Application Note

Dynamic OLTC scan (DRM)

Author
Bernhard Engstler | bernhard.engstler@omicronenergy.com

Date
January 31, 2019

Related OMICRON Products

CPC 100, CP SB1, TESTRANO 600, Primary Test Manager

Application Area
Power Transformer / OLTC Testing

Keywords
CPC 100, CP SB1, Power Transformer, OLTC, PTM, Primary Test Manager, DRM, OLTC Scan

Version
V2.0

Document ID
ANP_15004_ENU

Abstract
Power transformers represent the most expensive links between generation and utilization of electric power.
One very important component of a power transformer is the on-load tap changer (OLTC). The static winding
resistance measurement of the individual taps is the most commonly used testing method to check the
winding as well as all of the internal connections such as the connection from the bushing and the tap
changer mobile contacts to the windings, the contacts of the tap selector and the main contacts of the
diverter switch. The Dynamic OLTC-Scan (DRM) is a measurement method for resistor-type OLTCs which
offers complementary information to the static winding resistance measurement.
 General information

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OMICRON.
The product information, specifications, and technical data embodied in this Application Note represent the
technical status at the time of writing and are subject to change without prior notice.
We have done our best to ensure that the information given in this Application Note is useful, accurate and
entirely reliable. However, OMICRON does not assume responsibility for any inaccuracies which may be
present.
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© OMICRON 2019. All rights reserved. This Application Note is a publication of OMICRON.

© OMICRON 2019 Page 2 of 20

 Contents

1 Safety instructions ................................................................................................................................4

2 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................4
3 Measurement principle .........................................................................................................................5
4 Performing Dynamic OLTC-Scan (DRM) with Primary Test Manager (PTM) ...................................6
4.1 Connections to the OLTC motor drive ............................................................................................6
4.2 Connections to the power transformer and test settings ................................................................8
4.3 Measurements pane .......................................................................................................................9
4.3.1 CPC 100 ........................................................................................................................................... 9
4.3.2 TESTRANO 600 ............................................................................................................................. 10
5 Analysis ............................................................................................................................................... 12
5.1 Comparison to a fingerprint measurement .................................................................................. 13
5.2 Phase-to-phase comparison ........................................................................................................ 13
5.3 Switching time and interruptions .................................................................................................. 13
5.4 Dynamic shorting ......................................................................................................................... 14
5.5 Non-synchronous switching of phases ........................................................................................ 15
5.6 Influence of oil temperature ......................................................................................................... 16
5.7 Diverter switch and selector switch types .................................................................................... 17
6 Test example 1 .................................................................................................................................... 18

© OMICRON 2019 Page 3 of 20

1 Safety instructions
This Application Note may only be used in conjunction with the relevant product manuals which contain all
safety instructions. The user is fully responsible for any application that makes use of OMICRON products.
Instructions are always characterized by a  symbol, even if they are included in a safety instruction.

DANGER
Death or severe injury caused by high voltage or current if the respective
protective measures are not complied with.

 Carefully read and understand the content of this Application Note as well
as the manuals of the systems involved before taking them into operation.
 Please contact OMICRON support if you have any questions or doubts
regarding the safety or operating instructions.
 Follow each instruction listed in the manuals, especially the safety
instructions, since this is the only way to avoid the danger that can occur
when working on high voltage or high current systems.
 Only use the equipment involved according to its intended purpose to
guarantee safe operation.
 Existing national safety standards for accident prevention and
environmental protection may supplement the equipment’s manual.

Only experienced and competent professionals that are trained for working in high voltage or high current
environments may implement this Application Note. Additionally, the following qualifications are required:
• Authorized to work in environments of energy generation, transmission or distribution, and familiar
with the approved operating practices in such environments.
• Familiar with the five safety rules.
• Good knowledge/proficient in working with CPC 100 and/or TESTRANO 600.

