Although the static transformer is not an energy conversion device, it is a indispensable component in many energy conversion systems.

As one of the principal reasons for the widespread use of ac power systems, it makes possible electric generation at the most economical generator voltage, power transfer at the most economical transmission voltage, and power utilization at the most suitable voltage for the particular utilization device. The transformer is also widely used in low-power low-current electronic and control circuits for performing such functions as matching the impedances of a source and its load for maximum power transfer, insulating one circuit from another, or isolating direct current while maintaining ac continuity between two circuits. Moreover, the transformer is one of the simpler devices comprising two or more electric circuits coupled by a common magnetic circuit, and its analysis involves many of the principles essential to the study of electric machinery.

A transformer is a device which uses the phenomenon of mutual induction to change the values of alternating voltages and currents. In fact, one of the main advantages of a.c. transmission and distribution is the ease with which an alternating voltage can be increased or decreased by transformers. Losses in transformers are generally low and thus efficiency is high. Being static they have a long life and are very stable. Transformers range in size from the miniature units used in electronic applications to the large power transformers used in power stations. The principle of operation is the same for each.

A transformer is a device that changes ac electric power at one voltage level to ac electric power at another volt age level through the action of a magnetic field. It consists of two or more coils of wire wrapped around a common ferromagnetic core. These coils are (usually) not directly connected. The only connection between the coils is the common magnetic flux present within the core.

One of the transformer windings is connected to a source of ac electric power, and the second (and perhaps third) transformer winding supplies electric power to loads. The transformer winding connected to the power source is called the primary winding or input winding, and the winding connected to the loads is called the secondary winding or output winding. If there is a third winding on the transformer, it is called the tertiary winding.

Electrical transformers provide the backbone of modern electrical power systems. Transformer operation is based on Faradays law. One winding, the primary winding, is connected to a source of alternating voltage. Anther coil, the secondary, is wound in such a way that the magnetic flux lines from the primary cut through the secondary. You know from Faradays law, that this action causes a voltage to be established in the secondary winding. In fact, the magnitude of the voltage is determined by the magnitude of the primary voltage and the number of turns in the primary and the secondary. This simple relationship was first put into use in electrical systems in the latter part of the 19th century. Prior to the advent of the transformer, direct voltage systems were competing for the electrical distribution market. DC systems are limited because the voltage level cannot be readily changed. Voltages that can be generated and used are too low to transmit any distance. Remember that the lower voltage requires higher current to transmit the same amount of power. The transformer allows AC voltage to be readily converted from one voltage level to another. This way, the power can be generated at a relatively low voltage. A transformer is used to step the voltage up to a transmission level close to the use point of the power, the voltage is stepped back down, and then routed to the transformer on the utility pole behind the house or close to the industrial plant. The final step down transformer changes the voltage to a utilization level.

A transformer is a device that changes ac electric power at one voltage level to ac electric power at another voltage level through the action of a magnetic field. It consists of two or more coils of wire wrapped around a common ferromagnetic core. These coils are not directly connected. The only connection between the coils is the common magnetic flux present within the core. One of the transformer windings is connected to a source of ac electric power, and the second transformer winding supplies electric power to loads. The transformer winding connected to the power source is called the primary winding or input winding, and the winding connected to the loads is called the secondary

winding or output winding. If there is a third winding on the transformer, it is called the tertiary winding. The invention of the transformer and the concurrent development of ac power sources eliminated forever these restrictions on the range and power level of power systems. A transformer ideally changes one ac voltage level to another voltage level without affecting the actual power supplied. If a transformer step up the voltage level of a circuit, it must decrease the current to keep the power into the device equal to the power out of it. Therefore, ac electric power can be generated at one central location, its voltage stepped up for transmission over long distances at very low losses, and its voltage stepped down again for final use. Since the transmission losses in the lines of a power system are proportional to the square of the current in the lines, raising the transmission voltage and reducing the resulting transmission currents by a factor of 10 with transformers reduces power transmission losses by a factor of 100. Without the transformer, it would simply not be possible to use electric power in many of the ways it used today. In a modern power system, electric power is generated at voltage of 12 to 25kV. Transformers step up the voltage to between 110kV to 1000kV for transmission over long distance s at very low losses. Transformers then step down the voltage to the 12- to 34.5-kV range for local distribution and finally permit the power to be used safely in homes, offices, and factories at voltages as low as 120V.

Transformers are needed in electronic apparatus to provide the different values of plate, filament, and bias voltage required for proper tube operation, and to maintain or modify wave shape and frequency response at different potentials. Occasionally someone asks why electronic transformers cannot be designed according to curves or charts showing the relation between volts, turns, wire size, and power rating. Such curves have appeared in magazines and have been used for small control transformers. The idea is that by means of such charts any engineer can design his own transformer. However, this idea has not been found practicable for the following reason. (a) Regulation. This property is rarely negligible in electronic circuits. It often requires care and thought to use the most advantageous winding arrangement in order to obtain the proper IX and IR voltage drops. Sometimes the size is dictated by such considerations. (b) Frequency Range. The low frequency end of a transformer operating range in a given circuit is determined by the transformer open-circuit inductance. The high frequency end is governed by the leakage inductance and distributed capacitance. Juggling the various factors, such as core size,

number of turns, interleaving, and insulation, in order to obtain the optimum design constitutes a technical problem of the first magnitude. (c) Voltage. It would be exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to reduce to chart form the use of high voltages in the restricted space of a transformer. Circuit considerations are very important here, and the transformer designer must be thoroughly familiar with the functioning of the transformer to insure reliable operation, low cost, and small dimensions. (d) Size. Much electronic equipment is cramped for space and, since transformers often constitute the largest items in the equipment, it is imperative that they, too, be small size. An open-minded attitude toward this condition and the use of good judgement may make it possible to meet the requirements which otherwise might not be fulfilled. The use of new materials, too, can be instrumental in reducing size in some instances down to a small fraction of former size.

When working with transformers of any type, a few very useful tips help us understand how a transformer will perform under certain conditions. These are summarized below. The core losses in a transformer are determined by the applied voltage and frequency. Winding currents have no bearing on the core loss. Reducing the load on a transformer will not reduce its core loss. The copper losses in a transformer are proportional to the squares of the winding currents and the square of the frequency. The applied voltage has no bearing on the copper loss. The maximum current that can be carried safely by a transformer winding is determined only by the wire gauge of the windings. The dimensions of the core and applied voltage have no bearing on maximum current capacity. Operating a transformer at a reduced voltage will not change its maximum current capacity. The real power (watts) that can be delivered safely by a transformer is the volt-ampere rating of the transformer times the power factor of the load it is powering. For example, a 1 kVA transformer can deliver only 700 watts to a 0.7 power factor load. Transformers are designed to be most efficient when operated at full rated load (that is rated voltage and rated current). Operating a transformer at reduced load current of reduced voltage reduces its efficiency.

 Transformer may be operated at lower frequencies if their voltage and apparent power ratings are derated by the same ratio as the frequency reduction.