S.

SENTHIL, PSS_SAP_TECHNOLOGY

Transformer Basics Concepts

ABB Group
April 22, 2017 | Slide 1
Power transformer in Power system

Important element in the power system

Interconnection link between two different voltage levels
Many sizes and types of power transformer
Fuses may provide adequate protection for distribution transformers
Big generator step-up transformers may require Sophisticated protection
The repair time may be long
Transformer faults may cause substantial losses

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Power transformer in Power system

Generator step-up transformers

EHV autotransformers
Regulating transformers
HV substation transformers
MV substation transformers
Distribution transformers

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Power transformer in Power system

A fast protection system for transformer is essential to minimize the damage in

case of an internal fault with suitable back-up protection scheme to take care of
uncleared system faults
Faults in a transformer occur due to insulation breakdown, ageing of insulation,
overheating due to over excitation, oil contamination and leakage or reduced
cooling

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Different vector group & Neutral connection

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Different winding arrangements

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Special transformer applications

Three single phase transformers in the three phase bank

Phase shifting transformer
Regulating transformer
Transformer for HVDC
Furnace transformers
Transformers for Railway Applications
Single Phase transformer
Scott Transformer
Le-Blanc Transformer

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Power transformer application

x x

U
V

Generator- On- load Static VAR Double breaker

transformer tap-changer Compensator Motor drive
unit
HVDC

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Power transformer in Power system

Should Trip during short-circuit and earth-fault

Inside of the power transformer tank
In the transformer bay
At an external fault, as back-up protection
Should Alarm or Trip during Abnormal conditions
Overload
Overvoltage
Reduced system voltage
Overexcitation

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Factors contributing to Internal faults

Deterioration and ageing, of insulation

Mechanical damage of insulation
Damage of conductor, poor contact in joints
Tap-changer, wear, mechanical failure
Tap-changer switching during overcurrent condition
Transient overvoltage, e.g. at lightning or switching
Contaminated oil
Corona discharge
Mechanical forces on windings and bushings
Heavy current during external faults, switching-in, or at resonance
Overheating
High load current, Circulation current between parallel transformers,
Reduced or lost cooling, Sustained through-fault current,
Overexcitation or voltage rise with transformer core saturation

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Types of internal faults

Earth-fault
Short-circuit
Turn-to-turn Fault
(Very high fault current in the shorted turns; Low fault current at the
transformer terminals)
Flash-over from HV to LV winding
(High voltage rise; Usually high fault current)
Core Fault
Tank Fault
Reduced cooling

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Consequences of Internal Fault

Danger to people
Damage of winding, core and insulation
Damage of the tank and bushings
Escape of oil, possibility of fire
Damage to surrounding equipment
Disturbance to the power system
Possible loss of the transformer for a long time
Costly repair or replacement

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Delta-Wye transformer

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Wye autotransformer with Unloaded tertiary winding

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Wye autotransformer with loaded tertiary

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Three winding transformer

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Three winding transformer

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Statistics from IEEE guide

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Detection of transformer internal faults

Phase-phase fault
Transformer Differential Protection
Buchholz Relay
Overpressure Device
Underimpedance/Distance Protection
Overcurrent Protection (non directional, directional)
HV Fuses
Earth-fault, Low impedance earthing
Restricted Earth-fault Protection
Transformer Differential Protection
Buchholz Relay
Underimpedance/Distance Protection
Overcurrent or Earth-fault Protection (non directional, directional)
HV Fuses

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Detection of transformer internal faults

Earth-fault, High impedance earthing

Sensitive earth-fault current protection
Neutral (residual) overvoltage protection
Buchholz Gas Alarm
Turn-to-turn fault
Buchholz Alarm
Overpressure Device
Transformer Differential Protection
HV to LV winding flash-over
Transformer Differential Protection
Buchholz Relay
Overpressure Device

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Factors that affect transformer protection

Error due to ratio, phase, saturation etc.

Magnetizing inrush currents (switch-on, recovery & sympathetic inrush)
Due to Tap changer, current variations in the windings.
Over excitation magnetizing currents

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Power transformer in Power system

Classical application of differential protection

Interposing current transformers for phase shift and transformation ratio
correction
Protection zone, bushing CTs
Influence from OLTC
Harmonic restrained differential protections

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Sources of error in differential protection

Currents that only flow on one side of a power transformer:

Magnetizing currents that only flow on the power source side:
Normal magnetizing currents,
Inrush magnetizing currents,
Overexcitation magnetizing currents.
Currents that cannot be transformed to the other windings:
Zero sequence currents.
Error in the power transformer turns-ratio due to OLTC
Unequality of the instrument current transformers
Different ratings of current transformers,
Different types of current transformers. 100A / 1A 500A / 5A

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Sources of error in differential protection

Different relative loads on instrument transformers

Different relative currents on ct primaries.
Different relative burdens on ct secondaries.
Different dc time constants of the fault currents
Different time of occurrence, and degree, of ct saturation.

