HAWASSA UNIVERSITY

INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

SCHOOL OF ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING

THESIS ON: STEPPER MOTOR BASED AUTOMATIC TAP

CHANGER OF A TRANSFORMER

TEAM MEMBERS ID

TIBEBU KEBEDE 1156/07

MULUGETA DAMTE 0845/07

MELAKU ABEBE 1548/07

RAHIMET EBRAHIM 1118/06

ADVISOR: - Mr. Tesfaye (MSc)

THESIS PROPOSAL SEBMITED TO ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER

ENGINEERIG, POWER ENGINEERING STREAM

June 26, 2019 GC

HAWASSA, ETHIOPIA
 DECLARATION
Student’s Declaration:

We have declared that this thesis is the original work of us, we have not copied from any
other students‘ work or from any other sources except where due reference or
acknowledgement is made explicitly in the text, nor has any part been written for us by
another person.

Name of students Signature date

Tibebu Kebede _________________ ______________

Mulugeta Damte _________________ ______________

Melaku Abebe __________________ ______________

Rahimet Ebrahim __________________ ______________

Advisor Approval

The thesis has been submitted for examination with my approval as a university advisor.

Name of advisor signature date

Mr. Tesfaye _____________ _______________

Hereby certifies that the work entitled STEPPER MOTOR BASED AUTOMATIC TAP
CHANGER OF A TRANSFORMER was prepared by the above named student, and was
submitted to the institute as a partial/full fulfillment for the conferment of BSC and the
aforementioned work, to the best of our knowledge, is the said student‘s work.

i
 ACKNOWLEDGMENT
By the grace of Almighty GOD, we have been able to complete this thesis and achieve the
aim we set for ourselves at the start. We are especially thankful to our Advisor Tesfaye for
his never ending dedication and his kindness and support that he has shown during the thesis.

Next we would like to express our gratitude to University and their staff, for the opportunity
and encouragement to pursue our group members. Our sincere appreciation extends to all
lecturers, lab engineers and entire staff of the University.

Last but not the least we are also thankful to our family and friends for their continuous
encouragement and support throughout the entire phase of the thesis.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION ..................................................................................................................................... i

ACKNOWLEDGMENT......................................................................................................................... ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................................................... iii

List of Figures ........................................................................................................................................ vi

List of Acronyms ................................................................................................................................. viii

ABSTRACT........................................................................................................................................... ix

CHAPTER ONE ..................................................................................................................................... 1

INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 1

1.1 Background of the Project ................................................................................................................ 1

1.2 Statement of problems ...................................................................................................................... 2

1.3 Objectives ......................................................................................................................................... 3

1.3.1 General Objective .......................................................................................................................... 3

1.3.2 Specific Objective .......................................................................................................................... 3

1.4 Methodology ..................................................................................................................................... 3

1.5 System block diagram ....................................................................................................................... 4

1.6 Scope of the Thesis ........................................................................................................................... 4

1.7 Organization of the Thesis ................................................................................................................ 5

CHAPTER TWO .................................................................................................................................... 6

LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................................................................... 6

CHAPTER THREE ................................................................................................................................ 8

SYSTEM DESIGN AND ANALYSIS ................................................................................................... 8

3.1 System Components and operation ................................................................................................... 8

Relay interface ........................................................................................................................................ 8

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3.1.1 Transformer.................................................................................................................................... 8

3.1.2 Auxiliary Power supply for lower voltage circuits ........................................................................ 8

Rectifiers ................................................................................................................................................. 9

3.1.3 Microcontroller .............................................................................................................................. 9

3.1.4 Steeper Motor................................................................................................................................. 9

Driving unit/ Bipolar drive.................................................................................................................... 10

3.1.5 Different sensors .......................................................................................................................... 10

Current sensor ....................................................................................................................................... 10

Voltage sensor....................................................................................................................................... 10

LCD 20x4 ............................................................................................................................................. 10

3.1.6 Tap changer.................................................................................................................................. 11

3.2 Operation of tap changing ............................................................................................................... 12

3.3 System Modeling ............................................................................................................................ 14

3.4 Algorithm flow chart of the System ................................................................................................ 22

3.4.1 Current sensor .............................................................................................................................. 22

3.4.2 Voltage sensor.............................................................................................................................. 23

3.4.3 Overall system flow chart ............................................................................................................ 23

CHAPTER FOUR................................................................................................................................. 25

RESULT AND DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................. 25

4.1 Voltage Sensor simulation circuit ................................................................................................... 25

4.2 Current sensor simulation circuit .................................................................................................... 25

4.3 circuit diagram of Bipolar Stepper Motor control........................................................................... 26

4.4 Over all circuit diagram of steeper motor based automatic tap changer ......................................... 27

CHAPTER FIVE .................................................................................................................................. 32

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CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION .................................................................................... 32

5.1 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................... 32

5.2 RECOMMENDATION .................................................................................................................. 33

REFERENCE........................................................................................................................................ 34

Appendix/ANNEX................................................................................................................................ 35

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 List of Figures

Figure 1.1:Methodology flow chart ........................................................................................................ 3

Figure 1.2: Block diagram of the system ................................................................................................ 4

Figure 3.1:relay ....................................................................................................................................... 8

Figure3.2:voltage lowering circuit diagram ............................................................................................ 8

Figure 3.3: circuit diagram and waveform for bridge rectifier ............................................................... 9

Figure 3.4: steeper motor ........................................................................................................................ 9

Figure3.5: LCD 20x4 ............................................................................................................................ 10

Figure3.6: in-tank type OLTC .............................................................................................................. 11

