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    Grounding Transformers

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    Charles Benwari
    Grounding transformers are used to provide a ground path for ungrounded or isolated electrical systems to prevent overvoltages during line-to-ground faults. They function by limiting the rise in voltages on the unfaulted lines during a fault, providing a path for fault currents, and allowing phase-to-neutral loads. There are two main types: zig-zag connected windings and wye-delta connected windings, with the wye-delta more commonly used in wind farms to provide auxiliary power from the delta secondary winding. When specifying a grounding transformer, key parameters include the primary voltage and BIL rating, rated kVA or current capacities, fault current and duration, desired impedance level, and winding configurations

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    Grounding Transformers

    Uploaded by

    Charles Benwari
    129 views4 pages
    Grounding transformers are used to provide a ground path for ungrounded or isolated electrical systems to prevent overvoltages during line-to-ground faults. They function by limiting the rise in voltages on the unfaulted lines during a fault, providing a path for fault currents, and allowing phase-to-neutral loads. There are two main types: zig-zag connected windings and wye-delta connected windings, with the wye-delta more commonly used in wind farms to provide auxiliary power from the delta secondary winding. When specifying a grounding transformer, key parameters include the primary voltage and BIL rating, rated kVA or current capacities, fault current and duration, desired impedance level, and winding configurations

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    Grounding Transformers

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    Grounding transformers are used to provide a ground path for ungrounded or isolated electrical systems to prevent overvoltages during line-to-ground faults. They function by limiting the rise in voltages on the unfaulted lines during a fault, providing a path for fault currents, and allowing phase-to-neutral loads. There are two main types: zig-zag connected windings and wye-delta connected windings, with the wye-delta more commonly used in wind farms to provide auxiliary power from the delta secondary winding. When specifying a grounding transformer, key parameters include the primary voltage and BIL rating, rated kVA or current capacities, fault current and duration, desired impedance level, and winding configurations

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    129 views4 pages

    Grounding Transformers

    Uploaded by

    Charles Benwari
    Grounding transformers are used to provide a ground path for ungrounded or isolated electrical systems to prevent overvoltages during line-to-ground faults. They function by limiting the rise in voltages on the unfaulted lines during a fault, providing a path for fault currents, and allowing phase-to-neutral loads. There are two main types: zig-zag connected windings and wye-delta connected windings, with the wye-delta more commonly used in wind farms to provide auxiliary power from the delta secondary winding. When specifying a grounding transformer, key parameters include the primary voltage and BIL rating, rated kVA or current capacities, fault current and duration, desired impedance level, and winding configurations

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Source: http://www.pacificcresttrans.com/resource-center/15/Grounding-Transformers.

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    Grounding Transformers
    Grounding is clearly one of the most important aspects of electrical design, but it steadfastly
    continues to be misinterpreted and misunderstood. Millions of dollars in liability and loss can be
    attributed to ground-fault arcing; thus, grounding-related issues should top the checklists of any
    electrical contractor.

    Grounding Transformers:
    Simply put, a grounding transformer is used to provide a ground path to either an ungrounded "Y" or
    a delta connected system. Grounding transformers are typically used to:
    1) Provide a relatively low impedance path to ground, thereby maintaining the system neutral
    at or near ground potential
    2) Limit the magnitude of transient over voltages when re-striking ground faults occur
    3) Provide a source of ground fault current during line-to-ground faults
    4) Permit the connection of phase to neutral loads when desired
    If a single line-to-ground fault occurs on an ungrounded or isolated system, no return path exists for
    the fault current, thus no current flows. The system will continue to operate but the other two un-

    faulted lines will rise in voltage by the square root of 3, resulting in overstressing of the transformer
    insulation and other associated components on the system by 173%. MOV lightning arresters are
    particularly susceptible to damage from heating by leakage across the blocks even if the voltage
    increase is not sufficient to flash over. A grounding transformer provides a ground path to prevent
    this.
    Large multi-turbine wind farms provide an example of the use of grounding transformers for fault
    protection on ungrounded lines. In many wind farms the substation transformer provides the sole
    ground source for the distribution system. When a ground fault on a collector cable causes the
    substation circuit breaker for that cable to open, the wind turbine string becomes isolated from the
    ground source. The turbines do not always detect this fault or the fact that the string is isolated and
    ungrounded; thus the generators continue to energize the collector cable, and the voltages between
    the un-faulted cables and the ground rise far above the normal voltage magnitude as described
    above. A grounding transformer placed on the turbine string provides a ground path in the event the
    string becomes isolated from the system ground.

    Construction:
    Grounding transformers are normally constructed either with
    1) A ZigZag (Zn) connected winding with or without an auxiliary winding or
    2) As a Wye (Ynd) connected winding with a delta connected secondary that may or may not
    be used to supply auxiliary power
    The geometry of the Zig-Zag connection is useful to limit circulation of third harmonics and can be
    used without a Delta connected winding or the 4- or 5-leg core design normally used for this purpose
    in distribution and power transformers. Eliminating the need for a secondary winding can make this
    option both less expensive and smaller than a comparable two-winding grounding transformer.
    Furthermore, use of a Zig-Zag transformer provides grounding with a smaller unit than a twowinding Wye-Delta transformer providing the same zero sequence impedance.

