How To Determine Current Capacity of Transformers

04/03/2022 11:58 How to Determine Current Capacity of Transformers
How to Calculate the Winding of a

Transformer
•••
Updated December 28, 2020 By S. Hussain Ather
If you've ever wondered how houses and buildings use the electricity from power
plants, you should learn about the transformers in power grid distributions which
convert high-voltage currents to the ones you use in household appliances. These
transformers use simple designs across most types of transformers, but can vary
greatly in how much they change input voltage based on how they're built.
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Transformer Winding Formula

The transformers that power grid distributions systems use follow simple designs
that use coil wound around a magnetic core in different areas.
These coils of wire take incoming current and change the voltage according to the
transformer turns ratio, which is
NP VP
NS

= VS

for the number windings of the primary coil and secondary coil N
pand N
s,
respectively, and the voltage of the primary coil and the secondary coil V
pand V
s,
respectively.
This t ransformer winding formulatells you the fraction by which a transformer

changes incoming voltage and that the voltage of the winds of a coil is directly
proportional to the number of windings of the coils themselves.
Keep in mind that, although this formula is referred to as "ratio," it is actually a

fraction, not a ratio. For example, if you had one winding in the primary coil and
four windings in the secondary coil of a transformer, this would correspond to a
fraction of 1/4, meaning that the transformer cuts the voltage by a value of 1/4.
But the ratio 1:4 means that, for one of something, there are four of something
else, which doesn't always mean the same thing as a fraction.
Transformers can increase or decrease voltage, and are known as s tep-upor s tep-
downtransformers depending on which action they perform. This means the
transformer turns ratio will always be positive, but can vary between being
greater than one for step-up transformers or less than one for step-down
transformers.
The transformer winding formula only holds true when the angles of primary and
secondary windings are in phase with one another. This means that, for a given
alternating current (AC) power supply that switches back and forth between
forward and reverse current, the current in both the primary and secondary
windings are in sync with one another during this dynamic process.
There may be some transformers with a transformer turns ratio of 1 that do not
change voltage, but, instead, are used to split different circuits from one another
or to slightly change the resistance of a circuit.
Transformer Design Calculator

You can understand the properties of transformers to determine what a
transformer design calculator would take into account as a method of determining
how to construct transformers themselves.
Though the primary and secondary windings on a transformer are separate from
one another, the primary winding induces a current in the secondary windings
through a method of inductance. When an AC power supply is sent through the
primary windings, current flows through the turns and creates a magnetic field
through a method called mutual inductance.
Transformer Winding Formula and Magnetism

Magnetic fielddescribes in what direction and how strong magnetism would act
on a moving charged particle. The maximum value of this field is d
Φ/dt, the rate of
change of m
agnetic fluxΦ
over a small period of time.
Flux is a measurement of how much magnetic field flows through a specific

surface area such as a rectangular area. In a transformer, the magnetic field lines
are sent outward from the magnetic coil around which the wires are wound.
The magnetic flux links both of the windings together, and the magnetic field's
strength depends on the amount of current and the number of windings. This can
give us a t ransformer design calculatorthat takes into account these properties.
Faraday's law of inductance that describes how magnetic fields are induced in
materials dictates that the voltage by either windings induced
for either primary windings or secondary windings. This is usually referred to as

the induced electromotive force (emf).
If you were to measure the change in magnetic flux over a small period of time,
you could obtain a value of d
Φ/dtand use it to calculate the e
mf. The general
formula for magnetic flux is
Φ = BA∣cosθ
for magnetic field B

, surface area of the plane in the field A
and the angle between
the magnetic field lines and the direction perpendicular to the area θ
.
You can account for the geometry of the windings around the magnetic core of the
transformer to measure flux askat
is the angular frequency (2πffor frequency f )

for an AC power supply where ω
and Φ is the maximum flux. In this case, frequency f refers to the number of
max
waves that pass a given location each second. Engineers also refer to the product
of current times the number of turns of windings as "ampere-turns," a measure of
the coil's magnetizing force.
Transformer Winding Calculator Examples