Figure 3.7: selector operation sequence ................................................................................................ 12

Figure 3.8: Block diagram for OLTC power and control scheme ........................................................ 13

Figure3.9: Selected steeper motor and it‘s specification ...................................................................... 15

Figure 3.10: Selected steeper motor coupler ......................................................................................... 15

Figure3.11: arrangement of motor fitting position to tape changer ...................................................... 15

Figure 3.12: the overall arrangement inside tap changer ...................................................................... 18

Figure 3.13: tap selection process ......................................................................................................... 21

Figure3.14: flow chart of current sensor ............................................................................................... 22

Figure 3.15: flow chart of voltage sensor ............................................................................................. 23

Figure3.16: flow chart of overall tap changing system ......................................................................... 24

Figure 4.1: voltage sensor interfaced with microcontroller .................................................................. 25

Figure4.2: Current sensor interfaced with microcontroller ................................................................... 26

Figure 4.3: Circuit representation of the bipolar stepper motor control................................................ 26

Figure 4.4: overall simulation circuit .................................................................................................... 27

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Figure 4.5: output of PIC16F84A microcontroller steeper motor based automatic tap changer for tap-
one ......................................................................................................................................................... 28
Fig 4.6 output of PIC16F84A microcontroller steeper motor based automatic tap changer for
tap two………………………………………………………………………………………. 25

Figure 4.7: output of PIC16F84A microcontroller steeper motor based automatic tap changer for tap-
three ...................................................................................................................................................... 29

Figure 4.8: output of PIC16F84A microcontroller steeper motor based automatic tap changer for tap-
four ........................................................................................................................................................ 30

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 List of Acronyms
AC Alternative current

AVC Automatic voltage controller

DC Direct current

HV High voltage

KVA Kilo volt ampere

LCD Liquid Cristal display

LV Low voltage

OLTC On load tap changer

OLTCT On load tap changer transformer

PIC Programmable integrated circuit

RPM Revolution per minuet

viii
 ABSTRACT

In our thesis our aim was to design, and Simulate a stepper motor based automatic tap
changer of a transformer. We have designed and simulate a system which changes the turn
ratio of the transformer by automatic microcontroller controlled stepper motor with in on-
load condition. The system consists of stepper motor, microcontroller, sensors installed at
transformer. To reduce the risk of unexpected failure and to ensure unscheduled outage, our
tap changer control tap as the voltage increases or decreases depending on the nature of the
load. When the voltage at the primary of the step down transformer varies, resulting in an
equivalent variation at the secondary side. We have used voltage sensor for sensing the
voltage from secondary winding output of transformer. These sensing signals are fed to the
microcontroller for taking the decision of tap change. Any variation at the output voltage of
the distribution transformer is sensed by the microcontroller and compared with the reference
value as per the program. This intern produces appropriate command to trigger the stepper
motor drive for change in the suitable tapping of transformer. Then system stability
improved, because of quick response. The taps are leads or connections provided at various
points on the winding. The turn ratios differ from one tap to another and hence different
voltages can be obtained at each tap. We work on on-load tap changers which are used to
change the turn ratio without disconnecting the load from it. Our work on-load tap changers
considerable increases the efficiency of the system by reducing response time.

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 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Project

A transformer is a static electrical device used in electric power systems to transfer power
between circuits through the use of electromagnetic induction. Thus the transformer transfers
energy from one circuit to another by means of a common magnetic field. When an
alternating current flows through a conductor, magnetic field exists around the conductor. If
another conductor is placed in the field created by the first conductor such that the flux lines
link the second conductor, then a voltage is induced into the second conductor. Transformers
are essential for the transmission, distribution and utilization of electrical energy.

Operation of distribution transformer under rated condition guarantees their long life
However; their life is significantly reduced if they are subjected to overloading, resulting in
unexpected failures and loss of supply to a large number of customers thus effecting system
reliability. Distribution transformers are currently monitored manually where a person
periodically visits a transformer site for maintenance and records parameter of importance.

It is a normal fact that increases in load lead to decrease in the supply voltage. Hence the
voltage supplied by the transformer to the load must be maintained within the prescribed
limits. This can be done by changing the transformer turns ratio. The taps are leads or
connections provided at various points on the winding. The turn‘s ratios differ from one tap
to another and hence different voltages can be obtained at each tap.

System voltage control is essential for adjusting the terminal voltage of consumer within the
prescribed limits, Adjustment of voltage based on change in load, In order to control the real
and reactive power

Tap changing methods

Tap changing causes change in leakage reactance, core loss, copper loss and perhaps some
problems in the parallel operation of dissimilar transformer. There are two methods of tap
changing.
 Off load tap changing as the name indicates, in this method tap changing is done
after disconnecting the load from the transformer. Off load tap changing is normally
provided in low power, low voltage transformers.
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  On load tap changing are used to change the turn‘s ratio without disconnecting the
load from it. Tap changing can be done even when the transformer is delivering load. .
On-Load Tap-Changers (OLTCs) are one of the indispensable components for the
regulation of power transformers used in electrical energy networks and industrial
application.
On load tap changers considerable increases the efficiency of the system. Nowadays
almost all the large power transformers are provided with on load tap changers and
our project is automatic tap changing to make the operation efficient and to reduce
response time. Previous works are done to make automatic tap changing using
selector switches and gears but they are more exposed for short circuit during
transition of taps due to high response of time but we are going to use steeper motors
which have exact and accurate positioning with very short response time in co-
ordination with micro controller and different sensors.

The reason for providing on load tap changer in power transformers are
1. During the operation of on load tap changers the main circuit remains unaffected.

