Instrument Transformers

Current and voltage transformers insulate the secondary circuits from the primary circuit
and provide quantities in the secondary which are proportional to those in the primary.
Current and voltage instrument transformer of the system are the inputted
1. To metering system for measuring and recording
2. To protective relay system as sensing quantity for relaying
System current and voltage are very high as such it can not be fed to the metering or relay unit and it can not be
measured.
Current and voltage are to be scale down to a suitable and safe value to feed measuring and relay units.
Also circuit has to be isolated from high voltage and currents for safety.
Thus requires a suitable voltage and current instrumental transformers:-
Current transformer is to reduce the very high primary current isolate from very high voltage and provide
a low current measurements.
Voltage transformer or potential transformer is to reduce high primary voltage, isolate from very high
voltage and provide a low voltage measurement.
The function of Instrumental transformer are:-
1. To reduce very high primary voltage or current to safe handling by meter and relay circuits.
2. Electrically isolating very high primary voltage from
Primary circuit to secondary voltage for safety.

Standardize meter and relay current /voltage so that the meter /relay are can be manufactured standard rating and
can be applied to all the system irrespective of primary voltage and current. For example 1/5amps current,
110/63.5 Voltage relay.
Instrument transformers are interface between actual primary power system and their measuring and
(protection)relay system on which reliable performance of measuring and protection depending.
In broad the construction and principle of operation is similar to power transformers.
Primary and secondary windings are magnetically coupled by magnetic core and electrically insulated by the
insulation.
Current transformer has small nos of large size of primary turns which is connected in series to primary system
large number of secondary are connected to measurement and for protections are to secondary system of the
circuit. All components required current are connected in series.
Voltage transformer has large number of primary turns which is connected in parallel to the primary system
smaller no. of secondary are connected to measurement and for protection are to the secondary system of the
circuit. All the components required voltage are connected in parallel.
Power handling are small hence no cooling system is required as required by the power transformer.
The instrument transformer are designed to at much lower than the saturation level of flux density to reduce error
where as power transformer are designed to operate nearer to saturation level for economize cost and size of the
power transformer.
There is no great distinction between a protective voltage transformer and a measuring voltage transformer the
difference only being the nature of the voltages transformed. Quite often some time the same transformer can
serve the both purposes.
 Voltage transformer:-
Ideally the voltage transformer should produced a secondary voltage which is exactly proportional to the
primary voltage and exactly opposite in phase. This can never be achieved in practice.
The voltage drops in primary and secondary windings due largely to the magnitude and power factor of the
secondary burden results in ratio and phase angle errors. This Ratio error is given by the expression
Knvs -v p
%error =------------ x100.
vp
N2 Ip
Where Kn = Nominal Ratio. =---------- =--------
N1 Is
Vp = Primary terminal voltage.
Vs = Secondary terminal voltage.
If the error is positive, the secondary voltage exceeds the Nominal value. The turns
ratio of the transformer need not be equal to the nominal ratio; small turns
compensation will usually be employed, so that the error will be positive for low
burdens and negative for high burdens
The phase angle error is the phase difference between the reversed secondary and
the primary voltage vectors. It is positive when the reversed secondary voltage leads
the primary vector.
For protection purposes, accuracy of voltage measurement may be important during
fault conditions, as the system voltage might be reduced by the fault to a low value.

Effect of errors:-

Ratio errors:-Gives in magnitude error in measured values and effects currents,

voltage, power and energy measurement in the measuring circuits.
More particularly energy measurement for tariff purposes has financial implications.
Correct predicated relay operations may not occurs and relay may mal Operates and
may fail to operate.
However ratio error is not important for protection.

