Technical Description for

CONTINUOUSLY TRANSPOSED TD-NTCTC001

CONDUCTORS with NETTING TAPE

Replaces issue 05/2003

This document is only a Technical Description.

For more details or specific questions please contact ASTA.

This document comprises - this cover sheet

- the English language text
of TD-NTCTC001: 08/2006

Copyright © 2003 ASTA Elektrodraht GmbH & Co. All rights reserved. No part of this
publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system or other media,
in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise) without the
prior written permission of ASTA Elektrodraht GmbH & Co.
This brochure contains only general information and statements. Data and values are
warranted or guaranteed by the manufacturer or vendor only, if such warranty or guarantee is
expressly agreed upon.

Author: Revised by: Released by:

Thomas Trimmel Wolfgang FENZ Johann PONWEISER
Aug 2, 2006 Aug 2, 2006 Aug 2, 2006
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For decades, ASTA Continuously Transposed Conductors (CTCs) have been used
for transformer high and low voltage windings with excellent results. The most
common stack insulation material is paper of various qualities.

Particularly on low-voltage windings for low voltage loads such as step up

transformers or tertiary windings, the stack insulation is made up of only a few
layers of paper to keep the insulation thickness low. Mostly, voltage loads between
conductors are so low that this type of stack insulation would not be needed; CTCs
being in general spaced apart for cooling and immersed in the insulating cooling
medium, and because the high quality ASTA enamel insulation of the single strips
dramatically improves electrical strength.

However, in order to ensure easy processing of CTCs - winding on delivery drums at

ASTA and coil winding by the user - it is necessary to cover each single strip stack
with at least one layer of a mechanically strong material. But this even very thin
paper layer used for stabilization may cause some problems in day-to-day use.

Problems include:

- Local reductions in cooling duct section due to the inevitable bulging of the
paper insulation.

- Formation of oil pockets between single strips and paper insulation at the
transpositions.

- Reduced cooling efficiency because there is no direct contact between the oil
and the single strip surfaces.

- Cooling duct constrictions reduce the oil flow.

- Lower space factor for the winding, because the bulging paper insulation
increases the heat transmission resistance, which needs to be compensated for
by increasing the heat transmission surface by adding cooling ducts.

- Low space factor of the low voltage winding which is usually located closer to
the core increases the weight of the windings placed above the low voltage
winding, the core weight, and the total volume of the tank, and finally leads to
higher iron and copper losses.
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ASTA recognized this problem early on and designed a CTC using single strip
stacks covered with non-overlapping paper insulation of high mechanical strength.
The user may either remove the paper cover by pulling at the built-in rip cord or
leave it in place on the single strip stack.

While this kind of non-overlapping paper cover provides certain advantages, it still
causes additional expenses:

- Removing the cover = higher labor cost.

- On some types of windings such as windings with radially stacked CTCs, the
non-overlapping paper cover cannot be removed afterwards.

- Leaving the cover on may prevent direct cooling of part of the single strip
surfaces.

- Any paper cover, even if it is thin and covers less than 100% of the conductor,
affects the space factor.

ASTA NETTING TAPE CTCs

In developing the ASTA NETTING TAPE CTC*) , ASTA has created an optimal
engineering solution avoiding the drawbacks described. The mechanical
stabilization of the single strip stack will be realized by covering the CTC with
netting tape.

Basic material is a special polyester or mixed polyester/glass fiber yarn woven into
wide-mesh tape. The standard tape is a nominal 0.28 mm thick and wound on the
single strip stack with an overlap.

To avoid damages of the netting tape while processing in particular on

vertical winding machines, an additional protecting insulation is used
that will be removed with no additional labour cost by means of a built-in
rip cord immediately before take-up of CTC on winding cylinder. For
CTCs having large bundle cross sections ASTA recommends the
application of this protecting insulation for perfect processing. The cut
paper tube can be easily disposed due to a following adhesive tape
.

*) ASTA Patent
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ASTA has always recommended CTCs with ASTA Epoxy 2 coated single strips for
use in low-voltage windings for high short circuit pressure loads. Due to the
polymerization of the epoxy resin during curing of the transformer the well-known
excellent short-circuit load resistance of ASTA CTCs will be achieved. In this case,
the netting tape too will be impregnated with B stage ASTA Epoxy 2. This ensures
very high mechanical stability during winding construction. By this polymerization
process the netting tape will bond with the CTC.

