What is the difference between a current transformer & a

potential transformer?
Current Transformer
1. The secondary of a C.T can not be open circuited on any circumstance when it is
under service.
2. A CT may be considered as a series transformer.
3. The primary current in a C.T is independent of the secondary circuit conditions
(burden).
4. The primary winding of the CT is connected in series with the line carring the
current to be measured. Hence it carries of the full line current.
5. With the help of CT, a 5A ammeter can be used measure a high current like
200A.
Potential transformer
1. The secondary of a P.T can be open circuited without any damage being caused
either to the operator or the transformer.
2. P.T may be considered as a parallel transformer.
3. The primary current of a P.T depends upon the secondary circuit conditions
(burden).
4. The primary winding P.T is connected across the line of voltage to be measured.
Hence the full line voltage is impressed across its terminal.
5. With the help of P.T, a 120V voltmeter can be used to measure very high
voltages like 11KV.

10.4k View

Current Transformer is used to measure the current flowing in a wire. The wire itself
becomes the primary winding and the coil wrapped around the ring core will be the

secondary The meter translates the output voltage to current. Its application is in the
protection of high voltage power system.
Current Transformer is also used to provide a constant current to a load regardless what the
load impedance is. The load could be a number of transformers connected in series instead
of parallel. One application is in the Runway Lights at the airport. The secondary of each
transformer provides power to each bulb of the runway light. When the bulb burns out, the
rest of the bulbs still works since the primary winding are still in tack maintaining the same
current as before when all bulbs were still working.
Potential Transformer is used to measure the voltage of a power system. The high voltage is
stepped down to a value that can be measured by a meter and translating it to the actual
voltage of a transmission line. Its application is also in the protection of high voltage power
system
Power Transformer is used to either step up or down the voltage to supply power to the grid
or to the community.

For current transformer whether it's used for measurement or for protection,
it has more no. of turns at secondary side than that at primary side winding.
Normally, the CT's secondary rated current is kept either at 1A or at 5A
depending upon its requirement.
Now let's take a case where the CT ratio is 1000:5 . This means for 1000A
current at primary (which is nothing but fault current, at normal condition
the current will be line current which would be <1000A), the secondary
current of the current transformer will be 5A .
If the primary side current is not reaching upto 1000A; it's obvious that
secondary side current induced won't be 5A.
The moment the current at secondary of the current transformer reaches 5A,
the relay associated with the current transformer will be energised provided,
the plug setting is kept at 100%. (Google plug setting for more info).
The energisation of relay depends upon which type of relay is used and what
the plug setting(PS) of the relay is. If the PS is 50% then relay would energise
at 2.5A when primary current at CT is 1000A.
The energised relay indicates there's a fault and trips its NO (Normally open)
contacts and this leads the circuit breaker to open its contact which was NC
(Normally closed) and in this way, the faulty part is isolated from the healthy
part of the line.

Instrument Transformers

How will you measure AC currents and voltages of very high magnitude? You will need the
measuring instruments having higher range, which literally mean huge instruments. Or
there's another way, using the transformation property of AC currents and voltages. You can
transform the voltage or current down with a transformer whose turns ratio is accurately
known, then measuring the stepped down magnitude with a normal range instrument. The
original magnitude can be determined by just multiplying the result with the transformation
ratio. Such specially constructed transformers with accurate turns ratio are called
as Instrument transformers. These instruments transformers are of two types (i) Current Transformers (CT) and (ii) Potential Transformers (PT).
Current Transformers (CT)
Current transformers are generally used to measure currents of high magnitude.
These transformers step down the current to be measured, so that it can be measured with a
normal range ammeter. A Current transformer has only one or very few number of primary
turns. The primary winding may be just a conductor or a bus bar placed in a hollow core (as
shown in the figure). The secondary winding has large number turns accurately wound for a
specific turns ratio. Thus the current transformer steps up (increases) the voltage while
stepping down (lowering) the current.

One of the common application of a current transformer is in a 'Digital Clamp

Meter'.
Generally, current transformers are expressed in their primary to secondary current
ratio. A 100:5 CT would mean the secondary current of 5 amperes when primary current is
100 amperes. The secondary current rating is generally 5 amperes or 1 ampere, which is
compatible with standard measuring instruments.

Potential Transformer (PT)

Potential transformers are also known as voltage transformers and they are basically
step down transformers with extremely accurate turns ratio. Potential transformers step

down the voltage of high magnitude to a lower voltage which can be measured with standard
measuring instrument. These transformers have large number of primary turns and smaller
number of secondary turns.

