The Conservator is a cylindrical component of the transformer. The conservator is located at the top of the transformer. The Conservator is designed to act as a reservoir for the transformer oil. The level of the oil in the transformer can rise and fall due to temperature. The increase of temperature can be caused either by a rise in ambient temperature or due to increased load on the transformer.An increase in temperature causes the oil in the transformer to expand. The conservator prov... Read Full Story

The commercial Efficiency of a transformer is given by the ratio of output power to input powerEfficiency = output power in watts/input power in wattsThe losses in the transformer can be classified into copper losses and iron losses. The copper losses (hysteresis and Eddy Current Losses) are independent of the load. The iron losses though are dependent on the load.In the case of the distribution transformers, the load is continually varying. It is low in the day time and high in the eveni... Read Full Story

Schuko Sockets are a system of AC power plugs and connectors. Schuko sockets first originated in Germany in the early 20th century. However, now they have found wide application in almost 40 countries.The name Schuko is derived from the German 'Schutzkontact" meaning "protective contact" a reference to the clip-shaped earth contact in contrast to the pin-type earth contacts used in other formats.The Schuko plugs and sockets are considered safer as they are totally enclosed and the pins cann... Read Full Story

Ferrite beads are series inductors which are added to electronic circuits to filter high frequency noise. The core of these inductors is made of ferrite, a ceramic magnetic materials.The Ferrite bead offers a high impedance to High frequency signals, thus stopping them from moving further up the circuit. These signals are attenuated as heat. This makes them useful in electronic equipment to filter EMI(Electromagnetic Noise)Common sources of Electromagnetic noise are power cables in close... Read Full Story

In Electric Machines such as Motors and Generators, the shaft tends to maintain a distinct axial position when running. This position may be different from the position of the shaft at rest and, in the case of motors, when the machine is running with a coupled load.The Magnetic center is caused due to the magnetic forces between the rotor and stator attract each other. These magnetic forces tend to ensure that the gap between the stator and the rotor is as small as possible. Hence, if the ... Read Full Story

The three phase power system has been adopted universally for transmission of AC power.The advantages of a three phase system over a single phase system are:-Higher power/weight ratio of alternators. A three phase alternator is smaller and lighter that a single phase alternator of the same power output. Hence, it is also cheaper.A three phase transmission system requires less copper or aluminium to transmit the same quantity of power of a specific distance than a single phase system.Three pha... Read Full Story

Ampere turns is the unit of Magneto Motive Force of a magnetic circuit, the equivalent of emf in electrical circuit. The MMF is measured as the product of the dc current flowing through the circuit and the number of turns. The higher the number of turns in a coil, higher will be the magnetomotive force for the same current. However, this relationship holds true only till the core of the coil gets saturated, after which there is no change in mmf for an increase in current.The field strength ... Read Full Story

Yes, Permanent magnets can lose their magnetism. There are three main causes which can affect the magnetism of a permanent magnet.They areHeat:Heating a magnet above the Curie Temperature (the temperature above which the magnetic properties of a material change from ferromagnetic to paramagnetic) causes the magnetic domains to be disrupted permanently. Mild heating causes a reduction in the magnetism. However, when it cools the full magnetism is restored.Mechanical Shock:A magnet that is s... Read Full Story

Magnets find a wide application in the field of electrical engineering. From motors to generators and relays, the effects of magnetism are central to the application of electricity in our daily lives,Magnets can be broadly classified into two typesElectromagnets or temporary magnets andPermanent MagnetsElectromagnets are made by coiling a conductor around a magnetic material such as soft iron. The Electromagnet gets magnetized when current flows through the conductor and gets demagnetized w... Read Full Story

Proximity Effect is a phenomenon which is observed in conductors carrying alternating current. When a conductor carries ac power, the constantly varying magnetic field induces eddy currents in the nearby conductors. In conductors where the current flows in the same direction, this results in increased current density in the nearby conductors due to the changes in the current distribution across the cross-section of the conductor. Thus the resistance of the conductor increases.In the pictur... Read Full Story