IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MAGNETICS, VOL. 33, NO.

2, MARCH 1997 2045

CORRECTION OF THE MEASURED CORE LOSSES

UNDER DISTORTED FLUX
T. Tran-Quoc L. Pierrat
Member, IEEE Senior Member, IEEE

Electricit6 de France (EDF), Division Technique W h a l e i(DTG)

37 Rue Diderot, 38040 Grenoble Cedex, France

-
Abstract This paper presents a new method that permits to
determine the core losses under the nonsinusoidal excitation.
The method requires the measured data of the transformer no-
load test. This method is applied for predicting the core losses
under the sinusoidal conditions with an adequate accuracy
from the test results obtained with the real nonsinusoidal
voltage waveform.
I. INTRODUCTION
Highly distorted voltage waveforms may appear across the
terminals of large-rating power transformers when these are
tested to determine iron losses due to the distorted
magnetizing current. Many papers study the errors in the
determination of iron loss when there is a supply voltage
distortion [1-51,
Nakata et al. [11 propose a method for analyzing the general
winding legs, the yokes, the outer legs) and the influence of
the air gaps of the conre are required. It is difficult to obtain
these data. These methods are based on an excitation
comprizing a fundamental and only one harmonic
component. In reality, all harmonic (3, 5 , 7 and 9th)
components of applied voltage can occur in the transformer
no-load test. This is why, this paper presents a new method
that permits to determine the core loss from the measured
data under the real nonsinusoidal excitation without
artificial separation ofthe hysteresis and eddy current losses.
The method requires the data from the measurement of the
transformer no-load test and can take into account all
harmonic components. By the proposed method, the
influence of the phase, the magnitude and the order of
harmonic components on the transformer core losses are
examined. This method can be applied to the correction of
transformer no-load losses.

-<
properties of distorted flux in the core and give the relation
between the waveform factor of the applied voltage and the 11. DETERMINATION
OF CORE LOSSES
distortion factor of the flux.Slomovitz 121 presents a method
that takes into account the relative height and the position of The magnetizing pari of a transformer can be characterized
the small loops. OKelly [3] examines the influence of the by only two passive nonlinear components (Rm and L, in
phase and the magnitude of the harmonic component of Fig. 1) [6, 71.
excitation on iron loss at different depths and for a wide
propose
range of aplate
method
thickness
based and
on the
frequencies.
peak valueLavers
of fluxet density
al. [4] il RI
for estimating the hysteresis loss component in a thin
lamination. Ray [5] uses a model based on a piecewise
h
-
linearisation technique to simulate steady-state B/H R m- Lm
characteristics for predicting the hysteresis losses in low-loss
Fig. 1. Single phase equivalent scheme of transformer
silicon-iron laminations. These papers are a good reference
for studying the influence of the distorted flux on the iron The main saturation flux-current cWVe is(3L) can be
loss.
represented by a pth odd order polynomial:
Most of these methods are based on the B(H) relation to i, =k,h+k2hp p = 1,3,5 ... (la)
study the influence of distorted flux on the iron loss in the The hyste&s WeInt ih(h) is determined by a qth even
material (thin laminations, for example). However in order order p o l y n o ~ ~ :
to know the transformer core loss, the information of the
B(H) curve, the length, the section of each iron branch (the j ,= { (:)*}%
k, +k, - q = 2 , 4 , 6 ... (lb)

The total magnetizing current &(A) can be determined by:

where h is linkage fliyi; k is a set of constants.

0018-9464/97$10.00 0 1997 IEEE

2046

The term is represents the magnetic saturation property of

material; the term ih represents both hysteresis and eddy-
current properties of material. From the measured data of
the transformer no-load test (rms voltage and current),
coefficients kl and k, are easily determined by using the
least square curve fitting method [6,7].

The average total core loss can be found as (T=2n/o):

IT
Pro,,, =-
v. i, .dt
T o
where v is the applied voltage, ih represents the current of
loss part of material. This instantaneous voltage can be
dA
written by: v = - (3)
dt

A. Sinusoidal Excitation

First, we suppose that the flux (excitation) varies

sinusoidally as a function of time:
il= il, S i n c o t (4)
v = aAmwsclnt =v, wswt (5)

From (1)-(5), the core loss can be obtained as a function of

applied voltage:
Plo,, = Clk,Vi i-C2k4V;+ (6)
where C1 and C2 are constants that can be analytically
determined by using (lb), (2) and (3). From the measured
and m s voltages (Vm),coefficients k3 and k4
losses (Plosses)
are determined by using the least square curve fitting
method.

E x a ~ p l e for
: q = 2; we have:
1 3
= - k3V2 + - k4V2
Piosses (7)
2 8
In comparison with (6), C1 and C2 are determined by:
C1 = 1/2; C2 = 3/8.

