Electrical Engineering in Japan, Vol. 185, No.

1, 2013
Translated from Denki Gakkai Ronbunshi, Vol. 132-B, No. 2, February 2012, pp. 197206

Development of a Simplified Calculation Tool for Voltage Drop Caused by

Transformer Inrush in Distribution System
YOSHIKI NAKACHI,1 TAKAYUKI FUKAE,2 TOSHINORI SUGAHARA,2
HAYATO NAKAMURA,2 MITSUAKI KOYAMA,2 and FUKASHI UEDA1
1

Chubu Electric Power Co., R&D Division, Japan

2
Chubu Electric Power Co., Japan

devices sensitive to voltage drops, and to other problems.

Therefore, appropriate measures must be taken when the
maximum voltage drop rate due to inrush currents exceeds
a specified value.
The voltage drop rate due to inrush currents depends
not only on the transformers capacity, winding connections, or saturation characteristics, but also on the system
impedance and other system properties. Therefore, specific
examination is required according to the system environment. Conventionally, the voltage drop has been calculated
from the system impedance and the first-wave peak value
ratio specified by the maker, assuming sine-wave current.
However, transformers saturate nonlinearly, and inrush currents are not sine waves, which results in errors. Thus, one
needs a method of accurately estimating the maximum
voltage drop rate due to inrush currents.
The instantaneous waveform-based analysis program
EMTP is known as a method of calculating the voltage drop
rate with allowance for nonlinearity of transformer saturation and other factors. EMTP analysis assures accurate
calculation of the voltage drop rate, which, however, requires special skills, availability of hysteresis data, and
other preconditions. EMTP is sometimes used to calculate
a transformers inrush currents in extrahigh-voltage systems when the saturation characteristics are known. However, in most power distribution systems, numerous
transformers of various types are installed, and the individual saturation characteristics are unknown. Furthermore,
numerous calculations must be performed fast in the case
of intra-area wheeling service, which means that the use of
EMTP is impractical.
There are methods of calculating inrush currents and
their voltage drop rates without resort to EMTP [1, 2]. The
method proposed in Ref. 1 allows calculation of the maximum inrush current using a simple formulation based on
the relationship between magnetic flux and current, but

SUMMARY
It is well known that a voltage drop due to inrush
current at an energizing transformer may at times interrupt
electrical equipment. Generally, the voltage drop is calculated by using a sophisticated tool such as EMTP, so that
the transformer saturation phenomenon has been properly
represented. However, it is not practical for distribution
system engineers to calculate the voltage drop with transformer inrush by using EMTP, because there are many
network access requests needing such calculations with
many kinds of transformers. Therefore, in this paper, a
simplified and easy-to-use calculation tool for voltage
drops caused by transformer inrush in a distribution system
is developed. In order to understand the voltage drop by
inrush current during the planning stage, it is formulated by
considering the transformer saturation/unsaturation periods
in each winding type. The newly developed tool is based on
versatile spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Excel R.
It can be used with accuracy similar to that of EMTP.
2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 185(1):
3647, 2013; Published online in Wiley Online Library
(wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.22394

Key words: transformer saturation; inrush current;

voltage drop; distribution system.

1. Introduction
When a voltage is applied to transformers, saturation
occurs depending on the residual magnetic flux and voltage
phase, which results in magnetizing inrush currents that
exceed the rated current by factors of up to several tens.
These inrush currents cause voltage drops near the receiving end, which may lead to temporary stoppage of electric

2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

36

calculation of the voltage drop rate is not considered. According to Ref. 2, the voltage drop rate can be derived
accurately from waveforms; however, the calculation algorithm is not described sufficiently that it can be used directly.
The purpose of this study was to examine the customers of interarea wheeling services in power distribution
systems; in particular, we developed a tool for accurate and
simple calculation of the maximum voltage drop rate
caused by inrush currents occurring during transformer
energizing at the facilities of high-voltage customers [3].
This tool is implemented on commercial spreadsheet software, without using EMTP or another special-purpose program. In particular, the operation of high-voltage
transformers is divided between saturation and unsaturation
intervals based on the equivalent circuits for every winding
connection. In addition, the formulations and parameters
are set under realistic conditions so that the calculations can
be performed without knowing the transformers saturation
characteristics, using information that can be obtained with
comparative ease such as the system impedance and transformer capacity.
In this paper, we give an outline of an equivalent-circuit-based formulation in the case of transformer saturation
and the simplified calculation of the air-core inductance,
and also describe the newly developed analysis tool. We
also report the results obtained by verifying the calculation
accuracy of the proposed tool using EMTP analysis and
measured values.

