MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT TRANSFORMERS PART-3

P Ramachandran

A) Impulse testing of transformers involves applying short duration voltage surges ( in

micro seconds) to windings to make sure transformer will withstand travelling wave
surges from transmission lines during thunder storm and lightning. Half a century back,
impulse testing was a type test for transformers, done on the first unit of the order only.
Very few manufacturers had the facilities to conduct the test in-house. Those days, there
was a clause in some of the transformer specifications - “Manufacturer shall submit a
type test report of the impulse test conducted on a similar transformer supplied by him
earlier. Impulse test shall not be done on any of the units involved in this order.”
Customer did not want impulse test to spoil his transformer, but did not mind it done on
some other’s transformer! The fear of impulse test was so much that there was no
question of repeating the test on a unit already impulse tested.

Detection of minor failures (inter disc or inter turn) during the impulse testing was very
difficult. The oscillographs of applied voltage and neutral current were filmed using
high-speed cameras. To analyze recordings, one had to wait till the films were
chemically washed in a dark room attached to the test lab. So impulse testing was a
laborious process. Digital recorders came in the late 1980s. There were no design tools
available to analyze and check the impulse stress at various parts of the winding. It was
not uncommon for minor impulse test failures go undetected and then cause a
premature failure at site. This was the reason for the reservation from some users for the
impulse test. Today it is no-longer considered a type test, but is a routine test to check
the quality of insulation and processing, apart from checking design for impulse surge
withstand strength. Thanks to the better design tools and knowledge on dielectric
stressing plus better test failure detection means, leading manufacturers are no longer
worried on repeating impulse tests at full voltage, if a need arises.

 Sometimes manufacturers provide non-linear elements or surge diverters (zinc oxide)

across the winding parts or taps for the limitation of transferred overvoltage transients.
These surge diverters may operate during the impulses testing and may cause
differences between impulse records made at different voltages. There will be a
threshold voltage at which the differences caused by the non-linear elements start to
appear and the test sequence shall include at least one record below this threshold. (IEC
60076-3-2018)

 In case of a dielectric test failure during transformer testing, complete sequence of
dielectric tests are to be repeated at full test voltage. (clause 15 of 60076-3) When
dielectric tests are to be repeated on a transformer that failed in service during their
warranty period, tests are to be done at 100 % of dielectric test levels. 80 % dielectric
test level is allowed only for units that are restored or repaired after many years of
service in the field. Even then IVPD test shall be done at 100 % of original test voltage
level. (clause 8 of 60076-3)
 B. I was at a 1000 MW hydro-electric station to see generator transformers from our
company, getting erected. The Project Manager complained that my site engineer was
not co-operating with him by refusing to open the transformer and proceed with
installation work, claiming inclement weather. He wanted me to instruct the site
engineer to open the transformer though there was slight drizzle. He was in a hurry to
commission the power station, as he was already lagging in his schedules and wanted to
crash as many activities as possible. When I pointed out that it was dangerous for his
transformer as water droplets may get inside the transformer. He brushed me aside,
stating why worry about it as two days of hot oil circulation will remove all water or
moisture from the transformer.

The above is a common misunderstanding with many transformer users. Any water or
moisture getting in to paper insulation cannot be dried out easily. Hot oil circulation will
not remove water from the paper, esp localised severe wetting of insulation through
water drops. Such localised wetting is difficult to detect through normal tests like the
measurement of insulation resistance (IR) or insulation power factor.

 Once a 160 MVA 220/132 kV Auto-transformer with line end OLTC failed during the
first commissioning at site. The dielectric failure was at the paper insulated  tap lead
bunch coming from the top of the winding assembly. On detailed checking, I found the
132 kV middle phase turret was just above the tap lead bunch. Through local old
newspapers and erection log sheets, I found on the day of bushing erection there were
rains at that particular site. I suspected water drops might have fallen on the tap lead
bunch during the erection work and these were absorbed by paper. It is impossible to
dry out such localised wetting at site. Of course, I had no solid evidence, as you know,
murderer rarely admits that he killed the victim!

C.  You have seen representation of transformer as below in many documents, including

text books that you studied in college ie a two limb core with a HV winding on one limb
and a LV winding on the other limb.
 This representation may create misunderstanding. Such an arrangement of windings in
core  will not  work. You will get voltage at LV side during no-load. But you will not be
able to draw current from LV. As soon as current appears in load, LV terminal voltage
dips due to the very high impedance between HV & LV windings. Remember voltage is
transferred from HV to LV through the flux developed in core. Current transfer is
through the leakage flux between windings. So close coupling / linking (ie putting
windings concentrically) is required for current transfer between windings in core type
transformers.

Tip of the week: Sometimes when you are analyzing a transformer failure you may
want to know whether there was any lightning and thunderstorm at the installed site,
region or country at that particular date and time of failure. The following web site will
help.

https://www.blitzortung.org/en/historical_maps.php?map=30