2. Dangerous sparking is prevented. The taps on the windings are brought to a separate oil

filled compartment in which the on load tap changer switch is housed.

1.2 Statement of problems

Transformer tap changing is wide concept it needs great concern in distribution transformers
manual means of tap changer is used and to change even if a single one tape it needs to be
rotated manually many times by operators and it needs continuously to be checked by
operators. This will make the tap monitoring to be not done in fast response and in accurate
calibration.
Having no fast response time will leads to outage of system due to unbalanced operation of
transformer with the variation of load and sudden accident or faults on the transformer will
happen due to long arcing time which leads to short circuit on the transformer tap mounting.
Manual operation of tape change is full of such problems, operation involving manual tap
changing will leads to danger to the operator when short circuit appears during tap changing
process and the transformer itself.
Since it is controlled by operator it is more exposed to erroneous operation and if problems
are developed there is no way of fast response to control and stop the problem. When a large
transformer fails there is a considerable high cost of the transformer and the relative long
outage time that occurs. In our thesis we are going to develop automatic system which will

2
 have fast response time and accurate positioning of the transformer tape using stepper motor
aided by microcontroller.

Therefore, the project is designed with a low cost with fast and reliable operation to protect
the health of the transformer.

1.3 Objectives
1.3.1 General Objective
The main aim of this project is to design stepper motor based automatic tap changer for
transformer which changes turn ratio of transformer to keep transformer supply in balance
with load variation with on load operation.

1.3.2 Specific Objective

Our objective is to design tap changer of transformer that would fulfill the following terms:
 Designing coupling mechanism between steeper motor and tap of the transformer
 Designing Automatic tap changer circuit
 To develop a code to the microcontroller
 Develop a circuit for stepper motor control, output voltage value of transformer that
will be interfaced to the microcontroller.
 To avoid the problem of direct manual checkup of transformers by displaying the
output voltage and current and also taping level of tape changer on LCD
1.4 Methodology
As the system requires the use of microcontroller, the design consists protues software for easy
showing the result and testing of the project. This section presents the steps to follow to complete
and to attain the objectives of the study as, illustrated on the figure system flow

Start

Identify the problem

Simulation with Proteus 8.6

Literature Review
Results and Conclusion
System Modeling

Figure 1.1-Methodology flow chart

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1.5 System block diagram
The system model is shown in Figure 3.1 which says about the connectivity of all mentioned
devices.

Main Power Lowering

Relay
supply voltage circuit

Micro-
Controller

Distribution transformer P
LCD Display
transformer
I

C
Tap changer
1

6 Current sensor
Steeper motor
Load
F

8
Motor drive
7 Voltage sensor

Fig 1.2 Block diagram of the system

1.6 Scope of the Thesis

The main aim of this thesis was to design an automated tab changer of a transformer

 First part of the thesis was to design and build the circuit diagram of the entire system.
The circuit part mainly consists of a stepper motor driving unit, voltage sensor, current
sensor, tap changer and LCD display circuit.
 We have used microcontroller for automatic control of the whole system.
4
 The second part is the development of software for programming and interfacing of the
microcontroller. This software are, micro C Pro and the software of Proteus professional
are considered for the circuit analysis and expected result.
The proposed OLTC has got several advantages they are:
 Avoids arcing during tap changing.
 Less maintenance cost as compared to mechanical tap-changer.
 Low cost.
 Fast operation as compared to mechanical OLTC.
 No labor required as compared to mechanical OLTC.

1.7 Organization of the Thesis

The entire project is composed of five chapters, each covering a section of the work as
summarized below:

Chapter one: gives about a brief introduction to stepper motor tape changing system, and
answers why we have gone for this project, what the objectives , Methodology and system
block diagram, what advantages can we get from this thesis and its scope.
Chapter two: Covers an extensive literature review of previous works on transformer tape
changing system.
Chapter three: about system design and analysis, it consists of System Components and
Operations, System Modeling and mathematical analysis of the system. In this chapter brief
description about architecture and interfacing of the devices such as stepper motors, sensors,
LCD display, and the microcontroller being used are proposed.
Chapter four: Results and Discussions, shows Software simulation results and discussions
covers the detailed design and simulation of each sensor, and the overall integrated system or
main thesis results and output.
Chapter five-Conclusions and recommendations: This chapter will Concludes the entire
work performed during the project and Points out some few recommendations on improving
the performance, and efficiency.

5
 CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

A very large work has been done on observing and checking of transformer, Some of those
researches which had been organized and carried out, their setbacks, ambiguities and merits
are as discussed in the subsequent paragraphs.

[F. Milano] [2] ULTC (under load tap changer) transformers are relatively common devices
in sub transmission and distribution systems. This fact is demonstrated by the constant
interest in the improvement of ULTC technology, modeling, and regulation, as well as by
several studies on power flow and stability analysis.

[Miles A Redfern] [5] The enhancements to the AVC control scheme using Source Drop
Compensation and pre-emptive tap changing enable the voltage control offered by the
OLTCT to be improved. On-Load Tap-Changer Transformers (OLTCT) provides a well-
established method for controlling the voltage on supply networks. Their associated
automatic voltage control relays (AVC) include a selection of features to ensure that they
enable the voltage to be controlled at a nominal supply point rather than just the transformer
terminals and avoid complications when transformers are operated in parallel.