Fig. 1. Instantaneous waveforms of transformer

saturation. [Color figure can be viewed in the online
issue, which is available at wileyonlinelibrary.com.]

mum at a voltage phase of about 180 in the case of positive

saturation, and at about 0 in the case of negative saturation.
The transformers magnetizing inductance is very
high in normal operation but becomes very low during
saturation [1]. The equivalent circuit of the transformers
energization with regard to such a nonlinear characteristic
is shown in Fig. 2. It can be seen that the transformers
primary leakage inductance L1, secondary leakage inductance L2, and magnetizing inductance L0 in saturation (below referred to as the air-core inductance) are represented
by a T-shaped equivalent circuit, and the switch SW2 is
provided to simulate the nonlinear characteristic of the
magnetizing inductance.
When the transformer is energized by switch SW1
from the power source via system inductance Lsys, switch
SW2 is off during unsaturation, and on during saturation.
That is, only in the saturation interval when SW2 is on is
the circuit shorted by L0 and does current flow. This current

2. Equivalent Circuit and Formulations for

Transformer Energization

2.1 Transformers saturation phenomena and

equivalent circuits
Here we explain saturation phenomena, while referring to the phase relations between the waveforms of the
voltage, magnetic flux, and inrush current shown in Fig. 1.
As can be seen from the diagram, the magnetic flux
lags the voltage by 90. Usually the magnetic flux does not
saturate at the rated voltage. However, when a residual
magnetic flux r exists in the iron core of the transformer
during shutdown, this residual magnetic flux is superimposed during startup depending on the circuit breakers
timing (input voltage phase t). The magnetic flux then
becomes + r, and magnetic saturation of the iron core
occurs when the saturation flux s is exceeded. The interval
where + r > s is the saturation interval in which an
inrush current flows. The magnetic saturation occurring
during transformer energization is unipolar; the magnetic
flux, and therefore the inrush current I, reaches its maxi-

Fig. 2. Equivalent circuit for transformers energizing.

[Color figure can be viewed in the online issue, which is
available at wileyonlinelibrary.com.]

37

is the inrush current; thus, an inrush current equivalent to I

in Fig. 1 can be modeled by switching SW2 on and off
according to the change of magnetic flux. The secondary
side is omitted in Fig. 2 because it is usually open during
energization. The resistance components of the system and
the transformer are also omitted because they are not directly related to saturation phenomena.
2.2 Approach to formulation
The formulations for calculation of the voltage drop
caused by magnetizing inrush currents are based on the
following approach.

Fig. 3. Voltage and current waveforms with or without

saturation. [Color figure can be viewed in the online
issue, which is available at wileyonlinelibrary.com.]

(a) The voltage waveforms are divided into saturation

and unsaturation intervals; the formulations are performed
for each interval, and the effective values are calculated.
(b) In order to calculate the maximum voltage drop
rate, the maximum inrush current is calculated only for the
first wave after transformer energization.
(c) Two-phase saturation is considered (when the
maximum inrush current flows in a three-phase transformer).
(d) The three most popular transformer types are
considered, namely, a single-phase transformer and threephase transformers with Y- and - connection (the Y-Y
winding connection is not considered because it is used in
small-capacity machines in which voltage drops have no
significant influence).
(e) In the case of a Y- connected transformer, the
voltage drop component caused by the unsaturated phase
current circulating in the winding on the secondary side
is also taken into account.
(f) As regards the saturation intervals, the saturation
start phase is found from the magnetic flux relations; for
convenience, the saturation end phase is set on the basis of
the maximum inrush current that occurs after the beginning
of saturation, regardless of magnetic flux.
(g) Algebraic equations are formulated for use with
commercial spreadsheet software.

