Current Transformer

A current transformer produces a reduced current accurately proportional to the current in the circuitis which is too high
to apply directly to metering and protecting instruments.

A current transformer isolates the measuring instruments from what may be very high voltage in the monitored circuit.
Current transformers are commonly used in metering and protective relays in the electrical power industry.

for measuring, metering and/or protective purposes.

there are two main standards to which current transformers are designed. IEC 1-60044 (BSEN 1-60044) & IEEE C57.13 (ANSI)

Main Primary
Conductor

Hollow Core

Ammeter

Primary Is
Ip
Current

Construction

Burden of current transformer

The secondary load of a current transformer is usually called the "burden" to distinguish it from the load of the circuit
whose current is being measured.

The burden, in a CT is the (largely resistive) impedance presented to its secondary winding. Typical burden ratings for IEC CTs
are 1.5 VA, 3 VA, 5 VA, 10 VA, 15 VA, 20 VA, 30 VA, 45 VA and 60 VA. As for ANSI/IEEE burden ratings are B0.1-, B0.2-, B0.5-, B1.0-,
B2.0- and B4.0-. Items that contribute to the burden of a current measurement circuit are switch-blocks, meters and intermediate
conductors. The most common source of excess burden is the conductor between the metering or protecting instruments and
the CT. The excessive length of wire creates a large resistance. This problem can be reduced by using CTs with lower ampere
secondaries, which will produce less voltage drop between a CT and the metering or protecting instruments.
Knee-point core-saturation voltage

The knee-point voltage of a current transformer is the voltage at which a 10% increase in applied voltage
increases the magnetizing current by 50%. At this point output current ceases to linearly follow the input
current within declared accuracy. The knee-point voltage is less applicable for metering current
transformers as their accuracy is generally much higher, but constrained within a very small range of the
current transformer rating, typically 1.2 to 1.5 times rated current. However, the concept of knee point
voltage is very pertinent to protection current transformers, since they are necessarily exposed to fault
currents of 20 to 30 times rated current.

Accuray Class, rating factor and phase shift

Accuray class is the limit of the permisible percentage current error at the rated current,rating factor is
a factor by which the nominal full load current of a CT can be multiplied to determine its absolute
maximum measurable primary current. The rating factor of a CT is largely dependent upon ambient
temperature.

Ideally the secondary current of a current transformer should be perfectly in phase with the primary
current. In practice, this is impossible to achieve, but phase shifts as low as a few tenths of a degree for
well constructed transformers up to as much as six degrees for simpler designs may be encountered.
For the purposes of current measurement, any phase shift is immaterial as the indicating ammeter,
only displays the magnitude of the current However, if the current transformer is used in conjunction
with the current circuit of a wattmeter, energy meter or power factor meter, any phase shift in the
Technical Notices

Error limits of CT class due to IEC 60044-1

The error limits at rated frequency apply to the classes 0.1 ... 1 at burden between 25% and 100% of rated burden (minimum 1 VA);
3 and 5 at burden between 50% and 100% of rated burden (minimum 1 VA);
5P and 10P at 100% of rated burden.
Power-factor = 1 at burden between 1 and 5 VA,
0.8 lagging at burden 5 VA.

Kind Class Current error in % at ... total error at Phase displacement in minutes at ...
1 5 20 50 100 120 150 200 n x IN 1 5 20 100 120 150 200
Percent of rated current in % Percent of rated current

1 0.1 0.4 0.2 0.1 0.1 10 15 8 5 5

0.2 0.75 0.35 0.2 0.2 10 30 15 10 10
0.2 S 0.75 0.35 0.2 0.2 0.2 10 30 15 10 10 10
0.5 1.5 0.75 0.5 0.5 10 90 45 30 30
0.5 S 1.5 0.75 0.5 0.5 0.5 10 90 45 30 30 30
1 3 1.5 1 1 10 180 90 60 60
3 3 3 10
5 5 5 10
2 0.1 ext.120% 0.4 0.2 0.1 0.1 10 15 8 5 5
0.1 ext.150% 0.4 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 10 15 8 5 5 5
0.1 ext.200% 0.4 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 10 15 8 5 5 5
0.2 ext.120% 0.75 0.35 0.2 0.2 10 30 15 10 10
0.2 ext.150% 0.75 0.35 0.2 0.2 0.2 10 30 15 10 10 10
0.2 ext.200% 0.75 0.35 0.2 0.2 0.2 10 30 15 10 10 10
0.5 ext.120% 1.5 0.75 0.5 0.5 10 90 45 30 30
0.5 ext.150% 1.5 0.75 0.5 0.5 0.5 10 90 45 30 30 30
0.5 ext.200% 1.5 0.75 0.5 0.5 0.5 10 90 45 30 30 30
1 ext.120% 3 1.5 1 1 10 180 90 60 60
1 ext.150% 3 1.5 1 1 1 10 180 90 60 60 60
1 ext.200% 3 1.5 1 1 1 10 180 90 60 60 60
3 5P 1 5 60
10P 3

