Presentation 2.

Capacitive Voltage Transformer Testing including Theoretical vs.

Measured Short Circuit Impedance

Tony Porrelli, OMICRON, UK

Kind thanks to Energinet, Alstom Grid UK and The additional VT and the tuning of the reactor to
Instrument Transformers Ltd for their collaboration. the capacitors makes the voltage divider less
sensitive to changes in the burden connected
Introduction across the VT for measuring or protective devices.
Therefore increasing the accuracy of the CVT.
The more we investigate the trend of Inductive The issue with the CVT is that the accuracy can drift
Voltage Transformer (VT) testing, it seems that with age or with different connected burdens,
routine testing is not generally performed in the UK. possibly resulting in meters or Phasor Measurement
Ratio and polarity testing may be conducted when Units (PMU) reporting erroneous data.
commissioning the VT, but unless there is a change
to connected equipment or test results are lost, no
further testing is performed.
The SMART Grid in the UK is now the driving force C1
Reactor
behind the installation of more intelligent meters for
the future. This means that there will be more VP
commissioning and re-testing of VTs, due to C2 VC2 Damping VS ZB
changes in the connecting equipment. Importantly
for metering VTs, there is a real requirement to
know the accuracy, as this is where the utilities can PLC VT
lose pennies.
We are also aware that, at higher voltage levels,
there is a move towards using Capacitive VTs VP C1 + C2
(CVTs), as this can be a cheaper option which uses = C1
less core material, resulting in smaller units. In VC2
addition, there is possible benefit from coupling CVT electrical circuit
Power Line Carrier (PLC) signals to the line. This
would typically facilitate communication between
relays at local and remote ends of a line. However, With the VOTANO 100 from OMICRON, it is now
CVTs are prone to the risk of ferro-resonance and possible to evaluate CVTs in the field, as shown in
generally contain an internal damping (suppression) Fig. 2.
circuit to limit its effects. This circuit may contain a
resistor, or a combination of resistor and inductor
components, providing high impedance at line
frequency.
The CVT is essentially a combination of a capacitive
voltage divider with an output transformer. It brings
the high voltage down to around 20kV, before
converting the voltage to the final secondary output
level.
The simplified diagram of Fig. 1 shows two
capacitors in series dividing the line voltage. If we
considered using only the capacitive voltage divider,
the load current would not be negligible compared
to the current flowing through the capacitors,
resulting in poor accuracy. It is not possible to drive
the load current through the capacitive divider. A
reactor is included to compensate for the complex
voltage drop through the HV capacitor, and it is
tuned to be resonant with C1 and C2.
To further improve the accuracy, there is the final
inductive transformer in order to drive the load Example graphics of CVT under test [OMICRON]
current into the burden.

OMICRON 2015 Diagnostic Measurements on Power Transformers Conference & Workshop

 Presentation 2.2

Case Study: Energinet, Denmark Fig. 4 shows us an example overview of the phasor
network. Each PMU at different locations is
This case study in Denmark originated from synchronous to the GPS satellites relaying the
information showing two ageing CVTs that have measurement data back to the system monitoring
drifted in accuracy from other identical CVTs on the centre. The synchronisation permits real-time
same adjacent feeders. The site is operating with measurements.
Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) providing real-
time synchrophasor measurements with software
solutions from Alstom Grid UK, called
e-terraphasorpoint. This integrated phasor solution
for advanced energy management collects the data
which provides the analysis and reporting. It was
this phasor data that informed Energinet of the
deviations of the CVTs.

Background
The PMU scheme at Energinet, Denmark, consists
of 16 PMUs in the western part of the country which
is synchronous with Germany, and 12 PMUs in the
eastern part which is synchronous with Sweden,
Norway and some areas of Finland. There are two
parts of the Danish transmission grid which are not
in sync, so the electrical connection is by HVDC.
The e-terraphasorpoint solution shows the live
current and voltage levels of the network. It is the
CTs and VTs that are the eyes and ears of the
network.
Example PMU configuration [Miguel Gutierrez,
OMICRON]

Site Schematic
In Fig. 5 below, we see how the CVTs are
connected to the circuit.

CT-VTs are the eyes of the PMUs [Miguel

Gutierrez, OMICRON]

There are four main application areas where

e-terraphasorpoint is used:
Oscillation Monitoring, both inside Denmark
and in the external interconnection
Disturbance Monitoring, again, for internal
and external systems, identifying the trigger
locations of disturbances and indicating
severity
Short Circuit Capacity Monitoring, to
determine dispatch constraints to keep SCC Site Schematic showing CVTs [courtesy of
high enough to avoid commutation failure of Energinet]
HVDC terminals
General post-event analysis and off-line
Investigation
data record uses At this site, two of the three CVTs were showing
voltages that were different to the others on
adjacent feeders. They have a metering secondary
winding and a protection secondary winding.

