aluminum vs copper transformer windings

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milemaker13

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I'm getting quotes for a 45kva 480primary/400 secondary 3 phase transformer. I'm seeing mostly aluminum windings but have come across copper windings as well... What is the practical difference here? Cost and weight?
 
I'm getting quotes for a 45kva 480primary/400 secondary 3 phase transformer. I'm seeing mostly aluminum windings but have come across copper windings as well... What is the practical difference here? Cost and weight?
At 45kVA, not much difference. Aluminum is less conductive than copper, so the windings end up bigger with Al, requiring more steel as well, resulting in a physically larger transformer for the same capacity. But 45kVA is still relatively "small" in the transformer world, so the difference in size is not going to be dramatic if anything at all because manufacturers tend to use common "case" sizes regardless of what the core looks like inside. Cu expands and contracts less with heat than Al, so you need to periodically check connections on Al transformers more often because the Al will suffer from "creep", meaning the Al will flow away from pressure points like mechanical lugs and the primary windings tend to become brittle with age, resulting in a higher failure rate on older transformers if there is a fault somewhere on the primary side. Again though, at 45kVA everything is relatively small to begin with so that may not end up being a big hairy deal either. Lastly because of the lower conductivity of Al and that resistance changes more with temperature, Al transformers tend to be slightly less efficient. But again, at 45kVA that is not going to end up costing much over it's lifetime, especially if both versions meet the DOE-2016 (DOE 10 CFR Part 431) efficiency requirements . Bottom line it's probably a preference call.
 
In my experience, transformers sized in kVA are more typically built using aluminum windings than with copper.
It varies slightly by manufacturer, but most catalogs I've seen have 'special' pricing for copper. Of course less commodity style units like many 'drive isolation' are offered in copper as standard.
 
Hammond
Copper vs. Aluminum Windings

  • Transformers wound with aluminum or copper coils have similar losses and performance. Losses in the transformer’s coil are a function of the current carrying capacity of the wire or foil used to wind them and the actual current. Therefore, a larger wire is used when winding aluminum coils to make
  • up for the lower current carrying capacity and efficiency of aluminum.
  • Aluminum wound coils are larger than an equivalent copper coil. Some applications requiring very tight dimensions require copper coils. Aluminum wire requires approximately 1.6 times as much cross section as copper to carry an equivalent amount of current.
  • Aluminum’s perceived problem dates to the 1960’s when connection problems caused several fires. There were never any problems with the actual aluminum wire. Modern, secure methods for connecting aluminum wire have been developed and are widely used. Connections must pierce the aluminum oxide layer in such a way that they remain gas tight to prevent further oxidation.
  • Copper corrodes less than aluminum in salt water applications and is recommended. Aluminum corrodes more when it comes in contact with water. While some marine specifications allow aluminum wire, marine rated units are recommended to be copper.
  • Aluminum is susceptible to more rapid attacks by halide ions, of which chloride (CL -) is the most frequently encountered.
  • Copper is susceptible to more rapid attack in oxidizing acids, oxidizing heavy-metal salts, sulfur, ammonia (NH3), and some sulfur and NH3 compounds. HPS’s Vacuum Pressure Impregnation (VPI) process can help prevent either copper or aluminum corrosion in most environments.
  • Copper has a higher tensile strength than aluminum. Thin aluminum wire is brittle. Smaller transformers, generally 5kVA and under, are wound with copper to avoid breaking or damaging the wire during winding. Copper wire is more flexible and smaller than aluminum wire. Once a transformer approaches one to three MVA, copper wound coils become more practical to wind.
  • Certain high efficiency applications can also be more economically achieved using copper units, especially with high harmonics where larger wire sizes can cause more losses and skin effect.
  • Aluminum transformers tend to be less costly than copper transformers. A pound of aluminum has about twice the current carrying capacity of copper but costs ½ to ¼ as much.
  • Since both aluminum and copper transformers use the same insulation systems and have similar temperature rises, they have similar lifetime ratings.


This is Cooper's take: copper-vs-aluminum-conductor-product-aid-pa202008en.pdf (81.6 KB)

And SQD: 7400PD9601.pdf (26.5 KB)

CONCLUSION Choosing between aluminum or copper transformer windings comes down to personal preference. The premium price for copper often requires purchase justification, but these arguments have been refuted in this bulletin. In truth, industry experience simply does not support any of the commonly stated reasons for choosing copper over aluminum. Aluminum-wound low voltage transformers will probably continue to gain increased acceptance because of their significant cost advantage over copper. As some of the old myths disappear because of the overwhelming success of the aluminum, more users will become comfortable with the relatively minor additional attention to detail necessary for making reliable aluminum connections. The extra attention given to aluminum joints has even been theorized to contribute to better joints in aluminum than in copper. However, good practices when making electrical connections are an advantage to everyone in the industry, regardless of whether aluminum or copper is being used. Before investing in the additional cost of copper transformers, examine the reasons for copper preferences in the specifications​
 

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Suggest, read the literature above.

Power transformers, 1MVA and smaller, dry type, my recommendation is Al.
(As for control transformers, oil filled, or >1MVA, I don't have a recommendation)

Transformer winders learned how to make the welds sometime in the late 70's, early 80's.
I've been fighting the entrenched old guard for 35+ years to accept Al. I never convinced them, but I did finally out live them. There is little worse than the Double-Dumbshit-Syndrome:
We've always done it this way.
Everybody else dose it this way.

Unless there is a size constraint, Al is:
Equal performance
Lighter
cost effective
available on-shelf​
 
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