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Advanced designs of variable shunt reactors with on-load tap-changers for

wider regulation range

L. KIRCHNER, D. DOHNAL, A. KRÄMER

Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen GmbH
Germany

C. KOCZULA, M. SPÄTH
Siemens AG, Large Power Transformers
Germany

U. SUNDERMANN
Amprion GmbH
Germany

SUMMARY

Balanced reactive power in the power grids is an important factor in network operations to minimize
losses and to avoid over-voltages in networks. Sophisticated management of reactive power might be a
key component for stable grid operation. Depending on the network design, different applications for
shunt reactors exist.
Reactive power compensation of long power lines or high voltage cable applications is ordinary
achieved by switching on or off, depending on the actual load situation. By default, this is done with
circuit breakers and the number of operations depends on the load changes along the day. A circuit
breaker is capable of approximately 10’000 operations before maintenance, therefore the wear of the
circuit breaker might become extensive for such applications. By use of circuit breakers there exists
the disadvantage to switch on or off the full reactive power of the shunt reactor only. In order to
optimize losses more smoothly, discrete steps of reactive power are more useful. This can be achieved
efficiently by applying an on-load tap-changer (OLTC) to tune the reactive power of the shunt reactor.
Different regulation principles with on-load tap-changers can be applied for this purpose which have
an impact on design, construction and operation of the shunt reactor and might have advantages or
disadvantages. Equipped with a vacuum type on-load tap-changer and depending on the specification,
those variable shunt reactors can perform at least 300’000 switching operations before maintenance.
Since the reactive power varies inversely to the square of the amount of turns of the reactor winding,
the shunt reactor can be designed in two ways. Either the amount of reactive power varies with each
step and the number of turns in the regulating winding per step keeps constant, or the number of turns
per step in the regulating winding differs in such a way that the amount of reactive power, which is
added or subtracted per step, keeps constant. If the amount of reactive power between single steps has
to be kept constant, only linear regulation with the on-load tap-changer is possible. Linear regulation
leads to a less complex winding arrangement but has in general a limited regulation range.

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If constant power steps are not required, enlarged regulation ranges can be achieved with a reversing
winding arrangement as well as a coarse-fine winding arrangement. The reversing regulation on the
one hand has the advantage of a simpler winding arrangement but has the disadvantage of higher
copper losses compared to the coarse-fine regulation on the other hand.
In the past the regulation range of variable shunt reactors was mainly limited by the insulation levels
of the on-load tap-changer. By introducing new design of shunt reactors and an advanced on-load tap-
changer design, regulation ranges up to 80 % of max. reactive power (e.g. 50 Mvar – 250 Mvar) for
420 kV applications are achievable, compared to app. 60% regulation range with the classical
regulation approach.
Using vacuum type on-load tap-changers in shunt reactors is beneficial due to advantageous electrical
properties of vacuum interrupter technology. Especially the very fast re-stabilization of the switching
distance leads to improved inductive switching capability. Shunt reactor designs with such wide
regulation ranges require certain technical aspects for the OLTC and the shunt reactor to be taken into
account. Some of these aspects are discussed in this paper.

KEYWORDS

Shunt Reactor– Reactive Power – Compensation – On-Load Tap-Changer

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1. APPLICATIONS FOR VARIABLE SHUNT REACTORS
A typical application for a shunt reactor is a long power line under no load conditions. Such a line
leads to an overvoltage at the receiving end if the capacitive characteristic of the line is not
compensated with an inductance. This over voltage at the end of the power line is called Ferranti-
Effect. The capacitive characteristic of a power line depends on its length and the current that is
flowing. With a shunt reactor capable of adapting the inductance to the capacitive characteristic of the
power line at a certain current, the power line can be operated within its voltage limits and losses can
be reduced to a minimum. Such variable shunt reactors can be realized by using an on-load tap-
changer (OLTC) to adjust the inductance. [1].

