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e-RatedÒ Technology


Power Quality international, inc. is pleased to announce that it has acquired the exclusive rights, from the e-Rated Transformer Corporation, to apply e-RatedÒ Technology to its full line of harmonic mitigating transformers and zero-sequence harmonic filters.


WHAT IS E-RATED TECHNOLOGY ?

e-RatedÒ Technology, as it applies to Harmonic Mitigating Transformers, assures that the transformers will exceed NEMA Standard Publication TP1-2002 efficiency requirements under non-linear load conditions, as defined in ANSI / IEEE Standard 519-1992, Table 4.3 – Spectrum of Switch-Mode Power Supply. Proof of compliance is based on the:

  1. e-RatedÒ Technology Corporation – Publication VAD1–2002 – Guide for Determining Energy Efficiency for Transformers under Non-Linear Load Conditions,
     

  2. e-RatedÒ Technology Corporation – Publication VAD2–2002 – Test Method for Measuring the Energy Consumption of Distribution Transformers under Non-Linear Load Conditions.


WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF E-RATED TECHNOLOGY ?

By reducing losses and increasing efficiency e-RatedÒ transformers reduce power costs, and provide an attractive payback and return-on-investment in both substitution and replacement scenarios.


HOW IS E-RATED EFFICIENCY ACHIEVED ?

To reduce magnetizing losses and load losses, under ‘real world’ non-linear load conditions, the design of core and coils requires significant refinement. The e-Rated Transformer Engineering Program is used to optimize the transformer’s losses under linear and any non-linear load condition.


Conventional Core & Coil Design

Figure 1


e-RatedÒ Core & Coil Design
Figure
2

With reference to Figures 1 & 2, an examination of a conventional transformer and an e-RatedÒ transformer will reveal several obvious differences in both the core and coils.


Figure 3

A conventional transformer’s butt lap cut core, as shown in Figure 3, consists of rectangular sheets of core steel arranged in such a way that the grain orientation of the steel is along the flux path, except in the corners where the flux path changes direction from the legs to the yoke members.


Figure 4

As an alternative, a scrap-less miter-cut core, as shown in Figure 4, has pieces of core steel that are cut at 45° angles and arranged such that the grain orientation is maintained in line with the flux path, even in the corners of the core. This design reduces core loss.


Figure
5

As a further improvement, the e-RatedÒ transformer’s full and step lap miter cut core, as shown in Figure 5, ensures that the overlapping of the joints in the corners are mitered and staggered so that the best possible grain orientation and flux transition is achieved.

On close examination of Figures 1 & 2, it is also obvious that there are significantly fewer laminations in each group of sheets in the full and step lap miter cut core than in the butt lap cut core. By avoiding crowding of the flux lines at the corners, the lowest core losses and best efficiency is achieved.

In addition, core and winding materials, and geometry have been refined to achieve minimum losses under all loading conditions. These design changes require sophisticated engineering ‘know-how’ and advanced manufacturing methods.


WHY IS THE TRANSFORMER ENGINEERING PROGRAM SO CRITICAL ?

At present, there are only a few harmonic mitigating transformer manufacturers that have a Non-Linear Load Bank. The modest rating of these load banks make them suitable for testing transformers up to 75kVA. Without a larger load bank or the means to accurately calculate non-linear load losses, which are based on linear load losses, manufacturers cannot determine or prove the efficiency of their transformers above 75kVA.

The
e-Rated Transformer Engineering Program allows our engineers to convert NEMA TP1-2002 linear load losses and efficiencies into non-linear load losses and efficiencies that are based on any harmonic current profile. This feature allows us to reasonably estimate the non-linear load efficiency of any manufacturer’s transformer, even if the design details are unknown or, more importantly, to accurately calculate the non-linear load efficiency of our own transformers. This information is also important if the non-linear load efficiency of Conventional and K-Rated Transformers is required.


ARE E-RATED TRANSFORMERS MORE EFFICIENT ?

Based on other manufacturers’ NEMA TP1-2002 linear load efficiencies, and/or their claimed non-linear efficiencies and published measurement methods, e-RatedÒ transformers are the most efficient in the industry. Our transformers are, in fact, the only harmonic mitigating transformers that actually meet NEMA TP1-2002 efficiency requirements under ANSI / IEEE Standard 519-1992 non-linear load conditions.

This claim is based on e-Rated Transformer Engineering Program calculations, which have been independently verified and verified by using VAD2-2002 test methods. The accuracy of e-Rated Transformer Corporation test methods, and those used by other manufacturers, are the subject of several recent IEEE papers.

For information on transformer efficiency and test methods, please contact PQI at (888) 539-7712.

e-Rated® is a registered trademark of the e-Rated Transformer Corporation


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