Nikunj R. Patel, Makrand M. Lokhande, [6] The on-load tap changing (OLTC) regulators
have been widely used since the introduction of electrical energy. They ensure a good
regulation of the output voltage in presence of large variations of the input voltage with
typical response time from several mili-seconds to several seconds. Earlier mechanical type
of on load tap changers were into practice. But they had considerable limitations and
drawbacks like arcing, high maintenance, service costs and slow reaction times. In order to
overcome

[R. Shuttle worth, B. A. T. Al Zahawi] [9] With the use of high power semiconductor devices
such as triac, IGBTs, Thyristor, problems related with the mechanical on-load tap changing
power transformer have been eliminated. In order to overcome these limitations and
drawbacks, new circuits and configurations for tap-changers have been introduced.

Smith C A, Potts S C and Redfern M A [10] ‗Simulation Studies of OLTC Transformer AVC
relays Operating in Series using a RTDS, Real Time Digital Simulator.‘ Proceedings of the
8th IEE Conference on Developments in Power System Protection, April 2004, Amsterdam
6
[J. Faiz and B. Siahkolah] [4] Electronically assisted ULTC and solid state tab changer both
technologies are intrinsically faster than the motor-based one. However, the differences in the
model are mainly in the low-level logic of the electronic switches. The overall controller
scheme is basically the same as for the motor-driven technology, but for the speed of the time
response. Note that electronically assisted ULTCs are also sometimes called ―hybrid‖ ULTC.

7
 CHAPTER THREE

SYSTEM DESIGN AND ANALYSIS

3.1 System Components and operation

Mainly the system components of the thesis consists of microcontroller, sensors, transformer,
steeper motor and Liquid Crystal Display
Relay interface
A relay is usually an electromechanical device that is actuated by an electrical current. The
current flowing in one circuit causes the opening or closing of another circuit. We use a relay for
steeper motor for tripping purpose by signal send from microcontroller.

Fig 3.1 relay

3.1.1 Transformer
Transformer is the electrical device that converts one voltage to another with little loss of
power. The Rating of distribution transformer we choose 20 KVA, 33kv/0.433kv step down
transformer. Here a step down transformer is also used to get 12V AC from the supply to
controlling and other circuits and 24V for steeper motor.

3.1.2 Auxiliary Power supply for lower voltage circuits

The power supply unit is used to provide a 5V of DC supply. These will acts as power to
different standard circuits mainly for microcontroller. It also provides 24V for steeper motor.
It mainly consists of following blocks.

TRANSFORMER RECTIFIER SMOOTHIG REGULATOR Regulated Dc

230V/5V AC voltage

Fig 3.2 voltage lowering circuit diagram

8
Rectifiers

A rectifier is an electrical device that converts alternating current (AC), which periodically
reverses direction, to direct current (DC).

Fig 3.3 circuit diagram and waveform for bridge rectifier

3.1.3 Microcontroller
There are number of popular families of microcontrollers which are used in different
applications as per their capability and feasibility to perform various task, we used of these
are PIC16F877A microcontroller.

3.1.4 Steeper Motor

A stepper motor is a marvel in simplicity. It has no brushes or contacts and it is a
Asynchronous motor with the magnetic field electronically switched to rotate the armature
magnet. These motors have excellent response to starting, stopping and reversing.
Advantages of step motors (compared to other types of motors) are low cost, high reliability,
high torque at low speeds and a simple rugged construction that operates in almost any
environment.

Fig 3.4 steeper motor

On the bases of wire arrangement stepper motors are categorized into two types.
 Uni-polar stepper motor.
 Bipolar stepper motor.

9
Uni-polar Stepper motor
A uni-polar stepper motor has two windings per phase, one for each direction of magnetic
field, one for each direction of magnetic field.
Bipolar Stepper motor
Bipolar motors have a single winding per phase. The current in a winding needs to be
reversed in Order to reverse a magnetic pole.
For our project we choose bipolar steeper motor, because windings are better utilized, they
are more power full than a unipolar motor of the same weight. Hence it is 50% efficient (or
approximately 70% of the torque output available). Though bipolar is more complicated to
drive, the abundance of driver chip means this is much less difficult to achieve. This type of
motor is more efficient than a unipolar stepper motor.

Driving unit/ Bipolar drive

These drives are mostly used in the industrial applications. These drives are more expensive but
they offer high performance and efficiency. In bipolar stepper motors the torque is proportional to
phase current. The direction of rotation in the motors is dependent on the direction of current in
phase windings. For rotation in one direction therefore bi-polar drive circuit for each phase is
required.

3.1.5 Different sensors

Current sensor
Current transformer used in this project to sense a current in the transformer
Voltage sensor
Voltage transformer are used in this project to sense the voltage value of secondary voltage,
this sensor is the eye of the tap changer, which it operate properly by the action of steeper
motor through microcontroller.
LCD 20x4

Fig 3.5 LCD 20x4

10
3.1.6 Tap changer

The taps are leads or connections provided at various points on the winding. The turns ratio
differ from one tap to another and hence different voltages can be obtained at each tap

Taps are provided at the HV windings of the transformer because of the following reasons.

1. The number of turns in the High voltage winding is large and hence a fine voltage variation
can be obtained.

2. The current on the low voltage winding of large transformers are high. Therefore
interruption of high currents is a difficult task.

3. LV winding is placed nearer to the core and HV winding is placed outside. Therefore
providing taps on the HV winding is comparatively easier than that of the LV winding.

Fig 3.6 in-tank type OLTC

A handle fitted for manual operation in case of emergency. The selector switch is a form of
make before break switch and during the transition of the tap changers from one tap to
another; momentary connection must be made between the adjacent taps. This results in short
11
circuit between the adjacent taps. The short circuit current must be limited by including
resistor or reactor. Hence all forms of on load tap changer are provided with an impedance to
limit short circuit current during tap changing operation. The impedance may be resistance or
a center tapped reactance. In modern designs it is invariably carried out by a pair of resistors.