A potential transformer is typically expressed in primary to secondary voltage ratio. For

example, a 600:120 PT would mean the voltage across secondary is 120 volts when primary
voltage is 600 volts.
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Sha re

Robert Morkel
Written Mar 17

Voltage Transformer:
Voltage transformer which is also called as a potential transformer. It employed in electrical
energy power system for stepping down the voltage of the system to some protected value
which is often provided to low rating meters and relays. Commercially accessible relays and
meters utilized for coverage and metering are prepared for low voltage, so the potential
transformer is normally used for stepping down the voltage in distribution systems. But it
can be used to step up the voltage as well. In transmission lines where the sole aim is to
minimize the line losses, potential transformer serves the purpose, it steps up the voltage so

that line losses can be avoided as much as can. Therefore, usually in transmission lines,
voltages are very high. In the case of the typical step-down transformer. A voltage
transformer concept or potential transformer concept is the same as a theory of basic step
down transformer. Between the phase and the ground primary of the voltage transformer is
connected. voltage transformer has lower primary turns than its secondary windings, for the
purpose of stepping down. The voltage of the system is applied over the terminals of the
primary winding of that transformer, after which secondary voltage appears in proper
proportion over the secondary terminals of the potential transformer.
Normally the secondary voltage is 110 volts. The ideal voltage transformer is one in which
the ratio of primary and secondary voltages is same as the turn ratio, as turn ratio is the
ratio of the primary and secondary wire turns and it decides the function of the transformer
as step up or step down. but in actual transformers phase angle between the secondary and
primary voltage vary and voltage ratio gives an error. Phasor diagrams help in
understanding those errors.
Current Transformer:
Current transformer which is often referred as CT regulates alternating current i.e on its
secondary terminal alternating current is proportional to the value of current on its primary.
A current transformer is normally used to provide isolated lower current on its secondary
terminals. Current transformers are utilized broadly for the purpose of computing current
and checking the whole process of the power grid. Together with voltage prospects, revenuegrade Current transformers force the electric powered utilitys watt-hour gauge on
practically every building with three-phase services and single-phase services more than
Two hundred amperes. Transformers with High-voltage current are attached to porcelain
ceramic or polymer bonded insulators to segregate them from the ground. Several CT
designs slip across the bushing of the high-voltage transformer or even circuit breaker,
which immediately facilities the conductor within the CT window. Current transformers
could be attached to the lower voltage or even high voltage prospects of a power
transformer. Current transformers can be used to keep an eye on dangerously higher
currents or currents at risky high voltages, so excellent proper care should be ingested the
structure and use of CTs during these scenarios. The secondary of an existing transformer
really should not be turned off from the load while current is within the primary, as the
secondary will endeavor to carry on driving current into a highly effective limitless
impedance as much as its insulation breakdown voltage and, therefore, give up operator
safety. Current transformers decrease high voltage currents to some reduced value and
supply a handy method of properly checking the particular electric powered current moving
within an AC transmission line utilizing a standard ammeter. The key operation of the
current transformer is absolutely no different from those of a regular transformer

To understand the answer which is as following, first you need to understand the conceptual
fundamental of what is current and what is voltage:
Current is flow of electrons (in Lehman language) in a conductor. (A simple analogy of
current is flow of water in river, now if you want to measure the flow you got to put the

meter in stream of water). In same way if you want to measure current you got to put the
meter in the same line in which it is flowing. It is called series connection. (but since to
measure large amount of current one would need too large meter so CT is used but principle
of measurement remain same that it should be in same line)
Now for voltage, it is something which is always with respect to some reference ( A simple
analogy would be height of water in a dam so when you want to measure it you need to put
zero mark at base which is nothing but reference and from there height is measured), so to
measure voltage you need to connect one end of meter (Potentiometer) to ground reference
and other to the point where you want to measure. It is called parallel connection.
(Obviously for large voltage you would need large potentiometer so PT is used but principle
remain same).

The coil of a CT consists of a thick wire of a good conducting material with a few number
of turns.Since,resistance is inversely proportional to the cross sectional area of the
conductor { R= (rho)*l/A) } ,the resistance of the coil becomes very less.
Now, if you try to connect a CT in parallel with another resistance or load, the coil of the
CT will seem to offer negligible resistance or simply it will work as a short circuit.The
circuit will look like this:

So,if whole charge is passing through the CT,then what's the point in including a load in
the circuit??

And for potential transformer,just recall that voltage is equal in all parallel branches.