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3WindingTransformers

Theinformationpresentedinthisapplicationguideisforreview,approval,interpretationandapplicationbyaregisteredprofessionalengineeronly.SKMdisclaimsany

responsibilityandliabilityresultingfromtheuseandinterpretationofthisinformation.
ReproductionofthismaterialispermittedprovidedproperacknowledgementisgiventoSKMSystemsAnalysisInc.
Introduction
Atthebeginningofaprojectengineershavemanyoptionstochoosefromwhendevelopingthedesignfortheelectricaldistributionsystem.Forinstanceconsiderthecaseofa
newpowerplantconsistingof2generators.Threetransformationapproachesaretypicallyconsideredtointerconnectthegeneratorstothepowersystem.Thesimplestapproach
istoservebothgeneratorsfromasingle2windingtransformer,fig.1a.Thisdesignistypicallycharacterizedwiththelowesttransformationcostbuthighestavailablefaultduties
onthegeneratorbus.Thesecondapproachistosupplyasingletransformerforeachgenerator,fig.1b.Thisdesignsolvesthefaultcurrentproblemhoweverthetransformation
costsincreasedramatically.Manytimestobalancecostandfaultcurrentissues,engineersselect3windingtransformers,fig.1c.

Theterm3windingtransformercanbemisleadingsincea3windingtransformermayhavethreeormorewindingsinternaltothetankofthetransformer.Actuallytheterm3
windingmeansatransformerwith3setsofbushingslabeledHfortheprimary,Xforthesecondary,andYforthetertiary,seefig.2.

ImpedancesarethenspecifiedfromtheHX,HYandXYterminalsinpercentonachosenwinding(typicallytheXwinding)kVAbase.Thedesignengineerisresponsiblefor
determiningtheimpedancesrequiredfortheapplication.TheANSIimpedancetolerancefor3windingtransformersis10%,not7%,for2windingtransformers.

TransformerWindingConfigurations
Severalwindingconfigurationsareusedintheindustry,eachwithinherentimpedancecharacteristicsthatengineersmustbeawareof.TheLooselyCoupledStackedSecondary
(LCSS)designisshowninfig.3.Noticewiththisdesignthereareactuallyfourwindingsaroundthecore.Physically,theHwindingissplitintwotomatchtheheightoftheX
andYwindings.Electrically,theH1andH2windingsareconfiguredinparallelinsidethetank.ThisdesignapproachistakentobalancethefieldsintheHwindingswhenthe
secondaryfieldsareunbalancedduetoanimbalanceinloadorafaultcondition.Thisdesignisintendedtoserveloadequallyandcontinuouslythroughthesecondarywindings.
Itisnotagooddesignselectionifthesecondarywindingswillserveanunbalancedloadforanextendedperiodoftime,e.g.,onesecondarybreakeropen.

Inthiscase,withequalcapacitiesonboththeXandYwindingsandimpedancesexpressedonthesamebase,thefollowingrelationshipshold.

AnotherwindingconfigurationistheTightlyCoupledStackedSecondary(TCSS)design,seefig.4.Inthiscasethesecondaryandtertiarywindingsarealternatelywoundaround
thecore.TheHXandHYimpedancesareaspreviouslydefined.TheXYimpedancehasthefollowingrelationship.

Thisisnotagooddesignselectioninapplicationswherehighsecondaryandtertiarywindingfaultcurrentsareaconcern.Thisdesignismorecommonlyusedintractionpower
andrectifierapplications.

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AthirdoptionistheLowHighLow(LHL)Designshowninfig.5.AgaintheHXandHYimpedancesareaspreviouslydefined.TheimpedancerangeavailablefromtheXY
windingswouldbeslightlylargerthantheLCSSdesign.

Example1

Consideranew480Vdistributionsystemthatincludes3000kVAofmotorloadand600kVAofmiscellaneousnonmotorload.
AssumeallmotorshaveanXdof0.15p.u.Theutilityserviceisrated13.8kVwithashortcircuitcapacityof600MVA.
Investigatethefollowingdesignconfigurations.

