Complete Introduction of Energy Efficient Transformers

Definition of Transformer Efficiency

The transformer efficiency is simply the ratio of Transformer output to the Transformer in and it is usually represented in percentage. The Transformer efficiency indicates the ability of an electrical Transformer to convert the provided input to the required output with minimum losses.

Energy Losses in Traditional Transformers

There are three main types of energy losses in any Electrical Transformer.

• First is the iron losses that occur in the Transformer Core. These Transformer core losses occurred due to the hysteresis and Eddy current effect.
• Second is the copper losses that happen in the Transformer winding.The copper losses are due to the resistors of the copper material or the aluminium material used for the winding of electrical transfer. This loss is usually observed in the form of waste heat produced as the Transformer winding.
• The third and last type is stray losses happen in different parts of the transformer. It happens due to leakage flux interacting with nearby components, causing additional power dissipation.

Reading more about Transformer Losses

What is an Energy Efficient Transformer

The term energy efficient transformer refers to the most recent type of electrical Transformers that offer an efficiency of  98 to 99.5%. These are the most recently designed types of Electrical Transformer  with all parts and their material specifically selected to deliver you high efficiency.

How these energy efficient transformers are different from the conventional or standard transformer is that the standard transformer is designed to deliver a combination of cost saving  during the manufacturing stage and efficiency whereas the energy efficient Transformer the high efficiency  and saving cost during the manufacturing stage is not the main controlling factor here. 

One good example of an energy efficient transformer is the amorphous core transformer. It is a special type of Electrical Transformer that uses amorphous metal alloys for the construction of his Transformer core instead of the regular telecon Steel material.  

The amorphous metal is a ferromagnetic material that lacks the crystalline Structure in the microstructure of the metal and this helps a lot in improving the Transformer efficiency. To further improve the Transformer efficiency of the amorphous metal core transformer, the core is manufactured by rapid cooling the molten metal to form a very thin Ribbon like structure. 

Unique combination of the material and manufacturing method makes a lighter and more compact Transformer Core that offers much less energy losses and very high efficiency when compared to standard Steel Transformer Core.

You may enjoy: DOE Efficiency Standards for Transformers

Characteristics of Energy Efficient Transformers

Some basic characteristics of energy efficient Transformers are as follows.

High Quality Transformer Core

The energy efficient Transformer always utilizes high quality material for their transformer core construction. The material selection process is only focused on delivering the efficiency to the process rather than the cost saving. This selected material is manufactured to the highest standard possible and is tested throughout its production cycle to ensure quality. Similarly the construction of the transformer core is done as per the international standards like that of ASME, ANSI, or IEEE to ensure quality Transformer core production.

Optimized Winding Configurations 

As the transformer winding is the part where the most of the transformer losses occur, the  energy efficient Transformers are constructed using the most high quality copper material for their Transformer winding. It is highly important to select and construct the Transformer winding  of specific configuration and design, depending upon the Transformer type, its size and the Transformer power capacity. Other than these the Transformer winding material testing, material quality check, winding calculations and the winding process itself should be as per the international standards of ASME, ASTM, ANIS, and IEEE.

Advanced Cooling Techniques

One of the most important factors that ensure high efficiency in electrical Transformers is their cooling mechanism that ensures that the heat developed in the Transformer winding is dissipated efficiently and it does not affect the transformer working. 

In the energy efficient Transformer there is a dedicated and advanced cooling system that is specifically designed to remove the waste heat in the most efficient manner and keep up the Transformer efficiency.

Why is Energy Efficiency Transformer Important?

From all the electricity losses in the Electricity Distribution system the electrical transformers are responsible for 50 to 60% of those losses so developing an energy efficient transform is the most easy solution to recover that 50 to 60% of losses. 

Other than this, there are three main reasons why the term energy efficient Transformers started and the companies were four to design and build Transformers that fall in the category of energy efficient transform.

Regulatory Standards and Government Incentives
 

One of the most important and the main driving force behind the design and development of energy efficient Transformers is the rules and regulations and standards developed and adopted by the different governments that force their electricity utility companies to only use those Transformers that are highly efficient in their work. 

One such example is the department of energy of the United States that has adopted  regulation that the Transformer that will be installed in the entire United States should have an efficiency of 98 to 99%. Countries also force their transformer manufacturing and electricity utility companies to  adopt certain materials specific designs and other parts of Electrical Transformer that contribute to their liability and high efficiency.

Reduction in Power Losses and Improved System Reliability

Another factor that forces and drives the transformer manufacturing and electricity distributing companies to adopt energy efficient Transformers is that these transformers reduce the power losses and improve the system reliability. By reducing the power losses within the transformer and the electricity distribution system, the utility company can save hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost revenue and by improving the system reliability, the utility company can ensure the minimum downtime of the system and Can attract new clients. 

