What is the purpose of instrument transformers?

Here, we will discuss What is the purpose of instrument transformers?, What is the purpose of CT and PT?, What is the role of instrument transformer in power system protection?

What is the purpose of instrument transformers?

Instrument transformers play a crucial role in electrical systems by providing accurate, isolated measurement of high voltage and high current levels. These transformers serve two main purposes: measuring voltage through potential transformers (PTS) and measuring current through current transformers (CT).

Current transformers (CTS) are primarily used to resign high currents flowing through power lines to levels suitable for safe and accurate measurement by instruments such as meters, relays and protection devices. They provide a reduced secondary current proportional to the primary current flowing through the conductor they surround, allowing precise measurement and monitoring of current flow in the system.

What is the purpose of CT and PT?

Potential transformers (PTs), also called voltage transformers (VTs), step up high voltages to smaller, more manageable levels for voltage measurement and protection. They produce a reduced secondary voltage proportional to the primary voltage, allowing precise measurement and monitoring of voltage by instruments and control systems.

What is the role of instrument transformer in power system protection?

In power system protection, instrument transformers play a vital role in relaying accurate information about current and voltage levels to protective devices. CTS and PTS provide inputs to protective relays, which analyze electrical parameters and initiate appropriate actions, such as trip circuit breakers or faulty equipment isolation, to protect the power system from abnormal conditions such as overcurrents, overvoltages and faults.

Instrument transformers operate based on the principle of electromagnetic induction. They use mutual induction between the primary and secondary windings to accurately reproduce the current or voltage waveform of the primary circuit at reduced levels on the secondary side. This principle allows safe and precise measurement of electrical parameters without directly exposing measuring instruments or control systems to high voltages or currents present in the primary circuit.

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