OMICRON 2015 Diagnostic Measurements on Power Transformers Conference & Workshop

 Presentation 2.3

e-terraphasorpoint reporting information [courtesy of Energinet]

It is the metering winding that is in use, the Sky Lift for making connections
protection winding is not used, but available to test. Damping Circuit Access to disconnect
We can see from Fig. 6 that the reporting PLC (NHF) Connections accessible
information from the e-terraphasorpoint software
shows that phases R and S have a much larger It is of vital importance that we have access to the
error than the others. PLC (NHF) and damping circuit connections.
Energinet were then looking for some supporting The damping circuit (d1-d2) must be disconnected
diagnostic measurement to follow up on this for the duration of the test, whereas the PLC is
indication. disconnected and reconnected during the testing
procedure.
Phase Voltage Evaluation Error Because the damping circuit of the CVT is designed
Reading Higher than to suppress ferro-resonance effects, and the
R +0.6% VOTANO 100 operates the excitation measurement
others
on a variable frequency principle, it is necessary to
Reading Lower than disconnect the circuit during the measurement to
S -0.6%
others remove the suppression circuit effects.
Comparable to other Nominal An example shown in Fig. 7 shows the ability to
T
network CVTs Range disconnect the damping circuit inside the terminal
box. However, unless specified at the point of order,
The VOTANO 100 was used to determine how manufacturers may, by default, design the unit
much the CVTs deviated from rated accuracy. This without access.
provided the ideal situation in which to correlate the Currently, this is probably the most important task
VOTANO 100 results with other independent required prior to committing to test a CVT.
results.

Measurement Preparation
Before considering such measurements, close
cooperation with the customer is required. To
enable smooth and efficient testing, as much
information as possible must be gathered about the
test specimen in advance. This was the case with
Energinet, and the points below are a guide:
Photo (if possible)
Nameplate information
Manufacturer data sheet
Mains availability

Terminal box connections [courtesy of Energinet]

OMICRON 2015 Diagnostic Measurements on Power Transformers Conference & Workshop

 Presentation 2.4

Detailed Specification:
Manufacturer: ASEA in 1978

Type:
HV LV1 LV2
CPDE 420 F-C
400kV/3 100V/3 100 / 3
Terminal A-N 1a-1n 2a-2n
Class 0.2/0.5 3P
Burden 75/200 25
FV 1.2 1.5
PLC
Connections Available
(NHF)Terminal
Suppression
Connections Available
Circuit

Sky Lift - Making connections [courtesy of

Shows the PLC (NHF) connection is available for Energinet]
disconnection/reconnection.
Test Parameters required:
Primary short circuit impedance
Resistance of each winding
Secondary short circuit impedance
Excitation measurement on winding 1
CVT complete ratio measurement
CVT inductive ratio measurement

According to Mollinger and Gewecke, these

parameters are essential in order to derive the
voltage and phase errors.

The CVTs under test have two secondary windings;

the VOTANO 100 can test voltage transformers with
up to five secondary windings.
The equivalent circuit modelling diagram that the
VOTANO 100 uses for CVTs can be seen in Fig. 11.
All the voltages, current and impedances are
referred to the secondary winding 1a-1n.
PLC (NHF) terminal connection [courtesy of
Energinet]

Test Method
We need to connect VOTANO 100 to secondary
terminals and primary terminals at various stages of
the test routine.
The measurements are conducted in a logical
sequence. This builds the information to obtain the
model parameters of the CVT equivalent circuit,
step-by-step.
It is important to ensure there is a qualified sky lift
operator to make connections to the high voltage
terminations.

OMICRON 2015 Diagnostic Measurements on Power Transformers Conference & Workshop

 Presentation 2.5

Ib5' R5' X5'

da
Using this as an example, we can see the test circuit
required to achieve the measurement and how to
R4' X4' make the test connections in Figure 11.
Ib4' 4a

R3' X3'
Ib3' 3a
R2' X2'
2a
R2' X2'
Ib2' 2a
Xc1" Xc" Rp" Xp" R1 X1
A 1a
A
Xc1" Xc" Rp" Xp" R1 X1
Ip" Ib1 1a
A
Iexc Xc2" Rm Xm V
~
Up Rm Uc Xm Us1
Xc2" n
N

N
n

Equivalent circuit modelling a 5 winding CVT

[OMICRON]