Environmental Benefits

As an energy efficient Electrical Transformer minimizes the energy losses and also reduces the power consumption within the system and within the transformer. This in return reduces the carbon footprint of the electricity distribution and regulation system and specially of the Electrical Transformer. 

The rules and regulation that allowed utility companies to develop energy efficient Electrical Transformer also forces the electric city distribution companies to develop environmental friendly materials and processes that in return reduces the greenhouse gas emission from the power generating and regulating devices.

Get free: The Impact of Operating Environment on Transformer Design

How to Choose the Right Energy Efficient Transformer
With the ability to offer rate advantages over the conventional Electrical Transformer and government regulation forcing utility companies to adopt energy efficient methods, the question of how to choose the right  energy efficient Transformer for your application is critical.

There are some factors  or points that you should keep in mind while selecting the right energy efficient Transformer for your application. 

Key Selection Criteria

First factor here is to have a specific and key selection criteria for the energy efficient transformer you want to purchase or install. It is highly  dependent on the application for which you want to start your energy efficient transformer and include the factors like the load capacity type of load and how critical is the application for which Transformer has to provide electricity. For example an application where an Electrical Transformer provides electricity for a hospital is much more critical than an application in which the Transformer provides electricity for a residential load.

Evaluating Efficiency Ratings and Regulatory Compliance

Not all energy efficient transformers are built the same and you need to know the energy efficiency rating and the regulatory compliance for the energy transformer for your application. Each region or country of the world has its own regulations and efficiency requirements from the Electrical Transformer and it is also highly dependent on the applications. In some application it is not possible to have 98 or 99% of efficiency just because of the load capacity the Transformer type or size of the transformer whereas in some application Specifically involving power transformer it is possible to achieve even 99.5% efficiency and their regulatory bodies like DOE, NEMA, and IEC that define the efficiency rating of a specific transformer.

Return on Investment (ROI) and Payback Period Considerations

We have explained early  that the cost involved in the process of converting to an energy efficient transformer is one of the main factors that electricity utility companies consider before switching to energy efficient Transformers. 

So during the selection of an energy efficient Transformer for your specification it is important for you to investigate the terms like initial investments and long term energy saving from switching to energy efficient transport. 

The initial investment of an energy efficient transformer is always higher as compared to a standard Electrical Transformer so you need to consider your budget that your specific application allows you to invest in Electrical Transformer. 

After making the initial investment you need to calculate the long savings that your energy efficient Transformer will offer you due to decrease in distribution losses and Transformer losses. You need to consider the total payback period in which the initial investment you made will be returned to you in terms of cost saved by an energy efficient transformer by reducing the losses.

You also need to consider if there is government incentive or payback  in terms of tax reductions for other benefits, if your company invests in energy efficient Transformers.

Future of Energy Efficient Transformers

Although the energy efficient Transformer may seem futuristic to you, they are more of the present trend of the electricity distribution system and the future lies in the emerging trends in further innovation. Some of the future aspects of energy efficient Transformers or as follows.

• Engineers and electrical researchers or working to develop a superconducting transformer they are working on a material called superconductors and they seem to be much more efficient and reliable in Electricity Transmission then currently available copper material. Use of such a superconductor will further increase the performance, reliability and safety of our Electrical Transformer and Electricity Distribution system.
• Similarly engineers and researchers are also working to develop a Nano crystal line material for the Transformer core construction. This Nano crystal line core material will help to further reduce the core losses and improve the Transformer performance by ensuring safe and efficient transfer of magnetic flux.
• As the world adopts renewable energy resources like solar and wind power, there is a new trend and modification of energy efficient transformers where they can be used for stand alone solar and wind power plants. Current distribution system for standard on solar and wind power plants is highly inefficient and is not reliable at all and shows in the future a lot of work is needed to be done to develop a reliable energy efficient transformer for renewable application.
• The most obvious upgrade that we will see in your future in energy efficient transformers is the integration of IOT and digital monitoring of the grid system. The large grid stations and the power Transformershave already been digitized but mostly small and stand alone Transformers or manually monitored and respected. so a new system is required to enable each and every small or big, on grid or off grid.

Conclusion

Energy efficient transformers are  a new train in the transformer industry where electrical transformers are designed and built to deliver high efficiency of 99.5%. This change is mostly guided by the government rules and regulations and international standards but it is also influenced by the cost saving that is achieved due to reduced losses. It is very obvious that the energy efficient transformer or the present and the only option we see in the near future where almost all Electrical Transformer we see in various applications will be energy efficient transformers.

Follow Up

Energy efficient transformers are an essential component of modern power systems offering significant benefits in terms of energy savings, environmental impact and cost reduction. At Daelim Transformer we offer high quality energy efficient transformers that can satisfy all national and international standards of USA, Europe, Canada, Australia and other countries around the globe. 

If you have any questions about Energy Efficient Transformers, Contact US.