Engineering Encyclopedia: Instrument Transformers
Engineering Encyclopedia: Instrument Transformers
Engineering Encyclopedia: Instrument Transformers
Instrument Transformers
Note: The source of the technical material in this volume is the Professional
Engineering Development Program (PEDP) of Engineering Services.
Warning: The material contained in this document was developed for Saudi
Aramco and is intended for the exclusive use of Saudi Aramco’s
employees. Any material contained in this document which is not
already in the public domain may not be copied, reproduced, sold, given,
or disclosed to third parties, or otherwise used in whole, or in part,
without the written permission of the Vice President, Engineering
Services, Saudi Aramco.
CONTENTS PAGES
GLOSSARY ........................................................................................................28
Voltage transformers (VT) were formerly called "Potential" transformers (PT) and are often
referred to by that name. This section will include the following information on voltage
transformers:
_ Types
_ Basic Operation
Types
Voltage Transformer
Figure 1
Voltage transformers have wound primaries that are either connected directly to the power
system (VTs) or across a section of a capacitor string that is connected between the phase and
ground. The latter is referred to as a Capacitive Coupled Voltage Transformer (CCVT).
CCVT
Figure 2
The use of finely tuned series coupling capacitors and a compensating reactor provide a more
accurate output at high voltages for varying load conditions. CCVT becomes applicable and
generally more economical than VTs at voltages that are greater than 115 kV. Usually, the
CCVTs are connected to the line rather than the bus, since the coupling
capacitor device can also be used as a means of coupling radio frequencies to the line for use
in pilot relaying. Some CCVTs can exhibit a subsidence transient when the system voltage is
suddenly reduced so that the secondary voltage momentarily is not the same as the primary
voltage. This difference in voltage is caused by the trapped energy ringing in the secondary
compensating or tuning reactor (L) and the associated circuit. This transient frequency can be
different from the system frequency, or unidirectional. This transient has not been a problem
for electromechanical relays but may cause problems for solid state type relays. Modern
design CCVTs are available to eliminate this problem.
Protective relays, instrument transformers, and meters should be installed integrally with the
switchgear, either on the door that provides access to the circuit breaker compartment or
preferably on a separate compartment that is mounted on the switchgear enclosure.
Large voltage transformers such as in 115 kV applications can be mounted on the top of a 10
foot stancion within a typical outdoor 115 kV switchyard. Low voltage transformers can be
used outdoors through the use of suitable outdoor weather proof enclosures.
Basic Operation
The basic operation of a VT is similar to that of any transformer. The signal that is applied to
the primary winding causes concentration of magnetic flux around the winding. This flux is
passed through the common core. The flux "cuts" the wires of the secondary winding and
thereby causes a voltage to be created in the secondary winding.
Protective relays that utilize voltage transformers are usually connected phase-to-phase, and,
as a result, the transformers are normally rated 120V line-to-line. Taps may be provided to
obtain either 69.3V or 120V line-to-neutral. Double secondaries provide the means of
obtaining zero sequence voltage for ground relays.
Standard voltage transformer ratings are shown in Figure 3. The standard ratings in Table A
of Figure 3 are for voltage transformers that are used with 100% of the rated primary voltage
across the primary winding when connected line-to-line or line-to-ground. The standard
ratings in Table B of Figure 3 are for voltage transformers that are used, primarily for line-to-
line service and can be applied line-to-ground or line-to-neutral at a winding voltage equal to
the primary voltage rating divided by the .
Voltage transformers are capable of continuous and accurate operation when the voltage that
is applied across the primary is within _10% of rated primary voltage. Standard accuracy
classifications of voltage transformers range from 0.3-1.2, which represents percent ratio
corrections to obtain a true ratio. These accuracies are high enough so that any standard
transformer will be adequate for protective relaying purposes as long as the transformer is
applied within thermal and voltage limits. Voltage transformers should not be confused with
control power transformers. Control power transformers are used for applications that require
higher power outputs such as circuit breaker control functions.
Voltage transformers are used for metering and relaying. Schematics 1 (SAES-P-114, page
128 of 132 ) and 2 (SAES-P-114, page 129 of 132) in the Addendum show voltage (potential)
transformers that are used in non-selective ground detection schemes. Both Schematics 1 and
2 show an example of how PT's are used for metering (ground detection voltmeters) and
relaying (zero sequence overvoltage relay) in Saudi Aramco electrical systems.
The wye-wye connection, in Figure 4, is wye on the high voltage side and wye on the low
voltage side. The wye-wye connection is ordinarily used with 2400 volt transformers on a
4160 volt wye system, to supply heavy single-phase loads in conjunction with a three-phase
load.