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Differential characteristics

K = 0.5 or 1

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Blocking of differential protection

Harmonic blocking
Wave shape blocking
DC blocking
Low current blocking

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Harmonic blocking

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DC blocking

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Low Current level

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Sources of Magnetizing inrush current

Energizing of a transformer
Abrupt change of voltage at the transformer terminals
Occurrence of fault, Removal of fault, Change in character of a fault
Out of Phase synchronizing

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Magnetizing inrush current

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Transformer inrush current

current
in pu phase L3 current
10.0

5.0 CB
closes
iL1
iL2
0.0
iL3

-5.0

phase L1 current

0 20 40 60 80 100
time in ms

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Factor affecting inrush current

The source impedance

The size of the transformer
The location energized winding
The point of wave when the switch closes
The magnetic properties of the core
The remanence of the core
The use of pre-insertion resistors

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Consequences of inrush current

The inrush current has a large DC component that may saturate the CTs
DC saturation of phase and neutral CTs may cause a false residual current
and a false differential current
There is a risk that sensitive differential protections, residual overcurrent
protections and neutral point overcurrent protections may operate incorrectly

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Over excitation Protection

Overexcitation may occur in generating plants when a unit-connected generator

is separated (tripped) while exporting vars. The resulting sudden voltage rise
impressed on the unit transformer windings from the loss of var load can cause a
higher than nominal V/Hz condition, which causes overexcitation of the
transformer. This could also occur in transmission systems when a large reactive
load connected to a transformer is tripped while the primary winding remains
energized.

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Over excitation protection

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Over excitation protection

Use a V/Hz relay to block the tripping of the differential relay, or to desensitize
the differential relay when V/Hz reaches a certain level.
Overexcitation manifests itself with the production of odd harmonics. As the third
harmonic (and other triplens) may be effectively cancelled in delta transformer
windings, the level of fifth harmonic is often used as a restraining quantity in the
differential relay.
Use of a modified differential scheme that extracts and uses the third-harmonic
exciting current from the transformer delta winding to restrain the differential
relay.

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Earth fault protection

Restricted earth fault protection

High-impedance restricted earth fault protections
Low-impedance restricted earth fault protections

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Low impedance restricted earth fault protection

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High impedance restricted earth fault protection

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D-Y transformer ground fault protection

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Thermal overload protection

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Thermal overload protection

The temperature increase of the conductor, when nominal current is applied, can
be defined as a function of time by the so-called thermal time constant, T, as
shown in Figure.
The temperature rises to 63% of the final value in a time equal to T and reaches
98% of the final value in time 4T.
If the current is reduced to 71% of the nominal value, the temperature decreases
and settles at about half of the final value (0.712 = 0.50) because the increase in
temperature is proportional to the square of the current.

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Residual overcurrent protection

Used on all feeding circuits of transformer

Provide back up for internal faults
Also provide back up for system faults
Instantaneous high element used

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Monitors

Monitors are very important devices which detect faults and abnormal service
conditions which may develop into fault.
Sudden gas pressure protection
Buchholz protection
Oil level monitoring
The oil thermometer
The winding thermometer

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Monitors

Temperature monitors for winding or oil temperature are typically used to initiate
an alarm requiring investigation by maintenance staff.
Gas detection relays can detect the evolution of gases within the transformer
oil. Analysis of the gas composition indicates the mechanism that caused the
formation of the gas; e.g., acetylene can be caused by electrical arcing, other
gases are caused by corona and thermal degradation of the cellulose
insulation. The gas detection relays may be used to trip or alarm depending on
utility practice.
Sudden-pressure relays respond to the pressure waves in the transformer oil
caused by the gas evolution associated with arcing.
Oil level detectors sense the oil level in the tank and are used to alarm for minor
reductions in oil level and trip for severe reductions.

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Protective Relays Used (Transformers > 5 MVA)

Gas detector relay ( Buchholz)

Over load protection
Thermal relays
Temperature monitoring relays
Over current protection
Ground fault protection
Differential protection
Interturn faults
Pressure relay for tap changer
Oil level monitor

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Protective Relays Used (Transformers < 5 MVA)

Gas detector relay

Overload protection
Overcurrent protection
Ground fault protection

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External fault scenarios

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Examples of connections in general use

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Vector group of three phase transformers

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Vector group of three phase transformer

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