Phase angle error:- The measurement value are not in phase with actual value. This
affects measurement of power, energy, powerfactor etc is because of the phased angle
between the measured voltages and measured current is not same as the phase angle
between primary voltage and primary current. However this will not affect single value
measurement like voltage, current, frequency etc.
Phase angle error does not affect protection circuit much.
Methods to reduce errors:-
Large size high permeability core to reduce magnetizing current.
Turns compensation.
 Classification of Instrumental transformer (CT/PT):-

1.Classification by application
Metering CT/PT.
Protection CT/PT.
Metering CT/PT:-
Accuracy of measurement with both low ratio and phase angle error is
the requirement. But the range at which the accuracies are required is near the
normal operating range. Beyond this the accuracy is not required.
Protection CT/PT:-
Accuracy requirement is less. But the protection has to correctly
operate during system faults when currents are high and voltage is low.
Sustenance of accuracy at the abnormal condition is more important .

Main Rating parameter :-

Rated current/Voltages
Rated current/Voltages Ratio.
Burdens:- The maximum impedance in case of Current
transformer and admittance in case of voltage with specified Pf that can be
connected to secondary with out loss in accuracy and performance. It can be
expressed in terms of volt-amps.

AC range extension beyond the reasonable capability of indicating instruments is

accomplished with instrument transformers, since the use of heavy current shunts and
high voltage multipliers would be prohibitive both in cost and in power consumption.

Instrument transformers are also used to isolate instruments from power lines and to
permit instrument circuits to be grounded.

Current Transformers
Classification of Transformers:-
1 .Classification by primary :-
Wound primary.
Bar Primary.
2.Classification by insulation media:-
Resin cast insulated Instrument Transformers.
Oil filled Instrument Transformers.
Gas filled Instrument Transformers.
3.Classification by construction:-
Bar type.
Bushing Type.
Window type.
Wound type.
a) Bar CT: - This is constructed with no primary winding and is installed around the
primary conductor, but has a permanent bar installed as a primary conductor.

b) Bushing CT: - This is window CT specially constructed to fit around a bushing and it
cannot be accessed.
c) Window CT: - This is constructed with no primary winding and is installed around the
primary conductor.
d) Wound CT: - This CT has a primary & secondary winding like a normal transformer. This
CT is rare and is used at very low ratios and currents, typically in CT secondary circuits to
compensate for low currents, to match different CT ratios in summing applications, or to
isolate different CT circuits. The type of primary winding depends upon the type of CT
insulation i.e. whether
Live tank Design
Dead Tank Design
Hair Pin Design
Eye Bolt Design
 Hair Pin Design Eye Bolt Design

1. Dome 1. Oil filling plug

2. Nitrogen filling valve 2. Dome
3. Primary terminal 3. Nitrogen filling valve
4. Collar 4. Collar
5. Porcelain insulator 5. Primary terminal
6. Primary conductor with insulation 6. Porcelain insulator
7. Adaptor cylinder 7. Insulated primary
8. Secondary cores 8. Cover plate for tank
9. Base 9. Tank
10. Oil drain plug 10. Secondary cores
 Live tank Design

Current transformer connected in a series with the system. Primary current

remain constant independent of the secondary burden.
Current transformer secondary not to be open circuited while primary current is
flowing.
With no secondary current, produce back EMF whole primary current ampere
turns because this Current transformer ore gets saturated and current reversal
peak voltages are developed in secondary. Dangerous to equipments and person
working.
Total Ampere Turns is a constant.
i.e., IN=IN
Dangerously high voltages are developed across the secondaries when primary
current is flowing and hence should never be open circuited.
When CT secondary is open circuited, with primary current flowing, I0
Then, V =V*I/I
= , Dangerous