B. Nonsinusoidal Excitation

The steady-state nonsinusoidal voltage can be represented

by a fundamental and the odd harmonic components:

vk,,,CXls(ka+(Pk) k = 1, 3 , 5 ... (8)

k
where V, and (pk represent the magnitude and the phase of
harmonic component k. From (8) and (2), the core loss can
be represented as a function of the magnitude, the phase and
the order of the harmonic components:
4osses = f ( 4 ,k3, k , 3Ilm ,V3m 3 . . . V h ?(PI > (P3 9 . . .Ipk) (9)

From the measured losses (plosses),

the measured magnitude ignored ((P5 = (P7 = 01, the Power 10% by taking into account
and phase of harmonic components (Vim, V3, ,..., ql, q3,...), these harmonic components (Plosses:IOSS with distorted
voltage), is determined by (if q = 2):
 2047

The experiences show that the harmonics are not greater

than 25% of the miagnitude of the fundamental in the
transformer no-load test. Figs. 4, 5 show the influence of the
angle of the harmonic component on core loss decreases
when the order of the harmonic component increases, So it
is possible (if necessary) to simplify the equation (9) as:
Equation (1 1) can be rewritten by: L e s = f(9 ,' 3 > k4 3 V , m , v 3 m >... I 1p3) (16)
4osse6 = 4 + 4 (12)
where
4 = Z1 k 3 ( ~ % + V ~ m + ~3 ~ m ) + 8 k 4 ( V ~ + V ~ m + V ~ m
(13) )z
P, represents an equivalent power loss with a sinusoidal
applied voltage having the rms value determined by:
2 2 2 2
Vm = V1m + V5m +V7m (14) 1.05\

This loss (PI) corresponds to the corrected loss under

sinusoidal condition. From coefficients k3, k, obtained by
(ll), the corrected iron loss under sinusoidal condition is
determined by using (13). 0 . 3 1 II - J
And
6 6 6 12
P - -k V 2V 2 + 8 k4FiV?,, + ik4V2mV7m+ -k V 2V V F . 5. Relative loss (PlOs&',) in fimction of the magnitude (0-0.5 pu) and
'-8 ,Imsm 8 " 5m the angle (fiRad.) of 1 lth harmonic component.
(15)
The algorithm of calculation can be represented by:
P, represents a power loss caused by minor loops. This
additional loss depends on the angle and the magnitude of - From power losses imd the angle and the magnitude of the
harmonic components of applied voltage. harmonic components, the coefficients k3 and k4 ((9) or
(1 1)) can be determined by using the least square curve
fitting method;
- Using k3 and k, obtained by precedent step, from the rms
voltage determined by V i = V& +V,2,+... , the +Vim
corrected loss corresponding to this sinusoidal applied
voltage can be determined by using (6) or (13).

OF THEPROPOSED METHOD
111. EVALUATION

In order to evaluaite the method, first a single-phase

150/150 V, 5 kVA, 50 Hz transformer is used.

I U.3
I
Fig. 4. Relative loss (P,o,sep/P,)in function of the magnitude (0-0.5 pu) and
the angle (mRad.) of a fundamental and a third-harmonic component of
applied voltage.

By using (9) and (12), the influence of the angle and

magnitude of the harmonic components (3rd and 11th
harmonic, respectively) on the core loss, is shown in Figs. 4
and 5. 1 I
Fig. 6. Measured vollage waveform at 1.1 5 pu of applied voltage.
2048

Fig. 6 shows the distorted applied voltage waveform in the

transformer no-load test. Table 1 shows the core loss
obtained by using the proposed method, the IEC criterion 26

-
[8] and the measurement for three level of applied voltage. 22

20 -
18 -
Table 1. Comparison of loss obtained by using the proposed method (PI), the
I 6 -
8
&(
i 4 -

-
l * 10 -
6 -

6 -

Then a three-phase 9715.5 kV, 35 MVA Wye-Delta

transformer is used.

Fig. 7 shows the hysteresis loop obtained by using (IC) at

1.15 pu of applied voltage. The measwed voltage and the
current of the transformer for phase a at 1.15 pu of applied
voltage are shown in Fig. 8.

30
IV. CONCLUSIONS
20

10
A new method for the determination of core loss under the
- nonsinusoidal voltage waveforms was presented. This
I

x
IL
0
method was applied to the correction of the transformer no-
-1 U
load measurement. The computed results have been verified
by experimental results and have been compared with the
-20
IEC criterion. The corrected loss increases with the level of
30
the applied voltage in the transformer no-load test.
current (A]
REFERENCES
Fig. 7. Hysteresis loop (V=l.lSpu)
[I] T. Nakata, Y Ish&=% M Nakano, Iron Losses of Silicon Steel Core

pp 10-20

136, Pt.C, NO. 1, Jan~ary1989, pp 42-47.

Loss Steel with Nonsmusoidal Excitation, LTEproc., Vol 135, Pt A,

Fig. 8. Voltage and current waveform for phase a (V=l 15 pu)
By using the proposed method, the corrected losses (three
phase) are calculated. These values are compared with the
corrected losses calculated by the IEC criterion. The results
for phase a is shown in Fig. 9 and the results for three phases
is shown in Table 2.
NO. 4,AVd 1988, pp. 199-207.
[4] J.D. Lavers, PP. Bmnger, H Hollitscher, A Snnple method of
Estunating the Minor Loop Hysteresis Loss in Thin Lammation, LEEE
Tram onMagnetics, Vol MAG-14, No 5, Sept. 1978, pp. 386-388.
[5] S. Ray, Prediction of Hysteresis Losses Produced by distorted Flux in
Low-Loss Silicon-Iron Transformer Core Lammations, LEEproc , Vol
140, Pt C, No 3, May 1993, pp. 229-236.
[6] T. Tran-Quoc, L Pienat, An Efficient Non Lmear Transformer Model
and Its Application to Ferroresonance Study, LEEE Trans on
Magnetics, Vol. MAG-31, No. 3, May 1995, pp 2060-2063
[7] L Pierrat, T Tran-Quoc, A New Method for Modellmg Magnetlzakon
Charactenstics of Transformers by Including Hysteres~s, ICEM94,
Pans, France, Sept 1994.
[8] IEC 76, Powertransfomers, part 1 general, Second edition 1993-03