Constant Voltage

Transformer
(CVT)
Construction and
Working
By Er. Mirza Abdul

Construction
The CVT is simply a magnetic transformer
of a special construction that has a
capacitor connected across the secondary
winding of the transformer
In an ordinary transformer, the primary
and secondary windings are wound near
each other so that whenever there is a
change of voltage across the primary there
is a corresponding change in the
secondary voltage depending upon the
ratio of the turns on the two windings

 In a CVT the primary and secondary windings

are wound separately from each other
To set up field in between the coils, a separate
shunt path is provided between the two windings
but an air gap is formed in the shunt path. A
capacitor is connected across suitable tapping's of
the secondary winding.

Construction

Working of CVT

Working of CVT
The portion of the magnetic core over
which the secondary winding is wound is
saturated, while the portion over which
the primary is wound is not saturated
A capacitor is connected across the
secondary winding to tune out the output
at a frequency very close to 50 Hz
This capacitor also makes the current in
the secondary winding to increase which
helps in the saturation of the secondary
flux.

Working
the secondary ac flux is restricted to a saturated
value for a large range of the input voltage (170270 V)
So a constant voltage is available across the
secondary winding.
Air gap is placed to increase the reluctance of the
core and make the impedance HIGH while the
transformer is unsaturated

Output waveform
The output voltage will not be of a pure
sinusoidal waveform but will be an
approximate sinewave with the peaks flat
tened approaching a square wave
a compensating winding is shown
connected in series to the secondary to
improve the CVT performance.

The input voltage ranges 170 to 260 V

and output regulation is 230 2 % at
no load to full-load.

Questions
Why is the waveform Quasi- sine type?
Why is a saturating core transformer used?
How?

 The basic two-component (CVT) Ferro-resonant

regulator. The inductor, L, is a linear inductor
and is in series with C across the input line. The
voltage across capacitor, C, would be
considerably greater than the line voltage,
because of the resonant condition between L and
C (series resonance)

 The voltage, Vp, can be limited to a predetermined amplitude

by using a self-saturating transformer, Tl, which has high
impedance, until a certain level of flux density is reached.
At that flux density, the transformer saturates and becomes a
low-impedance path, which prevents further voltage buildup
across the capacitor.
This limiting action produces a voltage waveform that has a
fairly flat top
the load voltage is essentially constant and the current varies
with the load. A transformer of this type is designed to operate
at or just above the knee of the magnetization curve in order
to ensure relatively high permeability

Input Waveform