Mechanical Forces and Magnetic field

Simulation of Transformer with Finite Element Method

AbstractThe ability to resist short-circuit power and the design
of transformer have been receiving all the attention. Transformer
Industry standard has asked the transformer should be able to
withstand the damage that caused by the short circuit for
years.These requirements is essential to avoid the unbearable loss
that caused by system failures
Calculation of the Large magnetic flux leakage and short
circuit forces is very important in power transformer design.The
main goal in this paper is accomplished by using 2-D
axisymmetric models utilizing the finite element methods. The
flux leakage not only cause the additional loss,but also creat
heating and force to the internal components of transformer,all
this cause very damage to the transformer,so we analysised the
leakage magnetic field and the force of transformer that under
short-circuit stateto determine how to ensure the dynamic
stability of the transformer
Keywords- leakage flux;finite element method;transformer
windings
I. INTRODUCTION
Large power transformer is one of the major and key
equipment of the power system, many factors have direct
impact on the quality and economic efficiency of the power
transformer,such as,magnetic circuit, insulation, structural
design and manufacture of the fuel tank. With the rapid
development of power industry, the capacity of power
transformers is increasing, the voltage level is higher and
higher, therefore, many people attached great importance to
study the structure of power transformer.It will have an
important technical and economic significance if we make a
more reasonable and feasible proposals that can solve the
problems of optimizing the structure of the transforme which
cant be solved by the previous empirical methods.This paper
concentrates on the use of large-scale analysis software
ANSYS,to determine how to ensure the dynamic stability of
the transformer by analysising of the large power transformers
magnetic leakage field and finite element analysis of electric
power.
II. THEORY
1Short circuit forces of transformer
Short-circuit power is generated by the interaction of the
magnetic field Leakage and short circuit current. The
distribution of leakage magnetic field is so complex that we
often divided it into the axial magnetic flux leakage By and
radial magnetic flux leakage Bx, the radial magnetic flux
leakage is much smaller than the axial[1]. Radial magnetic flux
leakage produces axial electric power, according to Lorentz
force formula:the unit length of maximum axial electric power
is Fy =BxmIm[2]. In some cases the electric power plays a
greater role in the destruction compared with other forces.
When power transformer working in stable operation, the
flux density of iron heart and current in the windings are close
to the rating, the role of electric power in the windings is very
small. But when a short circuit happening, the circuit current
will reach 20 to 30 times of the rated current times, even
greater.Short-circuit power is proportional to the square with
the short-circuit current,so short-circuit power up to several
hundred times above normal.
For calculation of electromagnetic forces,magnetic flux
density should be yielded first.This purpose will be obtained by
solving electromagnetic potential vector equations[6]:
( )
( )
in windings
2 0
A
0 otherwise
J
=

where A=Az is the magnetic vector potential in core-window,J
is the curent density,
0
is the air permeability,and then:
B A i B j B
x y

= = +
where B is magnetic flux density(T)and subsequently::
( ) F I i B j B i F j F
y x x y

= + = +
where I is the winding section current.By dividing winding
to suitable sections,distribution of forces on winding and their
result can be calculated. As long as the flux density is accurate,
the electromagnetic force can be calculated in a single turn,
part of the winding or the whole windings[4].
2.Damage to the transformer by short-circuit
1.Many external short circuits led to the gradual winding
deformation serious, resulting in damage to the majority of
insulation breakdown[7~8].
2. Damage occurred mostly after the reclosing
3. Internal windings are damaged due to external shocks
caused by short circuit.
Yu-Sheng Quan, Jiang Shan
Beijing Key Laboratory of High Voltage & EMC (North China Electric Power University)
Changping DistrictBeijing 102206China
*Email: jiangshan915@163.com
Project Supported by The National Basic Research Program (973
Program) of China (2009CB724508))
1390
978-1-4244-9439-2/11/$26.00 2011 IEEE
4.Damaged by the impact of prolonged short circuit
From relevant documents we can see that XX grid (not
including power plants) , the cumulation of transformer station
accident by short-circuit damage is 17 times within a certain
period of time, the total capacity is 2750MVA, which accoun
for 77.3% of the accident. 2 sets of 500KV class, 13 sets of
220KV class, 2 sets of 110KV class,1 set of 220KV class and 1
set of 110KV class have to replace the low voltage winding
because of the serious distortion.There are 4 sets of 220KV
class are found deformation of low-voltage windings during the
transformation of the transformers; There are 2sets of 550KV
class are detected deformation of low-voltage windings in
operation. Statistics of the transformer short-circuit failure of
the running time of the distribution are shown in table 1.
Table1. The run-time distribution before transformer short-circuit fault
Running
period/Year
1~2 3~5 6~10 11~15

sets
500KV 2
220KV 4 3 2 4
110KV 1 1
5 4 4 4
Transformer short-circuit damage have no necessary
connection with the running time,mainly depends on their
operating environment and the transformer short circuit
withstand capability.Harsh operating environment is the
external of transformers short circuit damage, the internal
reason is short circuit withstand capability not
enough.Therefore, it is necessary to analysis short-circuit force
of the transformer.
III. MODELING
This paper selects a transformer for simulating..The
parameters are as follows:
Table2 The main parameters of SF9-25000/110

