12TransformerFactoryTestsBrieflyExplained

12 Transformer Factory Tests Briefly Explained (on photo: 400 kV power transformer, rated power 350 MVA produced
by KOLEKTOR ETRA in new production facility which is specialised in production of 400 kV has successfuly passed
factory acceptance tests and will be dispatched to customer in Slovakia)

Factorytests
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connectionsandformulasofsomeofthelistedtestsarealreadydescribedinseparatlypublished
articles,andfortherestyouaredirectedtoANSI/IEEEStandardC57.12.90forthesedetails.
Thislistisnotcomplete,therearefewtestsmissing,notmentionedhere,likeTurnratiotest
orMeasurementofvoltageratioandcheckofphasedisplacement,butyoucanfindthemalso
separatlypublishedatEEP(useSearch).
1. NoLoadLosses

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

NoLoadExcitationCurrent
LoadLossesandImpedanceVoltage
DielectricTests
SwitchingImpulseTest
LightningImpulseTest
PartialDischargeTest
InsulationPowerFactor
InsulationResistance
NoiseMeasurement
TemperatureRise(HeatRun)
ShortCircuitTest

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Thetestsmeasuresthenoloadlossesatspecifiedexcitationvoltageandaspecifiedfrequency.
Sinewavevoltagesareusedunlessadifferentwaveformisinherentintheoperationofthe
transformer.

Therecommendedmethodistheaveragevoltagevoltmetermethod,employingtwo
[Link]
calibratedvoltmeterandtheothervoltmeterisatrueRMSrespondingvoltmeter.

Thetestvoltageisadjustedtothespecifiedvalueasreadbytheaverageresponding
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basis.
READTHISTESTINDETAILS

Connection diagram for measuring noload losses

GobacktoTests

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Thiscurrentismeasuredinthewindingusedtoexcitethetransformerwiththeotherwindings
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excitationcurrentisnotsinusoidalandcontains,aswehaveseen,oddharmonics(predominantly
thirdharmoniccurrent).
TheammeterusedtorecordthenoloadexcitationcurrentisanRMSmeterwhichreadsthe
squarerootofthesumofthesquaresoftheharmoniccurrents.
GobacktoTests

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Thetransformermustbeinaspecificstatebeforetheloadlossesandimpedancevoltageare
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thetopandbottomoiltemperaturesshallbelessthan5C.

Thewindingtemperaturesmustbemeasured(usingaresistancemethod)beforeand
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windingtemperaturebeforeandafterthetestmustnotexceed5C.

Thetwotestmethodsformeasuringloadlossesandimpedancevoltageare:
1. Wattmetervoltmeterammetermethodand
2. Impedancebridgemethod.

Circuit for the impedance and loadloss measurement

Thesetestsgenerallyapplyareducedvoltagetoonesetofwindingswiththeothersetof
[Link],thesetestsarerepeatedforeach
combinationofwindingstakentwoatatime.
READTHISTESTINDETAILS

GobacktoTests

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Thesetestsconsistofappliedvoltagetestsandinducedvoltagetests.
Appliedvoltagetestsapplyahighvoltagetoallbushingsofawinding,onewindingatatime,
withtheotherwindingsgrounded.A60Hzvoltageisincreasedgraduallyover15sandheldfor
40sandreducedtozeroover5s.
Inducedvoltagetestsapplyahighvoltageacrossawindingwiththeotherwindingsopen

[Link]
saturationatthehigherexcitationvoltage,thefrequencyoftheinducedvoltagetestisincreased
(typicallyaround120Hz).Theinducedvoltageisappliedfor7200cyclesor60s,whicheveris
shorter.
READTHISTESTINDETAILS

GobacktoTests

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Theswitchingimpulsetestappliesaswitchingimpulsewavebetweeneachhighvoltageline
terminalandground.
Thetestseriesconsistsofonereducedvoltagewave(50%70%ofspecifiedtestlevel)followed
[Link],orboth,maybeused.A
[Link]
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saturation.
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Switching onoff impulse test connection diagram

GobacktoTests

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Thetestsequenceconsistsofonereducedfullwave,twochoppedwaves,andtwofull
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eachwave.

Thegeneraltechniqueforinterpretingtheresultsistolookfordifferencesintheshapesofthe
reducedfullwaveandthetwofullwaves,whichindicateturntoturninsulationfailure.
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Transformer impulse testing and fault detection connections

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highestlikelihoodfailuresamongallofthefactoryteststhataretypicallyperformed.
GobacktoTests

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Thistestdetectsradiofrequency(0.851.15MHz)noisegeneratedfrompartialdischargeswithin
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occur,[Link]
stops,whichistheextinctionvoltage.
Theextinctionvoltagemustbelessthantheoperatingvoltageofthetransformerotherwise,once
partialdischargestartsinthefield(duetosomevoltagetransient),itwouldcontinueindefinitely
andpossiblycausedamageorfailure.
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Partial discharge measuring connection circuit

GobacktoTests

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Insulationpowerfactoristheratioofthepowerdissipatedintheinsulationinwattstothe
apparentpower(voltamperes)underasinusoidalvoltage.Theapplied60Hzvoltageofthistest
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specificallytocarryoutthistest.
Portableversionsareusedtomeasuretheinsulationpowerfactoroftransformersinthefield.
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toareferencetemperatureof20C.
GobacktoTests

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ThistestappliesahighvoltageDCvoltagetoonewindingatatimewiththeotherwindings
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Ohmslaw.

AInsulationresistancetestsetisdesignedspecificallytocarryoutthistest,andits
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Meggeraswellasothermanufacturershasaportableinstrumentthatcaneasily
carriedaroundinthefield.

READTHISTESTINDETAILS

GobacktoTests

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Thenoisemeasurementtestiscarriedoutwhilethetransformerisenergizedatratedvoltage
[Link],
[Link],ifsucha
chamberisnotavailable,noacousticallyreflectingsurfacemaybewithin3mofthemeasuring
microphoneotherthanthefloororground.
Therecordingmicrophonesarepositionedin1mintervalsaroundtheperimeterofthe
transformer,withnofewerthanfour(4)microphonepositionsforsmalltransformers..

Noise measurement zone and layout of measuring points of Power

[Link]
areconvertedintodecibels(dB).
READMOREABOUTNOISE

GobacktoTests

[Link](HeatRun)
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areconnectedtoaloadingtransformerthatsimultaneouslycirculatesratedcurrentsthroughallof
thewindingsinordertodeveloploadlosses.
Naturally,theexcitationvoltageandtheappliedcirculatingcurrentsareelectrically90apartto
[Link],alargepowertransformercan
consumeupto1MWoftotallossesandtheheatruntestisanexpensivetesttoperform.

Therefore,inordertoreducethetotalexpense,heatruntestsarenormallyperformed
ononlyonetransformeronapurchaseorderformultipletransformers,unlessthe
customerchoosestopayfortestingadditionalunits.

GobacktoTests

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Theshortcircuittestisgenerallyreservedforasampletransformertoverifythedesignofa
coreandcoilassemblyunlessthecustomerspecifiesthatashortcircuittestbeperformedon
transformersthatarepurchased.

Thecustomershouldbecognizantoftheeverpresentriskofdamagingthe
transformerduringshortcircuittests.

Alowvoltageimpulse(LVI)currentwaveformisappliedtothetransformerbeforeandafterthe
[Link]
comparedforsignificantchangesinwaveshapethatcouldindicatemechanicaldamagetothe

windings.
GobacktoTests
Reference//[Link],Jr.