Up Primary voltage referred to winding

1a-1n
Uc Core voltage (emf)
Us1 Secondary voltage (1a-1n)
Ip Primary current referred to winding
1a-1n
Iexc Exciting current
Ib1 Burden current for 1a-1n
Ib2-Ib5 Burden current for windings xa-xn
referred to winding 1a-1n
Rp Primary winding resistance referred
to winding 1a-1n Test circuit and test connection example
[OMICRON]
Xp Primary leakage reactance referred
to winding 1a-1n
For the measurement of winding resistance,
R1 Secondary winding resistance 1a- secondary short circuit impedance and excitation,
1n the PLC/NHF terminal must be lifted from ground, to
R2 R5 Secondary winding resistance for prevent any effects from C2.
xa-xn
Winding Resistance
X1 Secondary leakage reactance for
1a-1n The second test is the winding resistance
measurement providing the I2R losses. It is
X2-X5 Secondary leakage reactance for performed on every secondary winding, individually.
xa-xn Resistance is conducted with a DC source to
Xm Main inductance of the core saturate the core and provide a stable winding
Rm Magnetic losses of the core resistance value.
Xc1 Impedance of top capacitor referred Secondary Short Circuit Impedance
to 1a-1n The secondary short circuit winding impedance (see
Xc2 Impedance of bottom capacitor Fig. 13) measurement is only conducted on VTs or
referred to 1a-1n CVTs containing more than one winding. Here, we
inject an AC current while the second winding is
Xc Impedance of compensation
shorted. This allows the measurement of the
reactance referred to 1a-1n
leakage reactance between winding 1 and
winding 2.

Primary Short Circuit Impedance

The primary short circuit impedance measurement
injects an AC current into the secondary winding
1a-1n, while the primary is shorted. This allows the
measurement of the combined leakage losses of
the CVT. This measurement is conducted on each
successive winding.
OMICRON 2015 Diagnostic Measurements on Power Transformers Conference & Workshop
 Presentation 2.6

Measured results Phase R:

Phase R Class 0.2, 75VA, Fv 1.2
Ratio Phase
80% +0.61 +3
100% +0.61 +3
120% +0.61 +3
Other windings unloaded

Phase R Class 0.2, 75VA, Fv 1.2

Ratio Phase
80% +0.57 +4
100% +0.57 +4
120% +0.57 +4
Other windings loaded

Comparing the capacitive divider ratio:

Secondary short circuit impedance connection
Nameplate Value 17.191
example [OMICRON]
VOTANO 100 Measured 17.083
We do this test to distinguish between all the
separate leakage reactances, Xp, X1, X2, and we We see a drop in the ratio supporting the drift in
then have enough information required for the accuracy.
modelling. Measured results Phase S:
Excitation Measurement Phase S Class 0.2, 75VA, Fv 1.2
The excitation test measures the core Ratio Phase
characteristics and is only performed on winding 1.
80% -0.59 +6
We use low voltage with variable frequency. Lower
test frequencies keep the test voltage at safe levels - 100% -0.59 +6
remember that we are injecting into the secondary 120% -0.59 +6
winding of high voltage CVTs. Loss models are
Other windings unloaded
applied to compensate for the different core losses
at different frequencies.
Turns Ratio Measurement Phase S Class 0.2, 75VA, Fv 1.2
The final test is the turns ratio measurement. We Ratio Phase
now perform three ratio tests to distinguish between 80% -0.63 +3
the voltage ratio of the capacitive part and the 100% -0.63 +3
intermediate voltage part, which we need for the
120% -0.63 +3
modelling.
Other windings loaded
Test Results
The IEC standard specifies that measurement Comparing the capacitive divider ratio:
results should be taken with other windings Nameplate Value 16.923
unloaded and other windings loaded. The
VOTANO 100 Measured 17.024
VOTANO 100 provides these results easily.
Limits as specified in the standards: Class 0.2
We see a rise in the ratio, supporting the drift in
IEC61869-3 Limits accuracy.
Ratio Phase
80% 0.2 10
100% 0.2 10
120% 0.2 10

OMICRON 2015 Diagnostic Measurements on Power Transformers Conference & Workshop

 Presentation 2.7

Test Conclusion
We can see that the results from VOTANO 100
support the results presented in Fig. 6. Ratio 240/63.5 V
VOTANO 100 has measured the voltage ratio error Class 1
for Phase R as being +0.6%, which is almost the
Burden 15VA
same as from the e-terraphasorpoint solution. This
holds true for Phase S, where its voltage ratio error Turns Resistance ()
is -0.6%. Primary Np = 692 14.0
When the ratio error results are reading positive, the Secondary Ns = 185 1.15
actual measured secondary voltage is greater than
the nameplate rated value.
Further, we can see that due to the drop in
capacitive divider ratio, the output voltage from the
secondary will rise.
Nameplate Divider Ratio:
400
2 = = 23.27
17.191