Winding
Inner
radius
mm
Outer
radius
mm

Height
mm

Turns

Rated
current
A
Low-
voltage
winding

278

343

1160

85

1322.75
High-
voltage
winding

385

465

1160

973

119.3

Table3. Material properties
Transformer core 2000MURX
Current Loop 1MURX
Air 1MURX

1.Assumptions and simplified of models:
1.The leakage magnetic field of power transformer is
reduced to two-dimensional for calculating.
2. A, B, and C-phase are similar,so we analysis only one
phase
3. Symmetrical structure of the power transformer,so
limited the solution region is only half of the profile.
4. High and low voltage coils are of equal height, their sub-
region and distribution of ampere-turns uniform
According with the above simplification, the availability
model for calculating is shown in Figure 1

Figure 1.Two-dimensional Axisymmetric model of the transformer

2.Solving process
Define the relative permeability of Materials (Table 3).The
entire outer boundary is set to the first boundary condition[3].
3.Results Analysis

Figure 2.Short circuit magnetic field lines
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Figure 3.Stray field vector in top of primary and secondary winding

Figure 4..Electromagnetic force vectors on windings area

Figure 5. The radial stray field
The reason of differences between radial stray vectors
directions in primary and secondary windings is opposite
current direction in two windings,and the radial component
values of the magnetic field alternate between the positive
maximum and the negative maximum along the axes.

Figure 6. The axial stray field
The minimum axial stray field is at two end of windings
and the maximum axial stray field is at the center of winding.

Figure 7. The radial force per length of windings

Figure 8. The axial force per length of windings
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From Figure 7~8,we can see that along the height
direction the radial force gradually decreases from the middle
to the ends of windings,and the axial force at the ends of
windings is opposite in direction and much higher than that in
the middle of windings.

Figure 9. Secondary short-circuit current
From Figure 9,we know that short-circuit is a transient
process,so we will do more about the transient state in the
future.
IV. CONCLUSIONS
Using finite element method,the magnetic field and force
of a model transformer are calculated.The computation results
show that along the height direction the axial flux density
gradually decreases from the middle to the ends of windings.
Furthermore the radial flux density at the ends of windings is
much higher than that in the middle of windings.The magnetic
forces generated in windings are proportional to the
magneticflux.The radial and the axial components of magnetic
forces have similar distribution patterns to the axial and the
radial magnetic flux density respectiveiy, and the axial force at
the ends of windings is opposite in direction and much higher
than that in the middle of windings.This work simulate the
force accuratly for the mechanical strength analysis of
windings.
V. REFERENCES
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press,2003.
[2] Wang Zezhong,Quan Yusheng,Lu Binxian.Engineering Electromagnetics
[M].Beijing: Tsinghua university press,2004.
[3] Sun Mingli,Hu Renxi,Cui Hairong.The guide to the finite element
analysis of electromagnetics[M].Beijing: Machinery industry press,2007
[4] Jin Hong, Mo Yueping, Wang Li. Finite Element Analysis of windings
Electric Field of Transformer [C]. Proceeding of International
Conference on Electrical Machines and Systems. Wu Han. 2008489-
492.
[5] Pauick BASTARD, Pierre BERTRAND, Michel MEUNIER.A
TRANSFORMER MODEL FOR WINDING FAULT STUDIES. IEEE
Transactionsion Power Delivery.Vol.9.No.2,April 1994
[6] Ni Guangzheng,Qian Xiuying,Qiu Jie,Numerical Analysis of
Electromagnetic Field[M]. Beijing:Machinery industry press,2006.
[7] T.Yun-Qui,Q,Jing-Que,and X.Zi-Hong,"Numerical Calculation of Short
Circuit Electromagnetic Forces on The Transformer Winding"IEEE
Transaction on Magnetics,Vol.26,No.2,March 1990
[8] S.Salon,B.LaMattina,and K.Sivasubramaniam,"Comparision of
Assumption in Computation of Short Circuit Force in
Transformer,"IEEETrans.Magnetics.vol.36,no.5,pp.3521,Sept.2000.

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