formulate the state transitions for each interval using the

equivalent circuits for the winding connection types mentioned above in item (d).
2.3 Formulations for single-phase transformer
The equivalent circuit of a single-phase transformers
energization is shown in Fig. 4. The single-line diagram of
a single-phase transformer at the top is used to obtain the
equivalent circuit shown in the bottom diagram. The secondary side is open when the transformer is energized, and
hence is omitted here. As in Fig. 2, switch SW1 on the
primary side is the circuit breaker, and switch SW2 is used
to simulate saturation and unsaturation.
The saturationunsaturation state transitions of a single-phase transformer are divided into three intervals. As-

As regards the most important issue (a), the typical

voltage and current waveforms during two-phase saturation
are used as shown in Fig. 3.
The diagram shows the source-side phase voltages
Ea, Ec and the transformers primary voltages Va, Vc for an
energized Y- connected transformer as well as the inrush
currents of every phase Ia, Ib, Ic. Here phases a and b
saturate at 60 and 150, respectively. It should be noted
that the transformers saturation conditions change with
time as shown by intervals 1 to 5. Specifically, the following state transitions take place: 1 unsaturation 2 saturation of phase a only 3 saturation of phases a and c
4 saturation of phase c only 5 unsaturation. Below we

Fig. 4. Equivalent circuit of energizing single-phase

transformer. [Color figure can be viewed in the online
issue, which is available at wileyonlinelibrary.com.]

38

suming that the amplitude of the source voltage Eab is the

rated value of 1.0 pu, the primary voltage Vab in every
interval is formulated as follows. Current flows between
lines during saturation, and therefore the system impedance
must be doubled (for two phases) in the calculations.

saturates, this ring current is equal to 1/3 of the magnetizing current in each phase of the windings. The current
flows in the unsaturated phases as well. As mentioned in (e)
above, the voltage drop due to the system impedance corresponding to this current must also be considered. The ring
current flows in the saturated phase too; therefore, the line
current flowing in the saturated phases is 2/3 of the magnetizing current.
The equivalent circuit of the energized Y- connected
transformer is shown in Fig. 5. In the diagram, SW1 is the
circuit breaker and SW2 and SW3 simulate the saturation of
phase a and phase c, respectively. The ring current in the
secondary windings caused by saturation is modeled by
the power source. Usually there is no neutral line in power
distribution systems; however, in this equivalent circuit, the
phase voltages are used for convenience. The line-to-line
voltage Vca is obtained from the a-phase terminal voltage
Va and the c-phase terminal voltage Vc, and then the voltage
drop rate is calculated.
The state transitions that occur during two-phase
saturation of a Y- connected transformer are divided into
the following five intervals, and the line-to-line voltage is
formulated for each interval. Assuming that the amplitude
of the source voltage is the rated value of 1.0 pu, Ea and
Ec are obtained as shown in Eq. (8).
Source voltage

Formulations for every interval

1 Unsaturation (interval 1) Vab1 = Eab = sin t

(1)

2 Saturation (interval 2)Vab2 = 1Eab = 1sin t (2)

3 Unsaturation (interval 3) Vab3 = Eab = sin t

(3)

The voltage division ratio 1 in Eq. (2) can be found

as follows (see the Appendix for the derivation):
(4)
Calculation of voltage drop rate The effective voltage
|Vab | of the first wave during transformer saturation is found
as follows. The voltage drop rate is calculated from Eq. (5)
and the rated voltage:
(5)

Integration intervals In the case of positive saturation, assuming that the saturation start phase is 0, the
saturation end phase is 2 0 as explained in item (f)
above. Therefore, the integration intervals in Eq. (5) are as
follows:
1 Unsaturation (interval 1) 0 to T1
T1 = 0 /
2 Saturation (interval 2) T1 to T2
T2 = (2 0) /
3 Unsaturation (interval 3) T2 to 2/
Saturation start phase The saturation start phase 0
is the voltage phase at which the sum of the residual flux
r and the flux generated by the applied voltage becomes
equal to the saturation flux s. The flux is determined as
follows, where t is the input phase:

(8)
Formulations for every interval
1 Unsaturation (interval 1, SW2 = SW3 = off)
(9)

(6)
Therefore, the saturation start phase 0 is
(7)
Here r > 0, s > 0; the phase unit is pu.
2.4 Formulations for Y- connected
transformer
Fig. 5. Equivalent circuit of energizing Y- transformer.
[Color figure can be viewed in the online issue, which is
available at wileyonlinelibrary.com.]

