Transformers

Transformer
 It is a static device.

 It transfers electrical energy from one electrical circuit to other with

desired change in voltage and current, without changing the
frequency(f=50Hz) and power.

 Constant flux device

 Magnetically coupled and electrically isolated

 Electro magnetic conversion device.

What is a Transformer?
• A transformer is a static electrical machine which
transfers electrical energy from one circuit to
another without changing the frequency.
• A transformer is a static electrical machine which
raises or lowers voltage or current at the same
frequency.
• It works on the principle of MUTUAL INDUCTION.
 Transformer
• It consists of two windings insulated from each
other and wound on a common core made up of a
magnetic material.
• AC voltage is connected across one of the windings
called primary winding.
• Load is connected to the other winding called the
secondary winding.In both windings, EMF is
induced by electromagnetic induction.
Transformer
 Constructional details
• Main Components of a
Transformer are,
 Magnetic core
 Primary & Secondary
windings
 Insulation of windings
 Conservator tank & Explosion
vent
 Bushings
 Buchholz relay
 Breather
 Cooling arrangements
 Magnetic Core
• Magnetic circuit consists of an
iron core.
• Core is made up of stacks of
thin laminations (0.35mm
thickness) of Cold Rolled Grain
Oriented (CRGO) silicon steel.
• These laminations are lightly
insulated with varnish.
• Two types of magnetic circuit
are core type and shell type.
Magnetic Core
 Core type construction
• In the core type, the windings are wound around two legs
of a rectangular magnetic core.
• Windings surround the core & it has only one magnetic
path.
 Shell type construction
• In shell type, the windings are wound around
the center leg of a three-legged core
• Core surrounds the windings.
 Windings
• A transformer has two windings namely primary
and secondary.
• These windings consist of a series of turns called
coils, wound around the core.
• Transformer windings are made of solid or stranded
copper or aluminium strip conductors.
 Conservator and Explosion Vent
• Conservator is used to provide
adequate space for the expansion
of oil when transformer is loaded
or when ambient temperature
changes.
• Explosion Vent is used to discharge
excess pressure developed inside
the transformer during loading, to
the atmosphere.
 Breather
• It sucks the moisture from the air which is taken
by transformer so that dry air is taken by
transformer.
 Bushings
• Transformers are connected to
high voltage lines.
• Extreme care should be taken to
prevent the conductors touching
the transformer tank.
• So the connections in and out of
the transformer are made by the
use of bushings.
• Bushings are normally porcelain
insulators.
Principle of operation

It is based on
principle of MUTUAL
INDUCTION.
According to which
an e.m.f. is induced
in a coil when
current in the
neighbouring coil
changes.
 Constructional detail : Shell type

 Parallel magnetic circuit

 Windings are wrapped around the central limb of a laminated
core.
 Sandwitch winding to reduce the leakage flux
 Less amount of copper & more amount of insulation is
required
 Constructional detail : Core type

 Series magnetic circuit

 Windings are wrapped around two sides of a laminated square
core.
 More amount of copper & less amount of insulation is
required.
 Economical for high voltage applications
 Sectional view of transformers

Note:
High voltage conductors are smaller cross section conductors
than the low voltage coils
 Core type

Fig1: Coil and laminations of

core type transformer Fig2: Various types of cores
 Shell type
• The HV and LV
windings are split
into no. of sections
• Where HV winding
lies between two LV
windings
• In sandwich coils
leakage can be
Fig: Sandwich windings
controlled
Cut view of transformer
Transformer with conservator and
breather
 Working of a transformer
1. When current in the primary coil
changes being alternating in
nature, a changing magnetic field
is produced
2. This changing magnetic field gets
associated with the secondary
through the soft iron core
3. Hence magnetic flux linked with
the secondary coil changes.
4. Which induces e.m.f. in the
secondary.
 Ideal Transformers
• Zero leakage flux:
-Fluxes produced by the primary and secondary currents
are confined within the core
• The windings have no resistance:
- Induced voltages equal applied voltages
• The core has infinite permeability
- Reluctance of the core is zero
- Negligible current is required to establish magnetic
flux
• Loss-less magnetic core
- No hysteresis or eddy currents
 Ideal transformer

