Transformer development timeline

1830s - Joseph Henry and Michael Faraday work with electromagnets and discover
the property of induction independently on separate continents.
1836 - Rev. Nicholas Callan of Maynooth College, Ireland invents the induction coil
1876 - Pavel Yablochkov uses induction coils in his lighting system
1878 -1883 - The Ganz Company (Budapest, Hungary) uses induction coils in their
lighting systems with AC incandescent systems. This is the first appearance and use
of the toroidal shaped transformer.
1881 - Charles F. Brush of the Brush Electric Company in Cleveland, Ohio develops
his own design of transformer (source: Brush Transformers Inc.)
1880-1882 - Sebastian Ziani de Ferranti (English born with an Italian parent) designs
one of the earliest AC power systems with William Thomson (Lord Kelvin). He
creates an early transformer. Gaulard and Gibbs later design a similar transformer
and loose the patent suit in English court to Ferranti.
1882 - Lucien Gaulard and John Dixon Gibbs first built a "secondary generator" or in
today's terminology a step down transformer which they designed with open iron
core, the invention was not very efficient to produce. It had a linear shape which did
not work efficiently. It was first used in a public exhibition in Italy in 1884 where the
transformer brought down high voltage for use to light incandescent and arc lights.
Later they designed a step up transformer. Gaulard (French) was the engineer and
Gibbs (English) was the businessman behind the initiative. They sold the patents to
Westinghouse. Later they lost rights to the patent when Ferranti (also from England)
took them to court.
1884 - In Hungary Ott Blthy had suggested the use of closed-cores, Kroly
Zipernowsky the use of shunt connections, and Miksa Dri had performed the
experiments. They found the major flaw of the Gaulard-Gibbs system were
successful in making a high voltage circuit work using transformers in parallel.
There design was a toroidal shape which made it expensive to make. Wires could
not be easily wrapped around it by machine during the manufacturing process.
1884 - Use of Lucien Gaulard's transformer system (a series system) in the first
large exposition of AC power in Turin, Italy. This event caught the eye of William
Stanley, working for Westinghouse. Westinghouse bought rights to the Gaulard and
Gibbs Transformer design. The 25 mile long transmission line illuminated arc lights,
incandescent lights, and powered a railway. Gaulard won an award from the Italian
government of 10,000 francs.
1885 - George Westinghouse orders a Siemens alternator (AC generator) and a
Gaulard and Gibbs transformer. Stanley begin experimenting with this system.
1885 - William Stanley makes the transformer more practical due to some design
changes: "Stanley's first patented design was for induction coils with single cores of
soft iron and adjustable gaps to regulate the EMF present in the secondary winding.

This design was first used commercially in the USA in 1886". William Stanley
explains to Franklin L. Pope (advisor to Westinghouse and patent lawyer) that is
design was salable and a great improvement. Pope disagrees but Westinghouse
decides to trust Stanley anyway.
George Westinghouse and William Stanley create a transformer that is practical to
produce (easy to machine and wind in a square shape, making a core of E shaped
plates) and comes in both step up and step down variations. George Westinghouse
understood that to make AC power systems successful the Gaulard design had to be
changed. The toroidal transformer used by the Ganz Company in Hungary and Gibbs
in England were very expensive to produce (there was no easy way to wind wire
around an iron ring without hand labor).
1886 - William Stanley uses his transformers in the electrification of downtown
Great Barrington, MA. This was the first demonstration of a full AC power
distribution system using step and step down transformers.
Later 1880s - Later on Albert Schmid improved Stanley's design, extending the E
shaped plates to meet a central projection.
1889 - Russian-born engineer Mikhail Dolivo-Dobrovolsky developed the first threephase transformer in Germany at AEG. He had developed the first three phase
generator one year before. Dobrovolsky used his transformer in the first powerful
complete AC system (Alternator + Transformer + Transmission + Transformer +
Electric Motors and Lamps) in 1891.
1880s - Today - Transformers are improved by increasing efficiency, reducing size,
and increasing capacity.
TRANSFORMERS
The information in this chapter is on the construction, theory, operation, and the
various uses of transformers. Safety precautions to be observed by a person
working with transformers are also discussed.
A TRANSFORMER is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to
another by electromagnetic induction (transformer action). The electrical energy is
always transferred without a change in frequency, but may involve changes in
magnitudes of voltage and current. Because a transformer works on the principle of
electromagnetic induction, it must be used with an input source voltage that varies
in amplitude. There are many types of power that fit this description; for ease of
explanation and understanding, transformer action will be explained using an ac
voltage as the input source.
THE COMPONENTS OF A TRANSFORMER
Two coils of wire (called windings) are wound on some type of core material. In
some cases the coils of wire are wound on a cylindrical or rectangular cardboard
form. In effect, the core material is air and the transformer is called an AIR-CORE
TRANSFORMER. Transformers used at low frequencies, such as 60 hertz and 400
hertz, require a core of low-reluctance magnetic material, usually iron. This type of
transformer is called an IRON-CORE TRANSFORMER. Most power transformers are of
the iron-core type.
The principle parts of a transformer and their functions are:

