Using High-Quality Materials to Manufacture Transformers
Transformers change network voltage through electromagnetic induction, and their main materials are silicon steel sheets and electromagnetic wire. The quality of these two materials directly affects the transformer's loss characteristics. The loss formed by the transformer core during operation is generally called no-load loss. The loss value is constant and has little to do with the transformer's load rate; it is also unavoidable. However, the quality of the magnetic material can change the magnitude of the loss. The first generation of energy-saving transformers used high-quality Q11 and Q10 cold-rolled grain-oriented silicon steel sheets, eliminating hot-rolled D44 and other silicon steel sheets. Combined with improvements in structural design, this reduced no-load torque loss by 40%.
Optimizing Design and Improving Processes
Improving the loss characteristics of transformers by starting with structural design and manufacturing processes is a major research topic for manufacturers. The application of computers in transformer design has opened up broad prospects for design work. With an ideal copper (electromagnetic wire) to iron (silicon steel sheet) ratio, the design goal is to minimize losses and copper and iron consumption. This allows the curves of high-quality materials and optimized design to intersect at a single point, thereby achieving the best results. The core structure has been changed from the original direct seam to a semi-straight, semi-oblique, and fully oblique seam, which is a breakthrough improvement in structural design. This can mitigate the magnetic conduction direction of grain-oriented silicon steel sheets (i.e., the widely used Q10 and Q11) in the core seam area, reducing no-load loss.