In the case of Y- connected windings, current circulates in the windings during saturation even if the secondary terminals are open [2, 4, 5]. When some phase

39

2 Saturation of phase a only (interval 2, SW2 = on,

SW3 = off)

T3 = (2 0a) /
4 Saturation of phase c only (interval 4) T3 to T4

(10)

T4 = (8 / 3 0c) /
5 Unsaturation (interval 5) T4 to 2/
Here 0a and 0c are the saturation start phase angles
for phases a and c, respectively.
Saturation start phase The saturation start angle of
the first saturated phase a is the same as 0 in Eq. (7) for a
single-phase transformer. As regards the second saturated
phase c, the voltage drop of phase c caused by the saturation
current of phase a must be considered. The magnetic flux
c of phase c is

3 Saturation of both phases a and c (interval 3, SW2

= SW3 = on)
(11)
4 Saturation of phase c only (interval 4, SW2 = off,
SW3 = on)
(12)
5 Unsaturation (interval 5, SW2 = SW3 = off)

(17)
(13)

The relation sc = c + rc, where sc and rc are, respectively, the residual flux and the saturation flux of phase c,
holds true at the start of saturation, and therefore 0c is
found by using the addition theorem as follows:

The voltage division ratios 2, 2 in Eq. (10) are

found as follows (see the Appendix for derivation):
(14)

(18)
(15)

where

Here 2 and 2 are the voltage division ratios for the

saturated and unsaturated phases, respectively, and 2, 2
in Eqs. (11) and (12) are the same.
Calculation of voltage drop rate The effective voltage
|Vca| of the first saturation wave in every interval is found,
and the voltage drop rate is calculated as follows.
For Y- connected windings, the rated phase voltage
is assumed to be 1.0 pu, and therefore the values found from
3 when converting to the
the phase voltage are divided by
line-to-line voltage:

The magnetic fluxes of phases a and c have the opposite

polarity, and therefore when the a-phase flux is positive, the
c-phase flux must be negative.
2.5 Formulations for - connected
transformer
The equivalent circuit of an energized - connected
transformer is shown in Fig. 6. As shown in the diagram,
assuming two-phase saturation, SW1, SW2, and SW3 simulate, respectively, the energization of transformer, the saturation of the ab-phase, and the saturation of the ca-phase.
Since the bc-phase is unsaturated, the magnetizing inductance is omitted here.
As in a Y- connected transformer, five saturation and
unsaturation intervals are considered here. Assuming that
the inrush current in the ab-phase is greater than in the
ca-phase, we evaluate Vab as the maximum voltage drop.
The following is obtained assuming that the source line-toline voltages Eab and Eca have the rated amplitude of 1.0 pu.

(16)
Integration intervals
1 Unsaturation (interval 1) 0 to T1
T1 = 0a /
2 Saturation of phase a only (interval 2) T1 to T2
T2 = 0c /
3 Saturation of both phases a and c (interval 3) T2 to

ab-phase line-to-line voltage: Eab = sin t

T3

40

Voltage drop rate The effective voltage |Vab | is found

for every interval, and the voltage drop rate is calculated
with respect to the rated voltage:

(27)
Integration intervals The integration intervals are the
same as for a Y- connected transformer.
Saturation start phase The saturation start phase
angles 0ab and 0ca can be found from Eqs. (7) and (18).
However, 2 in Eq. (18) must be replaced with 3.
Fig. 6. Equivalent circuit of energizing - transformer.
[Color figure can be viewed in the online issue, which is
available at wileyonlinelibrary.com.]