1: Classes for measuring CT s

2: Classes for measuring CT s with extended current ratings
3: Classes for protective CT s

Terminal markings of current transformers: IEC

Primary P1 -- P2
Primary with taps P1 -- P2 -- P3 .....
Secondary S1 -- S2

Connection diagrams:
Wound primary C.T. Window type C.T.

P1 S1 P1 S1

P2 S2 P2 S2

With primary tap With secondary tap

P1 S1 P1 S1

P2 S2

P3 S2 P2 S3
Technical Notices

Material numbers and placement of bars due to DIN 43670 / DIN 43671

1 2 3 4 4 Continous current (50 Hz),

dimensions
| || ||| |||| || 50 || deduced and calculated for surface treated
in mm
A busbars, edgewise and horizontally installed,
busbar temperature of 85° C,
20 5 400 700
ambient temperature 50° C.
20 10 620 990 1360 1860
Short sections, e.g. in the aperture of a CT,
30 5 560 970
can carry higher currents when the connected
30 10 820 1360 1860 2480
busbars have an appropriate cross section
40 5 740 1240
("Isthmus" effect).
40 10 1050 1860 2550 3470
Copper

50 5 890 1510 2170 2850 Reduction of current carrying capacity:

50 10 1280 2230 3040 4130 Vertical installation > 3 m: factor 0.85...0.9
60 5 1050 1770 2420 3200 Horizontal installation > 2 m: factor 0.70...0.9
60 10 1490 2600 3470 4590 Plain bars (not treated): factor 0.9 approx.
80 10 1930 3100 4090 ~ 4800 5580
100 10 2330 3840 4960 ~ 5800 6700
120 10 2750 4340 5580 ~ 6600 7560
160 10 3470 5450 7190 ~ 8000 9670

20 5 320 550
20 10 500 820
30 5 450 780
30 10 620 1090
40 5 570 990
Aluminium

40 10 830 1490 2050 2790

50 5 690 1200 1740 2290
50 10 1020 1790 2430 3300
60 5 830 1440 1980 2600
60 10 1190 2080 2830 3770
80 10 1550 2650 3550 ~ 4100 4710
100 10 1880 3160 4220 ~ 4800 5330
120 10 2230 3720 4770 ~ 5400 6200
160 10 2850 4710 6200 ~ 6800 7690

Burden presented by copper leads

Burden in VA
Length /
leads cross section 1...10 mm
at 1A at 5A
m 1 2.5 4 6 2.5 4 6 10
1 0.04 0.01 0.36 0.22 0.15 0.09 Pw = (I * 2 * L) / (Acu * 57)
2 0.07 0.03 0.71 0.45 0.30 0.18
3 0.10 0.04 1.07 0.67 0.45 0.27
4 0.14 0.06 1.43 0.89 0.60 0.36 when a common three-phase return conductor is
5 0.18 0.07 1.78 1.12 0.74 0.44 used: Pw x 0.5).
6 0.21 0.09 2.14 1.34 0.89 0.54
7 0.25 0.10 2.50 1.56 1.04 0.63 Pw = burden presented by copper leads in VA
8 0.29 0.11 2.86 1.79 1.19 0.71
9 0.32 0.13 3.21 2.01 1.34 0.80 I = Amperage
10 0.36 0.14 0.09 0.06 3.57 2.24 1.49 0.89 L = Distance in m
20 0.71 0.29 0.18 0.12 7.10 4.50 3.00 1.80 Acu = Cross section in mm
30 1.07 0.43 0.27 0.18 10.7 6.70 4.50 2.70
40 1.43 0.57 0.36 0.24 14.3 8.90 6.00 3.60
50 1.78 0.72 0.45 0.30 17.8 11.2 7.40 4.40
60 2.14 0.86 0.54 0.36 13.4 8.90 5.40
70 2.50 1.00 0.63 0.42 15.6 10.4 6.30
80 2.86 1.14 0.71 0.48 17.9 11.9 7.10
90 3.21 1.29 0.80 0.54 20.1 13.4 8.00
100 3.57 1.43 0.89 0.60 22.4 14.9 8.90