The wye-wye connection gives a single-phase voltage (usually 120 volts for lighting) between
the neutral load line and any one of the hot load lines. The transformer will also supply 208
volts, three-phase with all three load lines.
_ All H-2 terminals are jumped and connected to the neutral supply line.
_ Each H-1 terminal is connected to a different power line.
The open delta, in Figure 4 is a two transformer connection, used primarily on delta power
systems. The open delta is used when only two transformers are available for supplying a
three-phase load. When the load is entirely three-phase, the open delta is used without the
neutral load line. The neutral is used to supply combined 120-240 volt loads.
VT Connections
Figure 4
Two transformers, wired open delta, may be changed to a three-transformer bank by adding a
third transformer in a closed delta.
In the open delta connection, the two inside high-voltage terminals (BH1 and AH2) are
jumped and connected to one power line, and the outside terminals (AH1 and BH2) are
connected to a different power line.
The two outside low-voltage terminals (BX1 and AX2) are jumped and connected to one load
line, and the two inside terminals (AX1 and BX2) are connected to a different load line. The
above connections apply to transformers with additive polarity.
The equivalent circuit of an open delta connection is shown in Figure 4. This circuit is a
simplified view of the secondary circuit. The vector diagram, as shown in Figure 4, for the
open delta connection shows that the IAC is approximately equal to times IAB or IBC.
A current transformer (CT) transforms line current into values that are suitable for standard
protective relays and isolates the relays from line voltages. This section will include the
following information on current transformers:
_ Types
_ Basic Operation
_ Hazards
Types
_ Wound-Primary Type
_ Bar-Primary Type
_ Window Type
_ Bushing Type
Wound-Primary Type
A wound-primary type current transformer has a primary winding that consists of one or more
turns that are mechanically encircling the core or cores. The primary and secondary windings
are insulated from each other and from the core or cores, and they are assembled as an
integral structure. Wound-primary type CTs can be used in outdoor and indoor applications.
The indoor wound-primary CTs are switchboard-type transformers for low voltage and
current ranges. The outdoor wound-primary type CTs are similar to the indoor type except
for a weatherproof construction requirement.
Bar-Primary Type
A bar-primary type current transformer has a fixed, insulated, straight conductor in the form
of a bar, rod, or tube that is a single primary turn that passes through the magnetic circuit.
This primary is assembled to the secondary, core, and winding. Bar-primary type CTs are
often used between lineups of switchgear, where the switchgear cubicles are connected by a
bus.
A window-type current transformer has a secondary winding that is insulated from and
permanently assembled on the core, but the window-type has no primary winding as an
integral part of the structure. Complete or partial insulation is provided for a primary winding
in the window through which one or more turns of the line conductor can be threaded to
provide the primary winding. Window-type CTs are used to operate watt-hour meters in low
voltage distribution circuits. The window-type CT normally measures the current in a single
conductor in the window. The zero sequence window-type measures the net result of two or
more conductors in the window for ground fault protection applications.
Bushing-Type
A bushing-type current transformer has an annular core and a secondary winding that is
insulated from and permanently assembled on the core. The bushing-type current transformer
has no primary winding or insulation for a primary winding. This type of current transformer
is for use with a fully insulated conductor as the primary winding. Bushing-primary type CTs
are mounted over the lead in bushing of circuit breakers or power transformers.
Basic Operation
A current transformer, which is shown in Figure 6, is constructed with two windings. These
two windings are designated as primary and secondary and are insulated from each other.
The basic operation of the CT is similar to any transformer except that the output of the
secondary is a current signal, which is proportional to the current through the primary
winding. The secondary is wound on an iron core. The primary winding is connected in
series with the circuit that is carrying the line current to be measured, and the secondary
winding is connected to protective devices, instruments, meters, or control devices. The
secondary winding supplies a current in direct proportion and at a fixed relationship to the
primary current during normal operation.
The measure of a current transformer's performance is the ability of the current transformer to
accurately reproduce the primary current in secondary amperes, both in waveshape and
magnitude. Current transformers do a remarkable job of reproducing wave shapes, as long as
the current transformer does not saturate.
Certain current transformer ratios have been designated as standard ratios. The standard rated
secondary current in most instances is 5A but 1A may also be used.
The maximum continuous-current rating should be equal to or greater than the rating of the
circuit in which the current transformer is used. The magnitude of inrush current should also
be considered, particularly with respect to the effect of the inrush current on meters, relays,
and other connected devices.
