Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Lab
ME4151
Assignment No: 01
Aizaz Khan
BME-153019
Section: S-3
Submitted to:
Sir Awais Liaqat
18th Oct 2019
7th Semester, Spring 2019
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Capital University of Science & Technology
Cooling System of Transformer
Cooling of transformer means to remove the heat that is developed in the transformer due to
certain losses and at a result which is converted into heat and rises the temperature of windings
and inside core of the transformer and this temperature increment can cause damage to its
working and may cause failure. For the heat dissipation there should be a proper cooling system
for the transformer to work fine and operational.
Transformers can be categorized into two main types:
• Dry type transformers
• Oil immersed transformers
There are different cooling methods used for these two types of transformers
1. Dry Type Transformers
For dry type transformers two cooling methods are used given as following
a) Air Natural
Air natural can also be called self-cooled transformer where air is cooling medium and can be
used for small size of transformers of 1.5 MVA to 3 MVA. In this method natural air can flow
over the surrounding of transformer and due to natural convection, it cools the metal case of
transformer.
b) Air Blast
Transformer is cooled by continuous blast of air or forced air around its core and windings and
for this purpose external fans are used and the air the is provided must be filtered.
Figure 1: schematic of Air blast cooling method
2. Oil Immersed Transformers
The coil and windings are immersed in the cooling oil and the heat is transferred to the oil by
conduction and which is carried to the walls of covering tank of transformer where the heat
transfer occurs with the air by convection and radiation. Using oil as coolant has an advantage
i.e. it provides better conduction than air.
Figure 2: Oil Immersed Coil and Winding
a) Oil Natural Air Natural (ONAN)
The heat generated heat from the core and windings is transferred to oil and the heated oil flows
upward and into the radiator due to the principle of convection and their place is filled by
cooled oil from the radiator which are exposed to natural air flow in atmosphere and the heat
exchange take place and which again cools the heated oil. This way the circulation goes on due
to natural convection and heat is dissipated into air due to natural conduction.
Figure 3: Oil Natural Air Natural cooling of transformer
b) Oil Natural Air Forced (ONAF)
When we want to increase the heat transfer then forced air is applied on the heat exchanging
surfaces for rapid heat dissipation than natural flowing air. In this cooling method fans are
installed in front of radiators which are automatically turned on when the temperature of
transformer increases above certain value. This cooling method is used for large load
transformers up to 60 MVA
Figure 4: ONAF cooling of transformer
c) Oil Forced Air Forced (OFAF)
There is external heat exchanger and the cooling oil passing through it. The oil is circulated by
pump, as well as fans are used to provide force flow of air on heat exchanger at the same time.
The heat exchanger is separated from transformer tank, so the body of transformer with
winding and cores and heat exchanger are connected by pipes with hot oil flowing from one
side and cold oil flowing from another side. This method of cooling is provided for high rating
transformers used at substations and power stations.
Figure 5: Oil Forced Air Forced cooling of transformer
d) Oil Forced Water Forced (OFWF)
Here instead of forced air, forced water is used to dissipate heat from the heat exchanger. Oil
is forced by pump to flow from windings and core to heat exchanger where there is heat transfer
between hot oil and cold water. The heated water is also cooled separately. This type of cooling
method is used for very large rating transformer in hundreds of MVA.
Figure 6: Oil Forced Water Forced Cooling of transformer
What is cooling system?
Cooing system is a system installed to keep or maintain the temperature of component or device
such that it could not exceed its limits. It is a system that removes excess of heat from
component, plant or system and keep the plant operating at efficient temperature.
It is needed for safety and efficiency. Because over heating can cause damage to the device and
its operation. Cooling systems are used in automobiles, industrial plants, nuclear reactors and
many other types of machines. The cooling medium is most of the time air or liquid.
How does a cooling system work?
To prevent damage to the system or device cooling is required. Let’s say car engineer produces
huge heat when it is in running condition.