3.2 Operation of tap changing

The tap change operation takes place in two steps; first the next tap is preselected by the tap
selector at no load, then the diverter switch transfers the load current from the tap in
operation to the preselected tap The OLTC is operated by means of a drive mechanism. The
tap selector is operated by a gearing directly from the drive mechanism. At the same time, a
spring energy accumulator is tensioned; this operates the diverter switch – after releasing in a
very short time – independently of the motion of the drive mechanism. The gearing ensures
that this diverter switch operation always takes place after the tap pre- selection operation has
been finished. The switching time of a diverter switch lies between 40 and 60 MS with
today‘s designs. During the diverter switch operation, transition resistors are inserted which
are loaded for 20–30 MS, i. e. the resistors can be designed for short-term loading. The
amount of resistor material required is therefore relatively small. The total operation time of
an OLTC is between 3 and 10 sec depending on the respective design

Let suppose a current inter from point ‗A‘ to main winding than enter in tap winding through
reversing switch contact N—>L , Taps l & 2 both are connected with move able selectors but
the current flows only in tap no. I (Because the diverter side-1 is closed) so the current finally
end on point B as shown in above fig.

Side 1
Side 2

Fig 3.7 selector operation sequence

12
Now if we want to change the tap position from tap-1 to tap-2, operates the drive unit steeper
motor through raise control switch .The motor starts operation (at this time only an action
starts in diverter switch because tap -2 is already Selected). For changing the tap-1 to tap-2
the voltage will be increased on secondary side of transformer because the numbers of
primary turns have now reduced.

Similarly, if we want to go on tap no.3, the operational sequence will be same as above but in
reverse (side -2 to side-1) and now the operation will become at first in selector switch, as the
odd moveable selector selects the tap no.3. For doing continuous changing the taps in step by
step, we select the tap-5. At this time only a main winding will be in circuited and current
will flows from ‗A‘ to ‗B‘ via the main winding to diverter switch. The tap-5 of this
arrangement is called ‗principal‘ tap. At this tap the voltage on both sides will be rated. Now
if we want further changing in taps, operates the motor through the raise switch placed in
drive unit.

33kv

Steeper
Motor
Motor
Drive

Fig 3.8 Block diagram for OLTC power and control scheme

13
3.3 System Modeling
Mathematical calculation of Tap changer
Considering total mass of the system to be moved or rotated by our steeper motor we can
select type and specification of our steeper motor and type of coupler to be used.
NB: The total mass estimated is 20 kg in the tape places and our auxiliary around there is
estimated to weight totally 30 kg. And the transformer tape have 32mm diameter in its
mounting; having this in mind we have calculated the torque required to move our tapes
using the motor first and then we will select the type of the steeper motor and type of
coupler.

Speed of the tape changing is assumed to be1000 rpm at its maximum torque

Let us change to rad/sec

Here we have selected steeper motor with torque of 1.5 since it should be somehow greater
than the calculated value.

14
 Fig 3.9 Selected steeper motor and it‘s specification

Shaft coupling:

5mm/32mm D19L25 Flexible Shaft Coupling CNC Stepper Motor Coupler Conn0ector

Fig 3.10 Selected steeper motor coupler

At the end transformer the transformer and the motor are coupled as indicated below at
number 147

Fig3.11: arrangement of motor fitting position to tape changer

Prototype of our transformer

Voltage Ratio: kV

15
With ON-Load Tap Changing of +10 % to - 10% at 2.5% Steps, to Calculate Tap Changer
Levels

According to CERC & CEA Norms, Highest Voltage level for the 33kV system is 36kV, So
Maximum Tap level should be equal to or greater than 36kV, Also Lowest Voltage level is
30 kV. Now we will see Calculations.

One percentage level of33kv is:

At every 2.5% of tap will be:

+10%will be

Now add 3300 volt with 33000 volt [i.e. 33kv] then final output will be:

Minimum tap level is:

Tap-Changer Adjustment:

To represent tap number and their output voltage let us work on steps that our tap changer
works.

At normal operation

Tap 3- the high voltage winding read 3300V and it gives 433V in the low voltage side

At 2.5% the high voltage winding is:

And similarly in low voltage side

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In case of 5% step

So HV side will have voltage of

And LV side will have voltage of

And in decreasing of load at -2.5% HV side will have

LV side will have

At -5% HV side will have

LV side

No of tap Tap link Voltage at HV side Voltage at LV side

Tap 1 1= 6-5 34650 454.65

Tap 2 2=5-7 33825 443.825

Tap 3 3=7-4 33000 433

Tap 4 4=4-8 32175 422.175

Tap 5 5=8-3 31350 411.35

Table1: table showing arrangement of taps with voltage limit

17
 a)

b)
Fig 3.12 the overall arrangement inside tap changer; A) before adjustment b) after adjustment

In our case a V transformer has five taps on the primary winding giving -

Case1:

If, on-load, the secondary voltage increases to 454.65V then, the tap should be used to
maintain 433v V on-load (assuming the supply voltage remains constant)

Examining the relationship:

18
This indicates that, to keep the equation in balance with primary voltage and secondary
winding turns fixed, either V2 or N1 must be adjusted. Since the objective is to reduce V2
back to nominal, then N1 must be decreased.

: or must be increased to

( )

Increasing N1 by 5% will accomplish reduction in secondary voltage output.