2 Introduction
Power transformers represent the most expensive links between generation and utilization of electric power.
One very important component of a power transformer is the on-load tap changer (OLTC).
The static winding resistance measurement of the individual taps is the most commonly used testing method
to check the winding as well as all of the internal connections such as the connection from the bushing and
the tap changer mobile contacts to the windings, the contacts of the tap selector and the main contacts of
the diverter switch. An assessment can be made by comparing the results with the factory report or by
calculating the deviation from the average of the three phases.
The Dynamic OLTC-Scan (DRM) is a measurement method for resistor-type OLTCs which offers
complementary information to the static winding resistance measurement. Using basically the same setup,
DRM measures the fast switching process of the diverter or selector switch, with typical switching times
between 40 and 70 ms. Information about switching times of the diverter switch, interruptions during
switching, for example due to broken commutating resistors or broken leads, contact bouncing and complete
wear of contacts can be obtained.

© OMICRON 2019 Page 4 of 20

3 Measurement principle
Figure 1 shows a typical measurement setup of DRM, consisting of a DC current source, current and voltage
measurement.

Figure 1

By applying a short circuit to the opposite side of the transformer, the current signal becomes more sensitive,
as the current drop (ripple) increases. This is the result of a lower time constant due to the shorted main
inductance. A direct comparison of the current signal, when measuring with different test equipment is
difficult, as the ripple is dependent on the dynamic properties of the current source. But the principle and the
distinct stages of the switching process are always visible, regardless of the source parameters. Figure 2
shows a typical dynamic behavior of a diverter switch operation with two transition resistors.

Figure 2

© OMICRON 2019 Page 5 of 20

4 Performing Dynamic OLTC-Scan (DRM) with Primary Test
Manager (PTM)

4.1 Connections to the OLTC motor drive

Although it is possible to do the test with manual OLTC switching, for example by using the control buttons
on the OLTC motor drive cabinet, it is convenient to use the automatic tap control of the CP SB1 or
TESTRANO 600 to speed up the test and reduce effort. Therefor the up/down contacts of the CP SB1 (for
testing with CPC 100) or tap changer control connection cable of the TESTRANO 600 have to be connected
to the appropriate terminals of the motor drive.
DANGER
Death or severe injury caused by high voltage or current

 Switch off the control voltage of the tap changer before connecting terminal
adapters and test leads to the control cabinet.

Figure 3 shows a connection example to a motor drive control. The correct connection method and terminal
numbers can differ for each control cabinet and must be derived from the circuit diagram of the motor drive
by a qualified person.
The connections to the motor drive terminals can either be realized via flexible terminal adapters or threaded
screw-in terminal adapters for 4mm test leads. The latter have the advantage that no terminals need to be
opened and minimizes the risk of loose wires or incorrect reconnection (see Figure 4).

Figure 3: Connection example for up/down command

© OMICRON 2019 Page 6 of 20

 Figure 4: Connection examples with flexible terminal adapters (left) and screw-in
terminal adapters (right)

The TESTRANO 600 also offers the capability to measure and record the motor current and motor voltage
during tap switching. The current input requires a voltage signal (3V RMS max.) of an active current probe, like
for example the OMICRON C-probe. The ratio of the current probe can be defined in the test settings in V/A.
The motor voltage measurement is single phase and can measure up to 300 V RMS. A connection example
for a phase-to-neutral voltage measurement and motor current measurement is shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5: Connection example for motor current and voltage measurement with TESTRANO 600

© OMICRON 2019 Page 7 of 20

 Once the motor drive is wired and powered again, you can check the correct functioning and switching
direction in PTM using the arrow buttons in the status bar (only TESTRANO 600 - Figure 6).

Figure 6: Tap switch control buttons in PTM

4.2 Connections to the power transformer and test settings

DANGER
Death or severe injury caused by high voltage or current

 Before connecting any test leads to the transformer, turn off and disconnect any
voltage to and from the transformer (e.g. high voltage on the main terminals).
 Ground and short-circuit its terminals using a grounding set.

Connect the test set following the test instructions and wiring diagrams shown in PTM.
The test settings are almost identical to the DC Winding resistance tests, with the addition of the following
settings:

Dynamic This option is available on single- and three-phase transformers with an OLTC on the
Shorting high-voltage winding. If active, the test set will short-circuit the low-voltage winding
during switching, as soon as a stable winding resistance is measured.

