2/15/2018 What is ONAN in the transformer nameplate?

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What is ONAN in the transformer nameplate? How do transformers work?

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Suvra Pattanayak, Master of technology Power Systems & Electrical What is a motor/generator nameplate?
Engineering, Netaji Subhash Engineering College (2015)
Answered Mar 9, 2016 What is a voltage transformer and a current
transformer?
Transformers  convert energy at one voltage level to another voltage level.
During the process of energy transfer ,losses occur in the winding of the If a step down Transformer is connected with its
output and Input interchanged, does it work as a
transformer. This losses appear as heat that may burn the winding of the step up transformer?
transformer. So to make the transformer healthier cooling is needed.
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In the nameplate Four letter represents the cooling method of the transformer. More Related Questions

Question Stats

11 Public Followers
21,606 Views

Last Asked Mar 7, 2016

Edits

So ONAN means Oils-Natural-Air-Natural

The cooling by the air is not so effective and proves insufficient for the
transformer medium sized .Then the oil used as coolant. 

This is the most  usual method of cooling.

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Here the assembly of core and windings is immersed in insulating oil

contained in iron tank.

The heat produced in core and windings passed on to oil by

conduction.Oil in contact with heated parts rises and its place is taken
by cool oil from the bottom.

The heated oil transfers its heat to the tank surface which dissipates it
to the surroundings

This type of transformer cooling method used tranfromer capacity upto about 5
MVA or loss upto 50 kw.

For further information

Transformer Cooling System and Methods

Cooling Methods of a Transformer

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Yashpal Singh Gohil, Experience in Open Access, Electrical Maintenance &

Energy Auditor in Making
Answered Mar 7, 2016

ONAN on the name plate defines the cooling mechanism in the transformer

O-OIL

N-NATURAL

A-AIR

A-NATURAL,

in short it means that cooling by air and oil is done naturally and not forced,

ONAN Cooling of Transformer

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ONAN Cooling of Transformer

This is the simplest transformer cooling system. The full form of ONAN is "Oil
Natural Air Natural". Here natural convectional flow of hot oil is utilized for
cooling. In convectional circulation of oil, the hot oil flows to the upper portion
of the transformer tank and the vacant place is occupied by cold oil. This hot oil
which comes to upper side, will dissipate heat in the atmosphere by natural
conduction, convection & radiation in air and  will become cold. In this way the
oil in the transformer tank continually circulate when the transformer put into
load. As the rate of dissipation of heat in air depends upon dissipating surface of
the oil tank, it is essential to increase the effective surface area of the tank. So
additional dissipating surface in the form of tubes or radiators connected to the
transformer tank. This is known as radiator of transformer or radiator bank of
transformer. We have shown below a simplest form on natural cooling or ONAN
cooling arrangement of an earthing transformer below.

ONAF Cooling of Transformer

Heat dissipation can obviously be increased, if dissipating surface is increased

but it can be make further faster by applying forced air flow on that dissipating
surface. Fans blowing air on cooling surface is employed. Forced air takes away
the heat from the surface of radiator and provides better cooling than natural
air. The full form of ONAF is "Oil Natural Air Forced".  As the heat dissipation
rate is faster and more in ONAF transformer cooling method than ONAN cooling
system, electrical power transformer can be put into more load without
crossing the permissible temperature limits.

OFAF Cooling of Transformer

In oil forced air natural cooling system of transformer, the heat dissipation is
accelerated by using forced air on the dissipating surface but circulation of the
hot oil in transformer tank is natural convectional flow.

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The heat dissipation rate can be still increased further if this oil circulation is
accelerated by applying some force. In OFAF cooling system the oil is forced to
circulate within the closed loop of transformer tank by means of oil pumps.
OFAF means "Oil Forced Air Forced" cooling methods of transformer. The main
advantage of this system is that it is compact system and for same cooling
capacity OFAF occupies much less space than farmer two systems of
transformer cooling. Actually in oil natural cooling system, the heat comes out
from conducting part of the transformer is displaced from its position, in slower
rate due to convectional flow of oil but in forced oil cooling system the heat is
displaced from its origin as soon as it comes out in the oil, hence rate of cooling
becomes faster.

OFWF Cooling of Transformer

We know that ambient temperature of water is much less than the atmospheric
air in same weather condition. So water may be used as better heat exchanger
media than air. In OFWF cooling system of transformer, the hot oil is sent to a oil
to water heat exchanger by means of oil pump and there the oil is cooled by
applying sowers of cold water on the heat exchanger's oil pipes. OFWF means 
"Oil Forced Water Forced" cooling in transformer.

