What is silica gel and its purpose

Function of Silica Gel Breather

Most of the power generation companies use silica gel breathers fitted to the conservator of oil filled transformers. The purpose of these silica gel breathers is to absorb the moisture in the air sucked in by the transformer during the breathing process.

What is Transformer Breathing?

When load on transformer increases or when the transformer under full load, the insulating oil of the transformer gets heated up, expands and gets expel out in to the conservator tank present at the top of the power transformer and subsequently pushes the dry air out of the conservator tank through the silica gel breather. This process is called breathing out of the transformer.

When the oil cools down, air from the atmosphere is drawn in to the transformer. This is called breathing in of the transformer.

Use of Silica gel breather

During the breathing process, the incoming air may consist of moisture and dirt which should be removed in order to prevent any damage. Hence the air is made to pass through the silica gel breather, which will absorb the moisture in the air and ensures that only dry air enters in to the transformer. Silica gel in the breather will be blue when installed and they turn to pink colour when they absorb moisture which indicates the crystals should be replaced. These breathers also have an oil cup fitted with, so that the dust particles get settled in the cup.

Thus Silica gel breathers provide an economic and efficient means of controlling the level of moisture entering the conservator tank during the breathing process.

AC bridge circuit

The bridge circuit :
                                  These are used for measuring component values, such as resistance inductance , capacitance etc. the bridge are compare the value of an unknown
components its measured accuracy is very high

Wheatstone Bridge :
                                      It is used for the measurement of d.c. resistance and a simple version the bridge has four resistor arms together with source of emf and null dector . The bridge is said to be balanced when the potential difference across the galvanometer is zero volts so there is no current through the galvanometer hence the bridge is balanced when R1 R4=R2R3

the Wheatstone widely used for precision measurement of resistance from approximately 1ohm to the low mega-ohm range

AC Bridge :
                     AC bridge are consist four arms a source of excitation and a null detector . The power source supplies an a.c. voltage to the bridge at the desired frequency . At higher frequencies. an oscillator generally supplies the excitation voltage . The null detector respond to an ac unbalance current and in its cheapest form consist of a repair headphone . other null dector maybe ac amplifier with an output meter or an electron ray tube indicator  the condition for bridge balances is 

ż1ż4=ż2ż3

Maxwell Bridge:
                          The Maxwell bridge is used to measures an unknown inductance in term of known capacitance . Once of the ratio arms has a resistance and capacitance in parallel. 

Maxwell bridge is limited to the measurement of medium Q-Coils (1<Q<10).  It is unsuit for the meaurement of coils with very low Q value (Q<1)

Hey Bridge circuit:
                                   It is different from Maxwell bridge is having R1 in series with standard capacitor C1 instead of being in parallel.
the value or Rs and Ls are given

Hey  Bridge is suited for the measurement  of high Q inductors having Q more then 10

Schering Bridge :
                                 It is used for measurement of capacitors particularly for measuring insulating properties .In other word for phase angle very nearly 90° . arm I has a parallel combination of a capacitor and combination of a resistor and a ca0acitor and standard arm contain only a capacitor

Wein Bridge :
                         The wein bridge has a series RC combination in one arm and a parallel RC combination in the adjoining arm. The frequecy of the applied voltage is

Wein bridge is used as a notch filter in harmonic distortion analyzer . 

It is used in audio and HF oscillator as frequency determining element
   

what is Tertiary winding

What is Tertiary Winding? What is Three Winding Transformer?
In some high rating transformer, one winding in addition to its primary and secondary winding is used. This additional winding, apart from primary and secondary windings, is known as Tertiary winding of transformer. Because of this third winding, the transformer is called three winding transformer or 3 winding transformer.

Advantages of Using Tertiary Winding in Transformer
Tertiary winding is provided in electrical power transformer to meet one or more of the following requirements-

a.) It reduces the unbalancing in the primary due ato unbalancing in three phase load.

b.) It redistributes the flow of fault current.

c.) Sometime it is required to supply an auxiliary load in different voltage level in addition to its main secondary load. This secondary load can be taken from tertiary winding of three winding transformer.

d.) As the tertiary winding is connected in delta formation in 3 winding transformer, it assists in limitation of fault current in the event of a short circuit from line to neutral.

Rating of Tertiary Winding of Transformer:
Rating of tertiary winding of transformer depends upon its use. If it has to supply additional load, its winding cross - section and design philosophy is decided as per load, and three phase dead short circuit on its terminal with power flow from both sides of HV and MV.
In case it is to be provided for stabilizing purpose only, its cross-section and design has to be decided from thermal and mechanical consideration for the short duration fault currents during various fault conditions single line to ground fault being the most onerous.

Purpose of Transformer Core

In an electrical power transformer, there are primary, secondary and may be tertiary windings. The performance of a transformer mainly depends upon the flux linkages between these windings. For efficient flux linking between these windings, one low reluctance magnetic path common to all windings should be provided in the transformer. This low reluctance magnetic path in transformer is known as core of transformer.

Measuring instrument

MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
1.1 Definition of instruments
An instrument is a device in which we can determine the magnitude or value of the quantity to be measured. The measuring quantity can be voltage, current, power and energy etc.