Recording time The recording period of the DC current during the switching of the diverter switch. In
most cases, a recording time of 150 to 200 ms is sufficient.

Record motor Activate the checkbox to record the current and/or voltage supply of the tap changer
supply (only drive motor. This option is only available if the Automatic tap control is activated.
TESTRANO 600)
The clamp ratio defines the ratio in Volts per Ampere of the current clamp.

Tap time Time in seconds for the change between two tap positions, or in other words, the time
the motor drive needs from triggering the tap change (up/down) until the motor drive
stops operating. If this time is set too low, the tap switching might not be detected.
Traces where no tap switch is detected are marked with an exclamation mark in the
Legend.

Also, the duration of the recorded motor supply (if enabled) is affected by the tap
time setting.

For transformers with an OLTC located in the high voltage winding, the low voltage winding only needs to be
connected when the dynamic shorting option is checked.

© OMICRON 2019 Page 8 of 20

 Figure 7: Connection examples for an OLTC on the high voltage windings; TESTRANO 600 (left) and CPC 100 with CP SB1 (right)

A test current between 5 A and 10 A DC has proven to be very effective for most cases where the tap
changer is installed in the high-voltage winding. For tap changers installed in the low-voltage winding with
high current ratings, test currents between 10 and 20 A might be necessary.
Generally, the test current should not exceed 10 to 15% of the rated current of the winding. This avoids
heating of the winding and the consequential change of resistance.
Tests with lower test currents than 5 A might respond too sensitive to regular contact bouncing and thin oil
films between contacts, as the low source voltage at low currents is insufficient to penetrate the thin oil film
between the moving and stationary contacts. This can appear as an interruption when in reality there is no
defect or real interruption at higher currents or in operation.

4.3 Measurements pane

The Measurements pane in the workspace displays results in different formats. The Dynamic OLTC-Scan
(DRM) tab displays the recorded DC current signals during switching for visual analysis.
The DC current is not recorded continuously from start to finish, but only when the DC current, which has
reached a stable state before switching, is deviating a certain amount from its stable state due to the
switching process and triggers the recording of the DC current for the defined recording time. The recorded
traces for each tap switch are then overlaid in the graph. Basis for the horizontal alignment of the individual
traces is the moment when the DC current trigger threshold was reached.

4.3.1 CPC 100

Filter checkboxes allow for quick selection or deselection of Phase, Parity of tap numbers or switching
Direction. Individual traces can be highlighted in the list of taps or in the diagram. Hold down Ctrl and click
to select and highlight multiple tap numbers with distinct colors for easier visual comparison of multiple
traces (Figure 8).

© OMICRON 2019 Page 9 of 20

 Figure 8: PTM measurements pane of the CPC 100

4.3.2 TESTRANO 600

Expand the Legend tab on the left to hide/unhide traces via the checkbox and to highlight them for easier
distinction. Hold down Ctrl and click on the tap number to highlight multiple traces with distinct colors.

Figure 9: PTM measurements pane of the TESTRANO 600

Expand the Filters / Cursor values tab on the right to apply filters and use the cursors.
If the Show cursors checkbox is checked in the Cursor values tab, the difference between cursor A and B
is displayed, which is useful to determine the switching time of the OLTC (Figure 10). Note that at least one
trace must be highlighted to show cursors in the graph.

Figure 10: Cursor ∆ values

The Motor supply graph shows the motor current and supply voltage. The recording is started the moment
the TESTRANO 600 switches the tap changer and stops when the DRM recording ends. If cursors are
© OMICRON 2019 Page 10 of 20
 activated, a grey vertical line in the motor supply graph indicates the moment when the DRM recording was
triggered (Figure 11).