    Wye connected grounding transformers, on the other hand, require either a delta connected
    secondary or the application of 4 or 5 leg core construction to provide a return flux path for
    unbalanced loading associated with this primary connection. Since it is often desirable to provide
    auxiliary power from the grounding transformer secondary winding, this benefit can sway the end
    user to specify a two-winding grounding transformer in lieu of a Zig-Zag connection. The current
    trend in wind farm designs is toward the Wye connected primary with a delta secondary.
    It is important to understand that both Zig-Zag and two-winding grounding transformers can be
    provided with the ability to provide auxiliary power, and this can be either a Wye or Delta connected
    load.
    A solidly grounded system using a grounding transformer offers many safety improvements over an
    ungrounded system. However, the ground transformer alone lacks the current limiting ability of a

    resistive grounding system. For this reason, neutral ground resistors are often used in conjunction
    with the grounding transformer to limit neutral ground fault current magnitude. Their ohm values
    should be specified to allow high enough ground fault current flow to permit reliable operation of
    the protective relaying equipment, but low enough to limit thermal damage.

    How to Specify a Grounding Transformer


    The basic parameters required for quoting a grounding transformer are:
    1) Primary Voltage - This is the system voltage to which the grounded winding is to be
    connected. Don't forget to specify the BIL also. In some cases the BIL will be dictated by
    equipment considerations, such as 150 kV BIL ratings on 34500 volt wind farms because of
    the limitation on dead front connectors.
    2) Rated KVA - Because the grounding transformer is normally a short time device, its size and
    cost are less when compared with a continuous duty transformer of equal kVA rating. For
    this reason, grounding transformers are often not sized by "kVA" but by their continuous
    and short time current ratings. Regardless of how you rate it, the grounding transformer
    must be sized to carry the rated continuous primary phase current without exceeding its
    temperature limit. This load includes the magnetizing current of the core, the capacitive
    charging current for the cables, and any auxiliary load if applicable. The higher this value,
    the larger and more costly the transformer will be. Typical continuous current values can be
    as low as 5 amps to as high as a few hundred. Be sure to include any auxiliary loading
    requirements.
    3) Continuous Neutral Current - The continuous neutral current is defined as three times the
    phase to current, or in other words, the zero sequence current. This is usually considered to
    be zero if the system is balanced. However, for the purposes of designing a grounding
    transformer, it is a value that is expected to flow in the neutral circuit without tripping
    protective circuits (which would force the current to be zero) or the leakage current to
    ground that is not a symmetrical function. Again this value is needed to design for thermal
    capacity of the grounding transformer.
    4) Fault current and duration - This value is needed to calculate the short time heating that
    results from a fault on the system and should be determined from an engineered system
    study. Typical values for this range from a few hundred amps to a few thousand amps with
    duration times expressed in seconds and not cycles. For instance, a value of 400 amps for 10
    seconds is typical. The fault duration is a critical parameter for the transformer designer.
    Where protection schemes use the grounding transformer for tripping functions, a relatively
    short time duration is specified (5 -10 seconds). On the other hand, a continuous or
    extended neutral fault current duration would be required when the grounding transformer
    is used in a ground fault alarm scheme.
    5) Impedance - The impedance can be expressed as a percentage or as an ohm value per
    phase. In either case it should be chosen so that the un-faulted phase voltages during a
    ground fault are within the temporary over-voltage capability of the transformer and

    associated equipment, such as arresters and terminal connectors. Because of this


    description, the values can vary from as low as 8% to almost 100%. This value must come
    from the system designer.
    6) Primary winding connection - Specify the type of primary connection, either Zig-Zag or
    grounded Wye.
    7) Secondary connection - specify the secondary voltage and connection when applicable.
    Specify the size of auxiliary loading to be connected for either Zn or Wye connected primary
    windings.
    If the option is to have a two winding transformer with no secondary load, advise if the delta
    winding can be "buried" (that is not brought out) or if only one bushing is to be brought out
    for grounding to the tank or testing.
    8) Basic overall construction features - note the following features as they apply to each
    transformer...

    Compartmental Padmount transformer with integral tamperproof compartment or


    substation design

    Outdoor or indoor

    Fluid type- mineral oil, silicone, Envirotemp FR3

    Connectivity -dead front, live front, spade terminals, location of terminals - cover or
    sidewall , exposed or enclosed, etc

    Temperature rise is assumed to be 65'C

    Site elevation or environmental concerns

    Special paint as required

    9) Neutral Ground Resistors - The rated voltage of the NGR should be equal to the line to
    ground voltage of the grounding transformer. The current rating and duration should match
    the grounding transformer ratings. Remember to set the current rating high enough to be
    above the cable charging current and grounding transformer magnetizing current.

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