ODAF Cooling of Transformer

ODAF or oil directed air forced cooling of transformer can be considered as the
improved version of OFAF. Here forced circulation of oil directed to flow
through predetermined paths in transformer winding. The cool oil entering the
transformer tank from cooler or radiator is passed through the winding where
gaps for oil flow or pre-decided oil flowing paths between insulated conductor
are provided for ensuring faster rate of heat transfer. ODAF or oil directed air
forced cooling of transformer is generally used in very high rating transformer.

ODWF Cooling of Transformer

ODAF or oil directed water forced cooling of transformer is just like ODAF only
difference is that here the hot oil is cooled in cooler by means of forced water
instead of air. Both of these transformer cooling methods are called forced
directed oil cooling of transformer

source-

Transformer Cooling System and Methods

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Arpan Hota, Elecrical Engineer

Answered May 1, 2016

ONAN Cooling of Transformer

This is the simplest transformer cooling system. The full form of ONAN is "Oil
Natural Air Natural". Here natural convectional flow of hot oil is utilized for
cooling. In convectional circulation of oil, the hot oil flows to the upper portion
of the transformer tank and the vacant place is occupied by cold oil. This hot oil
which comes to upper side, will dissipate heat in the atmosphere by natural
conduction, convection & radiation in air and  will become cold. In this way the
oil in the transformer tank continually circulate when the transformer put
into load. As the rate of dissipation of heat in air depends upon dissipating
surface of the oil tank, it is essential to increase the effective surface area of the
tank. So additional dissipating surface in the form of tubes or radiators
connected to the transformer tank. This is known as radiator of transformer or
radiator bank of transformer. We have shown below a simplest form on natural
cooling or ONAN cooling arrangement of an earthing transformer below.

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Vivek Brahmbhatt, Electrons run through my veins.

Answered Mar 7, 2016

ONAN stands for Oil Natural Air Natural. Large transformers generally have
different MVA ratings, according to the cooling system employed. In this
system, the oil used for cooling purpose (insulation as well) circulates naturally
through the radiator, where it dissipates its heat through all conduction,
convection and radiation. The cooled oil takes its place back in the tank, and the
cycle continues.

In ONAN, this cycle (cooling) is not aided by artificial means. In ONAF (Air
Forced) type, cooling fans are kept below the radiator fins which aid the cooling

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better, which means that the transformer can tolerate more heating up of the oil,
which means that it can allow more current through its winding, which means it
can transfer more load (MVA), hence the MVA rating is more in case of ONAF
compared to ONAN.

For example, ONAN rating might be 174 MVA and ONAF rating for the same
machine can be 190 MVA.

Image of the radiator fins is attached:

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Sachin Sinha, Power engineer

Answered Mar 7, 2016

ONAN stands for oil natural air natural. It defines the cooling system utilised in
the transformers. There are several types of cooling system and this is one of
them. The other being
1. OFAF- Oil forced Air forced

2. OFAN

3. ONAF

This tells us whether the cooling medium is naturally moving or forced by

means of pumps and fans for oil and air respectively.
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Shashank Sharma, Engineer in the making.

Answered Mar 7, 2016

ONAN refers to the mode of cooling provided to the transformer.

It stands for "Oil Natural Air Natural".

This means that the transformer is cooled by natural circulation of air around
radiators and also by natural circulation of oil in them.
Various types of other cooling modes can be provided like:

ONAF: Oil Natural Air Forced

Here in addition to natural oil cooling air is forced around radiators through

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fans.

OFAF: Oil Forced Air Forced

Here the transformer is provided with fans for forced air cooling along with a
motor that forces the oil to circulate in the body and radiators leading to better
cooling. Usually used with transformers of large ratings.

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Annamalai Muthukaruppan, studied Electrical Engineering

Answered Mar 7, 2016

ONAN written on the nameplate of a transformer means Oil Natural Air Natural.
This is the mode of cooling of that transformer. This implies that the insulation
medium used inside transformer is oil and it's flow inside the transformer is
natural. The flow is natural by the simple heat principle of thermodynamics i.e.
hot oil tries to come up and cool oil tries to go down. And the oil is then cooled
by the natural flow of air outside the transformer. This type of transformers can
be seen mostly in distribution type transformers due to its low voltage capacity.

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Abhishek Sharma, 3 years of experience in Planning of Internal & External

Electrification Work
Answered Mar 13, 2016

There are different ways of cooling transformer in order to protect from thermal
degradation.
1)ONAN-Oil natural air natural
2)ONAF- Oil natural air forces
3)OFWF- Oil forced water forced
4)ODAF-Oil directed air forced
5)ODWF- Oil directed water forced
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Viral Prajapati, I am working in the field of power system analysis for last
four years
Answered Mar 9, 2016

Answer given here are true..particularly by Suvra Pattanayak is descriptive.

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Srihari Mele Veedu M

Answered Mar 7, 2016

Type of cooling the transformer has. ONAN is oil natural air natural type of
cooling.

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