ECNG 1007

Electrical Engineering Technology

Transformer Tests

Mr. Andrew Balgobin

Content
• Open Circuit Test
• Short Circuit Test
• Load Test

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Transformer Tests

• Open Circuit Test – determines core

parameters (Ro, Xm)
• Short Circuit Test – determines winding
parameters (Req, Xeq)
• Load Test – determines performance
parameters (VR, η)
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Open Circuit Test

Not energized

No load on the output (secondary)

I2 = 0A,
I1 = I2 (N2 /N1) = 0A
Therefore, IIN = INL
To determine Ro and Xm

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Open Circuit Test

A low power factor

wattmeter must be used.
Procedure: Why?
- Slowly vary the voltage in steps on the primary side.
- Record voltage, current and power for every voltage step
increase until 125% of rated primary voltage is reached.
- Plot open circuit characteristics i.e. graph of primary voltage vs.
primary current.
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Open Circuit Test

• Recall,  is the phase angle between the input

voltage and current
• Io is drawn by the resistive element Ro
• Im is drawn by the reactive element Xm
• From Kirchoff’s current law

INL     I0 - jIm
INL     INL  cos   j sin  

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Open Circuit Test
POC
cos  
V1INL
V
V V
VV
R 
o 
V 11 
1

1
Roo  Io  INL cos 
11
R
I
Ioo I cos 
INLNL cos 
V V
Xm  1 
V1 V1
X m  Im  INL sin1 
Im INL sin  Obtains values already
referred to primary side
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Short Circuit Test
WATTMETER
current coil Req jXeq
IIN I1 N1:N2 I2
A
INL

voltage coil
Im
AC
VARIAC
V V1
Io Primary Secondary A
Ro jXm
Not energized

WATTMETER Short circuit output (secondary)

current coil Req jXeq
IIN I1 N1:N2 I2
A
I1 >> INL
voltage coil

V A
INL  0A
AC
VARIAC V1 Primary Secondary

IIN  I1
Note: in reality, the test is performed on the HV side. Why?
To determine Req and Xeq
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Short Circuit Test

Procedure:
- Slowly apply a reduced voltage in steps on the primary side.
- Record voltage, current and power for every current step
increase until 120% of rated secondary current is reached.
- Plot short circuit characteristics i.e. graph of primary voltage vs.
primary current.
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Short Circuit Test

Psc
Req  2
I 1
V1
Zeq 
I1 Obtains values already
referred to primary side

X eq  Zeq  Req
2 2

Usually assumed leakage

reactance is evenly split
between windings
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Load Test

Procedure:
- Apply different loads on the output (secondary windings)
- Record voltage, current and power readings (on primary and
secondary) for a range of values of I2 from INL to IFL.
- Determine performance parameters (VR, η)
- Plot performance characteristics i.e. graphs of
 voltage regulation vs. load (secondary) current
 efficiency vs load (secondary) current
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Example

Calculate the values of Ro, Xm, Req and Xeq in

the diagram for the equivalent circuit of a
single phase, 4 kVA, 200/400 V, 60 Hz
transformer of which the following are test
results.
Open circuit: 200V, 0.7A, 70W on LV side.
Short circuit: 15V, 10A, 80W on HV side.
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Example – Solution
Given data - Open circuit: 200V, 0.7A, 70 W on LV side.
Poc  VI cos 
Rated primary
70
voltage cos    0.5
 200  0.7 
sin   0.866

V1 V1 V1 V1
Ro   Xm  
Io INL cos  Im INL sin 

200 200
Ro   571.4  Xm   329.9 
 0.7  (0.5)  0.7  0.866 
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Example – Solution
Given Data - Short circuit: 15V, 10A, 80W on HV side.

Rated secondary
current = 4kVA/400V
Referring to primary side
2
Psc  Isc Req
2  V1 
  Req  
Req
80  V2 
Req   0.8 
10 
2
2
 200 
  0.8 
Req 
 400 
  0.2 
Req
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Example – Solution
Vsc
Zeq 
Isc
15
Zeq   1.5 
10
Referring to primary side
2
 V1 
  X eq  
X eq
 Z   R 
2 2
X eq  eq eq  V2 
2
 200 
1.5    0.8  
X eq  1.27 
2 2
X eq  
 400 
X eq  1.27    0.317 
X eq
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