The thermal short-time rating is the symmetrical RMS primary current that the current
transformer, with the secondary winding short circuit, can carry for one second without
exceeding the limiting temperature in any winding.
The mechanical short-time rating is the maximum current that the current transformer, with
the secondary short-circuited, is capable of withstanding without damage. This rating is the
RMS value of the alternating-current component of a completely displaced (asymmetrical)
primary current wave. Mechanical limits need only to be checked for wound-type current
transformers.
Current transformers are capable of continuously operating at 10% above rated nominal
system voltage. Standard nominal system voltages for most industrial applications are 600V,
2,400V, 4,800V, 8,320V, 13,800V, and 14,400V.
Burden, in current transformer terminology, is the load that is connected to the secondary
terminals. Burden is expressed either as volt-amperes (VA) and power factor at a specified
value of current, or as total ohms impedance with the effective resistance and reactive
components. The term "burden" is used to differentiate the current transformer load from the
primary circuit load. The power factor that is referred to is that of the burden and not of the
primary circuit. Standard burdens have been designated to be used in the evaluation process
for the purpose of comparing various transformers.
Polarity marks designate the relative instantaneous directions of currents. The primary
current enters the marked primary terminal and, at the same instant, the corresponding
secondary current, which had undergone a magnitude change within the transformer, leaves
the similarly marked secondary terminal.
Current transformers are also used in metering and relaying. The major difference between
relay class and metering class CTs is that the relaying burdens are much greater than the
metering burdens. Schematic 3 (SAES-P-114, page 107 of 132) in the Addendum shows the
use of a current transformer for relaying in a directional ground scheme. Schematic 3 also
indicates transformer polarity markings on the primary and secondary windings. Schematic 4
(SAES-P-114 page 95 of 132) shows examples of delta-connected (87T), wye-connected
(50,51) and window type (50G) current transformers.
Hazards
The secondary of a current transformer must be short circuited before disconnection of the
meter. If the current transformer is not short circuited, an extremely high voltage can build up
that could be fatal.
The extremely high secondary voltage results form an open circuit in the secondary due to the
current transformer's maintenance of a power balance across the transformer (Pin = Pout)
where P = voltage (V) x current (I). The increase in voltage is a factor or the turns ratio that is
due to the open circuit. A common current transformer turns ratio is 600:5 (Primary
Current:Secondary Current). The turns ratio in terms of voltage is 5:600 (Primary
Voltage:Secondary Voltage). If the secondary circuit is open, a primary voltage of 120 volts
would result in a secondary voltage of 14,400 volts. Short-circuiting the secondary winding
when a meter or relay is not connected will prevent the extremely high secondary voltage
form occurring when the CT is energized.
Auxiliary voltage transformers are used where relaying and indications are fed from the same
voltage transformers and varying secondary connections are required. The use of auxiliary
voltage transformers especially applies to 69 kV and 115 kV systems having directional
ground overcurrent relays which require a broken delta secondary connection. The auxiliary
voltage transformers are normally mounted in relay panels. Schematic 1 (SAES-P-111, page
128 of 132) in the Addendum shows the application of an auxiliary voltage transformer
(auxiliary VT) for separating an alarm/trip function from a metering function. Auxiliary
transformers are most often used on existing installations where new equipment secondary
requirements are different from existing CT ratio.
The burden is expressed in volt-amperes (VA) at a given power factor (PF), or as total ohms
impedance with the effective resistance components. The burden should be calculated for the
maximum specific current that is involved, since most of the devices that are connected to
current transformers contain magnetic paths that become saturated. The setting of the
instantaneous element is the determining factor for establishing the maximum significant
current on circuits in which instantaneous elements are involved. The maximum current that
is available is the determining factor when instantaneous elements are not involved.
For example, a relay is equipped with an instantaneous element. The instantaneous element is
assumed to be set at the maximum tap setting of 40A. In this case, primary fault current will
amount to 40 (600:5) or 4800A. Thus, the secondary burden should be determined at a
secondary current of 40A.
The total burden can be calculated to be 910.8 VA, through use of the following ratings for
the devices that are shown in Figure 7:
The effects of CT burden and saturation can be seen by the following example: The function
of a current transformer is to produce a secondary current that is proportional in magnitude
and in phase with the primary current, this secondary current is then applied to protective
relays of compatible range and load (burden) characteristics. This proportional relationship is
shown in Figure 8.
