[0001] The invention relates to the field of electrical engineering in particular to the
design of transformers and can be used in all industries that need devices that can
transform high-quality energy (without higher harmonics), independently eliminate
voltage distortions in case of an asymmetric load, regulate voltage independently
smoothly and over a wide range when changing load, and devices that have significantly
higher reliability and a working resource.
[0002] Such properties of a transformer can only be provided by a spatial magnetic system
that adequately reproduces or models the phenomenon of electromagnetism, the form
and physics of which is to cover the current conductor by a magnetic conductor, while
the metamorphoses disappear such as the need to replace the volumetric field with
a plane-parallel one, the scattering of this field into the surrounding space and
etc., but the manufacture of a spatial magnetic conductor requires a larger amount
of steel.
[0003] A question of creating a spatial magnetic system with costs comparable to the costs
of manufacturing E-shaped flat transformers has arisen taking into account that the
design of modern transformers is carried out with a long-term and unrelenting trend
towards the highest possible use of active materials, simplification of technological
effectiveness, weight reduction and size reduction.
[0004] Three-phase spatial radial magnetic conductors of increased compactness are known,
the rods and yokes of which are formed from two groups of chevron elements that have
different length, and part of the yoke sections is made of elements having the shape
of a parallelogram with angles of 60° and 120° (Patent of Ukraine for the invention
UA 100077C2, Patent of Ukraine for utility model UA 99327). Such magnetic conductors
have a number of disadvantages: the impossibility of installing separately manufactured
windings on the magnetic conductor rods, since the rods have a geometry "in the form
of a chevron of various length". The process of the winding on the finished magnetic
conductor greatly complicates the technological process of the transformer manufacturing.
The genesis of the structure of the magnetic conductors from a planar shape to a spatial
one was carried out by the authors in one platitude by concentric placement of phases,
which eliminated the magnetic asymmetry of the magnetic conductor, but did not affect
the improvement of the conditions for the electromagnetic process, leaving the coverage
of the magnetic field by current, which causes the presence of stray fields, power
losses etc.
[0005] A spatially symmetrical magnetic conductor is known, which has an upper and lower
wound yokes interconnected by rods, while the geometry of the cross section of the
rods and yokes at the junctions is made with a square cross section (RF Patent
RU No. 2380780 C1). Such magnetic conductors with spatial arrangement of rods eliminate only the magnetic
asymmetry of planar E-shaped cores, and the technical result in reducing losses in
steel was achieved through the use of amorphous steel, which can also be achieved
in a E-shaped magnetic conductor. Due to the low mechanical strength of amorphous
steel (brittle like glass), special requirements are imposed on the design of such
cores and the conditions for their production, since the magnetic conductor is a supporting
structure that holds the entire active part. Amorphous steel does not allow excessive
weight loading, and the inventors do not take into account this fact.
[0006] We also know a design of magnetic conductor with an inner part (rods) made of soft
magnetic material, around which at least partially there is a screen, which has a
laminated structure of at least one soft magnetic material. Between the inner part
of the magnetic conductor and the screen there is a device for creating axial pressure
on the inner part of the magnetic conductor, and the screen is divided into segments
and its length in the axial direction is equal to or greater than the axial length
of the coil frames located around the transformer magnetic conductor (Patent of Ukraine
for the invention
UA No. 88942 C2).
[0007] Above we indicated the reason for the appearance of the so-called stray fields, that
is, magnetic fields, the force lines of which are linked to only one winding, and
this reason lies in inadequate modelling of the electromagnetism phenomenon.
[0008] Instead of the spatial coverage of the current by the magnetic field in the transformer,
the coils (current) cover the magnetic conductor (field). Violation of the laws and
phenomena of nature gave rise to a number of negative consequences, including stray
fields. Their physics is quite complex and there are still no unified methods for
calculating them and ways to eliminate them. The screen proposed by the author closes
on itself some part of the stray field and changes the place of transformer power
losses, but does not eliminate them. In addition, stray fields determine the inductive
resistances of the windings which they cover, and additional losses in copper, except
of ohmic ones. The screen cannot close this part of the scattering flows onto itself.