Generally instruments are classified in to two categories.
a.) Absolute Instrument
b.) Secondary Instrument

1.2 Absolute instrument
An absolute instrument determines the magnitude of the quantity to be measured in terms of the instrument parameter. This instrument is really used, because each time the value of the measuring quantities varies. So we have to calculate the magnitude of the measuring quantity,
analytically which is time consuming. These types of instruments are suitable for laboratory use.
Example: Tangent galvanometer.

1.3 Secondary instrument
This instrument determines the value of the quantity to be measured directly. Generally these instruments are calibrated by comparing with another standard secondary instrument.
Examples of such instruments are voltmeter, ammeter and wattmeter etc. Practically secondary instruments are suitable for measurement.

Secondary instruments
a) Indicating instruments
b) Recording Integrating c)Electromechanically
d) Indicating instruments

1.3.1 Indicating instrument
This instrument uses a dial and pointer to determine the value of measuring quantity. The pointer indication gives the magnitude of measuring quantity.

1.3.2 Recording instrument
This type of instruments records the magnitude of the quantity to be measured continuously over a specified period of time.

1.3.3 Integrating instrument
This type of instrument gives the total amount of the quantity to be measured over a specified period of time.

1.3.4 Electromechanical indicating instrument
For satisfactory operation electromechanical indicating instrument, three forces are necessary.
They are
(a) Deflecting force
(b) Controlling force
(c)Damping force

1.4 Deflecting force
When there is no input signal to the instrument, the pointer will be at its zero position. To deflect the pointer from its zero position, a force is necessary which is known as deflecting force. A system which produces the deflecting force is known as a deflecting system. Generally a deflecting system converts an electrical signal to a mechanical force.

1.4.1 Magnitude effect
When a current passes through the coil it produces a imaginary bar magnet. When a soft-iron piece is brought near this coil it is magnetized. Depending upon the current direction the poles are produced in such a way that there will be a force of attraction between the coil and the soft iron piece. This principle is used in moving iron attraction type instrument.
If two soft iron pieces are place near a current carrying coil there will be a force of repulsion between the two soft iron pieces. This principle is utilized in the moving iron repulsion type instrument.
1.4.2 Force between a permanent magnet and a current carrying coil
When a current carrying coil is placed under the influence of magnetic field produced by a permanent magnet and a force is produced between them. This principle is utilized in the moving
coil type instrument.
1.4.3 Force between two current carrying coil
When two current carrying coils are placed closer to each other there will be a force of repulsion between them. If one coil is movable and other is fixed, the movable coil will move away from
the fixed one. This principle is utilized in electrodynamometer type instrument.

1.5 Controlling force
To make the measurement indicated by the pointer definite (constant) a force is necessary which will be acting in the opposite direction to the deflecting force. This force is known as controlling
force. A system which produces this force is known as a controlled system. When the external signal to be measured by the instrument is removed, the pointer should return back to the zero position. This is possibly due to the controlling force and the pointer will be indicating a steady
value when the deflecting torque is equal to controlling torque.
Td = Tc

1.5.1 Spring control
Two springs are attached on either end of spindle .The spindle is placed in jewelled
bearing, so that the frictional force between the pivot and spindle will be minimum. Two springs are provided in opposite direction to compensate the temperature error. The spring is made of
phosphorous bronze. When a current is supply, the pointer deflects due to rotation of the spindle. While spindle is
rotate, the spring attached with the spindle will oppose the movements of the pointer. The torque produced by the spring is directly proportional to the pointer deflectionθ .
TC ∝θ (1.2)

The deflecting torque produced Td proportional to ‘I’. WhenTC = Td
, the pointer will come to a
steady position. Therefore
θ ∝ I
Since, θ and I are directly proportional to the scale of such instrument which uses spring
controlled is uniform.
1.6 Damping force
The deflection torque and controlling torque produced by systems are electro mechanical. Due to inertia produced by this system, the pointer oscillates about it final steady position before coming to rest. The time required to take the measurement is more. To damp out the oscillation is quickly, a damping force is necessary. This force is produced by different systems.
(a) Air friction damping
(b) Fluid friction damping
(c) Eddy current damping
1.6.1 Air friction damping
The piston is mechanically connected to a spindle through the connecting rod  The
pointer is fixed to the spindle moves over a calibrated dial. When the pointer oscillates in clockwise direction, the piston goes inside and the cylinder gets compressed. The air pushes the
piston upwards and the pointer tends to move in anticlockwise direction.
If the pointer oscillates in anticlockwise direction the piston moves away and the pressure of the
air inside cylinder gets reduced. The external pressure is more than that of the internal pressure.
Therefore the piston moves down wards. The pointer tends to move in clock wise direction.
1.6.2 Eddy current damping
An aluminum circular disc is fixed to the spindle . This disc is made to move in the
magnetic field produced by a permanent magnet.When the disc oscillates it cuts the magnetic flux produced by damping magnet. An emf is induced in the circular disc by faradays law. Eddy currents are established in the disc since it has
several closed paths. By Lenz’s law, the current carrying disc produced a force in a direction opposite to oscillating force. The damping force can be varied by varying the projection of the
magnet over the circular disc.