Figure 11: DRM and motor supply graph with cursors

© OMICRON 2019 Page 11 of 20

5 Analysis
It is important to know that the visual appearance of the DRM current curves vary quite significantly and can
be quite unique for each tap changer model. Table 1 shows exemplary DRM curves of some very common
resistor type OLTCs, measured with dynamic shorting, to illustrate the variation. However, these examples
cannot strictly be taken as fingerprints. The resistance of the transition resistors, inductance and resistance
of the windings, turns ratio of the transformer, measurement method etc. also influence the appearance of
traces.
Table 1

MR Oiltap ® M, diverter switch, 2 transition resistors MR Oiltap ® V, selector switch, 2 transition resistors

MR Oiltap ® R, diverter switch, 4 transition resistors MR Vacutap ® VV, vacuum switch, 1 transition resistor

ABB UCC, diverter switch, 2 transition resistors ABB UBB, selector switch, 2 transition resistors

© OMICRON 2019 Page 12 of 20

5.1 Comparison to a fingerprint measurement

The ideal and most convenient way to assess a DRM measurement is comparing the obtained results to a
fingerprint measurement, which is a measurement taken during commissioning of the transformer, or when
the tap changer is known to be in a good condition. It allows to detect changes over time and comparison to
original switching times. Emerging problems can be detected in an earlier stage due to comparison to the
original state. The fingerprint also captures the unique characteristics of the tap changer model. Later
measurements should be performed with the same test current and method.

5.2 Phase-to-phase comparison

If a fingerprint or measurements of similar transformers with the same OLTC model are not available, the
comparison between phases is the only alternative to assess DRM measurements. Under normal conditions,
contacts of all phases wear at a similar rate and therefore should deliver a similar performance. Significant
differences between phases should be looked at more closely.

5.3 Switching time and interruptions

Amongst the most important properties of an OLTC are switching time and uninterrupted switching. Both
properties can be identified quite easily.
The switching time can be measured from the moment when the current starts to drop, which is the moment
the test current is starting to flow across a transition resistor, until the moment the test current is recovering.
Due to the inductance and resistance of the transformer winding and the current source properties of the test
set, the current recovery is not sudden, but can last several hundred milliseconds.

Figure 12: Switching time in measurement pane via cursors (TESTRANO 600)

The switching time is typically in a range between 40 to 70 milliseconds and, again, is depending on the
design and model of the tap changer. In some tap changer models, a small dip in current may be observed
right before the main contact breaks, caused by a sliding or rolling movement of the main contact (Figure
12). The amplitude of this dip at the beginning can be an indication of the progress of erosion and surface
roughness these contacts present.
An interruption of the load current can be detected quite easily when the test current drops fully or nearly to
0 A during switching. Figure 13 shows such an interruption in Phase C. The test current might not interrupt

© OMICRON 2019 Page 13 of 20

 immediately upon breaking the contact due to an electric arc. The arc maintains the current flowing for some
milliseconds until it is fully extinguished. The higher the test current, the longer the arcing time is visible in
the graph. Repeating the test with lower test currents can reveal a faster interruption. However, testing with
very low currents exclusively can easily lead to misinterpretations. A small amount of contact bounce can be
quite normal, and if test currents are very low such contact bouncing, or even residual oil films on contacts,
can mistakenly be interpreted as a full interruption, which is not representative for real load conditions.
The consequence of short interruptions of the tap changer can be accelerated contact wear and erosion due
to stronger arcing, while longer and full interruptions of the load current lead to heavy arcing and damages to
the tap changer in the worst case.

Figure 13: Interruption of the test current in Phase C

5.4 Dynamic shorting

As already mentioned in previous chapters, dynamic shorting increases the sensitivity of the measurement
by applying a short circuit to the opposite side of the transformer. Dynamic shorting means that initially the
DC current is applied with the transformer in open circuit. Only when the DC current has stabilized, a short
circuit is applied automatically by the CP SB1 or TESTRANO 600 to the opposite winding before switching.
The short circuit provides a path with much lower impedance to transient switching currents than the main
inductance, as illustrated in Figure 14, which results in a lower time constant and higher magnitude during
switching.

Figure 14: Equivalent circuit diagram of a single-phase transformer in short-circuit

Another side effect of the short circuit is that different switching directions of the OLTC (up/down) have little
to no effect on the measured switching current, whereas an open circuit, and consequently with the main
inductance in full effect, results in significant differences between switching directions, as illustrated in Figure
15.