And it is impossible to predict "that the orientation of the laminated screen structure
is directed parallel to the possible (?) direction of the scattering flux," since
it is impossible to predict the configuration of the scattering phenomenon itself.
Can there be an alternative to combating the consequences of stray fields, other than
converting them into a working magnetic field by surrounding the windings with a volume-spatial
magnetic system? Apparently it doesn't exist.
[0009] There is also known a spatial magnetic conductor for filter transformers with rods
with yokes arranged in a circle, which form a multi-beam star in plan and which is
made of two identical parts joined in rods in order to reduce magnetic asymmetry (
SU No. 1714697 A1).
[0010] Firstly, the magnetic asymmetry disappears not from the joining of "two identical
parts joined in rods", but due to their spatial arrangement; secondly, large funds
are spent on the manufacture of filter-transformers designed to eliminate higher harmonics
in voltage and current curves. Costs and harmonics disappear in transformers with
a spatial magnetic system that almost completely covers the windings. Such transformers
transmit only the first harmonic at any saturation of the magnetic conductor, while
the filters have a narrow efficiency range.
[0011] A three-phase transformer prototype is the closest to the proposed one according
to the set of features and technical results (Patent of Ukraine for the invention
UA No. 84746).
[0012] Three-phase transformer which contains low and high voltage windings in each phase
and a folded magnetic system, characterised in that the magnetic system consists of
a yoke and six rods arranged in the form of a six-beam star with spatial angles of
60 degrees between them and outside covered by the yoke, phase windings as part of
the primary and secondary windings of one phase are located on three rods through
one, the other three rods are free from windings and are shunt, on each of the six
sections of the yoke there is an additional magnetizing winding, two for each phase,
which are located in different sides of the corresponding phase of winding, the magnetic
system is made with a ratio of its width and the width of the rods greater than one.
[0013] Three-phase transformer according to claim 1 characterised in that the magnetic system
is made in the form of a cylinder, the cross section of which is a six-beam star of
the rods, covered by an annular yoke.
[0014] Three-phase transformer according to claim 1 characterised in that the magnetic system
is made in the form of a hexagonal prism, the cross section of which is a six-beam
star of the rods, covered by a hexagonal yoke.
[0015] Signs of the prototype, which coincide with the design according to the invention
are the following: magnetic system consists of a six-beam star of rods with spatial
angles of 60°, covered by a six-sided yoke.
[0016] The prototype has a number of disadvantages, the main of which are the following:
- 1. As it is well known, cold-rolled electrical steel is characterized by anisotropy,
that is, different magnetic properties along and across rolling. For economical use
of steel and obtaining minimal losses in it, it is necessary to match the direction
of rolling and the main magnetic flux. Such coincidence when stamping plates according
to Fig. 6 - Fig. 11 or Fig. 17 - Fig. 22 takes place only in one or two rods, and
in four or five rods the magnetic losses increase significantly.
- 2. Inefficient use of expensive electrical steel. The areas of the triangles surrounded
by rods and yokes are much larger than the latter, therefore, in the process of plate
stamping most of the steel goes to scrap.
- 3. The magnetic flux of the rod is closed by two yokes, that is, at the junction of
the rod with the yokes the flux is bifurcated in half due to the equality of the magnetic
conductivities of both yokes. Therefore, the flow of the yokes is half the flow of
the rod, and therefore the cross-sectional areas of the yokes and the rod must be
appropriate. In case of serial production, the savings in steel will be noticeable
due to a halving of the cross-sectional area of the yokes.
