Transformers for Manufacturing Facilities
A transformer for a manufacturing facility should be specified with the production plan in mind — not just today’s connected load, but the next line, the next shift and the next product.
Manufacturing facilities combine process machinery, compressed air, cooling, lighting and building services on one electrical system. The load is continuous, often unbalanced, and grows with each new production line.
A transformer for a manufacturing facility should be specified with the production plan in mind — not just today’s connected load, but the next line, the next shift and the next product.
What Matters for This Application
- Production lines added after the original design capacity
- Large numbers of variable speed drives and servo systems
- Unbalanced single phase loads across the three phases
- Power quality complaints: voltage dips, flicker, nuisance tripping
- Heat build-up in enclosed production areas
- Pressure to reduce energy cost per unit produced
Recommended Transformer Solution
- Rating selected with documented expansion margin
- Harmonic evaluation for drive and rectifier load share
- Low loss core design to reduce continuous energy cost
- Copper or aluminium winding choice matched to duty and budget
- Monitoring for winding temperature, load current and power quality
- Indoor dry type where the substation sits inside the production hall
Sizing Guidance
Start with a phase-by-phase load schedule rather than a single total. Unbalance is common in manufacturing and it determines the real thermal duty of the winding and the neutral conductor.
Installation Notes
- Balance single phase loads across the three phases at the distribution board
- Provide ventilation or forced cooling for enclosed substation rooms
- Route LV cable runs to limit voltage drop to the furthest machine
- Record baseline temperature and load readings at commissioning for future comparison
Testing and Commissioning
Before energisation the unit is checked on site: insulation resistance, voltage ratio and vector group, earthing and terminations, and functional checks of protection and monitoring devices. See the testing page for the full programme.