A Study of Power Formers and Their Impact on Power System Reliability and Environment
Surender Kumar Yellagoud1, Naman Bhadula2, Siddharth Sobt3
1Surender Kumar Yellagoud, He had worked in Tata Motors, Engineering Research Centre, Pune, and other Industrial and Academic institutions in India.
2Munjuluri Sree Harsha, B.Tech Student Specialized in the Area of Power Systems Engineering, from University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun.
3Bhamidipati, B.Tech Student Specialized in the Area of Power Systems Engineering, from University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun.
Manuscript received on May 19, 2013. | Revised Manuscript received on June 14, 2013. | Manuscript published on June 30, 2013. | PP: 219-226 | Volume-2, Issue-5, June 2013. | Retrieval Number: E1746062513/2013©BEIESP
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© The Authors. Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Abstract: Conventional high-voltage generators are designed with voltage levels rated to maximum of 30 kV. The power grids with voltages as high as 1,100 kV cannot be directly supplied from these generators, power step-up transformers are used to transform the generated voltage to high transmission voltage level suitable for the interface with the transmission grid. These transformers impose significant drawbacks on the power plant as a whole – reduction in efficiency, high maintenance costs, more space, less availability, and an increased environmental impact. During the last century, a number of attempts were made at developing a high-voltage generator, the Powerformer, that could be connected directly to the power grid, without step-up transformer. When XLPE-insulated cables were introduced in the 1960s there were some initial problems with their reliability, caused by poor control of the manufacturing processes. These problems have since been overcome, and today’s high-voltage XLPE-insulated cables have an impressive track record. Therefore, the development of the Powerformer is inherently linked to the reliability and the development of the XLPE insulated cables. The powerformer has opened a new technological chapter in the generation and transmission of electrical energy. The technological advantage offered by the powerformer was studied in good detail and their impact on reliability in particular and environment in general was highlighted.
Keywords: Powerformers, high-voltage generators, power system reliability, power step-up transformers, conventional generator.