2. A SOPHISTICATED GRID APPLICATION

Shunt reactors are an important asset in AC transmission networks. Especially during the start-up
procedure (black start) of the transmission network, where no generators take part in the reactive
power control, reactors are necessary to compensate the charging power of the transmission lines and
to avoid unacceptable over voltages. During normal operation the use of shunt reactors depends on the
loading of the grid and the participation of power plants (generators) in the reactive power control. In
former times the reactive power control was mainly done by generators. With the huge increase of
renewable energy many conventional and nuclear power station are or will be taken out of service.
With respect to the change in reactive power control the TSOs have to build and operate own assets
for reactive power generation. In detail MSCDN (mechanically switched capacitor with damping
network), SVC (static var compensator) facilities, shunt reactors and rotating phase shifters are in
operation or will be taken into service in the next years. With respect to shunt reactors a new
standardized design has been elaborated. Where in the past only medium voltage shunt reactors with
fixed power ratings (50 or 100Mvar) connected to the tertiary windings of power transformers were in
operation, the new design represents a variable shunt reactor with a direct connection to the 380kV
grid. The advantage of this design is the independence of the power rating from the power of tertiary
winding and the option to operate the shunt reactor where no power transformer is available. With
respect to the great control range the operation of a shunt reactor in combination with a MSCDN-
facility is an alternative application to a rotating phase shifter or a SVC-facility. Fig. 1 shows the
reactive power range of a 300Mvar-MSCDN in combination with a variable shunt reactor
(50…250Mvar). The power range 50…250Mvar of the shunt reactor was selected with respect for
usage during black start (50Mvar) and for normal operation with variable reactive power up to
250Mvar in accordance to the load flow.

Fig. 1 300Mvar-MSCDN in combination with a

variable shunt reactor (50…250Mvar)
With respect to the great power range the shunt reactor can be longer connected to the grid than a
shunt reactor with a smaller power range or a shunt reactor with fixed power. Therefore the switching
operations of the circuit breakers can be minimized whereas the switching operations of the tap

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changer will increase. With respect to the maintenance actions a tap changer with vacuum type
interrupters was selected. The shunt reactor is also ready for the compensation of future 380kV-cable
sections. For the power adjustment of the reactor a special controller is necessary, which estimates the
tap position and generates the state signals (power on/off).
But how to achieve this wide regulation range for a variable shunt reactor with an on-load tap-
changer?

3. VARIABLE SHUNT REACTOR WITH ON-LOAD TAP-CHANGER

In a variable shunt reactor the inductance is adjusted by changing the number of turns by an OLTC, as
the inductance (and therefore the reactive power) varies approximately inverse to the square of the
amount of turns. Hence variable shunt reactors with OLTCs need a tap winding (regulating winding)
in addition to the main winding. From regulated power transformers three basic regulation schemes
are known, which need different winding arrangements.

4. REGULATION SCHEME WITHOUT CHANGE-OVER SELECTOR (LINEAR

REGULATION)
If there is no need for a very wide regulation range, a regulation where steps are simply added to the
main winding can be used. With this concept there are two ways possible to design the steps: either the
number of turns per step can be kept constant, which allows for a somewhat larger regulation range, or
the change of reactive power per step can be kept constant. In case of constant number of turns
between each tap, the highest step voltage occurs in the maximum reactive power position (min. turn
position). On the contrary, aiming for constant change of reactive power with each tap-changing
operation (see Fig. 2), the number of turns between each tap position has to be adjusted in a way to get
the highest step voltage in the minimum reactive power position (max. turn position). However, this
decreases the possible regulation range quite a bit.
100%

98%
Power, %
Reactive

68%

66%

Fig. 2 Variable shunt reactor with one OLTC and constant power steps

5. EXTENDED REGULATION RANGE DUE TO REGULATION SCHEME WITH

CHANGE-OVER SELECTOR
An extended regulation range can be obtained by using the tap winding in conjunction with an OLTC
with reversing change-over selector. This measure can keep the effort for a larger regulation range to a
minimum. A reversing change-over selector allows the tap winding to be connected in
vectorial addition or subtraction to the main winding [3]. The benefit of this solution is that no
additional windings or connection leads between the OLTC and the regulation winding are necessary
with respect to the linear regulation scheme.
Using a coarse-fine winding arrangement, the same regulation range as with the reversing winding
arrangement can be achieved (see Fig. 3). Due to an extra coarse winding in addition to the fine
winding, but with reduced number of turns in the main winding, the variable shunt reactor gets more
complicated. More space for the windings is needed and the assembly process becomes more complex.
Both solutions with change-over-selector do not allow for constant power steps.