- 4. In the description of the prototype device it is explained that "the voltage regulation
of the proposed transformer when operating under load is carried out with the help
of additional windings placed on the yoke." It is further stated that "smooth adjustment
of voltage balancing in the case of complex asymmetric operating modes is carried
out by using additional windings placed on the outer yoke of the magnetic system."
Thus, two physical processes due to different reasons are functionally connected and
their control is entrusted to the same mechanism - additional windings. If we take
into account that fluctuations of secondary voltages and their distortion occur, as
a rule, simultaneously, it is almost impossible to carry out their simultaneous regulation.
In addition, it is also impossible to automate the regulation of such a process, and
therefore external intervention in the operation of the transformer is necessary.
[0017] The objective of the invention is to improve the production technology and reduce
the weight and size characteristics of a spatial magnetic conductor in comparison
with the prototype, the combination in the transformer of the functions of a higher
harmonic filter, a balancing device and a voltage stabilizer.
[0018] The problem is solved due to the fact that a three-phase transformer contains of
the main primary and secondary windings, a spatial magnetic system composed of plates
of electrical steel, the magnetic system is formed by six regular trihedral prisms,
made up of analogous plates, and interconnected by a common rib, forming a hexagonal
prism with a six-beam star in cross section, the adjacent edges of the star are the
rods of the magnetic conductor, and the autonomous edges are the hexagonal yoke, the
vertical density of the plates of the magnetic conductor is provided by central and
lateral fastening, the turns of the main and additional windings divided in half are
placed in phase on the rods with a spatial angle of 60 °, the magnetic system is made
with the ratio of the width of the rod and the yoke equal to two and the height of
the prism to the width of the beam greater than five.
[0019] A three-phase transformer according to claim 1 characterised in that the main and
additional windings are placed jointly on the rods with a spatial angle of 120°.
[0020] Three-phase transformer according to claim 1 characterised in that the spatial magnetic
conductor is made of amorphous electrical steel with a thickness of 10 to 30 microns.
[0021] The above mentioned set of essential features is sufficient to make the drawings
of the claimed design of a spatial magnetic system with windings placed on it according
to the usual initial data for design in accordance with the claimed scope of legal
protection, that is, the unification of the design of the transformer with minimization
of waste when cutting sheets of electrical steel, with the possibility of reducing
the weight and size characteristics of the magnetic conductor, the creation of a transformer
with new properties.
[0022] The essence of the invention and the principle of operation are illustrated by drawings.
Fig. 1 shows a general view of the transformer.
Fig. 2 shows the geometry of a plate of a unified magnetic conductor.
Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 show the burdening of magnetic conductor plates in two successive
layers.
Fig. 5 shows a regular trihedral prism.
Fig. 6 shows the marking of a sheet of electrical steel for laser cutting of magnetic
conductor plates.
Fig. 7 shows a cross section of a magnetic conductor composed of six trihedral prisms.
Fig. 8 shows the side binding of the magnetic conductor.
Fig. 9 shows the central binding of the magnetic conductor.
Fig. 10 shows a winding turn covered by a spatial magnetic conductor (the yoke is
removed).
Fig. 11 shows a winding turn that covers the rod of the magnetic conductor.
Fig. 12 shows a diagram of the relationships of the magnetic fluxes of the phases
of the transformer.
Fig. 13 shows the electrical connection diagram of the main and additional windings
of one phase of the transformer.
Fig. 14 shows the electrical connection diagram of the main and additional windings
of a three-phase transformer.
[0023] The following designations are accepted on the figures of the drawings: 1 - rod,
2 - yoke, 3 - main windings, 4 - additional windings, 5 - central binding, 6 - side
fastening, 7 - pin.
[0024] A three-phase transformer (Fig. 1) contains primary and secondary (main) windings
3 and additional windings 4, the transformation coefficient of which is greater than
the main ones, a folded magnetic system (Fig. 1 pos. 1, 2). The spatial magnetic system
is formed by six regular trihedral prisms (Fig. 5), made by burdening of plates (Fig.