According to our tap setting it will select tap number 1

Case2:

If, on-load, the secondary voltage increases to 443.825V then, the tap should be used to
maintain 433v V on-load (assuming the supply voltage remains constant)

Examining the relationship:

This indicates that, to keep the equation in balance with primary voltage and secondary
winding turns fixed, either V2 or N1 must be adjusted. Since the objective is to reduce V2
back to nominal, then N1 must be decreased.

: or must be increased to

( )

19
Increasing N1 by 0.5% will accomplish reduction in secondary voltage output.

According to our tap setting it will select tap number 2

Case 3

At normal voltage limit our tap changer won‘t change position and it is fixed at tap number 3

Case 4

If, on-load, the secondary voltage reduces to 411.35V then, the tap should be used to
maintain 433v V on-load (assuming the supply voltage remains constant) is

Examining the relationship:

This indicates that, to keep the equation in balance with primary voltage and secondary
winding turns fixed, either V2 or N1 must be adjusted. Since the objective is to raise V2 back
to nominal, then N1 must be reduced.

: or must be reduced to

( ) will
accomplish the increase in secondary voltage output.

According to our tap setting it will select tap number 4

The nearest tap to select is -2.5% (see Figure).

20
 Fig3.13 tap selection process

Case 5:

If, on-load, the secondary voltage reduces to 422.175V then, the tap should be used to
maintain 433v V on-load (assuming the supply voltage remains constant) is

Examining the relationship:

This indicates that, to keep the equation in balance with primary voltage and secondary
winding turns fixed, either V2 or N1 must be adjusted. Since the objective is to raise V2 back
to nominal, then N1 must be reduced.

: or must be reduced to

( )

will accomplish the increase in secondary voltage output.

According to our tap setting it will select tap number 5

21
3.4 Algorithm flow chart of the System
From the block diagram the sensors gather real data about the condition of the transformer. These
sensors are internally embedded in transformer for their proper functioning and switch off the
transformer through relay during faulty condition. The sensor unit includes current sensor and
voltage sensing unit.

3.4.1 Current sensor

Current sensor is a device which senses the current level of the series circuit of both analog
and dc current values. Therefore in the block diagram, current sensor is used to measure the
load current.

Start

Current sensor sense Transformer current

Input for I to V converter sensor

Fig 3.14 flow chart of current sensor

22
3.4.2 Voltage sensor

Voltage Sensing is a method used for determining the value of voltage in the circuit. Voltage
sensing is usually obtained by using either the voltage division method or a step down
Potential transformer.

Start

Display voltage value

I to V converter on LCD

Micro -controller

Changing tap of
the transformer

Fig 3.15 flow chart of voltage sensor

3.4.3 Overall system flow chart

Tap selection logic is shown in the figure below, The microcontroller continuously reads the
value of the input voltage using voltage sensor. It checks whether the input voltage is within
prescribed voltage limits. If the voltage is within the predetermined limits the tap will be
rotated as per programed.

23
Fig 3.16 flow chart of overall tap changing system

24
 CHAPTER FOUR
RESULT AND DISCUSSION
The design of microcontroller based stepper motor automatic tap changer was simulated by
using proteus 8.6 professional software, it is designed by using different parts integrating
together it consists of PIC16F84A microcontroller, voltage sensor, current sensor bipolar
stepper motor, ULN2003A driver.
4.1 Voltage Sensor simulation circuit

Voltage Sensing is a method used for determining the value of voltage in the circuit. Voltage
sensing is usually obtained by using a step down potential transformer. The output from sensing
unit is feed to ADC port of microcontroller. Whenever a disturbance in the monitored voltage is
accompanied by a change in the transformer‘s load, it can be assumed, either in full or in part to
have been caused by the change in that load. The local AVC relay can therefore be allowed to
make a correction to the transformer‘s ratio irrespective of any up-stream corrective actions
required. when the measured value is above or below from normal range the microcontroller
activates the relay to start the steeper motor for tap changing of turn ratio.

Fig 4.1 voltage sensor interfaced with microcontroller

4.2 Current sensor simulation circuit

Current sensor sense the current of transformer to take appropriate action. The monitored
current values are displayed on the LCD display and as soon the transformer is overloaded
the current sensor sends the information through the ADC to the microcontroller.

25
 Fig 4.2 Current sensor interfaced with microcontroller

4.3 circuit diagram of Bipolar Stepper Motor control

Fig 4.3 Circuit representation of the bipolar stepper motor control

26
4.4 Over all circuit diagram of steeper motor based automatic tap changer

The final simulation circuit that we developed gives the detailed information about how the
system can be developed and how they are integrated and combine all the major systems that
develop for tap changing operation of the transformer.

Fig 4.4 overall simulation circuit

The system checks these two parameters whether or not the voltage varies. The sensors send
a signal to the microcontroller, and it also sends a command for a steeper motor for changing
turn ratio of a transformer. The Microcontroller also sends the monitored parameters to LCD
display.