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 Reactive Power - Coarse change-over-selector (variable power steps)

100,00%

100,00%
96,55%
90,00%

80,00%

Reactive Power, %
70,00%

60,00%

50,00%

40,00%

40,95%
40,00%
30,00%

20,00%

10,00%

0,00%
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Tap position
min. turns max. turns

Fig. 3 Variable shunt reactor with one OLTC and variable power steps
Losses of a variable shunt reactor depend on the design of the reactor and the position of the OLTC.
Usually total losses are given in relation to reactive compensation power by
PV/Q = 0.17…0.3%
When comparing different winding arrangements in variable shunt reactors, a coarse-fine regulation
shows lower losses than a reversing regulation, depending on tap position. The highest current is
flowing in the maximum power position and in reversing
regulating schemes also the highest winding resistance
occurs. In contrast, in a coarse-fine arrangement in the
maximum power position the lowest winding resistance
occurs. With increasing regulation range the difference of
losses between these two regulating schemes increase. The
qualitative correlation between losses and tap-position is
given in Fig 4. In practice most applications are realized with
one three-phase OLTC with a coarse-fine winding
arrangement. The higher initial costs for the coarse-fine
winding arrangement in comparison to the reversing winding
arrangement are compensated during operation with lower
losses at maximum power tap position.
Fig. 4 Comparison of losses

6. LIMITS FOR REGULATION RANGE

The limits for the regulation range of variable shunt reactors are usually given by the inner insulation
of the tap selector of the on-load tap-changer and the maximum allowed step voltage.
Considering the inner insulation distances, two OLTC positions are of particular importance for the
dimensioning of the OLTC. The first is the maximum turn position, where all turns of the shunt
reactor are in circuit (Fig. 5, left). In this position the dielectric stress on the “-“contact of the change-
over selector is the highest to ground and between phases. The phasor diagram (Fig. 5, right) shows
the voltage and the insulation distances are indicated (Fig. 5, left). The dielectric stress can easily be
determined for the distances c1 and c2.
Uc1 = (Ufine,max pos + Ucoarse,max pos.)
Uc2 = √3 * (Ufine,max pos + Ucoarse,max pos)
Since for the circuit shown, the fine winding and the coarse winding have equal turns, the equations
can be simplified.
Uc1 = 2 * Ufine,max pos = 2 * Ucoarse,max pos
Uc2 = √3 * 2 * Ufine,max pos = √3 * 2 * Ucoarse,max pos)

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 c1
c2
a
c1

Fig. 5 OLTC with coarse regulation in max turns position

The second important OLTC position of a coarse regulation is the minimum turn position. Assuming a
constant voltage on the power line, a VFVV (variable flux voltage variation) application is given.
Therefore, the highest voltage along the fine and coarse windings (both called “a”-distance) as well as
the highest step voltage occur in the minimum turn position.
Additionally, the voltage across the “b”-distance reaches the highest value in this position (Fig. 6) [3]:
Ub =√3 * Ufine,min pos

Fig. 6 OLTC coarse regulation in min turns position

7. ADVANCED OLTC DESIGN FOR VARIABLE SHUNT REACTORS WITH EXTENDED

REGULATION RANGE
Using three OLTCs with three tap-selectors is solving the problem of the phase to phase distances
within one single three-phase tap-selector. Now, having only one phase per tap-selector opens up the
opportunity to optimize the inner insulation distances “a” (from the beginning to the end of the coarse
winding) and “c1” (if change-over selector in “+” position the distance from the “-“ contact of the
change-over selector to the take-off terminal) in case of extended regulation ranges. In addition two
sectors of one OLTC diverter switch can be used in series connection by connecting the diverter
switches at the take-off terminal. Due to the mechanical design they are operated at the same time,
which gives the advantage to double the step voltage. Fig. 7 shows the advanced OLTC design with
the diverter switch and a tap selector optimized for this application.
This OLTC is specifically designed for the variable shunt reactor application. Both diverter switch
sectors are operated simultaneously, consequently, switching two steps (one from each regulation
winding) at the same time. Therefore, the number of tap positions doesn’t change compared to the

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design as shown in Fig.3. The tap selector has four decks, two (one for the odd and one for the even
taps) for each fine regulating winding. In consequence, the reactor has to be designed with one main,
two coarse and two fine windings.

Fig. 7 Advanced OLTC design with two diverter switch sectors and optimized tap-selector
This advanced design overcomes today’s limitation of the on-load tap-changer concerning the step
voltage by switching two steps at the same time and increasing the effective step voltage. With the
advanced design of on-load tap-changers, a regulation range of 80% is practicable for 420kV
applications. For 800kV grids regulation ranges of up to 50% seem to be feasible.
A compensation concept with a variable shunt reactor with on-load tap-changer is beneficial in other
aspects as well. Some compensation systems need huge amounts of energy for the regulation itself;
sometimes this energy is in the range of megawatts. A variable shunt reactor with an OLTC needs only
approximately 2500 watt seconds when the motor drive is operated to move the OLTC into the next
position. Even during auxiliary power outage, the OLTC can be operated by hand crank and
compensation is still active.

8. TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF CONFIGURATION FOR ADVANCED OLTC DESIGN

As described above, dielectric stress on the equipment can be seen as one limiting factor for this
application. Therefore, for example the tap-selector was optimized for the advanced OLTC.
Furthermore, the general known effect of leakage inductance on the OLTC when switching between
coarse winding and fine winding becomes particular significant.
The variable shunt reactor is an application with variable flux. Hence, at each tap position a different
step voltage appears. The maximum step voltage occurs in the minimum effective turn position, when
full compensation is reached. Therefore, it is important for a proper OLTC configuration to take into
account the maximum voltage that can occur during operation. This maximum voltage arises during
grid operation in overexitation mode and can apply over several hours. The OLTC current depends on
the operating voltage and the impedance of the variable shunt reactor and usually is no limitation
factor for the OLTC selection.

9. INNER INSULATION ASPECTS

When applying above considerations to the design of the advanced OLTC for variable shunt reactors,
the dielectric stresses for the insulation distances can be taken from Fig. 8. The design is a single phase
design, therefore only one phase is shown.

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In the maximum turn position the highest dielectric stress occurs at the “c1”- and “c2”-distances.
There is no difference of the stress for the “c1”-distance compared to a conventional OLTC design.
However, the “c2”-distance becomes now an in-phase distance along all regulation windings of one
phase (figure 8, left phasor diagram).
In the minimum turn position the highest dielectric stress occurs at the “b”-distance (figure 8, right).
Also the stress at the “b”-distance becomes now an in-phase stress and amounts twice the stress on the
fine regulation winding. For the “b”- and the “c2”-distance the multiplying factor in the equations
changes from “√3” to “2”, because the stresses change from between phases to in phase. A distinctive
feature of this design is that the voltage between the two fine windings can become twice the voltage
along one fine winding depending on the OLTC position. This has to be taken into consideration when
doing the winding design for this advanced OLTC application.
Uc1 = (Ufine,max pos + Ucoarse,max pos)
Uc2 = 2 * (Ufine,max pos + Ucoarse,max pos)
Since for the circuit shown, the fine winding and the coarse winding have equal turns, the equations
can be simplified.
Uc1 = 2 *Ufine,max pos = 2 * Ucoarse,max pos
Uc2 = 4 * Ufine,max pos = 4 * Ucoarse,max pos
Ub = 2 * Ufine,min pos

Fig. 8 Advanced OLTC in max. turn position and in min. turn position

10. ASPECTS OF LEAKAGE IMPEDANCE OF COARSE FINE WINDING

ARRANGEMENTS
The switching capability of OLTCs is mainly determined by the height of the switched current, the
recovery voltage arising at the opening contacts and the phase angle between these two values. The
duty on the individual switching contacts (main switching and transition contact) is furthermore
influenced by the switching cycle itself (flag cycle, symmetrical pennant cycle…) [3].
In the following the leakage impedance issue of coarse-fine winding arrangements is explained for a
flag cycle diverter switch. For these types the duty on the main switching contacts are not influenced
by the load factor (the switching is characterized by a pure ohmic behavior). However, for the
transition contact this situation changes. When switching an OLTC from one position to the next one,
there is one moment during the diverter switch operation where both transition resistors are in the

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circuit. In this condition the through current is equally divided to both paths and a circulating current
flows additionally (see Figure 9; top on the left, blue dashed line). For switching within the fine
winding, this circulating current is fed by only one step of the tap winding and is limited by the
transition resistors (basic principle of resistor type OLTCs).
The leakage impedance of one step of the tap winding is rather small, resulting in an almost ohmic
impedance of the circulating loop. Therefore, the circulating current generates no mentionable
additional phase shift to the load factor of the through current. In consequence of this, for all load
factors of the through current (also VSR applications), there is no significant phase shift between
switched current and recovery voltage at the transition contact (see Figure 9; bottom on the left).
However, the situation in one single switching operation is contrary, when the OLTC switches from
the fine winding to the coarse winding. The leakage impedance caused by the entire tap winding and
the coarse winding (see Figure 9; top on the right, blue dashed line) can create a significant additional
phase shift to the load factor of the through current and may affect the switching duty. In general, a
phase shift between recovery voltage and switched current provokes that the recovery voltage does not
start at zero. Therefore, a phase shift leads to a different shape of the recovery voltage at the moment
of contact separation (current zero) (see Figure 9; compare diagrams at the bottom), which has to be
taken into account for the assessment of the switching capability [3] and is a matter of the re-
stabilization of the open contact distance.