Cooling car engine can be accomplished by circulating or running liquid coolant through
cooling passage while some engines are cooled by heat transfer though air over a finned casing
of engine.
Figure 7: water cooling system with an engine driving fan: the bypass hose taking off hot coolant for the heater. the pressure
cap on the expansion tank has spring loaded valve which opens above certain pressure.
For cooling there are water vents in the length area of the engine cylinder and block. These
vents have circulation around engine head and such way it dissipates heat with flow of water
from the engine. There is water pumped by radial pump into the water vents of engine.
Circulation of water extract heat from engine and when the temperature of the water is high
then the thermostat stat regulate flow allow the water to flow through radiator.
As the water enters the radiator the heat exchanging is started by air flowing from outside
through radiator pipes and by the help of fins which are connected to small pipes. With higher
speed and rpm the temperature goes higher as well and also the temperature of the coolant and
this will create high pressure in the radiator pipes. So to avoid such pressure we have pressure
cap and radiator overflow tank, when the pressure increases the cap lifts up to allow coolant to
go to radiator overflow tank to control the pressure and by dropping the pressure vacuum is
created in radiator to pull back the coolant from overflow tank.
Figure 8: water cooled engine cooling system diagram
Schematic Diagram
Figure 10 : water cooled engine cooling system schematic Figure 9: water cooled engine cooling system simple schematic
Components of cooling system
The main components of cooling system are as follows in list
• Water pump
• Radiator
• Thermostat
• Coolant temperature sensor
• Rubber hoses
• Radiator overflow tank
a) Water pump
It is knowing as the heart of engine cooling system. Water pump has a radial impeller inside
its casing which is driven by engine itself. Serpentine belt is used to deliver rotational motion
of engine main pulley to the water pump pulley.
b) Radiator
Radiator acts as a heat exchanger for an engine. it is usually made up of aluminum and have
lots of small diameter pipes with fins mounted on them. It exchanges the heat of hot water
coming from engine with surrounding air. it also has an inlet port, outlet port, drain plug, and
a pressure cap.
c) Thermostat
t is the thermostat which acts as a valve for coolant and allows it to flow through radiator only
after exceeding a particular temperature value. Thermostat has paraffin wax in it which expands
at a particular temperature and opens it up at that temperature.
d) Coolant temperature sensor
As name suggests it is a temperature sensing device in engine cooling system and it monitors
the engine temperature. It provides the data required to control the operation of radiator fan.
The engine temperature display at driver’s console gives reading according to the data provided
by coolant temperature sensor. Further in the ECU controlled vehicles its data is used to
optimize the fuel injection and ignition timings of engine for better performance of vehicle.
e) Rubber hoses
In engine cooling system, these rubber hoses are required to make connection between water
pump, radiator and engine so that water or coolant will flow through them thus completing the
circuit.
f) Radiator overflow tank
It is a plastic tank generally mounted close to radiator and has inlet port connected with radiator
and one overflow outlet. It is the same tank where you put in water before ride.
Diagram for all components of Cooling system:
Figure 11: components of cooling system of automobile
Figure 12:Detailed components of cooling system of automobile engine
Seven cooling system preventative checks for maintenance
The cooling system inspection identifies areas that need attention, and consists of the
following:
• A visual inspection of all cooling system components, including belts and hoses
• A radiator cap pressure test to check the recommended system pressure level
• A thermostat check for proper opening and closing
• A pressure test to identify external leaks to the cooling system parts including the radiator,
water pump, engine coolant passages, radiator, heater hoses and heater core
• An internal leak test to check for combustion gas leakage into the cooling system
References
https://www.britannica.com/technology/cooling-system
https://www.carparts.com/classroom/coolingsystem.htm
https://www.electrical4u.com/transformer-cooling-system-and-methods/
https://www.electricaleasy.com/2014/06/cooling-methods-of-transformer.html