Single2windingtransformer
Two2windingtransformers
3windingtransformerutilizingaLCSSdesign
3windingtransformerutilizingaTCSSdesign
3windingtransformerutilizingaLHLdesign

Inthisapplicationatotaltransformerwindingcapacityof4000kVAisappropriate.Basedonaprimaryvoltageratingof13.8kVandastandardBILof110kV,atypicalimpedance
of6%isassumedfortheapplication.Table1summarizesthetransformerratingsselectedforeachconfiguration.

TheresultsaresummarizedinTable2.Theinitialrationaleforconsideringa3windingtransformerisconfirmed.Thesingle2transformercasehasthehighestfaultdutieswith
thelowesttransformationcost.Thetwo2windingtransformercasehasthehighesttransformationcost.Asingle3windingtransformerbalancesbothfaultcurrentandcost
concerns.However,tomaintainlowfaultduties,transformersoftheLCSSorLHLdesignshouldbeutilized.

Theresultsdoindicateapeculiarbehaviorwithrespectto3windingtransformers.Notethedifferencebetweencases3and5.Thesecondarytotertiaryimpedancegoesupfrom
12%incase3to15%incase5,yetthefaultdutiestrackopposite.Tounderstandtheseresultsacloserinspectionofthecircuitmodelisnecessary.
The3windingtransformercircuitmodelconsistsof3impedancesconnectedinstar,seefig.6.Equations8,9and10arenecessarytoconvertZHX,ZHYandZXY
impedancestotheirZH,ZXandZYequivalents.

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Theequivalentcircuitshowninfig.6accuratelyrepresentsthetransformerfromaleakageimpedance,mutualeffectsbetweenwindings,andloadlossstandpoint[1].Exciting
currentsandnoloadlossesareignored.Also,pleasenoteitisnotuncommonforoneoftheimpedancestobenegativeorzero!

Example2

CalculatethewindingimpedancesforCases3and5listedinTable1,andthenillustratethecalculationoftheavailablefaultcurrentonthetertiarybus,seefig.7.Tosimplify
thecalculationsassumeallreactance.

Solution

First,convertsystemimpedancestoa2MVA,480Vbase.

ZstIMPEDANCELIMITS

TheTCSSdesignestablishesthelowerlimitforthesecondarytertiarywindingimpedance,whiletheLHLdesignestablishestheupperlimit.Atheoreticalupperlimitcanbe
calculatedbyassuminganinfinitebusattheprimaryofthetransformerwhileshortingthesecondaryandtertiaryterminals(12).
ZThvenin=ZH+ZXIIZY(12)
AgainthisassumesequalcapacitiesonboththeXandYwindingswithallimpedancesexpressedonthesamebase.ImpedancelimitsaresummarizedinTable3.Theresults
indicateamaximumupperlimitforZXYaround4timesZHX.Atthispoint,theThveninimpedanceattheshortedsecondaryandtertiaryterminalsapproacheszero.
NotewhenZXY>4ZHX,theresultisanoverallnegativeThveninimpedanceseenoutsideofthetankofthetransformer.Thisisnotpossible.

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Example3

Applytheresultslistedinthisguidetothe3windingtransformercaseofexample1,butinthiscaseassumeZHY=ZHX=6.50%withequalcapacitiesonboththeXandY
windings.

forZXY=0.65%(TCSS)correspondstoaSCkAontheLVterminalsof57.5kA
forZXY=13.0%(LCSS)correspondstoaSCkAontheLVterminalsof47.0kA
forZXY=16.25%(LHL)correspondstoaSCkAontheLVterminalsof47.3kA
forZXY=26.0%correspondstoaSCkAontheLVterminalsof56.2k

Theseresultsillustratethatthereisnopracticaladvantagetoincreasingthesecondarytotertiaryimpedancebeyond~2timestheprimarytosecondaryimpedance.Sincehigher
impedanceswillonlyresultinhigherfaultdutiesandlosses.

References

ElectricalTransmissionandDistributionReferenceBook,ABBPowerT&DCompany,Raleigh,NorthCarolina,1997.
Harlow,J.H.,ElectricPowerTransformerEngineering,CRCPress,NewYork,2004.

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