- -
0 Ucoarse Utap 0
+ +
{
Ust
K K
R R R R

I2, U2

switching conditions in mid position

OLTC switching conditions within fine winding

breaking
breaking
current
current

recovery
voltage recovery
voltage

Fig. 9 OLTC switching conditions within fine winding and in mid position of coarse tap winding

11. CHALLENGES IN REACTOR DESIGN APPLYING ADVANCED REGULATION

RANGE
The following parameters are requirements for design of a variable shunt reactor, acc. chapter 2:
Q 250 – 50 Mvar
Ur 400 kV
fr 50 Hz The maximum regulation range of a 400 kV reactor will be limited to
60% using the conventional OLTC regulation solution. Considering the demanded maximum power of
250 Mvar at 400kV voltage, this will result in a minimum power of 100 Mvar at maximum tap
position.

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The main restrictions of the regulation range controlled by an OLTC are the inner insulation of the tap
changer itself and the maximum permissible step voltage, as described in previous chapters.
Consequently a regulation range above 60% of the maximum reactive power could only be realized by
other products using different regulation concepts in the past (e.g. switched arrays of fixed reactors,
thyristor-controlled or DC-biased reactors). Disadvantages of some alternative concepts could be
higher losses, a significant higher mass and bigger footprint of the reactor compared to a unit
controlled by an OLTC. Also noise emission could be an issue depending on requirements on site.
Since these restrictions have been overcome with the development of a tap-changer described in
chapter 7, a reactor with the needed regulation range can be designed.
The favorite regulation is the coarse-fine regulation scheme due to better loss behavior. The number of
turns per step is chosen equal in order to achieve the maximum possible regulation range. As a result
the apparent power difference per step is not equal. The overall number of tap positions does not
change, but each tap position consists of twice the number of wounded steps and turns compared to the
conventional solution. As a result the number of leads will be increased, which is challenging the
mechanical design of the reactor considering railway transportation restrictions. A measure to reduce
the distances is the use of ZnO-varistors along the regulation windings. This leads to reduced voltage
stresses along winding during lightning impulse test.
A further challenge is the stray flux control at the reactor continuous operation at 440kV which equals
a reactive power of 302.5Mvar. In order to define prevent local overheating of structural parts above
permissible values according to IEC 60076. Therefore coupled magnetic and thermal field calculations
taking into account the nonlinear and anisotropic material parameters have been conducted to define
additional measures. Furthermore the leakage impedance of the coarse-fine winding arrangement has
to be within the limits given by the tap-changer manufacturer. This also influences the operating point
of the reactor as well as a suitable winding arrangement, which has to satisfy also the other challenges
mentioned previously. Finally a Schnabel car tank design fitting the transportation within the limits of
German railway is required.

12. CONCLUSION
The change of power grids from conventional to more renewable generation leads to need of more
reactive power compensation in the grid due to volatile power flows along the overhead lines.
Especially in case of a black start, the reactive power has to be independent from generation.
Additionally to the high amount of reactive power, the need of a larger regulation range is also given
by power grid requirements. Through a new development of an advanced on-load tap-changer together
with a special design of a variable shunt reactor, a regulation range of 80% of reactive power at 420kV
application is possible. Due to the large regulation range of the shunt reactor, it is possible to regulate
a static capacitor bank with a variable shunt reactor. In general, compensation units can stay longer
connected to the grid if they have a larger regulation range. Hence other equipment, such as circuit
breakers, has less wear due to reduced number of operations.
During the design phase of a variable shunt reactor, it is critical to coordinate the winding design with
the on-load tap-changer. Main focus lies on the stray reactance between the coarse winding and the
fine winding for such designs. To achieve the large regulation range, an optimization of both, the
shunt reactor and the on-load tap-changer, is necessary.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
[1] R. Flosdorff / G. Hilgarth, (1986), Elektrische Energieverteilung, B. G. Teubner Stuttgart
[2] Dr. Karsten Viereck, Dr. Dieter Dohnal, (2014), Variable shunt reactors in actual operating
conditions in smart grid environment, CEPSI JEJU Korea
[3] Dr. Axel Krämer, (2014), On-Load Tap-Changers for Power Transformers: Operations, Principles,
Applications and Selections, Kerschensteiner Verlag GmbH, Germany

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