STTR Phase I: Research and Development of High Efficiency Shielded Toroidal Transformers

该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是：节省能源，帮助美国经济；通过降低昂贵的污染装置的能源生产，减少污染和温室气体排放；提高配电网的可靠性；避免了油浸式变压器对环境的污染。这种节能产品将节省纳税人的钱，因为它将以较低的运营成本弥补收购成本。由于配电变压器效率低下造成的能源损失约为600至800亿千瓦时，这使美国企业和美国消费者每年损失约40亿美元。如果转换到节能变压器在全国范围内应用（变压器效率提高1%），每年将节省大约5亿美元。该技术将提高配电网的性能和可靠性。客户是国家大型电力公司，每年花费约15亿美元从电力变压器制造商那里购买这些资产。虽然该项目侧重于研究和开发用于公用事业的中压变压器，但还有其他应用领域，包括海洋和危险环境，医院，风力发电场，可再生能源站点以及需要更小更轻设备的便携式变压器。这个小型企业技术转移研究（STTR）第一阶段项目将解决新一代中压配电变压器的研究和开发。这种干式变压器将建在环形铁芯上。因此，铁芯具有无间隙结构，产生具有极低空载损耗的变压器。由于缺乏在中高压环境下的设计经验，环形变压器目前尚未在配电系统中使用。这些变压器将采用特殊的专利静电屏蔽制造。该技术允许在绕组/层之间使用最少的绝缘来承受过电压；这也有利于控制温升。该技术的低能耗使设计的干式变压器在尺寸、价格和效率上可与油浸式标准变压器设计相媲美。因此，该项目的最终目标是用干式环形装置取代油浸式架空变压器，减少剧烈故障（爆炸）的可能性，以及避免使用石油的环境效益。最终产品在效率方面将是独一无二的，具有非常低的声学和电磁噪声，以及高过载能力等技术优势。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this project are: the savings of energy to help US economy; reduction of the pollution and greenhouse gas emissions by lowering energy production of expensive polluting units; improve the reliability of the distribution networks; and avoiding environmental contaminations caused by oil-immersed transformers. This energy-efficient product will save money to taxpayers, since it will have lower operating costs that compensates for acquisition costs. The energy losses attributable to distribution transformer inefficiencies are approximated 60 to 80 billion kWh, which rob U.S. business and American consumers of approximately $4 billion per year. If the changeover to energy-efficient transformers applies nationally (one percent higher efficiency transformers) it will roughly result in savings of about $500 million per year. The technology will upgrade the performance and reliability of the power distribution networks. The costumers are national large power utilities that spend approximately $1.5 billion (annually) to purchase these assets from power transformer manufacturers. While this project focuses on the research and development of the medium voltage transformers for utilities, there are other application areas including, marine and hazardous environments, hospitals, wind farms, renewable energy sites, and portable transformers where smaller and lighter devices are needed.This Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) Phase I project will address the research and development of a new generation of medium voltage distribution utility-grade transformers. This dry-type transformer will be constructed on toroidal iron cores. Therefore, the core has a gapless construction yielding transformers with extremely low no-load losses. Toroidal transformers are not currently in use in distribution systems due to the lack of experience with their design at medium and high voltages. These transformers will be manufactured with a special patented electrostatic shield. The technology allows manufacturing using a minimum amount of insulation between windings/layers to withstand overvoltages; this facilitates the control of the temperature rise as well. The low energy dissipation of this technology allows designing dry-type transformers with size, price and efficiency comparable to oil-immerse standard transformer designs. Thus, the final objective of the project is to replace oil immersed overhead transformers with dry toroidal units, reducing the potential for violent faults (explosions) in addition to the environmental benefits of avoiding the use of oil. The final product will be unique in terms of efficiency, with very low acoustic and electromagnetic noise, and high overload capability among other technical advantages.