CURRENT

TRANSFORMERS
Polarity and Orientation

CT Polarity
The polarity of a current transformer is
determined by the direction of the
coils wound around the core of the CT
(clockwise or counter clockwise)and
by the way the secondary leads are
brought out of the transformer case.

CT Polarity
It is very important to observe correct polarity
when installing and connecting current
transformers to power metering and protective
relays.
CT polarity is also sometimes indicated with an
arrow. These CTs should be installed with the
arrow pointing in the direction of current flow.

Click icon to add picture

CTs
Polarity Test
Markings
on
current
transformers have been
occasionally misapplied
by the factory. You can
verify the polarity of a
CT in the field with a 9V
battery
with
the
following test procedure.

Click icon to add picture

CTs
Polarity Test
Disconnect all power prior to
testing and connect an
analog voltmeter to the
secondary terminal of the CT
to be tested. The positive
terminal of the meter is
connected to terminal X1 of
the CT while the negative
terminal is connected to X2.

Click icon to add picture

CTs
Polarity Test
Run a piece of wire through
the high side of the CT
window and momentarily
make contact with the
positive end of the 9-volt
battery to the H1 side
(sometimes marked with a
dot) and the negative end to
the H2 side. It is important
to avoid continuous contact,
which will short circuit the
battery.

Click icon to add picture

CTs
Polarity Test
If polarity is correct, the
momentary contact causes
a small deflection in the
analog meter in the positive
direction. If the deflection is
negative the polarity of the
current
transformer
is
reversed. The terminals X1
and X2 need to be reversed
and the test can be carried
out.

180 Out of Phase

When does polarity matter?

The polarity doesnt matter in
Single phase metering because
you only get the peak value of the
sinusoidal wave, but it does matter
in 3-phase metering because
vector sum of three CT's should be
zero when connected together.
Phase failure may occur.

References:
http://
cr4.globalspec.com/thread/21663/Current-Transformer-CT-polarity
http://www.ccontrolsys.com/w/CT_Installation_and_Wiring
http://
testguy.net/content/190-Current-Transformer-Basics-Understanding-Rati
o-Polarity-and-Class
http://
www.prosoundweb.com/article/print/polarity_and_phase_explained