V1 – supply voltage ; I1- noload input current ;

V2- output voltgae; I2- output current
Im- magnetising current;
E1-self induced emf ; E2- mutually induced emf
Phasor diagram: Transformer on No-
load
 Transformer on load assuming no
voltage drop in the winding

Fig shows the Phasor diagram of a

transformer on load by assuming
1.No voltage drop in the winding
2.Equal no. of primary and secondary turns
 Transformer on load

Fig. a: Ideal transformer on load

Fig. b: Main flux and leakage
flux in a transformer
Equivalent circuit of a transformer

No load equivalent circuit:

Equivalent circuit parameters referred to
primary and secondary sides respectively
Transferring secondary parameters to primary side

Cu loss after transfer = cu loss before transfer

I 12 R2'  I 22 R2
2
 I2 
R  
'
2
 R2
 I1 
R2
 2
k
Where R21 - Equivalent secondary resistance w.r.t primary

R01 = R1 + R21

Where R01 – Total primary resistance referred to secondary

Equivalent circuit referred to primary side :
Transferring primary parameters to secondary side :

Cu loss after transfer = cu loss before transfer

I 22 R1'  I12 R1
2
I 
R 1'   1  R1
 I2 
= k2 R1

Where R11 - Equivalent primary resistance w.r.t secondary

R02 = R2 + R11
Where R01 – Total secondary resistance referred to primary
Equivalent circuit referred to secondary side :
Equivalent circuit w.r.t primary :

where
 Approximate equivalent circuit

Since the no load current is 1% of the full load current, the no

load circuit can be neglected
 Losses in a Transformer
• The power losses in a transformer are of
two types, namely;
Core or Iron losses
Copper losses
Core or Iron losses (Pi)
Copper losses (PC)
Summary
Core loss Copper loss or I2R loss

 It is the Constant loss It is a variable loss

 Does not change even Also called as I2R loss

as the load current Proportional to square of the

changes load current

Occurs in the winding

 Proportional to supply
resistances
voltage and frequency
It is dissipated as heat
 Transformer Tests
•The performance of a transformer can be calculated on the basis of
equivalent circuit
•The four main parameters of equivalent circuit are:
- R01 as referred to primary (or secondary R02)
- the equivalent leakage reactance X01 as referred to primary
(or secondary X02)
- Magnetising susceptance B0 ( or reactance X0)
- core loss conductance G0 (or resistance R0)
•The above constants can be easily determined by two tests
- Oper circuit test (O.C test / No load test)
- Short circuit test (S.C test/Impedance test)
•These tests are economical and convenient
- these tests furnish the result without actually loading the
transformer

Electrical Machines
 Open-circuit Test
In Open Circuit Test the transformer’s secondary winding is open-circuited, and
its primary winding is connected to a full-rated line voltage.

V0
Core loss  Woc  V0 I 0 cos 0 R0 
Iw
Woc
cos 0  V0
V0 I 0 X0 
I
I c or I w  I 0 cos 0
I
G0  w
• Usually conducted on H.V side I m or I   I 0 sin 0  I 02 -I w2 V0
• To find I I
I 0  V0 Y0 ;  Yo  0 B0 
(i) No load loss or core loss V0 V0
W
(ii) No load current Io which is Woc  V02 G 0 ;  Exciting conductance G 0  oc2
V0
helpful in finding Go(or Ro ) and
Bo (or Xo ) & Exciting susceptanc e B 0  Y0
2
 G0
2
 Short-circuit Test
In Short Circuit Test the secondary terminals are short circuited, and the
primary terminals are connected to a fairly low-voltage source
The input voltage is adjusted until the current in the short circuited
windings is equal to its rated value. The input voltage, current and power is
measured.
Full load cu loss  Wsc  I sc2 R01
Wsc
R 01 
I sc2
Vsc
Z 01 
I sc
 X 01  Z 012  R012
• Usually conducted on L.V side
• To find
(i) Full load copper loss – to pre determine the efficiency
(ii) Z01 or Z02; X01 or X02; R01 or R02 - to predetermine the voltage
regulation
 no - load voltage  full - load voltage
Voltage regulation 
no - load voltage
Vs N s
recall 
Vp N p
N 
Secondary voltage on no-load V2  V1  2 
 N1 
V2 is a secondary terminal voltage on full load