 The CORE, which provides a path for the magnetic lines of flux.
The PRIMARY WINDING, which receives energy from the ac source.
The SECONDARY WINDING, which receives energy from the primary winding and
delivers it to the load.
The ENCLOSURE, which protects the above components from dirt, moisture, and
mechanical damage.
CORE CHARACTERISTICS
The composition of a transformer core depends on such factors as voltage, current,
and frequency. Size limitations and construction costs are also factors to be
considered. Commonly used core materials are air, soft iron, and steel. Each of
these materials is suitable for particular applications and unsuitable for others.
Generally, air-core transformers are used when the voltage source has a high
frequency (above 20 kHz).
Iron-core transformers are usually used when the source frequency is low (below 20
kHz). A soft-iron-core transformer is very useful where the transformer must be
physically small, yet efficient. The iron-core transformer provides better power
transfer than does the air-core transformer. A transformer whose core is constructed
of laminated sheets of steel dissipates heat readily; thus it provides for the efficient
transfer of power.
Hollow-Core Transformers
There are two main shapes of cores used in laminated-steel-core transformers. One
is the HOLLOWCORE, so named because the core is shaped with a hollow square
through the center.
Shell-Core Transformers
The most popular and efficient transformer core is the SHELL CORE, as illustrated in
figure 5-4. As shown, each layer of the core consists of E- and I-shaped sections of
metal. These sections are butted together to form the laminations. The laminations
are insulated from each other and then pressed together to form the core
TRANSFORMER WINDINGS
As stated above, the transformer consists of two coils called WINDINGS which are
wrapped around a core. The transformer operates when a source of ac voltage is
connected to one of the windings and a load device is connected to the other. The
winding that is connected to the source is called the PRIMARY WINDING. The
winding that is connected to the load is called the SECONDARY WINDING. (Note: In
this chapter the terms "primary winding" and "primary" are used interchangeably;
the term: "secondary winding" and "secondary" are also used interchangeably.)

Transformer Fabrication Steps

Parts required for Transformer Fabrication

Bobbin
Winding Machine
Copper wire
Stamping (E & I Shape)
Insulation Paper
Transformer Clamp

Bobbin
A bobbin is a spindle or cylinder, with or without flanges, on which wire is wound.
The primary and secondary is wound on the bobbin.
Winding Machine
This machine is used to wind the number of turns on the bobbin.
Stamping (E & I Shape)
Transformer core is made from E & I stamping. The material used for making E & I
stamping is CRGO silicon steel for reducing eddy & hysteresis loss. With the help of
E & I stamping the shell type core is constructed, the function of core is to set up &
provide a path for flux.
Fabrication Steps
Step I: - Fix the bobbin on winding machine as shown in image below.
Step II: - First select the copper wire and wind the primary number of turns as per
design requirement on bobbin. The number of turns wound is shown by the counter
of the machine.
Step III: - After completion the number of turns of primary winding, insulation paper
is wrapped on the primary winding. This insulation paper isolates the primary &
secondary windings.
Step IV: - After completion of wrapping the insulation paper, start winding the
number of turns of secondary winding as per design requirement.
Step V: - After completion of winding the number of turns of secondary winding, take
out bobbin from machine. Now start inserting E & I stamping in bobbin this should
be done in almost alternate fashion. The construction of shell type core by using E &
I shape stamping as shown in image below.
Step VI: - After constructing the core tight the core with the help of screw & bolt
along with the supporting frame.
Step VII: - Now apply 230 volt to primary winding and check whether you get
desired value of secondary voltage.

Material Testing
Transformer Winding Resistance Measurement
Transformer winding resistance measurement is carried out to calculate the I2R
losses and to calculate winding temperature at the end of a temperature rise test. It
is carried out as a type test as well as routine test. It is also done at site to ensure
healthiness of a transformer that is to check loose connections, broken strands of
conductor, high contact resistance in tap changers, high voltage leads and bushings
etc.
Transformer Ratio Test
The performance of a transformer largely depends upon perfection of specific turns
or voltage ratio of transformer. So transformer ratio test is an essential type test of
transformer. This test also performed as routine test of transformer. For ensuring

proper performance of electrical power transformer, voltage and turn ratio test of
transformer one of the vital tests.
The procedure of transformer ratio test is simple. We just apply three phase 415 V
supply to HV winding, with keeping LV winding open. We measure the induced
voltages at HV and LV terminals of transformer to find out actual voltage ratio of
transformer. We repeat the test for all tap position separately.
Magnetic Balance Test of Transformer
Magnetic balance test of transformer is conducted only on three phase transformers
to check the imbalance in the magnetic circuit.
Magnetizing Current Test of Transformer
Magnetizing current test of transformer is performed to locate defects in the
magnetic core structure, shifting of windings, failure in turn to turn insulation or
problem in tap changers. These conditions change the effective reluctance of the
magnetic circuit, thus affecting the current required to establish flux in the core.
Insulation Resistance Test or Megger Test of Transformer
Insulation resistance test of transformer is essential type test. This test is carried
out to ensure the healthiness of overall insulation system of an electrical power
transformer.
Dielectric Tests of Transformer
Dielectric tests of transformer are one kind of insulation test. This test is performed
to ensure the expected over all insulation strength of transformer. There are several
test performed to ensure the required quality of transformer insulation, dielectric
test is one of them.
Induced Voltage Test of Transformer
The induced voltage test of transformer is intended to check the inter turn and line
end insulation as well as main insulation to earth and between windings.
Temperature Rise Test of Transformer
Temperature rise test of transformer is included in type test of transformer. In this
test we check whether the temperature rising limit of the transformer winding and
oil as per specification or not.