Simulation of a distribution transformer

Within transformer industry, one of the thermal design key parameters in this type of devices is the determination of the transformer cooling oil temperature. Several researchers, including manufacturers and people from professional associations like IEEE, have proposed thermal models ranging from the simplified analytical to the computational of concentrated parameters which predict the oil temperature within the transformer cooling ducts of the high and low voltage windings of this type of energy conversion device. In this work, a computational thermal model that predicts the oil temperature distribution in winding ducts of a 1000 kVA one-phase transformeris proposed. This model was developed based on the finite volume technique that is used in Fluent ™. It was found that the temperature distribution obtained from the model agrees well with experimental data for a transformer with the same power capacity.