Chaos in ferroresonant wound voltage transformers:

effect of core losses and universal circuit behaviour

B.A.T.Al Zahawi
Z.Emin
Y.K.Tong

Indexing terms: Ferroresonance, Transformers, Chaos theory

Abstract: The damping effects of transformer

core losses upon the ferroresonant behaviour of
wound instrument transformers, fed from a
sinusoidal supply through circuit breaker grading
capacitance, are studied using nonlinear
dynamical methods. The system is shown to
exhibit three types of ferroresonance; fundamental frequency ferroresonance, subharmonic
ferroresonance and chaotic ferroresonance. It is
also shown that this ferroresonant circuit can be
driven into chaotic behaviour through a sequence
of period-doubling bifurcations. Values of
Feigenbaum universal number are calculated
and are shown to be in good agreement with
those reported from various other disciplines.

Introduction

Ferroresonance is a complicated nonlinear electrical

phenomenon, which can lead to transformer voltages
several times the normal equipment ratings. It occurs in
bulk power systems when the nonlinear core of a
lightly loaded power transformer is fed through capacitive coupling from neighbouring lines or phases, particularly in the presence of long capacitive lines [1].
Ferroresonance can also strike when an instrumentation voltage transformer, connected to an open circuit
busbar in a substation, is de-energised by opening a circuit breaker [2] leaving the nonlinear transformer core
connected to the supply via the circuit breaker grading
capacitance, as highlighted by recent site experiences at
two substations in London.
Fig. 1 shows the circuit diagram for the ferroresonant components at one of the London substations. VT
is a 100VA, low thermal capacity voltage transformer
isolated from sections of busbars via disconnector DS2.
CCB is circuit breaker grading capacitance. Ferroresonance conditions occurred upon opening the circuit
breaker with DS1 closed and DS2 open, leading to failure of the transformer primary winding.

Electrical systems exhibiting ferroresonant behaviour

are nonlinear dynamical systems. The application of
conventional linear mathematics is thus not fully
appropriate and research is under way applying chaos
theory and nonlinear dynamics to this phenomenon
[35]. In this paper, the nonlinear behaviour of a
ferroresonant voltage transformer, fed from a
sinusoidal supply via circuit breaker grading
capacitance, is analysed. In particular, the damping
effects of transformer core losses upon the behaviour of
the circuit and the resulting system overvoltages are
investigated. Three types of ferroresonant behaviour
are shown to be possible. These are fundamental
frequency ferroresonance, subharmonic ferroresonance,
in which the period of oscillation is an integral multiple
of the period of the supply, and chaotic ferroresonance,
in which the oscillations appear to be random and
irregular. The voltage transformer ferroresonant circuit
is also shown to exhibit universal chaotic behaviour,
being driven into chaos through a sequence of perioddoubling bifurcations.

Fig.1 Typical voltage transformer circuit arrangement

Fig.2 Basic ferroresonance circuit

IEE, 1998
IEE Proceedings online no. 19981616
Paper first received 2nd April and in revised form 20th August 1997
B.A.T. Al Zahawi and Z. Emin are with the Electrical Engineering Division of the Manchester School of Engineering, University of Manchester,
Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
Y.K. Tong is with The National Grid Company plc, Engineering and
Technology, Kelvin Avenue, Leatherhead, Surrey KT22 7ST, UK
IEE Proc.-Sci. Meas. Technol., Vol. 145, No. 1, January 1998

Circuit analysis

Fig. 2 shows the basic ferroresonance equivalent circuit

used in the analysis. E is the RMS supply phase voltage
and is the angular supply frequency. The resistor R
represents transformer core losses. Cshunt is the total
39

phase-to-earth capacitance of the circuit. Cseries is the

circuit breaker grading capacitance.
Transformer current is represented by a single-value
power series. By employing per unit values based on
transformer VA rating and RMS supply phase voltage,
the measured transformer magnetisation curve was
modelled by a seventh-order polynomial
where a = 3.42, b = 0.41, i is transformer current and
is transformer flux linkage, both in p.u. values.
The time behaviour of the basic ferroresonant circuit
is described by the differential equations:

