applications it is necessary to obtain a model’s
response similar to the measurement in the wide frequency range. Therefore, many
phenomena should be taken into consideration, from the magnetic in the low frequency range
to the wave phenomena in high frequencies. In the problem discussed in the paper, visible at
low frequencies, the magnetic core’s influence must be properly introduced. This can be
omitted above approx. 10 kHz [17], where it is expected that the core acts as a perfect
conducting screen.
The model used for the abovementioned verification was based on the field RLC
model described with the following equations with input data obtained from FEM
calculations. It was assumed that each branch of the model would take under consideration its
own and mutual phenomena taking place in the transformer winding: resistance, the
winding’s own inductance and capacitance and magnetic and capacitive couplings. The

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capacitances to the ground and between turns are distributed, which means that all of them
influence the position of the first resonance. The model contains all the interactions between
the elements used, so there is no need to add, for example, a large number of elements
simulating mutual inductances between all the coils. The model is based on elements
connected in a series, which corresponds with the turns in a real winding – see Fig. 6 [18].
The object modeled was an LV winding of 800 kVA, 15/0.4 kV, air insulated transformer
used for laboratory tests. This winding has 24 turns.

Fig. 6. The basic branch of the model, connected in series

The described model takes into consideration all the mutual inductances and capacitances,
no matter how far they are from a given turn, and is described by the equations:
I i  Ri  j Li  Vi Vi1  j M I ,
j i
ij j

M I
(1)
Vi Vi1  I i  Ri  j ij j
j

All the RLC parameters were calculated from FEM electromagnetic field analysis.
These calculations allow proximity and skin effects to be taken into consideration. Both of
these effects decrease winding inductance in the high frequency range by approx. 10%.
Modeling was performed using ANSYS Maxwell commercial software and the results were
obtained as impedance matrices used for further calculations. The area under analysis was
discretized with approx. 64 000 triangle elements, so each of them was much smaller than the
field penetration depth at high frequencies. For better approximation of boundary conditions,
ballooning was introduced into the model. From the point of view of the measured
transformer winding, the opposite side winding on a different phase is a single element with
concentrated inductivity and capacity. Therefore, for the model under discussion (from Fig.
10), an additional link was added, shown in Fig. 7.

Fig. 7. Additional link modeling HV winding with all self-inductances and self-capacitances

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 The additional link contains the model of the HV side reduced to a single turn, obtained
from the capacitance values between windings, while Cd represents capacitance to the ground.
The R and L parameters of this turn are obtained similarly to the LV winding parameters. The
bushing capacitance Cbush with self-capacitance of the winding Cd creates a common ground
capacitance, which in the case of the model under discussion is assumed to be 285 pF. This
value was chosen on the basis of the real measurements of the 15 kV bushings. This
capacitance was recalculated to the LV side and reduced to a single turn, which resulted in the
value (ratio 15/0.4 kV, LV side 24 turns): 285 pF·(15000/400) 2·242 = 231 μF.
For the additional link the following voltage and current equations are added:
Vd  I d  Rd  j  M dj I j
j
(2)
I d  j Cbush  0,5 Cd Vd .
The core behavior was modeled with complex magnetic permeability μ [14]. The capacitance
values were obtained from an electrostatic model, with the assumption that they do not
depend on the frequency. The frequency values used for modeling were the same as in the
case of a measurement on the real object. The result of the modeling is shown in Fig. 8, which
demonstrates the modeled curve with bushing capacitance 285 pF (without additional
capacitances), two modeled curves with additional capacitances connected to the opposite
side winding in the different phase (an additional element in the model: 200 pF and 500 pF)
and also a measurement curve for comparison to the model. It can be seen that the additional
capacitances have changed the position of the first resonance in a similar way to the
experimental results. Verification of the model can be achieved by a comparison of the
measurement results and model without additional capacitances (a dashed vs black continuous
line). It shows that the resonance frequency is almost identical, although there is a bigger
difference in damping, which is the result of modeling inaccuracies, e.g. in losses.

Fig. 8. FR of the model with additional capacitances on the opposite winding of the different phase
and measurement of tested transformer 800 kVA, 15/0.4 kV: (– – –) – measurement, (───) – model
without additional capacitances, with bushing capacitance only, (───) and (∙∙∙∙∙∙∙) – models with
additional capacitances 200 pF and 500 pF

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6. SUMMARY
The conclusions drawn from these measurements, experiments and model show that
the first resonance on the FR curve (in an end-to-end open test setup) of any transformer
depends not only on the construction of the winding tested, but also on other windings. The
literature (e.g. [4, 7]) mentioned such influences. Other HV windings are grounded by the
bushing capacitances and self-capacitances to the tank. It was presented that there is an
influence of other windings even in a different phase and on the other side than the winding
tested. This is especially true in the case of an LV winding with modifications in the HV
winding of a different phase. Such phenomena can be observed both for autotransformers and
standard transformers, which have no connection between the abovementioned LV and HV
windings. In real transformers the location of this resonance was modified by adding the
capacitor to the bushing of a different phase, even on the opposite side (LV FR with the
capacitor on the HV side). The position of this resonance in the model depends on the
additional magnetically coupled turn, representing the HV winding.
The most important conclusion is that during the assessment of industrial results,
differences in position of the first resonance do not depend only on the winding tested,
especially in the case of LV or tertiary winding. The source of the first resonance shift in the
frequency scale lies in the capacitances of the other HV windings. Visible changes in the
position of this resonance cannot be interpreted as there is an obvious deformation in this
winding; however, this does not mean that such a deformation can be excluded (e.g. major
deformation). Thus, it is difficult to use the first resonance for direct diagnostics. On the other
hand, it is expected that the position of the first resonance should be similar in the case of all
windings for a given phase: LV and HV or tertiary, and any differences should be analyzed,
as they may be results of some faults in the active part.

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