© OMICRON 2019 Page 14 of 20

 In one switching direction, the circulating current (IC) is adding to the test current supplied by test equipment
(inductive discharge effect) when the transition resistors are connecting two adjacent taps. In the opposite
switching direction, the circulating current is subtracted from the test current (inductive charge effect) when
the transition resistors are connecting two adjacent taps.

Up Up
Down Down

Without dynamic shorting With dynamic shorting

Figure 15: Comparison between measurements without (left) and with dynamic shorting (right)

In some cases, the circulating current can even cause the current to shoot above the target current defined
in the test settings (Figure 16).

Figure 16

5.5 Non-synchronous switching of phases

In transformers where the OLTC is in a delta winding, or a wye winding without accessible neutral, small
timing differences between phases might become apparent in the DRM curve. In case of a delta winding, the
test current provided by the test equipment is split in two current paths, the phase to be measured, and the
other two phases in parallel to the phase to be measured (Figure 17).

© OMICRON 2019 Page 15 of 20

 Figure 17: Current distribution of a single-phase measurement in a delta winding

If one or both switches of the other two phases are switching before the phase to be measured, the
measured test current decreases as the overall circuit impedance increases, appearing like a kink in the
graph (Figure 18).

Figure 18: Step effect of non-synchronous switching in a delta winding (blue trace)

In a wye winding without accessible neutral, two windings are connected in series in a single-phase test. The
effect of non-synchronous switching is similar to the one observed in a delta winding.

5.6 Influence of oil temperature

It has been observed that oil temperature has an influence on DRM curves for oil tap changers which cannot
be neglected, as oil temperature directly affects its viscosity, and consequently has damping effects on the
mechanical movement of contacts. Especially at very low oil temperatures around 0° Celsius, DRM curves

© OMICRON 2019 Page 16 of 20

 may deviate quite significantly. An example which visualizes the difference is shown in Figure 19.

Figure 19: Comparison of a measurement at 1°C (red) and 25°C (blue) oil temperature

5.7 Diverter switch and selector switch types

For the analysis it is important to know the switching principle the OLTC under test. There are two categories
of resistor-type tap changers: diverter switch and selector switch.

Figure 20: Diverter switch (arcing switch) Figure 21: Selector switch (arcing tap switch)

The diverter switch type (Figure 20) consist of two main parts. A tap selector preselects the next tap without
making or breaking the load current and is located within the main transformer tank. The diverter switch is
then transferring the load current. The diverter switch has only two static positions, which means that all
even tap numbers and all odd tap numbers share the same main contacts.
The selector switch type (Figure 21) combines both duties of the diverter switch and the tap selector, within
its own oil volume. Contrary to the diverter switch, each tap position has its own stationary main contact.

© OMICRON 2019 Page 17 of 20

6 Test example 1
In the following case study, the transition resistors of a diverter switch have been manipulated.
Phase A: no change, each transition resistor having a total resistance of 7Ω.
Phase B: half of one transition resistor was shorted resulting in a resistance of 3.5Ω
Phase C: one transition resistor was fully disconnected (open circuit).

Figure 22: Modification of transition resistors

A dynamic OLTC scan was performed with 10 A DC test current and dynamic shorting.
Switching from an even to an odd tap number (tap 4 to tap 5, Figure 23), the first half of the switching cycle
looks as expected, but as the manipulated resistors are coming into effect, differences become apparent.
Phase B, with only half of the resistance, is almost a flat line. In contrast, phase C drops to 0 A until the main
contact makes.

Figure 23: Switching from tap 4 to tap 5

Switching from an odd to even tap number (tap 5 to tap 6, Figure 24) the switching direction of the diverter
switch changes and the differences can be observed in the first half of the switching cycle. While Phase A
shows normal behavior again, the slope of phase B is not as steep as phase A, which can be explained by
the reduced resistance. Phase C shows a drop of test current to 0 A again.

© OMICRON 2019 Page 18 of 20

 Figure 24: Switching from tap 5 to tap 6

© OMICRON 2019 Page 19 of 20

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