If you wanted to compare the experimental results of how the windings of
transformers affect their use, you can compare the observed experimental
properties to those of a transformer winding calculator.
The software company Micro Digital offers an online Transformer Winding

Calculator for calculating Standard Wire Gauge (SWG) or American Wire Gauge
(AWG). This lets engineers manufacture wires with the appropriate thickness so
they can carry wire charges necessary for their purposes. The transformer
calculator turns tells you the individual voltage through each turn of the winding.
Other calculators like the one from the manufacturing company Flex-Core let you
calculate the wire size for different practical applications if you enter in the
burden rating, the nominal secondary current, the wire length between the
current transformer and meter and the input burden of the meter.
The current transformer creates an AC voltage supply in its secondary winding

that's proportional to the current in the primary winding. These transformers
reduce high voltage currents to lower values using an easy method of monitoring
the actual electrical current. The burden is the resistance of the measuring
instrument itself to the current sent through it.
Hyperphysics offers an online Transformer Power Calculation interface that lets

you use as transformer design calculator or as a transformer resistance calculator.
To use it, you need to input a supply voltage frequency, a primary winding
inductance, secondary winding inductance, primary winding number of coils,
secondary winding number of coils, secondary voltage, primary winding
resistance, secondary winding resistance, secondary winding load resistance and
mutual inductance.
The mutual inductance M

accounts for the effect that change in load on secondary
coil can exert on the current through the primary with an emf:
emf = −M ΔI
Δt
1
I1and change in time Δ

for change in current through the primary coil Δ t.
Any online transformer winding calculator makes assumptions about the

transformer itself. Make sure you know how each website calculates the values it
claims to do so that you can understand the theory and principles behind
transformers in general. How close they are to the transformer winding formula
that follows from the physics of a transformer depends on these properties.
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Transformer Turns Ratio Current Capacity of Inductance of a Coil
Transformers
REFERENCES ABOUT THE AUTHOR
How to Calculate Transformer Turns Ratio
•••
Updated December 28, 2020 By S. Hussain Ather
The alternating current (AC) in most of the appliances in your home can only come
from power lines that send direct current (DC) through use of a transformer.
Through all the different types of current that may flow through a circuit, it helps
to have the power to control these electrical phenomena. For all their uses in
changing the voltage of circuits, transformers rely heavily on their turns ratio.
Calculating Transformer Turns Ratio

A transformer turns ratiois the division of the number of turns in the primary
winding by the number of turns in the secondary winding by the equation
NP
TR =
NS

This ratio should also equal the voltage of the primary winding divided by the
voltage of the secondary winding, as given by V
p/Vs. The primary winding refers to
the powered inductor, a circuit element that induces a magnetic field in response
to the flow of charge, of the transformer, and the secondary one is the unpowered
inductor.
These ratios hold true under the assumption that the phase angle of the primary
winding equals the phase angles of the secondary by the e P = ΦS.This
quation Φ
primary and secondary phase angle describes how the current, which alternates
between forward and reverse directions in the primary and secondary windings of
the transformer, are in-sync with one another.
For AC voltage sources, as used with transformers, the incoming waveform is

sinusoidal, the shape a sine wave produces. The transformer turns ratio tells you
how much the voltage changes through the transformer as current passes from
the primary windings to the secondary windings.
Also, please note that the word "ratio" in these formula refer to a f raction,not an
actual ratio. The fraction of 1/4 is different from the ratio 1:4. While 1/4 is one
part out of a whole that is divided into four equal parts, the ratio 1:4 represents
that, for one of something, there are four of something else. The "ratio" in the
transformer turns ratio is a fraction, not a ratio, in the transformer ratio formula.
The transformer turns ratio reveals that the fractional difference that the voltage
takes based on the number of coils wound around the primary and secondary
parts of the transformer. A transformer with five primary wound coils and 10
secondary wound coils will cut a voltage source in half as given by 5/10 or 1/2.
Whether voltage increases or decreases as a result of these coils determines of

it's a step-up transformer or step-down transformer by the transformer ratio
formula. A transformer that neither increases nor decreases voltage is an
"impedance transformer" that can either measure impedance, a circuit's
opposition to current, or simply indicate breaks between different electrical
circuits.
The Construction of a Transformer

