Analyzing the temperature and frequency dependence of eddy currents in transformer windings

Abstract

Eddy current effects, which include skin and proximity effects, are usually associated only with frequency, but they are also affected by temperature. This paper analyzes the effect of both, temperature and frequency on skin and proximity effects in transformer windings. When analyzing transformer windings, despite the existence of powerful finite element analysis (FEA) modules, they return the total contribution of eddy current effects and do not separate the contributions of skin and proximity effects. This paper proposes an analytical method to determine the contribution of both effects to the AC winding resistance and leakage inductance based on the orthogonality of the skin and proximity effects. This method is based on the exact solution of the skin effect for an isolated round conductor combined with Dowell's solution of the proximity effect. Presented experimental results and FEA simulations based on a single-phase transformer have determined the accuracy of the proposed method, which allows accurate prediction of the temperature and frequency behavior of the winding resistance and leakage inductance.

Keywords

• Transformer
• Winding
• Inductor
• Skin effect
• Proximity effect
• Eddy currents