3. Simplified Calculation of Transformers Air-Core

Inductance

ca-phase line-to-line voltage: Eca = sin(t 2 / 3) (19)

3.1 Simplified calculation method using peak

value ratio

Formulations for every interval

1 Unsaturation (interval 1, SW2 = SW3 = off)

In order to calculate voltage drop rate using the above

formulations, we must know the transformers leakage
inductance and air-core inductance. The former is often
specified by the maker, but the latter is often difficult to
ascertain.
The makers of high-voltage large-capacity transformers provide the first wave peak value ratio of the inrush
current for coordination of overcurrent relays. This peak
value ratio shows the peak value of the inrush current as a
multiple of the rated current, and thus is important to the
transformers saturation characteristics.
In this section we propose a simplified method of
estimating the air-core inductance using the peak value
ratio. As regards the peak value ratio, there are a number of
unclear conditions, such as the residual magnetic flux and
the input voltage phase. Thus, we introduce the following
conditions and assumptions.

(20)
2 Saturation of phase ab only (interval 2, SW2 = on,
SW3 = off)
(21)
3 Saturation of both phases ab and ca (interval 3,
SW2 = SW3 = on)
(22)
4 Saturation of phase ca only (interval 4, SW2 = off,
SW3 = on)
(23)
5 Unsaturation (interval 5, SW2 = SW3 = off)

(h) Inrush current applied to the transformers primary flows through a series circuit composed of the air-core
inductance and the primary leakage inductance. Therefore,
the inductance value obtained from the magnetic flux found
from the transformers terminal voltage and the peak value
ratio is the series sum of the air-core and leakage components. The air-core inductance is found by subtracting the
known leakage inductance from this sum.
(i) Assuming that in the case of two-phase saturation,
the magnetizing currents in every phase are combined into
the line current flowing into the system, the peak value ratio
is found only for the single-phase magnetizing current

(24)
The voltage division ratios 3 and 3 in Eqs. (21) to
(23) are found as follows (see the Appendix for derivation):
(25)

(26)

41

Table 1. Comparison of estimated and measured

air-core inductance

component using the line current proportion between twophase saturation and single-phase saturation.
In the case of two-phase saturation with a - connection, the inrush currents of first and second phases are
combined, and the line current becomes larger than the
inrush current. The empirical line current ratio between the
two-phase saturation and the single-phase saturation is 1.2
to 1.4; here 1.2 is used to set the inrush current larger.
In the case of two-phase saturation with a Y- connection, the current in the unsaturated phase is just 1/3 of
that in the saturated phase, and therefore the combined line
current is not much different from the line current for
single-phase saturation, and thus the line current ratio is set
to 1.
(j) Considering the ring current in the secondary
windings in the case of a Y- connection, the line current
flowing in the saturated phase is 2/3 of that flowing in the
air-core inductance, and therefore the peak value ratio
(magnification) is set to 1.5 for the magnetizing current.
(k) Assuming that the peak value ratio is determined
under the severest conditions, and taking the inrush current
phase in the first phase as 0, the residual magnetic flux is
set to +90% for the first phase and to 90% for the second
phase, with respect to the rated flux. The saturation flux is
set to 120%.
(l) When estimating the air-core inductance, the system inductance is assumed to be 0 and the voltage drop at
the transformers terminals caused by its own inrush current
is ignored.
(m) The leakage inductance cannot be separated between the primary and secondary in the case of a two-winding transformer. Thus, in this study, the leakage inductance
of every winding is assumed equal to the primary leakage
inductance, for the following reason. The primary leakage
inductance tends to be higher during transformer saturation
than in the unsaturated state [5, 6]. In order to set a higher
leakage inductance, the leakage inductance is derived
smaller according to (h) above, implying a more severe
case.
Considering items (h) to (m) above, the following
simplified equation is used for the air-core inductance:

3.2 Comparison with measurement

Table 1 compares the air-core inductance of 200- and
1000-kVA transformers calculated as explained above with
the respective measured values. The latter were calculated
from the highest measured inrush current in 20 power on/off
tests with reference to Ref. 5. As can be seen from Table 1,
the proposed method, while simple, gives a fairly accurate
estimate.
4. The Newly Developed Tool
4.1 Outline
The input items of the newly developed tool are listed
in Table 2. Calculation of the voltage drop rate caused by
magnetizing inrush currents requires many input parameters. Unclear parameters were set according to the severest
conditions, as explained above.
Four input items are mandatory: the distribution line
impedance, the system impedance, the winding connection
type, and the transformers capacity. The air-core inductance can be estimated as explained in the previous section

