Electric Systems

Fundamentals of
Distribution Systems
Oleh Albert Sagala

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 Electric power distribution is the portion of the power delivery
infrastructure that takes the electricity from the highly meshed,
high-voltage transmission circuits and delivers it to customers.

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Transformers
• ac transformers are one of the keys to allowing widespread
distribution of electric power as we see it today.
• Transformers efficiently convert electricity to higher voltage for long
distance transmission and back down to low voltages suitable for
customer usage.

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 Basic Transformers
• A transformer efficiently converts electric power from one voltage
level to another.
• A transformer is two sets of coils coupled together through a
magnetic field.
• In an ideal transformer, the voltages on the input and the output are
related by the turns ratio of the transformer:

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Basic Transformers (2)
• In a real transformer, not all of the flux couples between windings.
This leakage flux creates a voltage drop between windings, so the
voltage is more accurately described by

• The current also transforms by the turns ratio, opposite of the voltage
as

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Power is lost in the core through:
• Hysteresis — As the magnetic dipoles change direction, the core heats
up from the friction of the molecules.
• Eddy currents — Eddy currents in the core material cause resistive
losses. The core flux induces the eddy currents tending to oppose the
change in flux density.
• (Eddy currents (also called Foucault currents) are loops of electrical current
induced within conductors by a changing magnetic field in the conductor due
to Faraday's law of induction, wikipedia)

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Leakage Reactance
• The leakage reactance in percent is based on the coil parameters and
separations (Blume et al., 1951) as follows:

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Leakage impedances
• In general, leakage impedance increases with:
• Higher primary voltage (thicker insulation between windings)
• kVA rating
• Larger core (larger diameter leads to more area enclosed)
• Leakage impedances are under control of the designer, and
companies will make transformers for utilities with customized
impedances. Large distribution substation transformers often need
high leakage impedance to control fault currents, some as high as
30% on the base rating.

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Oil in Transformers
• Mineral oil fills most distribution and substation transformers. The oil
provides two critical functions: conducting heat and insulation.
• Because the oil is a good heat conductor, an oil-filled transformer has
more load-carrying capability than a dry-type transformer.
• Oil can operate continuously at high temperatures, with a normal
operating temperature of 105 Celcius. It is flammable; the flash point
is 150 Celcius, and the fire point is 180 Celcius.

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Distribution Transformers
• From a few kVA to a few MVA, distribution transformers convert
primary voltage to low voltage that customers can use.

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Distribution transformer impedances
• Distribution transformer impedances are rather low. Units under 50
kVA have impedances less than 2%. Three-phase underground
transformers in the range of 750 to 2500 kVA normally have a 5.75%
impedance as specified in (ANSI/IEEE C57.12.24-1988).
• Lower impedance transformers provide better voltage regulation and
less voltage flicker for motor starting or other fluctuating loads. But
lower impedance transformers increase fault currents on the
secondary.

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 Single-Phase Transformers
• Single-phase transformers supply single-
phase service; we can use two or three
single-phase units in a variety of
configurations to supply three-phase
service.
• A transformer’s nameplate gives the kVA
ratings, the voltage ratings, percent
impedance, polarity, weight, connection
diagram, and cooling class.

Load full current in Ampere:

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So, a single-phase 50-kVA transformer with a high-
voltage winding of
12470GrdY/7200 V has a full-load current of 6.94
A on the primary. On a 240/
120-V secondary, the full-load current across the
240-V winding is 208.3 A.

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Three-Phase Transformers
• Three-phase overhead transformer services are normally constructed
from three single-phase units.

A three-phase, 150-kVA transformer with a high-

voltage winding of
12470GrdY/7200 V has a full-load current of 6.94 A
on the primary (the same
current as one 50-kVA single-phase transformer).

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Auto Transformer
• Auto transformer is kind of electrical transformer where primary and
secondary shares same common single winding. So basically it’s a one
winding transformer.
• Autotransformers are frequently used in power applications to
interconnect systems operating at different voltage classes, for
example 132 kV to 66 kV for transmission.
• Another application in industry is to adapt machinery built (for
example) for 480 V supplies to operate on a 600 V supply.

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Example
• A transformer has 500 turns of the primary winding and 10 turns of
the secondary winding.
• a) Determine the secondary voltage if the secondary circuit is open
and the primary voltage is 120 V.
• b) Determine the current in the primary and secondary winding, given
that the secondary winding is connected to a resistance load 15 Ω?

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Interested Links
• https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/worksheets/step-up-step-down-
and-isolation-transformers/
• http://physicstasks.eu/1548/transformer
• https://www.egr.msu.edu/~fzpeng/ECE320/ECE320-HW3-
Solution.pdf
• https://physics.gurumuda.net/step-up-and-step-down-transformer-
problems-and-solutions.htm

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