A Hybrid Approach for the Wideband Modeling of a 10 kVA Power Transformer

This paper aims to model a 10 kVA power transformer used in electrical distribution networks in rural areas in Brazil, with the goal of enabling the study of communication data transmission in smart grids through the power distribution infrastructure — the Power Line Communication (PLC) technology. This study is essential to ensure the feasibility of using this technology, considering that transformers exhibit variable characteristics with frequency and can affect the quality of signal transfer via PLC. In this context, the paper seeks to introduce a new approach to the black-box modeling of power transformers, replacing the need for frequency sweep tests, which require extensive point-by-point measurements, with a single impulse test capable of exciting the entire frequency range necessary for determining the elements of the transformer model. To validate the model, a voltage step, that excites the entire frequency band of interest, is applied.