Final Results

When voltage is in between 443.825-454.65 the following events are undertaken:

27
  Voltage sensor change sensed current signals to voltage and feed to micro controller
 The value of voltage displayed on LCD
 Steeper motor rotate clock wise for 66 full rotations
 Then tape number on LCD displayed
 LED for tape number one on
 Finally the transformer operate in balance with load demand

Fig 4.5 output of PIC16F84A microcontroller steeper motor based automatic tap changer for
tap-one
When voltage is in between 433-443.825 the following events are undertaken:
 Voltage sensor change sensed current signals to voltage and feed to micro controller
 The value of voltage displayed on LCD
 Steeper motor rotate clock wise for 33 full rotations
 Then tape number on LCD displayed
 LED for tape number two on
 Finally the transformer operate in balance with load deman

28
Fig 4.6 output of PIC16F84A microcontroller steeper motor based automatic tap changer for
tap-two
When voltage is in between 422.175-433 the following events are undertaken:

 Voltage sensor change sensed current signals to voltage and feed to micro controller
 The value of voltage displayed on LCD
 Steeper motor rotate clock wise for 33 full rotations
 Then tape number on LCD displayed
 LED for tape number three on
 Finally the transformer operate in balance with load demand

Fig 4.7 output of PIC16F84A microcontroller steeper motor based automatic tap changer for
tap-three

29
When voltage is in between 411.35-422.175 the following events are undertaken:

 Voltage sensor change sensed current signals to voltage and feed to micro controller
 The value of voltage displayed on LCD
 Steeper motor rotate anti-clock wise for 33 full rotations
 Then tape number on LCD displayed
 LED for tape number four on
 Finally the transformer operate in balance with load demand

Fig 4.8 output of PIC16F84A microcontroller steeper motor based automatic tap changer
for tap-four

When voltage is in between <=411.35 the following events are undertaken:

 Voltage sensor change sensed current signals to voltage and feed to micro controller
 The value of voltage displayed on LCD
 Steeper motor rotate clock wise for 33 full rotations
 Then tape number on LCD displayed
 LED for tape number five on

30
  Finally the transformer operate in balance with load demand

Fig 4.9 output of PIC16F84A microcontroller steeper motor based automatic tap
changer for tap-five

As it is shown above all expected outputs are shown and our tap changer is operating as the sated
pre condition with subscribed limit.

31
 CHAPTER FIVE

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

5.1 CONCLUSION
It is a normal fact that increases in load lead to decrease in the supply voltage. Hence the
voltage supplied by the transformer to the load must be maintained within the prescribed
limits. This can be done by changing the transformer turns ratio. The taps are leads or
connections provided at various points on the winding.

In this work steeper motor based automatic tap changer with five taps that located at high
voltage side of transformer is designed. In our thesis we have developed automatic system
which has fast response time and accurate positioning of the transformer tape using stepper
motor aided by microcontroller. According to our work any variation at the output voltage of
the distribution transformer is sensed by the microcontroller and compare with the reference
value as per the program. This it produces appropriate command to trigger the motor drive to
run the steeper motor for change in the suitable tapping of transformer. microcontroller
having input parameters from sensor, it starts its work by sending signal to LCD to display
there all measured value and activate LED with their own respective symbol to make easier
information for operators. The system stability is improved, because of quick response.
Because of static devices, maintenance cost is reduced due to elimination of frequent
sparking. Output voltage can be regulated in the range of ±5 V of nominal voltage.
Transformer tap changing is wide concept it needs great concern and care if the tap
monitoring is not done in fast response and in accurate calibration it leads to outage of system
and sudden accident or faults on the transformer. Manual operation of tape change is full of
such problems, operation involving manual tap changing will leads to danger to the operator
when short circuit appears during tap changing process so our work reduces these all risks
involving tap changing. And it is economically viable and can be installed to existing
transformers without affecting its property and operation principles.

32
5.2 RECOMMENDATION
In our recommendation we recommend that any transformer manual checkers to apply our
steeper motor based tap changer system. Any work and investigation on tap changing is very
advantageous and challenging. Based on the present time, it can be observed that the world‘s
population is increasing rapidly. Therefore demands on electricity will be high and these will
lead to demands of highly sophisticated protection devices, and tap changer which will be
incorporated in transformer tap changer schemes.

We have designed an automatic steeper motor based tap changer but in our design there are
some parts which must be done, some improvements need to be made in the future work.

These are:-
 We are going forward to implement the project in real time applications.
 we also recommended that it can be done by more modifying this tap changing system
by adding additional tap levels, we only works on 5 voltage level taps, it means our
tap changer is designed for transformer which contains 5 taps.
 The system is made up of two system electrical and mechanical system; we have
shown simulation result for full of the electrical part and some parts of mechanical
part and the remaining part is only possible to show in implementation.
 So this is not the end of the thesis but rather is a step towards exploring other
possibilities that it brings with it. We feel very happy to work in such a challenging
project which has tremendous application and possibilities.

33
REFERENCE

[1] B. Kasztenny, E. Rosolowski, J. Izykowski, M. M. Saha, and B. Hillstrom,―Fuzzy logic

controller for on-load transformer tap-changer‖, IEEE Trans. Power Del., vol. 13, no. 1, pp.
164–170, Jan. 1998.

[2] [F. Milano] ULTC (under load tap changer) transformers are relatively common devices
in s transmission and distribution systems. Mar -2017

[3] International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395
0056 Volume: 04 Issue: 04 | Apr -2017 www.irje

[4] J. Faiz and B. Siahkolah, ―Optimal Configurations for Tap of winding and Power
Electronics Switches in Electronic Tap-Changers,‖ IEE Proceedings on Generation,
Transmission and Distribution, vol. 149, no. 5, pp. 517–524, Sep. 2002.

[5] [Miles A Redfern] The enhancements to the AVC control scheme using Source Drop
Compensation and pre-emptive tap changing enable the voltage control offered by the
OLTCT to be improved. On-Load Tap-Changer Transformers (OLTCT) Third International
Conference on Electrical Engineering, 2009, ICEE '09, pp. 1-6, 9-11 April 2009, Lahore

[6] Nikunj R. Patel, 2Makrand M. Lokhande, 3Jitendra G. Jamnani Assistant Professor,

Solid-State On Load Tap-Changer for Transformer Using Microcontroller | ISSN: 2321-9939

[8] Rodolfo Echavarría, Abraham Claudio, Maria Cotorogea, Analysis, Design, and
Implementation of a Fast OnLoad Tap Changing Regulator‖ IEEE Power Electronics, vol. 22,
no. 2, march 2007

[9] [R. Shuttle worth, B. A. T. Al Zahawi] With the use of high power semiconductor devices
such as triac, IGBTs, Thyristor, problems related with the mechanical on-load tap changing
power transformer have been eliminated. IEEE press, Piscataway, 2002.