Table 2. Input items of newly developed tool

(28)
2 In / 1.2 for - connection,
Here Im = Ip / 1.2 = n
2 In 1.5 for Y- connection, Im is the
Im = Ip 1.5 = n
magnetizing current in saturation (A), L0 is the air-core
inductance (H), Ip is the maximum peak current [Ap], n is
2 Vn / 2f) (Wb), n is the peak value
the rated flux (n =
ratio, r is the residual flux (0.9n) (Wb), s is the saturation
flux (1.2n) (Wb), In is the transformers rated current
(Arms), f is the frequency, Vn is the rated voltage (, 6.6 kV;
Y, 3.8 kV), and L1 is the leakage inductance (H).

42

Fig. 7. Display image of newly developed tool. [Color figure can be viewed in the online issue, which is available at
wileyonlinelibrary.com.]

first-wave waveforms of the voltage and inrush current for

different connection types are given for reference.

if the peak value ratio is known; otherwise, if the item

remains unspecified, the approximate value is generated
automatically from the transformers capacity. Similarly,
the leakage inductance can be generated automatically from
the transformers capacity, and hence there is no need to
input the impedance values. This considerably reduces the
time required to take account of the effects of inrush currents in the case of interarea wheeling service.
An approximate equation for the air-core inductance
is derived by the estimation method explained in the previous section, and approximate equations for the leakage
inductance and winding resistance are derived from catalog
values and other data. The approximate equations are logarithmic functions of the transformers capacity. The approximations are refined by measured values as far as
available. There are few measured data at present but one
can expect improvement of the approximation equations
with future accumulation of data.

5. Accuracy Verification of the Tool

5.1 Comparison with EMTP
In order to verify the accuracy of the voltage drop rate
values obtained by the tool, we compared it to EMTP
analysis results. Figure 8 shows the results for the voltage
drop rate obtained by the tool and by EMTP analysis for

4.2 Display image

A display image of the tool is shown in Fig. 7. As
shown in the diagram, the tool uses complex-valued functions available in the commercial spreadsheet software
Microsoft Excel R. When the required data are input, the
voltage drop rate is calculated not only at the receiving end
but also on the distribution substation bus. In addition, the

Fig. 8. Comparison of voltage drop by using developed

tool and EMTP. [Color figure can be viewed in the online
issue, which is available at wileyonlinelibrary.com.]

43

five types of transformers(1000 kVA (-), 500 kVA,

300 kVA (Y-), 500 kVA, and 300 kVA (single-phase)at
various system impedances. When applying the tool, the
peak value ratio was assumed unknown, and the air-core
inductance was found by the approximate equation; the
leakage inductance, air-core inductance, residual flux, and
saturation flux in the EMTP analysis were the same as when
using the tool. As indicated by the diagram, the voltage drop
rate estimated with the tool is 1 to 2% higher than that
obtained by EMTP analysis. However, this disagreement is
comparable to the measurement error.
We use Fig. 9 to illustrate why the results produced
by the tool are larger than those obtained by EMTP analysis.
In the EMTP analysis, the terminal voltage decreases
due to transformer saturation, as shown by hatching in the
diagram, and hence the magnetic flux too decreases. As a
result, the inrush current decreases, saturation ends faster,
and the saturation period becomes shorter. This corresponds
to what happens in real power systems. However, in the
simplified tool, the saturation end phase is set with regard
to the saturation start phase, regardless of the magnetic flux,
as explained in item (f) above, and hence the inrush current
does not include the decrease in the own terminal voltage
and flux. Thus, the results produced by the proposed tool
tend to become less accurate with higher system impedance, larger transformer capacity, and stronger inrush currents, as can be confirmed in Fig. 8.

