Transformer Voltage Drop Calculator

Calculate voltage regulation and losses for single phase and three phase transformers

Transformer Voltage Drop Calculator

Compliant with IEEE C57.12.00 Standards

Results:

Voltage Drop (V): 0.00

Voltage Drop (%): 0.00

Secondary Terminal Voltage (V): 0.00

Voltage Regulation (%): 0.00

Power Loss (kW): 0.00

How to Use Transformer Voltage Drop Calculator

Single Phase Transformers

  1. Select "Single Phase" configuration
  2. Enter primary voltage (line-to-neutral for single phase)
  3. Input secondary voltage rating
  4. Specify transformer kVA rating
  5. Enter actual load current in amperes
  6. Input power factor of the load (0.1 to 1.0)
  7. Enter transformer impedance percentage (typically 2-6%)
  8. Input resistance percentage (typically 1-3%)

Three Phase Transformers

  1. Select "Three Phase" configuration
  2. Enter primary line-to-line voltage
  3. Input secondary line-to-line voltage
  4. Specify transformer kVA rating
  5. Enter actual load current per phase
  6. Input power factor of the load
  7. Enter transformer impedance percentage
  8. Input resistance percentage

Understanding Results

  1. Voltage Drop: Actual voltage reduction in volts and percentage
  2. Terminal Voltage: Actual voltage available at secondary terminals
  3. Voltage Regulation: Percentage change from no-load to full-load
  4. Power Loss: Energy lost as heat in transformer windings
  5. Good regulation is typically below 5% for power transformers

How to Calculate Transformer Voltage Drop

Voltage Drop Components

Transformer voltage drop consists of:

  • Resistive Drop: I × R × cos(φ) - due to winding resistance
  • Reactive Drop: I × X × sin(φ) - due to leakage reactance
  • Total Drop: Vector sum of resistive and reactive components
  • Load Factor: Ratio of actual load to rated load

Key Parameters

  • Impedance (Z%): Total impedance as percentage of rated voltage
  • Resistance (R%): Winding resistance as percentage
  • Reactance (X%): X% = √(Z² - R²)
  • Power Factor: Cosine of phase angle between voltage and current

Step-by-Step Calculation Example

Given: 500 kVA, 11kV/400V, 3-phase transformer

Load Current: 720A, Power Factor: 0.8, Z%: 4%, R%: 1.2%

Step 1: Calculate reactance percentage

X% = √(Z² - R²) = √(4² - 1.2²) = √(16 - 1.44) = 3.82%

Step 2: Calculate load factor

Rated Current = 500,000 ÷ (√3 × 400) = 721.7A

Load Factor = 720 ÷ 721.7 = 0.998

Step 3: Calculate voltage drop percentage

VD% = Load Factor × (R% × cos(φ) + X% × sin(φ))

VD% = 0.998 × (1.2 × 0.8 + 3.82 × 0.6) = 0.998 × (0.96 + 2.29) = 3.24%

Step 4: Calculate actual voltage drop

Voltage Drop = 400V × 3.24% = 12.96V

Result: Terminal Voltage = 400 - 12.96 = 387.04V

Calculation Formulas

Single Phase:
VD% = (I/I_rated) × (R% × cos(φ) + X% × sin(φ))

Three Phase:
VD% = (I/I_rated) × (R% × cos(φ) + X% × sin(φ))

Reactance:
X% = √(Z%² - R% ²)

Power Loss:
P_loss = I² × R × (I/I_rated)²

Where:

VD% = Voltage drop percentage

I = Load current (A)

I_rated = Rated current (A)

R% = Resistance percentage

X% = Reactance percentage

cos(φ) = Power factor

sin(φ) = √(1 - cos²(φ))

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