Determining the magnetically nonlinear characteristics of a three phase core-type power transformer

Abstract This paper presents nonlinear iron core model of a three-phase, three-limb power transformer which is given by the current-dependant characteristics of flux linkages. The magnetically nonlinear characteristics are determined by controlled magnetic excitation of all three limbs which allows to take into account the variable magnetic-cross couplings between different coils placed on limbs, caused by saturation. The corresponding partial derivatives of measured flux linkage characteristics are used in the transformer circuit model as a magnetically nonlinear iron core model in order to analyze the behaviour of a nonsymmetrically excited transformer. Numerical results using transformer model with the determined iron core model agree very well with the measured results.