where g and 1/q are the driving force amplitude and

damping factor, respectively, and are given by

Values of E and were fixed at 1p.u., corresponding

to AC supply voltage and frequency. Cseries is the
1400pF circuit breaker grading capacitance. The value
of Cshunt depends on the type of substation and the
length of busbar and, for the substation under consideration, was estimated at 130pF. In this analysis the
value of R is varied over a range of realistic values
between 100M and 500M, corresponding to transformer losses of approximately 250W and 50W, respectively. Results are presented for four different sets of
parameters showing the three possible types of ferroresonance plus a normal sinusoidal response. Solutions
were obtained for initial values representing circuit
breaker operation at maximum voltage (i.e. V(t) =
2p.u. and (t) = 0 at t = 0). Waveforms are shown for
steady-state conditions after initial transients have died
out. Fig. 3 shows a normal 50Hz sinusoidal voltage
waveform calculated for a value of R = 100M (i.e.
transformer losses of 250W and values of driving force
amplitude g = 1.294, and damping factor 1/q = 0.021).
Fig. 4 shows the closed trajectory characteristic of the
phase plane diagram of a periodic waveform. The corresponding Poincar section shown in Fig. 5 has one
point only, indicating that the waveform is periodic
with a frequency equal to 50Hz.
Figs. 68 show waveforms and diagrams for a fundamental frequency ferroresonance state calculated for R
= 210M (i.e. transformer losses of 120W). Compared
with the previous example, damping is reduced by a
factor of two so that 1/q = 0.01. The phase plane diagram and the corresponding Poincar section of Figs. 7
and 8 again show the characteristics of a periodic
waveform with a frequency equal to the system frequency. Ferroresonant behaviour is demonstrated by
the distortion and high amplitude of transformer voltage waveform.

Fig.3 Normal sinusoidal response: time series

250W core loss, g = 1.29 and q = 48.07

Fig.6 Fundamental frequency ferroresonance: time series

120W core loss, g = 1.29 and q = 100

Fig.4 Normal sinusoidal response: phase plane diagram

250W core loss, g = 1.29 and q = 48.07

Fig.7 Fundamental frequency ferroresonance: phase plane diagram

120W core loss, g = 1.29 and q = 100

Fig.5 Normal sinusoidal response: Poincar section

250W core loss, g = 1.29 and q = 48.07

Simulation results

System equations were solved numerically using an

embedded RungeKuttaFehlberg algorithm [6].
40

Fig.8 Fundamental frequency ferroresonance: Poincar section

120W core loss, g = 1.29 and q = 100
IEE Proc.-Sci. Meas. Technol., Vol. 145, No. 1, January 1998

Subharmonic ferroresonance is demonstrated in

Fig. 9 showing transformer voltage waveform for R =
254.5M (i.e. 99W transformer loss corresponding to
a damping factor 1/q = 0.008). The resulting waveform
is still periodic but with a period of 40ms, two times
the period of the supply. For this type of ferroresonance, the phase plane diagram of Fig. 10 shows two
separate trajectories closing on themselves. Two points
occur on the corresponding Poincar section shown in
Fig. 11.

tics of chaos are illustrated, including an irregular and

apparently random time behaviour, a phase plane trajectory that never closes on itself and a random set of
points confined to a particular region of the Poincar
section.

Fig.13 Chaotic ferroresonance: phase plane diagram

8W core loss, g = 1.29 and q = 1453

Fig.9 Subharmonic frequency ferroresonance: time series

99W core loss, g = 1.29 and q = 122.3

Fig.14 Chaotic ferroresonance: Poincar section

8W core loss, g = 1.29 and q = 1453

Fig.10 Subharmonic frequency ferroresonance: phase plane diagram

99W core loss, g = 1.29 and q = 122.3

Fig.11 Subharmonic frequency ferroresonance: Poincar section

99W core loss, g = 1.29 and q = 122.3

Fig.15 Bifurcation diagram showing effect of transformer core losses

E = 1p.u., Cseries = 1400pF, Cshunt = 130pF

Fig.12 Chaotic ferroresonance: time series

8W core loss, g = 1.29 and q = 1453

Despite repeated simulations, no chaotic states were

obtained for practical values of model parameters. This
does not disprove the possibility of chaotic ferroresonance states, but does indicate that they are unlikely to
appear in practice, totally in agreement with site experience. To demonstrate the theoretical possibility of
chaos appearing under other circumstances, an example
is shown in Figs. 1214 calculated for the unrealistic
value of R = 3025M (i.e. only 8W of losses and a
damping factor of practically zero). All the characterisIEE Proc.-Sci. Meas. Technol., Vol. 145, No. 1, January 1998

