New Analytical Formula for Temperature Assessment on Transformer Tanks

A rigorous analytical development is presented to find a formula that provides the temperature distribution in the tank zones close to bushings of distribution transformers. The new formula can be fed with a loss distribution obtained either analytically or numerically. This fact is shown using two proven loss distributions, combined with our new formula, and comparing their results with finite-element simulations that use a pre-established loss distribution in one case and solve a thermal-electromagnetic coupled problem in the second case. An excellent match between numerical and analytical results is found, which are independently determined using completely different computation philosophies. As a result, it is clearly shown that our proposed formula is effective and accurate. Moreover, it requires much lower computational resources compared to finite-element simulations that require commercial or highly specialized software. Our formula will contribute to the better design of transformers, increasing their useful lives and reducing operating costs in power networks.