Measured Divider Ratio:

400
2 = = 23.42
17.083

Therefore, if the input voltage to the intermediate VT

rises, the output voltage will rise, resulting in positive
errors. The opposite is true when the divider ratio
increases.
Interestingly, if we calculate the percentage Single Phase Inductive VT [Instrument
Transformer Ltd]
difference between the nameplate divider ratio and
the measured divider ratio, we also see +0.6% for
Phase R and -0.6% for Phase S. To calculate the leakage inductance, we need to
know the details for the bobbin and windings.
For the particular application where these CVTs are With this knowledge, we can use the following
used, the guidelines used by Energinet permit the equations to accurately calculate the final value of
use of CVTs up to Class 1.0. This means that even short circuit impedance.
though the accuracy has drifted away from the class
0.2 nameplate detail, they are still well within the
accuracy definitions that Energinet expect. These
units will remain in service.
The positive outcome from this testing is that there
is now a fingerprint for future testing, and any further
trend in drifting errors can now be easily identified.

Theoretical vs. Measured Short Circuit

Impedance
As most users look to ratio and phase comparisons
when assessing test equipment, it is an interesting
topic to investigate whether the VOTANO 100
measures the short circuit impedance accurately
when compared to the theoretically designed value.
The accuracy of voltage transformers very much
depends on the leakage reactance and the winding
resistances. So, correlating these values with
measured values can further confirm that the Bobbin for winding [OMICRON]
VOTANO 100 is measuring correctly.
Fig. 14 shows a single phase voltage transformer of
which the design details are known.
One of the important parameters for the modelling
procedure is to measure the leakage inductance
while the primary winding is short circuit.
OMICRON 2015 Diagnostic Measurements on Power Transformers Conference & Workshop
 Presentation 2.8

Calculated Short Circuit Impedance

Leakage Inductance: [Source: common formulae]

0.417 2 (2 + )
=
2 109

0.417 1852 207.5 (2 1 2 + 13)

=
12 43 109

= 1.171
Leakage Reactance:
= 2. .

= 2 50 1.171

Space requirements with laminations = 0.368

[Instrument Transformer Ltd]
Refer Primary Resistance to Secondary Side:
Window Height available space 2
a = (( ) ) + Rs
for wdg

b Traverse - bobbin height
c gap between Pri & Sec (insulation)
185 2
no of wdg sections, a PRI and a = (( ) 14) + 1.15
n 692
Sec equate to 1
BU Build Up = of a
= 2.15
mean turn of coil
mo
= central perimeter + (2 x BU)
Calculate Primary Short Circuit Impedance:
Pillar Length = 54mm , breadth = 35mm
Perimeter (50.8+32.56) x 2 = 166.7mm
= 2.152 + 0.3682
The physical parameters are as follows:
a = 13mm BU = 6.5mm c = 2mm = 2.18
b = 43.76mm n=1
mo = 166.7 + (2 x 6.5) = 207.5mm Measured Short Circuit Impedance:
VOTANO 100
The four corners of the mean turn, mo, are Meas. I-AC [A] Meas. V-AC [V] Meas.
considered to make a circle, and the circumference Impedance Z
is C = 2 .r. []
As the distance from bobbin corner to mean turn 1.0928 2.3526 2.1528
corner is 6.5mm, this is r.
So, mo is the perimeter of the bobbin, plus corners.
Conclusion
Calculated Impedance 2.18
VOTANO 100 Impedance 2.15

The results show a close match between the

theoretical result and the measured result. With this
in mind, we can be confident that the ratio and
phase errors can be relied upon, as these are
directly affected by the leakage reactance.

OMICRON 2015 Diagnostic Measurements on Power Transformers Conference & Workshop

 Presentation 2.9

Literature
[1] Connelly F.C.: Transformers: Their principles
and design for light electrical engineers,
Printed in UK, First Published 1950
[2] Brian D. Jenkins: Introduction to Instrument
Transformers, Printed in UK, First Published
1967
[3] IEC 61869-3 Standard
[4] ITMF-2013-07.2-Predl

About the Author

Tony Porrelli attained his BEng
(Hons) back in 1993 and many
years later left his home of
Scotland for England, to begin
employment with OMICRON on
January 1st 2008. Before joining
OMICRON, Tony was a Current
Transformer Design Engineer,
based in Scotland.
Now he is the Regional Application Specialist for
Instrument Transformers in Europe and Africa, in
addition to his role providing technical and
application support to all OMIRCON products in the
UK and Ireland.

OMICRON 2015 Diagnostic Measurements on Power Transformers Conference & Workshop