TRANSFORMERS DESIGN PRINCIPLES

Objectives:
How to design power and distribution transformers in compliance with
international standards and the customer specifications, including a description
of all stages of the design process and the descriptions of the necessary
calculation tools.
The course is aimed at professionals working in the design area of transformer
factories as well as those who work in utilities and are responsible for the
specification, design review, acquisition, operation and maintenance of
transformers and reactors.
Contents:
The transformer design is studied from three fundamental points of view:
Dielectric dimensioning
Thermal dimensioning
Mechanical dimensioning
Among the numerical design tools to be described in the course are included
the Finite Element Method (FEM) and the minimizing of functions of several
variables with nonlinear constrains.
Detailed Program:

1. Introduction to the Design of Transformers

Customer Specifications
International Standards Framework (IEC, ANSI, CENELEC, etc.)
Disciplines Involved and Calculation Software Tools
2. Magnetic Circuit
Magnetic Materials
Construction Types
No-load losses Calculation
No-load current Calculation
Noise Level Calculation
Inrush Current Calculation
Overexcitation Phenomena
3. Windings
Materials (Conductors and Insulators)
Construction Types
Stabilisation and Pressing Process
Load Losses Calculation
Short Circuit Impedance

4. Short-circuit Reactance Calculation

Analytical Methods (Kapp, Roth, Rabins)
Numerical Methods (Finite Element Method)
Air-Core Reactance Calculation
5. Additional Losses Calculation (Eddy and Stray Losses)
Additional losses in windings due to axial and radial leakage magnetic
field (Eddy current losses)
Additional losses in windings due to circulation currents
Additional losses in tank and structural parts (Stray losses)
Effect of harmonics in additional losses
Temperature Correction of Load Losses and Short Circuit Impedance
6. Dielectric Design
Dielectric Tests
Insulating Materials
Resonances in Transformer Windings
Impulse Windings Response
Very Fast Transient Overvoltages (VFTO) Response
Electric Field Calculations
Safety Margins of Insulation System
7. Thermal Design
Core Temperature Calculation
Windings Temperature Calculation
External Cooling System (Radiators or Heat Exchangers)
Modeling using Thermal-Hydraulic Circuits (THNM)
Modeling using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
8. Short-circuit Design
Short-circuit Current Calculation
Thermal Effect of Short-circuit Currents
Short-circuit Forces Calculation
o Simple Formula Approach
o Roth Method
o Rabins Method
o Image Method
o Finite Element Method
Short-circuit Stress Calculation (IEC 60076-5:2006 Annex A)
Stabilization, drying and clamping of windings
9. Optimal Calculation - Minimizing of a function of several variables with
nonlinear constrains
Exterior Penalty Methods
Continuous Optimization
Discrete Optimization - Genetic Algorithms
10. Particularities of Reactor Design
Series and Shunt Reactors
2

Core Types and Vibrations

Additional Losses in the Winding
Variable Reactors with OLTC
Shunt Reactor Modeling in Switching Transients
Grounding Transformers

11. Mechanical Design of Tank

Constructional Types
Design of Tank Stiffeners
Conservator Design
Pressure in Sealed Tanks
Tank Integrity at Explosions
Seismic Behavior
12. Fundamentals of Finite Element Method applied to solve electromagnetic
problems
Variational Methods - Electrostatic Equation
Weighted Residuals Method - Magnetostatic Equation
Duration:

24 hours in 3 days (8 hours per day)

References:

The course was taught twice, in 1995 and 1997 at the Faculty of
Engineering of the University of Montevideo of the Republic of Uruguay as
"Professional Development Course"

The course was taught twice, in 2010 and 2012 at the Faculty of
Engineering of the University of Montevideo of the Republic of Uruguay as a
valid course for the Master of Engineering Degree Distribution and
Transmission

The course was taught in Costa Rica, in October 2014, for professionals of
ICE (Electrical Utility of Costa Rica)

The course will be taught in Norway, in March 2015, for professionals of

SINTEF (Largest independent research organization in Scandinavia),
Trondheim University and Statnett (Electrical Utility of Norway)

The course will be taught in Uruguay, in 2015, for professionals of UTE

(Electrical Utility of Uruguay)