Fig. 10. Comparison of voltage drop measured, and

calculated by using developed tool and EMTP. [Color
figure can be viewed in the online issue, which is
available at wileyonlinelibrary.com.]

caused by magnetizing inrush currents for different transformers rated at 300 to 2000 kVA. The EMTP results
obtained at the same conditions are also shown in the
diagram for reference. When using both the proposed tool
and EMTP analysis, known values of the peak value ratio
were input. In the diagram, the kilometer values represent
the length of the distribution line from the substation.
As can be seen from the diagram, the results produced
by the tool generally agree with the measured values, but
are 1 to 2% higher in some cases. Considering that the
measured values, although obtained in repeated power
on/off tests, do not necessarily represent the maximum
values of the inrush currents, and that some errors are
involved in the measurement system, the proposed tool
appears quite adequate.
On the other hand, the tool gives higher estimates
than EMTP analysis. The reason for this difference was
explained above; however, the difference is within 2% for
the longest distribution line (6 km, 300 kVA) and for the
largest transformer capacity (2000 kVA), which indicates
sufficient accuracy. The EMTP analysis is closer to the
measured values than the proposed tool, but some differences occur. This can be explained by the fact that the
measured values do not necessarily represent the highest
inrush currents and that the measurement system is not free
of errors, as mentioned above.
Thus, we have demonstrated that the proposed tool
can calculate the voltage drop rate at the same accuracy
level as EMTP analysis.

5.2 Comparison with measurements

For further accuracy verification, we compared the
voltage drop rate estimated by the tool with measured
values. Figure 10 shows the maximum voltage drop rate

6. Conclusions
Fig. 9. Difference of saturation periods between
developed tool and actual conditions. [Color figure can
be viewed in the online issue, which is available at
wileyonlinelibrary.com.]

We developed an analysis tool for simple estimation

of the voltage drop rate caused by magnetizing inrush
currents for investigation of interarea wheeling services in

44

power distribution systems. The proposed tool allows simple calculation of the voltage drop rate for the most popular
transformer types (single-phase, Y-, -). One need only
input the system impedance, the connection type, and the
transformer capacity into commercial spreadsheet software.
From the standpoint of easy use, the tool is simplified
by the severest parameter settings, approximation of the
air-core inductance, and other measures. As a result, the tool
produces values somewhat higher than EMTP analysis and
measurement. However, the difference is within 2%, which
is quite practicable considering that measurement involves
some errors.
Finally, it should be noted that the proposed tool is
being used by Chubu Electric Power Co. as a support tool
for preliminary investigation of interarea wheeling services
for high-voltage customers.

APPENDIX
Derivation of Voltage Division Ratios
(1) Derivation of 1 From the equivalent circuit in
Fig. 4, the current I flowing in the saturation state is
(A.1)
Further, Vab2 is

(A.2)
Therefore, 1 can be expressed as
(A.3)
(2) Derivation of 2 and 2 From Fig. 5, the magnetizing current Ima in the case of a-phase saturation is

REFERENCES
1. Wang Y, Abdulsalam SG, Xu W. Analytical formula
to estimate the maximum inrush current. IEEE Trans
Power Delivery 2008;23:12661268.
2. Ueda H, Masuyama N, Shibayama T, Okazaki D,
Nagatomo S, Inoue S, Hayashida C. Calculating
technique of voltage dip at the time of energizing
transformer. The Papers of Technical Meeting on
Power Protective Relay, IEE Japan, PPR-07-36, p
3741, 2007. (in Japanese)
3. Sugahara T, Nakamura H, Koyama M, Fukae T, Ueda
F, Nakachi Y. Development of calculation tool of
voltage drop caused by transformer inrush in distribution system. The Papers of Joint Technical Meeting
on Power Engineering and Power System Engineering, IEE Japan, PE-10-147, PSE-10-146, p 107111,
2010. (in Japanese)
4. Yamaguchi H, Saisho M, Nagatomo S, Inoue S, Ishii
T. Review about the calculation technique of magnetizing inrush current. The Papers of Technical Meeting
on Power Protective Relay, IEE Japan, PPR-08-12, p
6570, 2008. (in Japanese)
5. Nakachi Y, Hatano R, Matsubara T, Uemura Y, Furukawa N, Hirayama K. Calculation scheme of transformer saturated inductances based on field test data.
IEEJ Trans PE 2007;127:121129. (in Japanese)
6. Inagaki K. Inductance characteristics of a transformer and its equivalent circuits under steady state
and magnetizing inrush conditions. Trans IEE Jpn
2002;122-B:739747. (in Japanese)

