Rectifier and furnace transformers Photos

Special consideration is needed for transformers in industrial applications involving arc furnaces or heavy-current dc loads in electrochemical plant. The primary windings in such cases are usually rated at 33 kV or 132 kV in the UK, but the secondary windings carry many thousands of amperes and are rated at less than 1 kV. Current sharing between parallel paths in the transformer becomes important because of the magnetic fields created by the high currents. These strong magnetic fields can cause excess heating in magnetic steels if these are used in the structure of the transformer, because of the flow of proximity currents in the steel. To reduce this excess heating, non-magnetic steel is often used to form part of the tank or the cover.
The OLTCs in furnace transformers are subject to a heavy duty; they may perform hundreds of thousands of operating cycles a year, which is more than a lifetime’s duty for many transmission transformers.

90MVA Furnace Transformer

Largest furnace transformer with 105 MVA Siemens