The time series, phase planes and Poincar sections

of Figs. 314 provide information about the dynamics
of the circuit for a particular set of parameter values. A
more global view, over a range of transformer core loss
values, is provided by the bifurcation diagram of
Fig. 15, which shows that the onset of ferroresonance
is more likely in transformers whose cores are made
from modern low-loss materials.
For high loss values, transformer voltage has only
one value at a given time during the 20ms drive cycle
and the system is periodic with the same period as the
supply and no ferroresonance occurs. As losses
decrease, the bifurcation diagram shows a discontinuity
around 144W. The behaviour of the system in the
vicinity of the discontinuity is illustrated in Figs. 16
and 17. On the right-hand side of the discontinuity (i.e.
144W transformer loss) transformer voltage waveform
is sinusoidal and circuit response is normal. On the lefthand side, for a value of transformer loss of 143.7W,
transformer voltage is distorted, inverted with respect
to the supply voltage, and there is an abrupt increase in
its peak and RMS values, signalling the onset of funda41

mental frequency ferroresonance. The frequency of

oscillation is still 50Hz, hence only one point appears
on the bifurcation diagram.

Fig.16 Transition from normal to ferroresonant operation, 144W losses

in Figs. 18 and 19. Fig. 19 shows an expansion of a

region of Fig. 18 together with the first four bifurcation
thresholds. Using these we can calculate the convergence rates 2 and 3:

The value of n approaches the universal Feigenbaum

number as n increases and is in good agreement with
results reported from various experiments [911]. Typically, Fig. 18 also reveals the existence of periodic windows within the chaotic regions. There are two narrow
period-5 windows around E = 7.65 (p.u.) and E = 8.5
(p.u.). Another period-3 window emerges from chaos at
about E = 8.96 (p.u.) and gives birth to period-6
behaviour before entering into a further chaotic region.

transformer voltage
source voltage

Fig.18 Bifurcation diagram = 1p.u., 1/q = 20

Fig.17 Transition from normal to ferroresonant operation, 143.7W
losses
transformer voltage
source voltage

If the losses are further decreased, more than one

value of transformer voltage are observed on the bifurcation diagram indicating a periodicity of oscillation
that is an integer multiple of the period of the supply.
Other bifurcation diagrams, focusing on Cshunt or E
as the control parameter, will yield similar displays of
system dynamical behaviour.
4

Universal circuit behaviour

It was Feigenbaum [7] who first investigated the universal quantitative features of chaos theory. He emphasised that nonlinear systems will exhibit universal
behaviour regardless of their physical, chemical or biological details. This behaviour is characterised by a
bifurcation diagram which, as the value of the control
parameter is increased, displays a series of pitchfork
bifurcations at An with period doubling by 2n [8]. He
also showed that this model is quantified by a universal
number which, as the number of bifurcations
increases, converges to a universal number = 4.669,
where

A bifurcation diagram of the transformer voltage

against the systems driving force amplitude g is shown
42

Fig.19 Expansion of a region of Fig. 18

Conclusions

Transformer core losses have been shown to exert a

damping influence on the ferroresonant behaviour of
electromagnetic voltage transformers, fed from a sinusoidal supply via circuit breaker grading capacitance.
Higher transformer efficiencies can increase the likelihood of ferroresonance, leading to system overvoltages
and possible failure. Fundamental frequency and subharmonic ferroresonance conditions may occur under
ordinary innocuous operating conditions, but chaotic
states are unlikely in practice The circuit has also been
shown to exhibit universal chaotic behaviour as the
value of system voltage is increased, being driven into
IEE Proc.-Sci. Meas. Technol., Vol. 145, No. 1, January 1998

chaos through a series of period doubling subharmonic

bifurcations. Values of Feigenbaum universal number
are calculated and are in good agreement with those
reported from various other disciplines.
6

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Grid Company plc., England.
7

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