2) into successive layers (Fig. 3, Fig. 4) and connected by a common edge. The adjacent
edges of the prisms serve as rods 1, and the autonomous edges serve as yokes 2.
[0025] The magnetic conductor is made of plates of electrical steel, Fig. 2, with a thickness
of 0.27 mm, 0.35 mm or it is made of amorphous steel strips with a thickness of 10-30
microns.
[0026] The vertical density of the plates of the magnetic conductor is carried out by the
central 5 and side 6 bindings, the horizontal parts of which are pulled together by
pins 7.
[0027] There is a causal relationship between the set of distinctive features and the achieved
technical result. Signs regarding the uniformity of the plates that make up the magnetic
conductor, and the geometric ratio of the width of the rod and the width of the yoke
equal to two are significant, because they directly affect a number of technical results.
[0028] Firstly, the design of the transformer, the magnetic conductor of which consists
only of plates having the geometric shape of an equilateral trapezoid (Fig. 2), is
a unified design.
[0029] Secondly, this ratio significantly affects the weight and size characteristics of
the transformer, the weight of the yokes of which is half the weight of the rods.
[0030] Thirdly, a significant influence of this ratio is the optimization of laser cutting
of electrical steel sheets into plates (Fig. 6) and minimization of waste (up to 5%)
into scrap metal of expensive material.
[0031] The fourth technical result of this essential feature is the one hundred percent
orientation of the cutting directions of the plates with the direction of rolling
of cold-rolled steel, which significantly affects the reduction of losses and the
improvement of the characteristics of the transformer.
[0032] The invention provides the presence in the claimed design of the transformer of a
number of essential features that will lead to the emergence of new functions.
[0033] The more than five ratio of the height of the prism and the width of the beam of
a six-beam star is the first such essential feature. This ratio provides maximum coverage
of the phase windings by the spatial magnetic system. Let us turn to Fig. 11 and Fig.
10, which compare the pictures of the magnetic fields of the turn, covered by the
spatial magnetic system (Fig. 10) and the turn, which covers the rod of a flat E-shaped
magnetic conductor (Fig. 11). In the first case (Fig. 10), the geometry of the magnetic
circuit evenly distributes the magnetic field over its entire height, which is adequate
to the constant electric field tenseness, that is
E =
const. The Second case (Fig. 11) illustrates the uneven distribution of the field along
the turn, which is the result of a distortion of the phenomenon of electromagnetism
- here current covers the field. Therefore, the density of the magnetic field of the
rod is not uniform, it is intense between adjacent rods and its intensity drops to
zero outside the magnetic conductor, that is, the electric field tenseness is variable
E =
var.
[0034] Let's break the turns of Figure 10 and Fig. 11 into a number of identical segments
Δ
l and calculate the work that the electromagnetic field does when transferring the
charge along a given trajectory, that is, along the length of the turn
ltur. From theoretical electrical engineering it is known that such work is called voltage
and it is determined by the formula
Utur =
∳l Edl.
[0035] Based on this formula, we determine the voltages of both turns. To do this, we replace
the integral by the sum for
n segments of the turn, and the derivative - by the increment. So we get

[0036] The sum of the increments of the segments of the turn in both cases is equal to the
length of the turns

. Let us now find the sum of tenseness

.
[0037] For Fig. 10 this sum is equal to the sum of the identical tenseness of the segments,
which is equivalent to the product of
n by one tenseness, that is

. Physically, the product
nE1 means the presence of only one tenseness component of the same amplitude and frequency.
Thus, the voltage of the turn (Fig. 10)
Utur =
nEltur has only the first harmonic and no higher harmonics.
[0038] For Fig. 11, the total tenseness consists of the summands of the tenseness of the
segments of the turn, different in amplitude and frequency, that is

, besides
E1 ≠
E2 ≠ ... ≠
En, which is physically equivalent to the presence of higher harmonics in the voltage
of the turn
Utur = (
E1 +
E2 + ··· +
En).
ltur.
