Instrument transformers

Unit-III

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Instrument transformers are used in connection with measurement of voltage, current,
energy and power in ac circuits.

Two reasons for use of instrument transformers in measurement:

1. To extend (multiply) the range of the measuring instrument
2. To isolate the measuring instrument from a high-voltage line.

In power systems, levels of currents and voltages handled are very high, and, therefore,
direct measurements with conventional instruments is not possible without
compromising operator safety, and size and cost of instrument.

In such a case, instrument transformers can be effectively used to step down the voltage
and current within range of the existing measuring instruments of moderate size.

Instrument transformers are two type

(a) current transformer or CT (for extending current ranges of instruments)
(b) voltage or potential transformers or PT (for extending voltage ranges of instruments)
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Instrument transformers have their primary winding connected to the power line and
secondary windings to the measuring instrument.

In this way, the measuring instruments are isolated from the high power lines.

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CURRENT TRANSFORMERS (CT)

The primary winding of a current transformer is connected in series with the line
carrying the main current.

The secondary winding of the CT, where the current is many times stepped down, is
directly connected across an ammeter, for measurement of current; or across the
current coil of a wattmeter, for measurement of power
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The primary winding of a CT has only few turns, such that there is no appreciable
voltage drop across
it, and the main circuit is not disturbed.

The current flowing through the primary coil of a CT, i.e., the main circuit current is
primarily determined by the load connected to the main circuit and not by the load
(burden) connected to the CT secondary.

One of the terminals of the CT is normally earthed to prevent any accidental damage
to the operating personnel in the event of any incumbent insulation breakdown.

Typical name plate rating of a CT shows 500/1 A 5VA 5P20

1. CT rated primary and secondary currents are 500 A and 1 A respectively.

2. Its rated secondary burden is 5 VA, it is designed to have 5% accuracy.
3. It can carry up to 20 times higher current than its rated value while connected in
line to detect fault conditions, etc.
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Explanation of Phasor diagram

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Current Transformation Ratio of CT

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Phase Angle of CT

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ERRORS INTRODUCED BY CURRENT TRANSFORMERS

This ratio should remain constant over the entire range of measurement, such that no
errors are introduced in the measurement. However, it is clear that the
transformation ratio R of the CT differs from the turns ratio n .

This difference is not constant, but depends on the magnitude of magnetising and loss
components of no-load current, and also on the secondary winding load current and its
phase angle.

While power measurements, it is required that the secondary current of CT is

displaced
exactly by 180° from the primary current, but the CT has a phase angle error θ. This16
Ratio Error

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To attempt to keep the magnetising current component as small as possible. This can
be achieved by a combination of the following schemes:

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Problems

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The phase-angle difference θ between the primary
voltage Vp and the reflected secondary voltage nVs
is called phase angle of the PT.

Ideally, without any no-load current and without

any voltage drop in winding impedances, these two
phasors must have been in the same phase, i.e.,
ideally θ=0.

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Phase Angle of PT

Ip and Is being much less compared to the large

voltage nVs, those terms can be neglected;

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Ratio Error and Phase-Angle Error
The ratio error (difference between nominal ratio and actual transformation ratio)
only is important when measurements of voltage are to be made; the phase angle
error is of importance only while measurement of power.

Errors depend upon the resistance and reactance of the transformer winding as
Well as on the value of no-load current of the transformer.

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 Reducing Errors in PT

Errors are introduced in the ratio and phase angle of a PT owing to the presence of the
no-load component of the primary current and voltage drops across winding
impedances.

Reducing the loss component and magnetising components: reducing the length of
magnetic path in the core, using good quality core magnetic materials, designing
with appropriate value of flux densities in the core.

Winding resistance can be reduced by using thick conductors and taking care to
Reduce the length of mean turn of the windings.

Winding leakage flux and hence leakage reactance can be reduced by keeping the
primary and secondary windings as close as permissible from the point of view of
Insulation requirements.
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Sufficiently high flux densities in the core will reduce the core cross-section, thereby
reducing the length of winding wound over the core. This, in turn, will reduce the winding
resistance.

An optimisation in the core flux density value to be used needs to done, since too high a
flux density will increase the no-load current, which is also not desirable.

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OPERATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF POTENTIAL TRANSFORMERS

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Problem

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