The core components of a transformer are the two coils, primary and secondary,
that wrap around an iron core. The ferromagnetic core, or a core made from a
permanent magnet, of a transformer also uses thin electrically insulated slices so
that these surfaces can decrease resistance for the current that passes from the
primary coils to the secondary coils of the transformer.
The construction of a transformer will generally be designed to lose as little

energy as possible. Because not all of the magnetic flux from the primary coils
pass to the secondary, there will be some loss in practice. Transformers will also
lose energy due to e
ddy currents, localized electric current caused by changes in
the magnetic field in electrical circuits.
Transformers get their name because they use this setup of a magnetizing core
with windings on two separate parts of it to transform electrical energy into
magnetic energy through the magnetizing of the core from the current through
the primary windings.
Then, the magnetic core induces a current in the secondary windings, which
converts the magnetic energy back into electrical energy. This means that
transformers always operate on an incoming AC voltage source, one that switches

between forward and reverse directions of current at regular intervals.
Types of Transformer Effects

Aside from the voltage or number of coils formula, you can study transformers to
learn more about the nature of different types of voltages, electromagnetic
induction, magnetic fields, magnetic flux and other properties that result from the
construction of a transformer.
In contrast to a voltage source that sends current in one direction, an A

C voltage
sourcesent through the primary coil will create its own magnetic field. This
phenomena is known as mutual inductance.
The magnetic field strength would increase to its maximum value, which is equal
to the difference in magnetic flux divided by a period of time, d
Φ/dt. Keep in mind,
in this case, Φ
is used to indicate magnetic flux, not phase angle. These magnetic
field lines are drawn outward from the electromagnet. Engineers building
transformers also take into account the flux linkage, which is the product of the
and the number of coils in the wire N
magnetic flux Φ caused by the magnetic field
passing from one coil to the other.
The general equation for magnetic flux is
Φ = BA cos θ
in m2, magnetic field B

for a surface area which the field goes through A in Teslas
and θ
as the angle between a perpendicular vector to the area and the magnetic
field. For the simple case of wrapped coils around a magnet, the flux is given by
Φ = N BA
for number of coils N

, magnetic field B
and over a certain area A
of a surface that
is parallel the magnet. However, for a transformer, the flux linkage causes the
magnetic flux in the primary winding to equal that of the secondary winding.
According to F
araday's Law,you can calculate the voltage induced in the primary
or secondary windings of the transformer by calculating N
x dΦ/dt. This also
explains why the transformer turns ratio of the voltage of one part of the
transformer to the other is equal to the number of coils of one to the other.
If you were to compare the N

x dΦ/dtof one part to the other, the d
Φ/dtwould
cancel out due to both parts having the same magnetic flux. Finally, you can
calculate a transformer's ampere-turns as the product of current times the
number of coils as a method of measuring the magnetizing force of the coil
Transformers in Practice
Power distributions grids send electricity from power plants to buildings and
houses. These power lines begin at the power plant where an electrical generator
creates electrical energy from some source. This could be a hydroelectric dam
that harnesses the power of water or a gas turbine that uses combustion to create
mechanical energy from natural gas and converts it to electricity. This electricity
is, unfortunately, produced as D
C voltagewhich needs to be converted to AC
voltage for most home appliances.
Transformers make this electricity usable by creating single-phase DC power

supplies for households and buildings from the incoming oscillating AC voltage.
The transformers along power distribution grids also ensure the voltage is an
appropriate amount for house electronics and electricity systems. Distributions
grids also uses "buses" that separate distribution into multiple directions
alongside circuit breakers to keep separate distributions distinct from one
another.
Engineers often account for the efficiency of transformers using the simple
equation for efficiency as
PO
η= PI

for output power P

Oand input power P
.I Based on the construction of transformer
designs, these systems don't lose energy to friction or air resistance because
transformers don't involve moving parts.
The magnetizing current, the amount of current necessary to magnetize the core
the transformer, is generally very small compared to the current that the primary
part of a transformer induces. These factors mean that transformers are typically
very efficient with efficiencies of 95 percent and up for most modern designs.
If you were to apply an AC voltage source to the primary winding of a transformer,

the magnetic flux that's induced in the magnetic core will continue to induce an
AC voltage in the secondary winding in the same phase as the source voltage. The
magnetic flux in the core, however, remains 90° behind the phase angle of the
source voltage. This means the primary winding's current, the magnetizing
current, also lags behind the AC voltage source.
Transformer Equation in Mutual Inductance

