What are the advantages and disadvantages of drum-type tap changers?
Release date:
2025-12-31
Voltage regulation: By adjusting the turns ratio of the windings (V1/V2 = N1/N2), it accommodates grid fluctuations and load demands, thereby preventing overvoltage or undervoltage.
The advantages and disadvantages of drum-type tap changers are as follows:
Advantages
Good voltage distribution: By switching the winding taps, the transformer’s output voltage is adjusted to ensure stable grid voltage.
Strong operational feel: When adjusting the tap changer, the operation is precise and provides a robust tactile feedback, typically eliminating the risk of inadvertently setting it to an intermediate position.
Wide range of applications: Drum-type no-excitation tap changers are typically used for voltage regulation at the mid-point of windings, with voltage ratings ranging from 35 to 220 kV and current ratings from 300 to 1000 A.
Disadvantages
Spring manufacturing demands high precision: the production process is demanding, making it difficult to ensure consistent quality.
Long-term use can lead to frequent failures: After prolonged passage of high currents, the spring may undergo annealing, reducing its elastic force and thereby increasing the likelihood of poor contact at the contacts.
Operational limitations: The operation can only be performed in a single direction; once a tap position develops poor contact, it becomes difficult to properly engage the remaining tap positions as well.
Tap changers of the drum type adjust the transformer’s output voltage by switching between tap connections on the winding. Their core principle is to change the tap position while the transformer remains de‑energized, thereby altering the turns ratio and stabilizing the grid voltage. The specific operating procedure is as follows:
Switching process: The operating mechanism is mounted on the side or bottom of the transformer oil tank and effects tap changes either directly or via interlocking. The moving contacts and stationary contacts are arranged in phase‑separated, horizontally spaced configurations, with all contacts of each phase lying in the same vertical plane.
Voltage regulation: By adjusting the turns ratio of the windings (V1/V2 = N1/N2), it accommodates grid fluctuations and load demands, thereby preventing overvoltage or undervoltage.
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