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Electrical & Electronics Engineering vocabulary · Power Systems and Electrical Machines

Transformer

Meaning in electrical & electronics engineering, with examples

/trænsˈfɔrmər/nounCore term

In electrical & electronics engineering, transformer means: A device that transfers AC power from one winding to another through a shared magnetic core, usually to step the voltage up or down. It does not work with DC.

In Turkish: transformatör, trafo

How it is used

Used from tiny signal transformers to huge power transformers in substations. Engineers talk about primary and secondary windings, the turns ratio, step-up and step-down transformers and the kVA rating. In Turkish the everyday word is 'trafo'.

Example sentences

  1. The factory is fed by a 1600 kVA transformer that steps 34.5 kV down to 400 V.

  2. Keep an eye on the transformer oil temperature during the summer peak.

Common collocations

  • step-down transformer
  • power transformer
  • primary winding
  • secondary winding
  • turns ratio
  • substationA facility in the power network where transformers step the voltage up or down, and where circuits are switched and protected with breakers, disconnectors and protection relays.
  • ACShort for alternating current: current that changes direction many times per second. Mains electricity is AC, at 50 Hz in Turkey and Europe and 60 Hz in North America.
  • inductanceThe property of a coil or conductor that opposes changes in the current through it by storing energy in a magnetic field. It is measured in henries (H), often in µH or mH.
  • gridThe interconnected network of power plants, transmission lines, substations and distribution lines that delivers electricity to consumers. It is also called the power grid or the mains.
  • ratingThe maximum voltage, current, power or temperature that a device is designed to handle safely in normal use, as stated by the manufacturer. Rated values appear on nameplates and in datasheets.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Power Systems and Electrical Machines

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