Substitute we have  N2 
V1    V2
 N1 
Voltage regulation 
 N2 
V1  
 N1 
 Formula: voltage regulation
In terms of secondary values
0 V2  V2 I 2 R02 cos 2  I 2 X 02 sin 2
% regulation  
0 V2 0 V2

where ' ' for lagging and '-' for leading

In terms of primary values
V1  V2' I1 R01 cos 1  I1 X 01 sin 1
% regulation  
V1 V1
where ' ' for lagging and '-' for leading
 Transformer Efficiency
Transformer efficiency is defined as (applies to motors, generators and
transformers):
Pout
   100%
Pin
Pout
  100%
Pout  Ploss
Types of losses incurred in a transformer:
Copper I2R losses
Hysteresis losses
Eddy current losses
Therefore, for a transformer, efficiency may be calculated using the following:
VS I S cos 
 x100%
PCu  Pcore  VS I S cos 

Electrical Machines
 Losses in a transformer
Core or Iron loss:

Total cu losses =

=
Condition for maximum efficiency :
The load at which the two losses are equal =

All day efficiency :

out put in watts
ordinary commercial efficiency 
input in watts

output in kWh
 all day  ( for 24 hours)
Input in kWh

•All day efficiency is always less than the commercial efficiency

 Auto Transformer
• An autotransformer has a single winding on an iron core and a part of
winding is common to both the primary and secondary circuits.
Auto Transformer
 Theory of Autotransformer
• Winding 1-3 - N1 turns - pri winding
• winding 2-3 - N2 turns - sec winding
• Input current is I1
• Output current is I2
• Portion 1-2 of the wdg has N1 - N2 turns and voltage
across this portion of the winding is V1 - V2.
• The current through the common portion of the
winding is I2 - I1.
Theory of Autotransformer
Output of Autotransformer
 Saving of Copper in Auto
Transformer

• For the same output and voltage transformation ratio, an

autotransformer requires less copper than an ordinary 2-
winding transformer.
• Weight of Cu required in a winding is α current X turns
 Saving of Copper in Auto
Transformer
Two winding transformer
•Weight of Cu required α (I1N1 + I2N2)

Autotransformer
•Weight of Cu required in section 1-2 α I1 (N1 – N2)
•Weight of Cu required in section 2-3 α (I2 – I1) N2
•Total weight of Cu required α I1 (N1 – N2) + (I2 – I1) N2
Saving of Copper in Auto
Transformer
 Saving of Copper in Auto
Transformer

 Thus if K = 0.1, the saving of Cu is only 10% but

if K = 0.9, saving of Cu is 90%.
 Therefore, saving of Cu is more when K is nearer
to 1.
 Advantages of Autotransformers
• An autotransformer requires less Cu than a two
-winding transformer of similar rating.
• Autotransformer operates at a higher efficiency
than a two-winding transformer of similar rating.
• An autotransformer has better voltage regulation
than a two-winding transformer of the same rating.
• An autotransformer has smaller size than a two-
winding transformer of the same rating.
 Advantages of Autotransformers
• An autotransformer requires smaller exciting
current than a two-winding transformer of the
same rating.
• These advantages decrease as the ratio of
transformation increases. So an autotransformer
has advantages only for low values of
transformation ratio.
 Disadvantages of
Autotransformers
• There is a direct connection between the primary
and secondary. Therefore, the output is no longer
isolated from the input.
• It is not safe for stepping down a high voltage to a
low voltage.
• The short - circuit current is much larger than for
the two-winding transformer of the same rating.
• This reduces the effective resistance and reactance.
 Applications of Autotransformers
• Autotransformers are used to compensate for
voltage drops in transmission and distribution lines.
When used for this purpose, they are known as
booster transformers.
• Autotransformers are used for reducing the voltage
supplied to a.c. motors during the starting period.
• Autotransformers are used for continuous variable
supply.