(A.4)
The drop of the a-phase terminal voltage Va caused by
saturation is
(A.5)
Taking into account the ring current in the secondary
windings, the a-phase current Ia is

Here the a-phase terminal voltage is Vag = Ea Va, and

therefore 2 is found as
(A.6)
But Ic = (1 / 2)Ia, and therefore the drop of the cphase voltage Vc caused by a-phase saturation is
(A.7)
Thus, the voltage division ratio 2 is
(A.8)
(3) Derivation of 3 and 3 When the ab-phase is
saturated, the a-phase current Ia (= magnetizing current
Ima) is as follows (see the equivalent circuit in Fig. 6):
(A.9)

45

When the ab-phase is saturated, the ab-phase voltage

Vab2 at the receiving end (transformer primary) is

(A.12)

(A.10)

g
in the ab-phase during ca-phase
The voltage drop Vab
saturation is

Thus, substituting Eq. (9) into Eq. (10), 3 is obtained as

(A.11)

(A.13)
The voltage drop in the case of simultaneous saturation of the ab- and ca-phases is the sum of the respective
voltage drops. The voltage drop Vab3 in the ab-phase caused
by saturation of this phase is equal to Vab2, and the a-phase
current Iag in the case of ca-phase saturation is opposite in
phase to the phase current Ic; therefore,

Therefore, the following is obtained for 3 by substituting

Eq. (12) into Eq. (13):
(A.14)

AUTHORS (from left to right)

Yoshiki Nakachi (member) completed the M.E. program in electrical engineering at Musashi Institute of Technology
(Graduate School of Engineering) in 1992 and joined Chubu Electric Power Co., initially in the R&D Division, and now in the
Power System Operation Technology Group. His research interests are analysis, stabilization, and voltage control of power
systems. He completed the doctoral program at Nagoya Institute of Technology in 2007. He holds a D.Eng. degree, and is a
member of IEIEJ. He received a 2005 IEEJ Paper Award.
Takayuki Fukae (nonmember) received a bachelors degree in electrical engineering from Nagasaki Prefectural Sasebo
Technical High School in 1990 and joined Chubu Electric Power Co. He is now affiliated with the Power Distribution Planning
Group. His research interests are power quality control and assurance of distribution networks and interconnection of distributed
generators.
Toshinori Sugahara (nonmember) completed the M.E. program in electrical engineering at Doshisha University (Graduate
School of Engineering) in 1999 and joined Chubu Electric Power Co. He was involved in power quality control and assurance
at the Nagasaki Branch, and is now affiliated with the Corporate Clients Group. His research interests are efficient energy
utilization technologies for corporate consumers.
Hayato Nakamura (nonmember) received a bachelors degree in electrical engineering from Matsusaka Technical High
School, Mie Prefecture, in 1994 and joined Chubu Electric Power Co. He was first affiliated with the Power Distribution Division
at the Mie Branch, but now works in the Ise unit of the Mie Branch. His research interests are operation and maintenance of
power distribution networks.

46

AUTHORS (continued) (from left to right)

Mitsuaki Koyama (nonmember) graduated from Nagano Prefectural Okaya Technical High School (electrical engineering) in 1993 and joined Chubu Electric Power Co. He was first affiliated with the Power Distribution Division at the Nagano
Branch, and now is affiliated with the Suwa Unit of the Nagano Branch. His research interests are operation and maintenance
of power distribution networks.
Fukashi Ueda (member) completed the first stage of the doctoral program in electrical engineering at Chubu University
(Graduate School of Engineering) in 1985 and joined Chubu Electric Power Co. He completed the second stage of the doctoral
program at Chubu University in 1996. He is now affiliated with the Energy Applications Group in the R&D Division. His
research interest is power quality in distribution networks. He holds a D.Eng. degree.

47