[0039] Therefore, the feature more than five regarding the ratio of the height of the prism
and the width of the beam of a six-beam star is significant, since it fundamentally
affects the technical result, which consists in the absence of higher harmonics in
the voltages of the transformer, regardless of the degree of saturation of the steel.
Thus, the technical result is to identify a new property of the transformer - to perform
the functions of a filter of higher harmonics with simultaneously transmitting power.
[0040] The following causal relationship between the feature of the invention and the expected
technical result is explained in Fig. 12, where the feature is a symmetrical six-beam
star of rods with halves of the main and additional windings placed on them and surrounded
by a hexagonal yoke. The consequence of this feature is a physical phenomenon expressed
by the electromagnetic interconnection of each phase with two neighbouring phases:
phase A is magnetically connected to phases B and C, phase B - to phases A and C,
phase C - to phases A and B.
[0041] In case of an asymmetric load of the transformer, currents of various sizes flow
in the windings of its phases, which cause corresponding voltage drops. Secondary
voltages will have different values, this phenomenon is called "voltage distortion"
and it negatively affects consumers.
[0042] In its turn, different winding currents induce different flows, which, due to the
presence of magnetic relationships between the phases, are aligned, that is
Φa=
Φb=
Φc.
[0043] According to Maxwell's law, the voltage or EMF is determined by the change in the
flow over time
Uj =
ej = -
dΦ
j/
dt, where
j =
a,
b,
c, therefore, the secondary voltages of the phases are aligned, that is
Ua =
Ub =
Uc.
[0044] The technical result of this causal relationship is the identification of a new property
of the claimed transformer, which consists in independent balancing of secondary voltages
in the case of its unbalanced load, in other words, the transformer has assumed the
functions of a balancing device.
[0045] The presence in each phase of the transformer, besides of the main 3, additional
windings 4 allows smooth and in a wide range of self-regulation of secondary voltages
when the load changes by connecting the main and additional windings in series according
to the diagrams shown in Fig. 13 for one phase and for three phases in Fig. 14.
[0046] The essence of voltage self-regulation is as follows: a change in the load current
causes a change in the magnetomotive force (MMF) of the additional or control winding
connected in series with the main winding.
[0047] A change in the MMF will cause a change in the flux, which is adequate to a change
in the EMF of the additional winding. With an increase in load, its EMF increases,
with a decrease, it decreases. When the windings are connected in series, the EMF
of the main and additional windings are added, that is, the output voltage increases.
In the case of a decrease in load, the EMF of the additional winding decreases, which
will lead to a decrease in the output voltage.
[0048] Common with RF patent No.
2422935 is the possibility of changing the voltage by a given transformation coefficient
of additional windings.
[0049] The difference from the claimed patent lies in the elimination of the dependence
of the design of the control transformer on the nature of the load, in the complete
rejection of a separate control transformer, as well as from the devices for connecting
the main and control transformers.
[0050] The presence of additional windings in each phase of the transformer is an essential
feature because it determines the technical result, which consists in identifying
a new function that the transformer can perform - the possibility of independent self-regulation
of secondary voltages when the load changes without any external intervention. Such
a function is adequate to the function of a voltage stabilizer. The patented transformers
are produced in a dry version, that is, they do not need a forced cooling system (tank,
oil, radiators, pumps, pipelines, etc.), due, firstly, to the good thermal conductivity
of steel and heat removal by a hexagonal yoke and, secondly, due to the elimination
by the transformer itself of the "voltage distortion", and, consequently, the overload
of the windings with currents.
[0051] The obtained technical and economic indicators testify the creation of a transformer
of a unified design with improved production technology, improved weight and size
characteristics compared to the prototype, which combines the functions of a transformer
with the functions of a higher harmonic filter, balancing device and voltage stabilizer.