Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Asher Mitchell
December 14th, 2016
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Abstract:
level. Transformer losses consist of an estimated 40% of all non-generating public utility
these machines would reduce the amount of money the power grid loses and would be
compensate for the losses. Losses, simply put, are just energy escaping the system and
can be calculated through finding the difference between the voltage entering the
transformer and the total voltage leaving. Most losses are not easily observable,
occurring within the windings and core of the transformer. All of the mechanisms behind
all of these losses are currently unclear, and there are no widely accepted solutions.
This experiment was designed to identify a possible cause of losses in the larger
system of the transformer. It was hypothesized that metal tanks, which enclose and
protect the transformer, could be a possible cause for transformer losses. These tanks
are created mostly out of stainless steel, with variants such as increased carbon or
special annealing depending on the environment. Because the tank surrounds the
transformer, the tank is part of the enclosed system. Tanks have not previously been
with a wide scope looking to identify any losses caused by a transformer tank.
Transformer tanks could cause losses through restricting cooling airflow, improper
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Georgilakis, P. S. (n.d.). Environmental Cost of Distribution TransformerLosses.Applied Energy,
3146-3155. Retrieved from http://users.ntua.gr/pgeorgil/Files/J54.pdf
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insulation, or magnetic interference. The first two possibilities were addressed by tests
conducted with tanks comprised of a non-magnetic 406 stainless steel. However, the
estimated largest generator of losses is the magnetic interference from magnetic tanks,
which will be the focus of a future experiment that will be set up by the data from this
and identified any losses caused by the physical structure of the tank, serving as a
basis for extrapolation for future tests on magnetic tanks. The transformer enclosed in
the non-magnetic tank should not produce an output with significant difference from the
output of the transformer without a tank. The data produced affirms our beliefs that a
non-magnetic tank will not affect the output, from that information it can be concluded
that the shape of a transformer tank has a negligible effect on the transformer, and can
Introduction:
Transformers are machines that have the ability to receive an electrical current of
a defined wattage, an amount of electricity described in watts, and can manipulate that
current into a number of separate currents of different voltages and frequencies while
maintaining mostly the same wattage. A difference in wattage between the input and
output power would be considered a loss. Transformers are extremely useful, as they
allow powerful alternating currents (AC) to transport high voltage electricity across large
distances and then transform it into smaller more usable direct currents (DC). These DC
currents power smaller electronics ranging from lightbulbs to phones. The larger AC
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currents are unusable for smaller electronics because they travel in larger wavelengths,
which would leave these devices without power, periodically interrupted with large,
Losses in electrical systems are the biggest flaw of many current devices. These
losses occur for a number of reasons, but result in a total output wattage less than the
initial input wattage, leaving electricity lost in the system or dissipating as heat. Heat
losses can be calculated through the equation, heat losses = (current)^2 * (resistance in
outside interference, but mostly through the dissipation of energy as the current passes
through resistors in the transformer. The goal of this research is to minimize these
Identifying losses caused by transformer tanks is a key step towards identifying all of
the losses in the entire transformer system. Although the tank is not thought of as a
large creator of losses, it is important to observe if tanks do cause losses because they
are in near constant contact with operating transformers. Within the boundaries of
losses created by a transformer tank, this experiment assessed the effect of the shape
and design of the tank on losses as opposed to testing other properties of the tank. This
is why testing is carried out with a non-magnetic tank, as it has few other pertinent
properties (magnetism specifically) that could interfere with the transformers function.
Methodology:
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Load-No load Losses of Transformer. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2017, from
http://ecetutorials.com/transformer/losses-of-transformer-noload-and-load/
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Tanks were designed and manufactured before experimentation began. The
metal used in the construction of the tanks was 1 cm thick 406 non-magnetic stainless
steel purchased from McMaster Carr. The tanks were then designed to fit closely
around the rectangular transformer, with two different lids: one flat and one four inches
extended. The difference in space between transformers and tanks allows for analysis
of the effect of the tank volume on the transformer. This experiment utilized only a 20
Once the tank was constructed, the three-phase transformer was tested with and
without the tank. The transformers input wires were attached to the power source
(generator) that remained off. Three colored output wires were plugged into the other
side of the generator to complete the circuit and to receive the electricity that passed
through. Each colored wire corresponded with an individual core. The AC current
clamp-on ammeters were clamped around each individual colored output wire. Once the
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Figure 1: Setup of the experiment without the tank. Input is on the left, output on the
right.
Figure 2: Simplified diagram illustrating the direction of the power source and location of
There was a risk of the transformer overheating at higher voltages so the testing
of the transformers required precision and quick timing. Measurements were taken
approximately at every 5 volt increment ranging from 5-60 volts. This process involved
turning an imprecise knob on the generator quickly from 0 volts to the correct voltage
returning the knob to the 0 mark. Quickness in this process is essential to the safety of
the experiment especially when approaching 50 volts or more as the transformer may
overheat and damage the inner windings. The measurement for each integer of 5 volts
was repeated, with and without a tank, each test consisting of 5 trials.
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Results:
The results gathered illustrate the behavior of the transformer in a graph of the
total (sum) current of the charge at each average voltage (averaged over the 5 trials).
The current is the sum of the currents measured in the colored output wires, and the
voltage is the average at each integer over all trials. The graphs illustrates the
Figure 2: Graph of Average Voltage, in volts, against the sum of currents in amperes
with and without transformer tanks. Figure 3 was recorded by associate James Saez
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Figure 3: Graph of the average individual wires in terms of voltage vs. current.
The data with the extended tanks was deemed insignificant early into the
experiment, as there was no reason any difference would be identified, and the
Discussion/Conclusion:
have little to no effect on transformers, confirming the original hypothesis, as the voltage
vs. current graphs were very similar with no outliers. Because the transformer emitted
similar outputs with and without the non-magnetic tank, the physical structure of the
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tank created no additional losses. This eliminated the physical structure from the pool of
This data also provided a solid foundation for more promising future work, as
reliable transformer loss data is scarce, especially when it comes to isolating the effects
of tanks. The data gathered in this experiment will provide a base for future work
investigating the effect of magnetic tanks constructed out of martensitic 410 stainless
steel, which will likely prove more significant, as the magnetic force of the tank is likely
Future work in this field can include looking into the benefits of magnetic tanks to
see if they can be manipulated to enhance the magnetic force of the transformer and
metals.
Acknowledgements:
The success of this research was largely dependent upon the efforts of Qiong
Wu, James Saez, Dr. Francisco De Leon, the facilities of the NYU Power Engineering
Lab and the direction and support from my science research teacher, Erin Schmitz at
the Packer Collegiate Institute. Finally, none of the tanks would be built without the
References:
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Araujo, A., Msc, Soudack, A., PhD, & Marti, J., PhD. (n.d.). Ferroresonance in Power
Systems: Chaotic Behavior. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Antonio_Araujo8/publication/3360588_Ferroresona
nce_in_power_systems_chaotic_behaviour/links/54ef31f10cf25f74d721ba6c.pd
D.o.o., M. (n.d.). Konar Steel Structures Inc. Retrieved December 14, 2016, from
http://www.koncar-mk.hr/products_and_services/energy/transformer_tanks
Book, W. J., Hatfield, J. W., & Corp., W. E. (n.d.). Patent US4834257 - Reinforced wall
structure for a transformer tank. Retrieved December 15, 2016, from
https://www.google.com/patents/US4834257
Load-No load Losses of Transformer. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2017, from
http://ecetutorials.com/transformer/losses-of-transformer-noload-and-load/
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