Figure 8 shows the characteristic curve (solid line) for a class T type relay with a CT burden
of 4 ohms. The horizontal axis represents the CT's primary current, and the vertical axis
represents the CTs secondary current. As the primary current increases, the secondary current
increases in proportion, and the flux necessary to induce the secondary voltage to supply the
burden will also increase in proportion. If the flux approaches the saturation value in the core,
the secondary current will suffer and will cease to increase proportionally. This saturation
point is indicated at 10 times the normal primary current.
Characteristic Curves
Figure 8
Increasing the CT burden beyond its rated value will affect the CTs characteristic curve, as
shown by the dotted curve in Figure 8. As previously mentioned, the CT saturation can affect
the relay protection coordination. For example; if a protective relay was set to operate at 9
times the normal current only curve A will provide the proper input signals to the relay.
Curve B begins to saturate at approximately 6 times normal primary current and may provide
a signal to the protective relay but only after an excessive primary current has been reached.
It is possible the CT represented by curve B will never supply an adequate signal to the relay.
Abnormally high primary currents, residual flux, high secondary burden, or a combination of
these factors will result in the creation of a high flux density in the current transformer iron
core. Saturation occurs when this density reaches or exceeds the design limits of the core.
The accuracy of the current transformer becomes very poor during saturation, and the output
waveform may be distorted by harmonics. This saturation results in the production of a
secondary current that is lower in magnitude than the secondary current that would be
indicated by the current transformer ratio. Saturation effects alone are not usually dangerous
to properly designed equipment. The greatest danger is the loss of protective device
coordination. For example, if current transformers saturate on a branch circuit, the branch
circuit breakers may not be tripped. As a result, a fault that should have been cleared by the
branch circuit breaker may cause the upstream main circuit breaker to operate and thereby
cause an outage of the entire plant system. Secondary burden should be kept as low as
possible to avoid or minimize saturation effects. Figure 9 shows the standard burdens
(resistance, inductance, impedance, power factor, and volt amperes) for each voltage and
current transformer burden designation.
Standard Burdens
Figure 9
There are three ways that current transformers are usually connected on three-phase circuits:
_ Wye
_ Vee or Open Delta (not used in Saudi Aramco)
_ Delta
A current transformer is placed in each phase with phase relays (51) in two or three
secondaries to detect phase faults in a wye connection. On grounded systems, a relay (51N)
in the current transformer common wire detects any ground or neutral load currents. If
neutral load currents are not to be detected by the 51N relay as ground-fault currents, A fourth
current transformer is placed in the neutral conductor. Secondary currents are in phase with
primary currents.
The vee or open delta-connected current transformer which uses only two current
transformers is basically a wye with one leg that is omitted. This connection detects three-
phase and phase-to-phase faults only. A zero sequence current transformer (window-or
bushing-type) and relay (51GS) is required to detect ground-fault currents. All three-phase
conductors and the neutral (if present) must pass through the current transformer.
The delta-connected current transformer uses three-current transformers with the secondaries
connected in delta before the connections are made to the relays. The delta connection is used
for power transformer differential-relay protection schemes, shown in Figure 10, in which the
power transformer has delta-wye-connected windings. The current transformers on the delta
side are connected in wye, and the current transformers on the wye side are connected in
delta. Note that delta-connected current transformers produce a current to the relays that is
equal to times the current transformer secondary current. This factor should be considered
when selecting the primary ratings of current transformers that are to be delta-connected.
The basic schematic symbols for instrument transformer polarity that can be used in
schematics are shown in Figure 11. The polarity marking indicates the direction of current
flow into the primary winding and out of the secondary winding.
Polarity Marking
Figure 11
Typical VT connections and markings are shown in Figure 12. This primary or high voltage
windings are labeled H1, H2, and H3. The secondary low voltage windings are labeled X1,
X2, and X3. These markings and connections are applicable to delta and wye VT
connections. The wye and delta basic concepts are similar to the current transformers.
A partial schematic of a circuit breaker control circuit with a reverse power device is shown in
Figure 13. The interconnections of the voltage transformer (VT) and the current transformer
(CT) to the reverse power device will determine the direction of power flow that is needed to
cause a protective trip.
Relays that involve the interaction between two input quantities from the power system may
have the polarity marking that is necessary for correct relay operation. Relays that sense the
direction of current or power flow at a specific location, and thus indicate the direction of the
fault, provide a good practical example of relay polarity. Current flow in the opposite
direction even if the correct magnitude will not cause the relay to operate; therefore, correct
instrument transformer polarity must be observed to ensure the proper operation of the relay.
Improper relay and instrument transformer interconnection could result in an unprotected
power system.
GLOSSARY
CT Current Transformer.
VEE Three-phase transformer connection that is similar to a wye but with one
leg that is omitted.
VT Voltage transformer.