[10] Smith C A, Potts S C and Redfern M A ‗Simulation Studies of OLTC Transformer

AVC relays Operating in Series using a RTDS, Real Time Digital Simulator.‘ Proceedings of
the 8th IEE Conference on Developments in Power System Protection, April 2004, Amsterda

34
Appendix/ANNEX

Code of the system

/* Main.c file generated by New Project wizard

* Processor: PIC16F877A

* Compiler: MPLAB XC8 or MICROC

*/

#include <xc.h>

#define SBIT_ADON 0

#define SBIT_CHS0 3

#define SBIT_ADFM 7

char volt[]={"Load voltage: "};

char tap[]="tap number: ";

char num[]="12345";

int pos=0;

int dfc=0;

void msdelay(int time) // Function for creating delay in milliseconds.

unsigned i,j ;

for(i=0;i<time;i++)

for(j=0;j<1275;j++);

35
void lcd_cmd(unsigned char command) //Function to send command instruction to LCD

PORTD = command;

PORTC=0x04; // rs= 0,rw=0,e=1

msdelay(1);

PORTC=0x00;//e=0;

void lcd_data(unsigned char disp_data) //Function to send display data to LCD

PORTD = disp_data;//rs= 1,rw=0,e=1;

PORTC=0x05;

msdelay(1);

PORTC=0x01; //e=0

void lcd_init() //Function to prepare the LCD and get it ready

lcd_cmd(0x38); // for using 2 lines and 5X7 matrix of LCD

msdelay(10);

lcd_cmd(0x0F); // turn display ON, cursor blinking

msdelay(10);

lcd_cmd(0x01); //clear screen

36
 msdelay(10);

lcd_cmd(0x80); // bring cursor to position 1 of line 0

msdelay(10);

void delay(int cnt)

while(cnt--);

void ADC_Init()

ADCON0=0x00; // sampling freq=osc_freq/2,ADC off initially

ADCON1=(1<<SBIT_ADFM); // All pins are configured as Analog pins and ADC result
is right justified

int ADC_Read(int adcChannel)

ADCON0 = (1<<SBIT_ADON) | (adcChannel<SBIT_CHS0); //select required channel

and turn ON adc

delay(1000); //Acquisition Time(Wait for Charge Hold Capacitor to get charged

)

GO=1; // Start ADC conversion

while(GO_DONE==1); // Wait for the conversion to complete

// GO_DONE bit will be cleared once conversion is complete
37
 return((ADRESH<<8) + ADRESL); // return right justified 10-bit result

int main()

char dot[2]=".V";

int adcValue=0;

TRISB=0x00;

TRISC=0x00;

TRISD = 0x00;

PORTB=0x00;

ADC_Init(); //Initialize the ADC module

while(1)

{ lcd_init();

for(int i=0;i<13;i++){

lcd_data(volt[i]);

adcValue = ADC_Read(0); // Read the ADC value of channel zero

float voltage=((adcValue*3248.0)/1023.0);

int val_int=voltage;

int x=val_int/100;

char temp= 0x30 + (x);

38
 lcd_data(temp);

int val_int1=(voltage-x*100)/10;

char temp2= 0x30+(val_int1);

lcd_data(temp2);

int val_int2=((voltage-x*100)-(val_int1*10));

char temp2= 0x30+(val_int1);

lcd_data(temp2);

lcd_data(dot[0]);

int val2=((voltage-x*100)-(val_int1*10))-val_int2;

int val_int3=((val2);

char temp3= 0x30+(val_int3);

lcd_data(temp3);

lcd_data(dot[1]);

msdelay(5);

if(voltage>443.825&& voltage<454.65)//clockwise

PORTB=0xA0;

msdelay(40);

PORTB=0x00;

lcd_cmd(0xC0);

for(int i=0;i<13;i++)

39
 lcd_data(tap[i]);

lcd_cmd(0xCE);

lcd_data(num[0]);

msdelay(10);

PORTB=0x01;

if(voltage>433&& voltage<443.825)//clockwiise

PORTB=0xA0;

msdelay(20);

PORTB=0x00;

lcd_cmd(0xC0);

for(int i=0;i<13;i++){

lcd_data(tap[i]);}

lcd_data(num[1]);

msdelay(10);

PORTB=0x02;

if(voltage>422.175 && voltage<433)

PORTB=0x00;

40
 lcd_cmd(0xC0);

for(int i=0;i<13;i++)

lcd_data(tap[i]);

lcd_data(num[2]);

msdelay(10);

PORTB=0x04;

if(voltage>411.35&& voltage<422.175)//anticlockwise

PORTB=0xC0;

msdelay(20);

PORTB=0x00;

lcd_cmd(0xC0);

for(int i=0;i<13;i++)

lcd_data(tap[i]);

lcd_data(num[3]);

msdelay(10);

PORTB=0x08;

if(voltage>0&& voltage<411.35)// anticlockwise

41
PORTB=0xC0;

msdelay(40);

PORTB=0x00;

lcd_cmd(0xC0);

for(int i=0;i<13;i++)

lcd_data(tap[i]);

lcd_data(num[4]);

msdelay(10);

PORTB=0x10;

42