Current Transformers

What is the purpose of a current transformer? It measures alternating current flowing through a conductor. Since it is used to measure current, a current transformer is often classified as a type of instrument transformer. One could measure the voltage drop across a known resistor. This is okay for low current applications but is often impractical for high current applications. The resistor consumes a lot of power (lowering efficiency) unless the resistor is very low in value, in which case there may be very little voltage to measure. The resistor could be excessively large. The resistors heat may affect the resistor value, thereby reducing the accuracy of the measurement. A current transformer can accurately measure the alternating current and put out a reasonable voltage, which is proportional to the current, but without as much heat and size that an appropriate resistor would require. The current transformer can perform its function with very little insertion loss into the conductor current being measured. The current transformer also provides voltage isolation between the conductor and the measuring circuitry. Proper function of a current transformer requires use of a load resistor. The load resistor is often referred to as a burden resistor. The best core structure for a current transformer in terms of electrical performance is a toroidal coil. Many toroidal current transformers have only one winding. This winding is usually a high turns winding which functions as the secondary winding. In application, the toroidal current transformer is slipped over an end of a high current wire or buss bar, which conducts the primary current. Said wire or buss bar constitutes a one turn primary winding. Split core current transformers are designed so that they can be assembled around a buss bar without disconnecting the buss bar. "C"- cores and "U" core structures are commonly used for split-core current transformers because they are relatively easy to take apart and put back together around the buss bar. Historically, this has not been practical for toroidal coils, but there are now some flexible toroids, which permit the split-core feature of installing it around a buss bar. They have limited application. Some printed circuit board applications will utilize bobbin wound current transformers with two or more windings. One winding is an integral part of the circuitry, while the other winding acts the secondary. Butler Winding can make (and has made) current transformers in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. This includes toroids, U and C cores for split-core applications; various standard types of "core with bobbin" structures (E, EP, EFD, PQ, POT, and others), and some custom designs. Our upper limits are 40 pounds of weight and 2 kilowatts of power. We have experience

Current Transformer Theory of Operation. In the typical current transformer application, the primary winding consists of one to a few turns of wire. The primary wire size is much larger than the secondary wire size. The number of secondary winding turns is a selected multiple of the primary turns. Figure 1 gives a circuit schematic of a current transformer application. The current transformer shown represents an ideal transformer. The ideal transformer has infinite no-load input impedance, 100% magnetic coupling between transformer windings (hence no leakage inductance), zero winding resistance, zero core losses, and no capacitance. (Capacitance, leakage inductance, winding resistance, and core losses are considered to be parasitic components.) The output voltage is exactly proportional to the primary voltage times the turns' ratio. There is no regulation drop. There are no losses. Since there are no parasitic components the ideal current transformer is 100% accurate. The conservation of energy requires that the output power equals the input power, hence Vp x Ip must equal Vs x Is. Since Vs = Vp x Ns / Np, it can be shown that Is = Ip x Np / Ns. Is = Vs / RL, hence Ip = Ns x Vs / ( RL x Np ). With an ideal current transformer there is no phase shift (except 180 degrees depending on the choice of output connections). The ideal transformers secondary resistive load consumes power equal to Is x Is x RL. This same amount of power must be consumed at the primary terminals. The secondary load RL can be replaced (commonly referred to as reflected) with a resistor across the primary terminals, RLr. By applying the conservation of energy, one can show that RLr equals Np x Np x RL / (Ns x Ns), OR RLr equals RL times the turns ratio squared (where turns ratio = Np / Ns). If Np / Ns is small, then the RLr is very small. The primary voltage drop is Ip x RLr. A very small value for RLr means that the current transformer presents a low insertion loss to the primary current and a low primary voltage drop.