Design of Cooling System

Question: Explain Various Cooling methods used for oil immersed transformer
To dissipate the heat to surroundings air and oil is used as coolant. Transformer using air as coolant is called
dry type and oil as coolant is called oil immersed.
The method of cooling depends upon the (i) medium of cooling (ii) Type of circulation employed. They are
abbreviated with standard notation such as
Air – A, Gas – G, Synthetic oil – L, Mineral oil – O, Solid insulation – S, Water – W
Natural – N, Forced – F
Coolant circulating inside the transformer comes in contact with winding and core, depending upon the
method coolant transfers heat partially or fully to the tank walls from where it is dissipated to the
surrounding medium.
(a) Oil natural air natural (ONAN)
Oil natural air natural (ONAN)
Air cooling is not sufficient and effective for medium and large size of transformer. Oil has main advantage of
high heat conductivity and high co-efficient of volume expansion with temperature.
Hence all transformers are immersed in oil and heat generated in windings and core are dissipated to the oil by
conduction. In oil heat is transferred by convection. During convection heated oil transfers heat to the tank
walls from where heat is taken away to the ambient air.
During this process heated oil gets cooled and falls back to the bottom. Therefor natural thermal head is created
which further transfer heat from heated part to the tank wall. Up to 30 kVA rating plain tank wall is sufficient
to dissipate heat. Ratings higher than 30 kVA tank wall is increased by providing corrugations, fins, tubes and
radiators.
(b) Oil natural air forced (ONAF)
Oil natural air forced (ONAF)
Transformers are immersed in oil where oil circulation under natural head transfers heat towards the tank wall.
In this type of cooling techniques, tank is made hollow and air is blown through it to cool transformer parts.
Heat removal from inner tank wall is increased by 5-6 times the conventional means.
However normal way by air blast is to use radiator banks of corrugated tubes separated from tank and cooled
by air blast produced by fan.
(c) Oil natural water forced (ONWF)
In this type of cooling techniques, copper cooling coils are mounted above the transformer core but below the
oil surface.
Main disadvantage of this method is it employs water inside the oil tank and water is at higher head than oil. In
case of water leakage, it gets mixed with oil and reduces dielectric strength of oil.
Water inlet and outlet pipes are insulated in order to prevent moisture from ambient air.
(d) Oil forced air forced (OFAF)
In large transformer natural oil circulation is not enough to cool transformer, hence forced circulation through
oil pump is carried out.
A motor driven oil pump circulates oil from transform tank to external heat exchanger to cool the oil.
In oil forced air forced arrangement oil is cooled by external heat exchanger using air blast produced by fan.
Oil pumps and fans are not used all the time but, they are switched ON by temperature sensors when
temperature exceeds the limit.
Oil forced air forced (OFAF)
(e) Oil forced water forced (OFWF)
Oil forced water forced (OFWF)
In this oil forced water forced method oil is cooled in water heat exchanger. This method is best suited where
cooling water has large head.
The pressure of oil is kept higher than that of water so if any leakage that occurs will be from oil to water only.
Hydroelectric generating stations has large water availability, hence transformer with OFWF cooling method is
used there.
-----------
Question: Explain about the Design of Tank in Transformer

Temperature rise in tank with plain wall
Tank wall dissipates heat by both radiation and conviction. A plain wall tank dissipates heat through radiation
6 W/m2-oC and through convection 6.5 W/m2-oC for temperature rise of 40 oC at an ambient temperature of
20 oC.
Temperature rise in tank with tubes (Design of Tank with Tubes)

If temperature rise in tank with plain wall exceeds specific limit, additional tubes are attached with the wall to
bring down the temperature. Additional tube will increase heat dissipation surface area, convection rate but
will bring down the radiation rate. Hence there is no change by increased surface area so far as dissipation of
heat is concern with radiation. But increase in heat dissipation is more effective in convection due to pressure
difference created by oil in tubes.
Let, dissipation surface area increased x times by tank surface area and convection rate by 35%.

Design of Cooling System

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Design of Cooling System

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Design of Cooling System

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Question: Explain Various Cooling methods used for oil immersed transformer

Oil natural air natural (ONAN)

Oil natural air forced (ONAF)

(e) Oil forced water forced (OFWF)

Oil forced water forced (OFWF)

Question: Explain about the Design of Tank in Transformer

Temperature rise in tank with tubes (Design of Tank with Tubes)

You might also like