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Transformers
Transformers
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Transformers
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TRANSFORMERS
JOSIA JACOB
Abstract - Transformer is an electrical device that can be used for distribution of voltage through
a transmission line in a suitable manner for commercial and household purposes. It can control the
power of alternating current thereby increasing the efficiency of distributing electrical energy.
Through the application of Faraday’s law of Induction, this use of electromagnetic energy has
many uses in the power industry. This report will review the description, functionality, various
INTRODUCTION
to transfer energy from one circuit to another by changing the voltage and current. It was in 1884
Ottó Bláthy with the help of Zipernowsky and Déri designed the first high voltage circuit
transformer. Later, the first commercial transformer was invented in 1886 by William Stanley. His
transformer was used in the electrification of Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Later in 1891,
Mikhail Dobrovsky designed the three phase transformers in Germany. In the 1880’s DC power
was used to transmit power, but it was not beneficial to transmit power over large distance. The
two ways to transmit power was to use high voltage on a slim wire or a low voltage on a huge
wire. Both cases were not practical because you would not be able to step up or step down the
voltage. However, with AC power, we can move high voltage over a long wire and use a
transformer to step down the voltage before it is distributed to the households [1].
Transformers can be grouped in various ways. The ones that are constructed based on
functionality: step-up transformer, step-down transformer; those based on core type or shell type;
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the others based on winding: two winding transformer, single winding (auto type), three winding
(power transformer); and those that are based on the arrangement of coil: cylindrical or disk type;
the ones based on the usage type: power transformer, distribution transformer, instrument
transformer (or current transformer) [2]. Other special types of transformer include
autotransformer, zigzag transformer and pulse transformer. There are much more transformers
than the ones above as they can come in a variety of forms for different applications.
The basic underlying principle that gives way to this technology is electromagnetic
clockwise direction. In a similar fashion, when current passes through a coil, it produces magnetic
field as shown in Figure 1. The magnetic field fluctuates because of the current flowing through
the coil. Then, as the first coil is linked with a secondary winding, the fluctuating magnetic field
will induce an EMF (electromagnetic force) in the secondary coil due to electromagnetic induction.
The net EMF in the secondary coil will be based on the number of turns in the first coil. The
resulting EMF in the second coil can be calculated based on the applied input voltage. Therefore,
the voltage can be transformed by changing the number of turns. By reducing the number of turns
in the secondary winding, we can produce an output voltage that is less than the input voltage,
of turns in the secondary winding, the secondary output voltage will be greater than the primary
input voltage, such one is called a “Step-up Transformer.” Most transformers have built in cooling
system to reduce the increased power ratings. Large transformers are filled with transformer oil to
circulate the transformer tank so that it cools the electrical insulation and windings. It can also be
effectively transfers the magnetic flux in the primary winding to the secondary winding.
Transformers can be classified as core and shell type. In a core type transformer, the winding that
surrounds a core could be constructed in different ways. Transformers can be constructed for single
phase, two-phase, three phases and more. A single-phase core type transformer of two winding is
constructed using a core type construction (as show in Figure 2). It is commonly used to lower
long distance signals for electronic devices [3]. A three-phase transformer can be made by placing
the primary and the secondary coil concentrically. Then, the low voltage windings are connected
in a delta configuration and the high voltage windings are connected in a star configuration (as
shown in Figure 3). Thus, a three-phase power can be used to draw four output wires and one
neutral. Three phase transformers are commonly used by power distribution grids [4]. A
transformer that is used to transform a two-phase electric power from a three-phase power is called
the Scott-T-transformer (refer Figure 4) [5]. Shell type construction (refer Figure 2) is more
complex than core type. It is commonly used for small transformers and it is better than core type
in terms of mechanical strength and leakage flux [6]. Even though core type is more economical,
shell type is preferred because of its short circuit characteristics. Cylindrical or disk type
transformers (as shown in Figure 5) are used in low voltage high current transformer applications.
The windings are wound along the length of the cylinder with suitable disks in between the parallel
Another type of transformer is autotransformer in which portions of the same winding acts
as both the primary and secondary windings of the transformer. It is used to step up or step down
the voltage for equipment that are designed for a given voltage. Other applications include power
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transmission and distribution, speakers: for audio amplification, and railways: to increase
transmission distance [8]. Similarly, current transformers operate to step up or step down the
current and it is used for the ammeters. Also, air core transformer is a special type of transformer
that is used in radio-frequency circuits. It has its windings wrapped around a nonmagnetic form
thereby reducing undesirable characteristics caused by a ferromagnetic core material. They are
frequently used to tune radio frequencies to resonance by paralleling it with a capacitor [5].