In addition to field, flux and voltage, transformers illustrate the electromagnetic
phenomena of mutual inductance that gives more power to the primary windings
of a transformer when hooked to an electrical supply.
This happens as the primary winding's reaction to an increase in load, something

that consumes power, on the secondary windings. If you added a load to the
secondary windings through a method such as increasing the resistance of its
wires, the primary windings would respond by drawing more current from the
power source to compensate for this decrease. M
utual inductanceis the load you
put on the secondary you can use to calculate the increase in current through the
primary windings.
If you were to write a separate voltage equation for both the primary and
secondary windings, you could describe this phenomena of mutual inductance. For
the primary winding,
VP = IP R1 + L1 ΔI

P

ΔIS
Δt − M Δt

for current through the primary winding I P, primary winding load resistance R
1,
mutual inductance M
, primary winding inductance L
I, secondary winding I Sand
t. The negative sign in front of the mutual inductance M
change in time Δ shows
that source current immediately experiences a drop in voltage due to the load on
the secondary winding, but, in response, the primary winding raises its voltage.
This equation follows the rules of writing equations that describe how current and
voltage differ among circuit elements. For a closed electrical loop, you may write
the sum of the voltage across each component as equal to zero to show how
voltage drops across each element in the circuit.
For the primary windings, you write this equation to account for the voltage
across the primary windings themselves (IP R1 ) , the voltage due to the induced
current of the magnetic field L
1ΔIP/Δtand the voltage due to the effect of mutual
inductance from the secondary windings M
ΔIS/Δt.
Similarly, you may write an equation that describes the voltage drops across the
secondary windings as
M ΔI
Δt
P
= IS R2 + L2 ΔI

Δt
S

This equation includes the secondary winding current I S , secondary winding

inductance L
2and the secondary winding load resistance R
2. The resistance and
inductance are labeled with a subscripts 1 or 2 instead of P or S, respectively, as
resistors and inductors are often numbered, not denoted using letters. Finally, you
can calculate mutual inductance from the inductors directly as
M= L1 L2
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How to Determine Current Capacity of

Transformers
•••
Updated March 13, 2018 By Richard Asmus
Transformers change electricity from one voltage level to another. But changing
the voltage does not change the power. Power equals voltage times current. So
when a transformer increases voltage, it decreases current. Likewise, if it
decreases voltage, it increases current. But the power remains the same.
All transformers have two coils of wires called the primary and secondary. The
primary induces voltage into the secondary, at a rate determined by the ratio of
the number coils of wire in the primary to the number of coils of wire in the
secondary. But with a ratio of 1:2, since voltage times current equals power,
doubling the voltage halves the current.
The physical size of a transformer and its internal components determines its
current rating. A tiny transformer for a cell phone charger operates at about a half
an amp. A huge transformer at a hydroelectric dam operates at thousands of

amps. If your particular transformer information does not specifically determine
the current rating, you can figure it out using other statistics.
Read the specifications of the transformer. It should show the maximum current
ratings for both the primary and the secondary.
Read the tag on the transformer. It should show the maximum current rating for
the primary and secondary.
Calculate the current from the voltage/amperage (VA) specification or the power
rating designated in watts. Both figures mean basically the same thing. Divide
either the VA or wattage rating of the transformer by the voltage. This will give
you the current rating.
Perform separate calculations using the statistics of the primary and the
secondary, because they are most likely different.
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How to Calculate the Inductance of a Coil

