Transformer Voltage

Our lives are so woven around the many electronic devices that it is impossible to even pause and imagine what we would do if we suddenly lost the gift of electricity. There is hardly any part of human life that does not rely on electricity. Since our economy depends on trade and trade depends on local industry, electric power becomes even more important for the survival of our society and healthy interaction among the societies. Besides the numerous manufacturing and fabrication units we have also entered the information age where everyone relies on computers and that adds another layer of importance to the availability of electric power.

There are many different users of electrical power and all of them have varying requirements on the type of power that they need. Most residential areas are quite content to trot along at 240 volts AC but commercial premises often demand a high voltage measure in Kilovolts. This creates a problem because there is only one power station to supply them both with electricity. This requires the power station to generate power at some specified level and then distributed to different areas based on their requirement.

In this whole process the voltage needs to be either increased or decreased and for that purposes we use voltage transformers. This makes transformer voltage a very important factor in the overall power supply of any area. A power station will generate power at a high rating of 12-15 Kilovolts and the transformer voltage will be stepped up to 220 Kilovolts or higher if required. The local distribution stations that are the last point between power supply station and consumer will have transformers to step down the voltage to the individual requirements. This is how transformer voltage helps in the distribution of electric power.

The transformer is a device that has no moving parts and is defined as one that can step up or step down voltage in AC current. In a step up transformer the output voltage will be higher than the input voltage and vice versa. The transformer contains two windings for this purpose and since either winding can act as input or output, a single transformer can be used as a step up or step down transformer, in theory. There are safety standards that prohibit such reversal in the transformer voltage and that is why all transformers are designed and used for a single function, either step up or step down.

The transformer voltage is controlled using a core that comprises of steel stampings. This core is the central structure around which the primary and secondary induction coils are wound. Both coils are well insulated from each other to avoid damage and ensure safety. The number of turns in the windings of both the primary and secondary coils is what determines whether the transformer voltage will be stepped up or down. To step up the voltage the secondary coil should have more windings than the first and vice versa. This whole assembly is contained inside a tank that makes the main body of the transformer. The tank has heat sinks and is also filled with coolant oil.

Input voltage is provided to the primary coil that induces electricity in the secondary coil from where output is taken.