Metering Current transformer:-

- To have higher accuracy in ratio and phase angle.
- Allowed to saturate at fault currents and produced less secondary currents. To safe
guard instrument connected in secondary i.e. The CT cores should be such that it
 saturate at its instrument security factor (ISF) for safeguarding the instrument from
getting damaged under fault condition.
- Specification.
Burden rating Total Impedance with PF that can be connected in
secondary expressed in term VA produced of rated secondary current and
maximum voltage to develop to drive rated current in the secondary. The
accuracies hold good with connected burden in specified range.
Class of accuracy as per standards;- Class0.1,0.2,0.5,1.0,3.0, specific
allowable ratio and phase angle errors.
Example: - For class 0.5 the ratio error is 1.5% at 5%, 0.75% at 20% and
0.5% from 80% to 120%. The phase angle error is 60Minutes at 20% and 30
Minutes for 80% to 120%.
Higher the accuracy class the cost is high. Hence to be selected carefully
as per requirement.
Higher Burden also increases size and cost. The total burden
requirement to be arrived considering all instruments that are proposed to be
connected in secondary and burden rating of each instrument can be added.

Protection Current transformer for non unit protection or Buck up

protection.
Composite is the RMS value difference of instantaneous value primary
current and scaled secondary current. Composite error includes the effect of
distorted wave form of exciting current at near saturation.
As per standards the class of protection CT is stated with composite
error and ALF. For example 5P20 means 5 composite error and 20 is ALF.
Burden as in case of metering current transformer is also stated.
Protection Current transformer for unit protection or primary protection:-
Current transformer required for differential protection, is that stability is
to be maintained for through faults. That is the difference in two side Current
transformer current should be small. To meet this existing current has to be
small and core should not get saturated at though fault currents. This is taken
care by specifying this minimum Knee point voltage and maximum excitation
current.
Knee point voltage:-
 The Knee-point of the excitation characteristic is defined as the point at which
a 10% increase in secondary e.m.f produced a 50% increase in exiting current.
Criterion is when prospective through fault current is flowing the voltage
required to drive the corresponding secondary current through the relay burden,
lead and CT secondary resistance as Kpv. To account for DC transient and peaks
twice their value is considered.
The basis is that current Transformer must produce Secondary voltage without
saturation till full prospective fault current secondary value driven through the
connected current transformer burden, considering DC offset and asymmetry of fault
current also due to system X/R.
Knee point voltage requirements vary as per protection scheme and relay
manufacturer.
Typical requirement is for general application is
-Vkp>2IF (RCT+2RL)>VS
Where VS is relay setting in volts.
For Bus Bar protection:-
-Vkp>K*IF (RCT+2RL+ Relay burden)
K is factor for stability and depends on X/R of system which can be taken as system
KV/6
For Distance protection:-
-Vkp> IF(1+X/R) (RCT+2RL+ Relay burden)
Where RCT= Current transformer Resistance.
RL = One way lead resistance from Current
transformer to Relay.
IF = Fault current
I = rated Current transformer current.
X/R = is the reactance to resistance ratio for a fault in zone 1.
 The effect of saturation of one side Current transformer during through fault is
that the saturated current transformer will not develop any secondary current and
provides a short current from the healthy current transformer. The part of current
out of healthy current transformer appears as differential current causing mal
operation of differential protections. The effect is more pronounced in case of high
impedance protections and a stabilising resistance is added in the circuit to prevent
mal operation.
Core balance Current transformer is used for sensitive Earth fault protection of
feeders.
 Specification of 220kV Current transformer.

Choice of ratios: - 1.As per the standards the rated secondary currents is 1Amps or 5
amps.
2. Choice between 1 Amp or 5
 Amps is made to see that turns ratio is limited. If rated primary current is high above
2000Amps and If the control room is nearer to the out door yard [ODY] then 5amps
secondary is chosen.
3. 1 amps secondary requires smaller size of leads but higher Current
Transformer
winding resistance.
Polarity marking and connection:-
- Correct polarity of primary and secondary polarities is important for all differential
protections, distance protections, power and energy metering.
- Wong polarity connection leads to addition of two sides currents. When subtraction is
required and vice-versa in case of differential protections.
- Direction of power and energy will be wrongly indicated in case of metering.
- The polarity makings on Current Transformer is marked as P1 and P2 for
primary and S1, S2 for corresponding secondary terminals. It means that
when Primary current enters P1, the secondary leaves at S1.