Electrical Apparatus and Devices

WYE-WYE
CONNECTION
(Three-Phase Transformer)

Engr. Conrado E. Quinalayo Devee L. Ambas

Instructor BSEE-3-II
 THREE-PHASE
TRANSFORMER
Three phase transformer is mainly used for high
power transmission.
A three-phase transformer consists of three
primary coils and three secondary coils and is
represented as 3-phase or 3ɸ.
To meet the demand for three phase power
transmission, transformer connections
compatible with three-phase operations are
needed.
We can achieve the transformer connections in
two ways:
• by connecting three single-phase
transformers, thereby forming a so-called
transformer bank,
• by using a special three-phase transformer.
 THREE-PHASE
TRANSFORMER

Usually power is generated and distributed in three phase system, and

therefore it is obvious that we would need three phase transformers to
step up and step down voltages. Although, it is practically possible to
use three suitably interconnected 'single phase transformers' instead of
one 'three phase transformer', the following advantages of three phase
transformers encourage their use -
One 'three phase transformer' occupies less space than a gang of three
'single phase transformers'.
• Single 'three phase' unit is more economical
• The overall bus-bar structure, switchgear and installation of 'three
phase transformer' is simpler.
 Constructions Of Three Phase Transformer

CORE TYPE CONSTRUCTION SHELL TYPE CONSTRUCTION

The construction of a core type three phase
transformer is as shown in the figure. The core
consists of three legs or limbs. As usual, the core is
made up of thin laminated sheets to reduce eddy
current losses. Each limb has primary and secondary
windings in cylindrical shape (former wound) arranged
concentrically.
In a shell type three phase transformer, three phases
are more independent than they are in core type. Each
phase has its individual magnetic circuit. The
construction of shell type three phase transformer is
illustrated in the figure at right. The construction is
similar to that of three single phase shell type
transformers kept on the top of each other.
TRANSFORMER WYE-WYE CONNECTIONS • In this, both primary and secondary windings are connected
in star fashion and also there exist no phase difference
between the primary and secondary voltages.
• In this, current flowing through both primary and secondary
windings are equal to the currents of the lines to which they
are connected (supply source and load). And voltages
between line phases on either end equal to 1.732 times
respective winding voltages.
• Due to neutral availability, it is well suited for three phase
four wire system.
• This type connection satisfactorily works if the load is
balanced. But if the load is unbalanced, the neutral point
shift causes unequal phase voltages.

• Large third harmonic voltages would appear in both primary and secondary windings without the
neutral tie. This may lead to the insulation failures.
• This connection considerably generates interference with communication lines and hence with this
connection configuration, telephone lines cannot be run in parallel.
• Due to these disadvantages, the star-star connection is rarely used and not employed in practice.
TRANSFORMER WYE-WYE CONNECTION
The voltage between any line of the three-phase transformer is called the “line voltage”, VL, while the voltage
between any line and the neutral point of a star connected transformer is called the “phase voltage”, VP. This
phase voltage between the neutral point and any one of the line connections is 1/√3 × VL of the line voltage.
Then above, the primary side phase voltage, VP is given as.
1 1
𝑉𝑝 = × 𝑉𝐿 = × 100 = 57.7 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑠
3 3
The secondary current in each phase of a star-connected group of transformers is the same as that for the line current of
the supply, then IL = IS.
TRANSFORMER WYE-WYE CONNECTION
Three-phase Voltage and Current Characteristics

Connection Phase Voltage Line Voltage Phase Current Line Current

Wye(Star) 𝑉𝑝 = 𝑉𝐿 ÷ 3 𝑉𝐿 = 3 × 𝑉𝑝 𝐼𝑝 = 𝐼𝐿 𝐼𝐿 = 𝐼𝑃
Where: VL = Line Voltage
VP = Phase Voltage
IL = Line Current
IP = Phase Current
This type has both star windings on the primary and secondary sides. Line voltages on each side are √3 times the voltage
of a single phase. The main advantage of a star-star connection is the access to the neutral terminal on both sides of the
transformer which can be grounded if desired. By connecting the star neutral to ground, distortion to the waveform is
eliminated. Without grounding, this configuration‘s operation is satisfactory only if the loads on all the three phases are
balanced.
When the primary and secondary have different types of winding connections, star or delta, the overall turns ratio of the
transformer becomes more complicated. If a three-phase transformer is connected as delta-delta ( Dd ) or star-star ( Yy )
then the transformer could potentially have a 1:1 turns ratio. That is the input and output voltages for the windings are the
same
TRANSFORMER WYE-WYE CONNECTION
Three-phase Line Voltage and Current