Pulse transformer (refer Figure 7) is a special type of transformer that is used for
transmitting rectangular electrical pulses. Small versions of these transformers are used in digital
logic and telecommunications circuits to match logic drivers to transmission lines. To minimize
distortion of the shape, pulse transformer needs to have low values of leakage inductance and
distributed capacitance otherwise it can create power losses in semiconductors. Also, zigzag
transformer is a special purpose transformer that is used as a grounding transformer for a 3-phase
system to permit the grounding of the neutral line and as an autotransformer to supply 3-phase
power [9,12].
Transformer efficiency improves with increasing transformer capacity. The four main
causes of energy losses in transformer are resistance of windings, flux leakage, eddy currents and
hysteresis. Current flowing through a winding contribute to heat loss depending on the resistance
of the copper wire used. Flux leakage associated with the coils can give rise to eddy currents that
can be converted to heat. Eddy currents are produced in the transformer core because of the
changing magnetic field that results in heat loss. However, these currents can be reduced by
laminating the core as shown (in Figure 8). Hysteresis losses happen because of the repeating core
magnetization process that expands energy as heat [10]. To reduce the heat generated, magnetic
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materials with low hysteresis losses are generally used. Some transformers are operated at a higher
frequency because the voltage of a transformer increases with frequency. When a transformer is
operated at a higher frequency, the given core can transfer more power without reaching the
saturation level. However, properties such as core loss and conductor skin effect can also be
affected by frequency. Despite these energy losses, transformers are typically 98 to 99 percent
efficient [11].
SUMMARY
Transformer is an important technological innovation that was able to control the power of
alternating current and produce a desired voltage based on the applied input voltage. Distribution
transformers can be used to transmit power over large distance with the use of a step-up and step-
induction. By applying this principle to different types of construction, we can efficiently transmit
power over many regions and electronic devices. Transformers come in different shapes and form
based on the functionality and usage for various purposes. It is one of the most efficient long-
lasting devices with few energy losses, that has advanced into many uses over the century.
CONCLUSION
Transformer is an important device that is used over the whole world for many applications.
The use of a transformer to transmit power over large distances have benefitted the world by
supplying electricity over remote regions. The key theory that gave way to this important
technology was Faraday’s law of induction. By applying the law of induction, a transformer was
designed to transform electrical energy by changing the number of turns around a core. Over the
100 years, transformers are still evolving to fit many special purposes such as the current
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transformer and pulse transformer. Despite some of the energy losses, transformers are still one of
the highly efficient instruments used for power distribution. Therefore, ranging from small
household appliances to large industry a transformer is used to obtain the desired voltage by
REFERENCES
[1] Center, Copyright 2014 Edison Tech. “The History of the Transformer.” Katharine Burr
Blodgett - Engineering Hall of Fame, edisontechcenter.org/Transformers.html.
[2] “The Working Procedure on How Transformers Work - Types & Equations.” ElProCus -
Electronic Projects for Engineering Students, 13 Oct. 2018, www.elprocus.com/working-
procedure-on-how-do-transformers-work/.
[3] “Single Phase Transformers: Operating Principles & Applications.” Blog, 14 Aug. 2017,
www.alliedcomponents.com/blog/single-phase-transformers-operating-principles-
applications/.
[6] “Core Type and Shell Type Transformers.” StudyElectrical | Online Electrical Engineering
Study Site, www.studyelectrical.com/2017/11/core-type-and-shell-type-transformers-
comparison-application.html.
[7] “Transformer Construction of the Core and Transformer Design.” Basic Electronics Tutorials,
31 July 2018, www.electronics-tutorials.ws/transformer/transformer-construction.html.
[8] Croft, Terrell, and Wilford I. Summers. American Electricians' Handbook. McGraw-Hill,
1987.
[9] Singh, M. D., and K. B. Khanchandani. Power Electronics. Tata McGraw-Hill, 2007.
[10] Alani, et al. “Energy Losses In Transformer.” Mini Physics, Mini Physics, 30 Dec. 2015,
www.miniphysics.com/energy-losses-in-transformer.html.
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[11] Keulenaer, Hans; Chapman, David; Fassbinder, Stefan; McDermott, Mike (2001). The Scope
for Energy Saving in the EU through the Use of Energy-Efficient Electricity Distribution
[12] Sankaran, C. “The Basics of Zigzag Transformers.” Electrical Construction & Maintenance
(EC&M) Magazine, 3 Dec. 2012, www.ecmweb.com/content/basics-zigzag-transformers.