Technical and economical evaluation of distribution transformer with amorphous metal core in Indonesia

High efficiency electrical equipment usage is an alternative solution to support carbon emission reduction in Indonesia. In this research, new distribution transformer design using amorphous metal core (AMDT) was evaluated by conducting laboratory testing and field installation. According to the laboratory test result upon 4 samples, AMDT had 60.91 – 67.35% smaller no-load loss but 0.58 – 9.79% higher load loss compared to national standard requirement (although the load loss value of AMDT was within total losses tolerance). One AMDT sample failed during impulse test which should be followed up further by conducting insulation testing and design evaluation. Since the AMDT sample used 5-legged core design, the weight of the AMDT was heavier than conventional cold rolled grained oriented (CRGO) silicon steel transformer; thus, the construction planning and design should be re-evaluated for AMDT installation. According to total cost calculation based on life cycle approach by using obtained data and related assumptions, it was found that AMDT would potentially give higher economic benefit than conventional CRGO silicon steel transformer when the load factor (LF) is below 79% for 100 kVA AMDT, below 78% for 50 kVA AMDT, and below 68% for 25 kVA AMDT.