•••
Updated April 24, 2017 By Carlos Mano
Coils are inductors–they resist the flow of alternating current. This inductance is
accomplished by magnetically shifting the relationship between the voltage (how
much electromagnetic force is being applied) and the current (how many electrons
are flowing). Usually voltage and current are in phase–both high at the same time,
both low at the same time. Coils change that, and the stronger the coil (the more
henrys, or units of inductance), the bigger the phase shift.
Calculate the inductance of a coil as an educational exercise or if you expect

someday to build a radio from spare parts. The coils you buy will have the henrys
(measure of inductance) clearly marked. Knowing the formula will help you
understand the behavior of coils, and there is no better way to understand and
remember a formula than to use it.
Take two measurements: the length of the coil and the diameter of the coil. The
more accurately you make these measurements, the more accurate your results
will be. In the calculation that follows, "L" will be the length of the coil and "D" will
be the diameter of the coil. Now count the number of rings in the coil. This will be
"N" in the formula. Now that you have values for L, D and N, you can do the
calculation.
Compute the inductance by squaring both N and D. Then multiply the squares and
divide the result by (18D + 40L). This will give you the inductance in microhenrys.
There are one million microhenrys in a henry. The formula is:
The micro henrys of inductance in a coil = (N^2)(D^2)/(18D + 40L) where "N"

equals the number of rings in the coil, "D" equals the diameter of the coil and "L"
equals the length of the coil.
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04/03/2022 11:58 How to Determine Current Capacity of Transformers

How to Calculate the Winding of a

Updated December 28, 2020 By S. Hussain Ather

Transformer Winding Formula

This t​ ransformer winding formula​tells you the fraction by which a transformer

Keep in mind that, although this formula is referred to as "ratio," it is actually a

Transformer Design Calculator

Transformer Winding Formula and Magnetism

Flux is a measurement of how much magnetic field flows through a specific

for either primary windings or secondary windings. This is usually referred to as

for magnetic field B

​ ​is the angular frequency (​2πf​for frequency f​ ​)

Transformer Winding Calculator Examples

The software company Micro Digital offers an online Transformer Winding

The current transformer creates an AC voltage supply in its secondary winding

Hyperphysics offers an online Transformer Power Calculation interface that lets

The mutual inductance M

​ I1​and change in time Δ

Any online transformer winding calculator makes assumptions about the

Did you find this page helpful? 👍 👎

How to Calculate How to Determine How to Calculate the

REFERENCES ABOUT THE AUTHOR

How to Calculate Transformer Turns Ratio

Updated December 28, 2020 By S. Hussain Ather

Calculating Transformer Turns Ratio

For AC voltage sources, as used with transformers, the incoming waveform is

Whether voltage increases or decreases as a result of these coils determines of

The Construction of a Transformer

The construction of a transformer will generally be designed to lose as little

transformers always operate on an incoming AC voltage source, one that switches

Types of Transformer Effects

In contrast to a voltage source that sends current in one direction, an A

The general equation for magnetic flux is

​ ​in m2, magnetic field B

for number of coils N

If you were to compare the N

Transformers make this electricity usable by creating single-phase DC power

f​or output power P

If you were to apply an AC voltage source to the primary winding of a transformer,

Transformer Equation in Mutual Inductance

This happens as the primary winding's reaction to an increase in load, something

This equation includes the secondary winding current I​ S​ , secondary winding

How to Calculate the How to Hook Up a How to Connect Step-

REFERENCES ABOUT THE AUTHOR

How to Determine Current Capacity of

Updated March 13, 2018 By Richard Asmus

an amp. A huge transformer at a hydroelectric dam operates at thousands of

How to Figure kW How to Calculate How to Calculate

WARNINGS ABOUT THE AUTHOR PHOTO CREDITS

How to Calculate the Inductance of a Coil

Updated April 24, 2017 By Carlos Mano

Calculate the inductance of a coil as an educational exercise or if you expect

The micro henrys of inductance in a coil = (N^2)(D^2)/(18D + 40L) where "N"

Things You'll Need

How to Calculate the How to Calculate the How to Calculate

REFERENCES TIPS PHOTO CREDITS

You might also like

This t ransformer winding formulatells you the fraction by which a transformer

is the angular frequency (2πffor frequency f )

I1and change in time Δ

in m2, magnetic field B

for output power P

This equation includes the secondary winding current I S , secondary winding