Primary-Secondary Line Voltage Line Current

Configuration Primary or Secondary Primary or Secondary

𝐼𝐿
Wye-Wye (Star-Star) 𝑉𝐿 = n𝑉𝐿 𝐼𝐿 =
𝑛

Where: n equals the transformers “turns ratio” (T.R.) of the number of secondary
windings NS, divided by the number of primary windings NP.
( NS/NP ) and VL is the line-to-line voltage with VP being the phase-to-neutral
voltage.
 Handle Heavy Load
FACTORS OF Y-Y CONNECTION AND ITS Due to star connection, phase current is same as line current. Hence
windings have to carry high currents. This makes cross section of the
EFFECTS IN ITS LOAD windings high. Thus the windings are mechanically strong and windings
can bear heavy loads and short circuit current.
(ADVANTAGES)
Required Less Insulation Level
If the neutral end of a Y-connected winding is grounded, then there is an
opportunity to use reduced levels of insulation at the neutral end of the
winding. A winding that is connected across the phases requires full
insulation throughout the winding.

Eliminate Distortion in Secondary Phase Voltage

The connection of primary neutral to the neutral of generator eliminates
distortion in the secondary phase voltages by giving path to triple frequency
currents toward to generator.

Used as Auto Transformer

A Y-Y transformer may be constructed as an autotransformer, with the
possibility of great cost savings compared to the two-winding
transformer construction.
Sinusoidal voltage on Secondary side
Neutral give path to flow Triple frequency current to flow Generator side
thus sinusoidal voltage on primary will give sinusoidal voltage on
secondary side.

Better Protective Relaying

The protective relay settings will be protecting better on the line to
ground faults when the Y-Y transformer connections with solidly
Custom-built Three-phase Autotransformer from Lenco Electronics, Inc. grounded neutrals are applied.
FACTORS OF Y-Y CONNECTION AND ITS
The Third Harmonic Issue
The voltages in any phase of a Y-Y transformer are 1200 apart from the voltages in any other phase. However, the
third-harmonic components of each phase will be in phase with each other. Nonlinearities in the transformer core
always lead to generation of third harmonic.
These components will add up resulting in large (can be even larger than the fundamental component) third harmonic
component..
EFFECTS IN ITS LOAD
Overvoltage at Lighting Load
The presence of third (and other zero-sequence) harmonics at an ungrounded neutral can cause overvoltage
conditions at light load. When constructing a Y-Y transformer using single-phase transformers connected in a bank,
(PROBLEMS)

the measured line-to-neutral voltages are not 57.7% of the system phase-to-phase voltage at no load but are about
68% and diminish very rapidly as the bank is loaded.

The effective values of voltages at different frequencies combine by taking the square root of the sum of the voltages
squared. With sinusoidal phase-to-phase voltage, the third-harmonic component of the phase-to-neutral voltage is
about 60%.

Voltage Drop at Unbalance Load

There can be a large voltage drop for unbalanced phase-to-neutral loads. This is caused by the fact that phase-to-
phase loads cause a voltage drop through the leakage reactance of the transformer whereas phase-to-neutral loads
cause a voltage drop through the magnetizing reactance, which is 100 to 1000 times larger than the leakage
reactance.
Over Voltage at Light Load
The presence of third (and other zero-sequence) harmonics at an ungrounded neutral can cause
overvoltage conditions at light load.
Other possible connections for three phase transformers are:
Wye-Delta Connection
From the name itself, this type has the primary side in star connection while the secondary side is in delta. By
having a star connection at the primary side, the star‘s neutral point can be connected to ground to avoid
distortion. Also, the phase voltage of the primary is equal to the supply line voltage divided by √3, or only about
58%. Thus, for a 1:1 turns ratio, a star-delta connection will provide reduced voltage to the secondary side by a
factor of 0.58. This makes the star-delta connection applicable to step-down transformers.

Delta-Star Connection
On the primary side, the line and phase voltages are the same, while on the secondary side, the line voltage is
equal to the phase voltage multiplied by √3. Thus, for a 1:1 turns ratio, the secondary line will provide an
increased voltage by a factor of √3. Delta-star transformers are used for step-up applications. Another
application of this type is distribution systems. Since the secondary side has a neutral, it can also serve as a
single-phase power supply aside from supplying the full three-phase.
Like the star-delta, by having different windings of the primary and secondary sides, the resulting electricity is
out of phase.

Delta-Delta Connection
In this configuration, the line-to-line voltages on both the primary and secondary sides are equal to the phase
voltage. The main advantage of this type is that even under unbalanced loads, the three-phase voltages
remain equal. Also, since both sides have the same type of windings, there is no phase shift between them.
 Sources:
https://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/transformer/three-phase-transformer.html
https://www.electronicshub.org/three-phase-transformer/
https://www.iqsdirectory.com/articles/transformer/three-phase-
transformer.html#:~:text=Three%2Dphase%20transformers%20are%20a,delta%2C%20and%20delta%2Dstar.
https://electrical-engineering-portal.com/transformer-connection-star-star

I do not own the photos in this presentation. PCCTO