Electronic Voltage and Current Transformers Testing Device.docVIP

Sensors 2012, 12, 1042-1051; doi:10.3390/s120101042 OPEN ACCESS sensors ISSN 1424-8220 /journal/sensors Article Electronic Voltage and Current Transformers Testing Device Feng Pan *, Ruimin Chen, Yong Xiao and Weiming Sun Electric Power Research Institute of Guangdong Power Grid Corporation, No. 8 Shuijungang Dongfengdong Road, 510080 Guangzhou, China; E-Mails: RMCH@263.NET(R.C.); xiaoyong_gddky@163.com (Y.X.); swm2804@139.com (W.S.) * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: pf6601@163.com; Tel.: +86-020-8512-4444; Fax: +86-020-8731-8126. Received: 2 December 2011; in revised form: 7 January 2012 / Accepted: 10 January 2012 / Published: 18 January 2012 Abstract: A method for testing electronic instrument transformers is described, including electronic voltage and current transformers (EVTs, ECTs) with both analog and digital outputs. A testing device prototype is developed. It is based on digital signal processing of the signals that are measured at the secondary outputs of the tested transformer and the reference transformer when the same excitation signal is fed to their primaries. The test that estimates the performance of the prototype has been carried out at the National Centre for High Voltage Measurement and the prototype is approved for testing transformers with precision class up to 0.2 at the industrial frequency (50 Hz or 60 Hz). The device is suitable for on-site testing due to its high accuracy, simple structure and low-cost hardware. Keywords: EVTs; ECTs; testing device; ratio error; phase error 1. Introduction Nowadays, there are a variety of types of instrument transformers based on different measurement principles in electric power systems. They can be based on air core coils [1], shunts [2], capacitors [3], resistors [4], optical principles (e.g., Faraday’s and Pockel’s effects [5]) and so on. Their outputs have different forms, from voltage and current analog signals to digital signals