Due to the rise in
fuel costs and power outages, there has been a consistent focus on the power
generation and distribution system. As a result of this, the need to conserve
energy and the need to invest in energy-efficient products has been increased. One
of these products is power transformers that remain energized 24 hours a day.
Rajasthan Powergen, the leading transformer companies in India
is providing details on transformer rules to help
the customers understand the importance of transformers.
Transformers are considered as critical component
of the energy grid. Shut down of a single unit of transformer for a short duration
resulted in substantial economic loss.
Unfortunately, a large amount of equipment in the
public utility grid is around 40 years old and need a replacement in near
future. As per the Department of Energy (DOE), distribution transformers which
are more than 30 years old can waste between 60 and 80 billion kWh annually. Inspite
of this, a newly designed transformer can produce an annual energy savings of
up to $1 billion.
The
Importance of Transformers
The distribution transformer is the single piece of
electrical equipment installed in an electrical distribution network impacting network's
overall cost, efficiency and reliability. A distribution transformer should be
energy efficient and optimized for -
·
A particular
distribution network
·
The utility's investment strategy
·
The network's
maintenance policies
·
Local service and loading conditions
Keeping in mind the protection of the environment
from greenhouse gas emissions, the regulatory authorities are installing
high-efficiency distribution transformers that have less energy losses and
results in less pollution.
Transmission Losses
Transformers do not convert 100% of the energy
input to usable energy output. Difference between the energy input and usable
energy output is considered as energy loss. There are two types of transformer
losses: no-load losses and load losses.
* No-load losses
No load losses are also known as core losses. Such
loss is calculated on the amount of power required to magnetize the core of the
transformer. There is a high chance of the total losses when no load losses are
lightly loaded.
* Load losses
Load losses are those losses incident to carrying a
load. It includes winding losses, stray losses due to stray flux in the
windings and core clamps. Load losses signify the highest portion of the total
losses when a transformer is heavily loaded.
Deciding which Transformer to Purchase
Many electrical distribution utilities buy
distribution transformers after analysing the loss evaluation procedure. In
addition to this, the cost of transformer plays an important role in
determining which transformer to buy. The components in transformers like
design, construction, installation and many more affects the overall cost of
the transformer. The payback period for investing in high-efficiency
transformers is less than 2 years. The Internal Rate of Return of such
efficient transformers is consistently above 10% and sometimes as high as 70%.
Making buying decisions for a large power
transformer is more complex than simply comparing manufacturer prices. If such
decision is taken wisely, then such cost-efficient solution turns out to be the
energy-efficient transformer, even it has higher initial cost.
While purchasing transformers, investments should
be done for long term by keeping in mind that such transformers will work for
next 30 to 50 years. Energy-efficient transformers are very beneficial and
profitable in the long run.