In windings with transformer board cooling duct separators, the usual pressures
cause the threads of the netting tape to become almost completely imbedded in the
transformer board material. Therefore, the designer when computing the axial
winding length does not need to add the netting tape thickness to the single strip
stack dimensions, which further improves the space factor.
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For layer windings or windings with axial parallel stacks without separators between
CTCs ASTA recommends an integrated one-sided winding/protecting insulation
(see drawings). In these cases the axial increase due to the netting tape will be less
than the nominal thickness. The effective increase in length will result as empirical
value with the user.

Low voltage windings for large-size GSU-transformers sometimes consist of CTC-

groups wound parallel in axial and radial direction. For such applications too ASTA
recommends to place an angular protecting insulation.

It is not recommended to wind netting tape CTCs bundle to bundle without

protecting insulation.

The material compatibility of the netting tape with transformer oil had been proved
by relevant extended time tests.
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Summarized, using ASTA Netting Tape CTCs provides the following decisive
advantages for transformer manufacturers:

* Efficient Cooling of the Winding

• The cooling medium flows directly around the heat emitting CTC surface.
• Omitting the paper stack insulation with its tendency to bulge and thus of all
oil pockets reduces the temperature difference between the winding and the
cooling medium by up to 50%, depending on the type of cooling system
used.

* Optimum Winding Space Factor

• The drastic reduction in heat transition and heat transmission resistances
and resulting decrease of the temperature difference between the winding
conductor and the cooling medium allows the cooling surface of the winding
to be reduced by using fewer cooling ducts. This provides a much higher
space factor and thus makes transformers smaller.
• Since cooling ducts will not be constricted by bulging paper insulation, they
can be matched exactly to physical cooling medium flow requirements. This
results in a further improvement of the winding space factor.

* Enhanced Transformer Efficiency, Reduced Losses, Lower Weight

• Even when using the same specific amounts of materials, the enhanced
space factor of a low-voltage or high-current winding which is usually located
on the inside results in smaller dimensions of the other windings, the iron
core, and thus the overall size of the transformer. Consequently, the
corresponding weights, copper and iron losses decrease, too, and the
efficiency of the transformer will increase.

* Shorter Winding Times

• The elimination of the transitions of radial stacks wound in parallel due to
increased space factor will reduce winding times.

* Precise calculation of winding length

• The axial winding length is easier to be precalculated, additional length
adjusting labour cost can be avoided to a large extent.
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Using ASTA NETTING TAPE CTCs

Reduces Overall Transformer Costs

The ASTA Netting Tape CTC as a result of the consistent further product
development has generated a new generation of high-current CTCs. Using this type
of conductors specifically for low-voltage windings in medium and high power
transformers as well as for high-current windings in furnace and rectifier
transformers, offers decisive reductions of valued costs (manufacturing cost, PFe,
Pcu) up to several percent.

The aforementioned products identified as " *) ASTA PATENT" are the

exclusive intellectual property of ASTA Elektrodraht GmbH & Co, A-2755 Oed,
Austria and have been protected by national and international patents or filings,
and through the prevailing laws covering the protection of intellectual property.
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ASTA Netting Tape CTC Specifications

Single strip material - Cu-ETP material no. CW004A

- CuAg0,10 material no. CW013A
according EN1977
Rp0.2 proof stress 90 to 280 N/mm²
(nominal value to be specified by customer)
Single strip insulation material - polyvinylacetal based enamel
class 120
- ASTA Epoxy 1 or 2 epoxy resin
- ASTA Low Chip Epoxy
Number of single strips 5 to 80

Single strip width 2.80 to 12.50 mm

Single strip thickness 0.90 to 4.00 mm (1.00 to 2.50 mm for Rp0.2

≥ 170 N/mm² )

Single strip width to single strip thickness ≤ 8:1

ratio
Max. stack dimensions (W x H) 26 x 90 mm

Enamel insulation increase 0.10 - 0.13 (nominal)

Epoxy resin insulation increase
Interleaving layer (if required)
Netting tape dimensions
(depending on bundle dimensions)
Netting tape overlap
(depending on bundle dimensions)
Radial netting tape increase
(nominal value to be specified by customer)
- 0.06mm (nominal ASTA Epoxy 1)
- 0.04mm (nominal ASTA Epoxy 2 and
ASTA-Low Chip Epoxy)
for stacks 10 mm or higher, interleaving
layers of 0.10mm, 0.20mm, 0.30mm
presspan or 0.125mm Cottrell Kraft TU may
be used
- 40 x 0.28 mm
- 30 x 0.28 mm
- 20% to 40%
- slightly overlapped (< 15%)
- widely gapped (gap < 10mm)
0.56 mm

compatibility with transformer oil Proved

Subject to alteration
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