Arduino based Transformer Protection

Abstract— The main intention of this project is to design a Arduino based system that
can be used in power transformer protection. The system checks the operating
parameters of the transformer i.e. current and reports the quantity that is flowing
through the transformer. The system is designed such that it is able to detect currents
above the normal operating level and isolate the power transformer from the
distribution line. This isolation process is to ensure that the transformer is safe from any
excess current levels that can make it to overheat thus get damaged. It gives a solution to
the need to reduce cost of maintenance and ensure that supply of electricity to
consumers is not interrupted for long periods taken while repairing or replacing
destroyed transformers.

Keywords—Transformer protection, Arduino, Current Sensor

I. Introduction
In the design of electrical power transmission and distribution system, there are various
factors that need to be considered in the quest to satisfy the needs of electricity consumers.
Electrical power systems experience faults at various times due to various reasons. These faults
must be foreseen and safety precautions applied to the power system. Power system protection is
very essential and necessary for a dependable electrical power supply. It ensures that the system
is protected from itself and that the consumer is also safe as he benefits from the electrical
power supply. An electrical power system consists of various components such as generators,
switches, transmission cables, transformers, capacitor banks among other components. It cannot
therefore operate without an effective protective device to keep these components safe and the
system stable. Faults in a power system refer to the undesired conditions that occur in the
electrical power system. These conditions may include short circuit, over current, overvoltage,
high temperatures among others. An increase in load leads to a lot of current drawn from the
power line. Every transformer is designed to comfortably supply a given load. Cases of overload
or short circuits can lead to transformer being damaged. To combat such occurrence, an
elaborate system that monitors these excesses in supply parameters needs to be built. Such a
device controls the flow of electrical power to the load so that the transformer is not
overworked. Over current relays and overvoltage relays have been used for a long period of time
and have been electromechanically controlled. In this system, a microcontroller is used to
monitor cases of electrical faults and communicate to a switch to isolate the transformer from
the system.

II. Objective
Power system protection is a very important consideration in the design of an electrical power
system. There is need to protect electrical power components from dangerous faults. This is
warranted by the need to increase the life of the components, avoid unnecessary expenditure in
frequent replacement of obsolete components and to ensure that there is a continuous supply
of power to serve the needs of the ever growing economy. This project therefore seeks to
design a microcontroller based system that will intelligently monitor faults and prompt a safety
measure to protect the power transformer in case of power overload. The extent of the work is
to build a device that detects current spikes/overload in the primary and secondary sides of a
single phase transformer and isolate it from the power system.

III. PROPOSED SYSTEM

In proposed system Arduino based system will intelligently monitor faults and prompt a safety
measure to protect the power transformer in case of power overload. A device must be
designed to cut off consumption if the system oversteps its ability thus being dangerous to
users and the components. In this project, we look at the protection of power transformer from
various faults that may occur and may be destructive to the component if left undetected.

Fig 1:.Basic Block diagram

Basic block diagram of whole model as shown in figure 1. The functions of each block or device which
are used in this methodology for the protection purposed are explain below.

1) Current Transformer (CT): CT are generally used to measure the high value of current. It’s
necessary for protection and control the fault. A current sensor is a device that detects and
converts current to an easily measured output voltage, which is proportional to the current
through the measured path. When a current flows through a wire or in a circuit, voltage drop
occurs. CT act as current sensor.
2) Potential Transformer (PT): PT are also generally used to measure the high voltage
application. To measure the high voltage by stepping down the voltage. The Potential
transformer is act as voltage sensor which is used to sense or measure the voltage flow from the
system. The potential transformer place parallel to the load. The bridge rectifier convert AC
voltages into DC voltage and attached to the analog pin of microcontroller. For calibration
purpose, we use the pots (Variable resistor) to change the supply voltage and produce under
voltage and over voltage fault in the power system.
3)Relay: The function of relay is to disconnect the supply when the faulty condition is happened.
The relay circuit is connected to Arduino Board with using of opto-coupler (pc817). Opto-
coupler is used for protects the microcontroller from high voltage spikes and the isolation
purpose. The transistor is used in relay circuit to operate the relay. The output of Arduino
become high, the relay circuit will operate and trips the load.In this project 16Amp PLA MPR2C
24 relay is used.

Fig 2: Relay

4)Contactor: When a relay is used to switch a large amount of electrical power through its
contacts, it is referred to as a contactor. Contactors basically have several contacts, and which
are usually (but not always) normally-open, so that power to the load is shut off when the coil is
de-energized. 3TF power contactors are suitable for switching and controlling squirrel cage and
slip-ring motors as well as other AC loads,uch as solenoids, capacitors, lighting loads, heating
loads and transformer loads.
 Fig 3: Power contactor
5)LCD: LCD is used to show all result on screen. Most common LCDs connected to the
microcontrollers are 16x2 and 20x2 displays. In research 16pin (LMB162AFC) LCD is used to
display the parameters of transformer such as voltage, current and temperature. Arduino Platform
communicates with the LCD using serial communication protocol.

6)Arduino Kit: Arduino Uno is used for implementing the digital controller. Arduino Uno is an
AVR based upon microcontroller board. It has ATmega328 microcontroller and other on board
peripherals including 16 MHz crystal. Programming is done in C language. Detailed Arduino
board diagram is shown in figure 4.
 Fig 4: Arduino kit

IV. Project hardware

The experimental setup as shown below. In this, we used wood board to mount the whole
circuitary and devices like, Arduino kit, current sensor, voltage sensor, LCD . Also,used one
extention board to give the supply easily.
Fig.5 : Experimental Setup(when load exceeds the Threshold)
Fig.6 : Experimental Setup(when load is blow the Threshold)
V. Result
When the rating of current and voltage reaches its defined threshold value, then the load is cut-
off. If current or voltage exceeds its defined limits then load would be cut-off and bulb would be
turn ON Testing results are as given below.

Table I : Effect of Load Variation

Sr.No. Current Load
1 ¿ 500 A ON
2 ¿ 500 A OFF

VI. CONCLUSION

From this project we can, calculate the current flowing through the circuit and analyzed it. The
C.T. is used to measure the current and display on the LCD display. The relay is used for
tripping operation. When the fault occurs due to overloading or over voltages then
microcontroller will energies the relay coil to trip the circuit thus protects the transformer.

REFFERANCE
[1] Prof. R.B.Pandhare1, Parmanand Waghmare, Ashwini Gavande, Gopal Bahekar
“Transformer Protection by Using Arduino with GSM Modem” students of Electrical
engg. Special issue National Conference “CONVERGENCE 2017”,9th April 2017
(IJRAT).
[2] Automatic Method Of Protecting Transformer Using Pic Microcontroller As An
Alternative To The Fuse Protection Technique A. Z. Loko1, A. I. Bugaje2, A.A. Bature3
[3] Fundamentals of Power System Protection by yeshwant G. Paithankar, S. R. Bhide.
[4] Proceedings of Rural Electrical Power Conference, IEEE, Vol. 4, pp.
[5] U.V.Patil1, Kathe Mohan2, Harkal Saurabh3, Warhade Nilesh4 “Transformer Health
Condition Monitoring Using GSM Technology”, Vol-2 Issue-2 2016 IJARIIE.