Study of an Amorphous Alloy Core Transformer

Amorphous core transformers (ACT) have become a technological and commercial reality and there are an estimated 400 000 units installed worldwide. Their applications relfect changes in utility buying practices, where the efficiency evaluation is an important factor in the purchasing decision for distribution transformers. Use of the total ownership cost (TOC) concept facilitates the selection of a transformer on the basis of its performance. This concept is used in this paper to investigate the feasibility of applying a distribution ACT in Western Australian (WA). A 10 kVA ACT, (2605 S2), evaluated by the TOC method, was compared with a traditional silicon iron (M3) core transformer of the same rating. The cost of amorphous metal (relative to alternative materials), the distribution load profile, and the values of capitalised loss costs are factors which affect the cost effectiveness of ACTs.