Construction World September 2020

ALTERNATIVE POWER SOLUTION

A cast resin transformer being installed into basement of a high rise building.

A SAFER AND MORE

Space in urban areas is an increasingly scarce commodity. Commercial buildings are often innovatively designed to maximise this lack of space. Such buildings need transformers to distribute electricity throughout the building. Oil filled transformers, which have been used widely up to now, are often large, pose a fire risk and are not environmentally friendly. Construction World spoke to David Claassen, Managing Director of Trafo Power Solutions about dry-type transformers and its benefits for the construction industry. ENVIRONMENTALLY BENEFICIAL CHOICE

T rafo Power Solutions (Trafo) is an industry-leading dry-type transformer supplier within sub-Saharan Africa. “Broadly VSHDNLQJ GU\ W\SH WUDQVIRUPHUV LV DQ DOWHUQDWLYH WR RLO ͤOOHG WUDQVIRUPHUV ZLWK WKH PDMRU EHQHͤW WKDW WKH IRUPHU SRVHV QR ͤUH risk as it contains no oil. In construction where safety and sustainability are key, such transformers are now preferred as a safer alternative, particularly ZKHQ WKH EXLOGLQJ KDV ODUJH ͥRZV RI SXEOLF WKDW SODFHV D SUHPLXP on safety and use of space. “In essence,” explains Claassen, “A transformer consists of two windings, the primary winding and the secondary winding. The primary winding is the coil that draws power from the source. The secondary winding is the coil that delivers the energy at the transformed or changed voltage to the load. A transformer is needed to step that voltage down to a usable voltage.” ,Q RLO ͤOOHG WUDQVIRUPHUV WKH KLJK DQG ORZ YROWDJH ZLQGLQJV DUH ͤWWHG RYHU D PDJQHWLF FRUH ̸7KLV LV SODFHG LQ D WDQN ͤOOHG ZLWK RLO that acts as a cooling and insulating mechanism. The concept is exactly the same with dry-type transformers but instead of the ZLQGLQJV DQG WKH PDJQHWLF FRUH EHLQJ SODFHG LQ D WDQN DQG ͤOOHG ZLWK oil, they are cast in resin. It is a completely sealed winding and the only medium to cool them with is air,” says Claassen. ̸1RUPDOO\ RLO ͤOOHG WUDQVIRUPHUV DUH LQVWDOOHG LQ WKH EDVHPHQWV of large buildings or outside the building. If installed in a basement LW UHTXLUHV WKH QHFHVVDU\ ͤUH SURWHFWLRQ HTXLSPHQW ZKLFK WDNH XS

VSDFH :LWK GU\ W\SH WUDQVIRUPHUV WKH QHHG IRU ͤUH SURWHFWLRQ LV eliminated. In addition to being safer, dry-type transformers require IDU OHVV PDLQWHQDQFH WKDQ RLO ͤOOHG WUDQVIRUPHUV DQG DUH PRUH environmentally friendly,” says Claassen. Competitive advantage Trafo has an exclusive agreement with TMC Transformers (TMC), a company headquartered in Switzerland with manufacturing facilities in Italy. It specialises in the supply of medium and low voltage transformers. “This gives Trafo a competitive advantage as it is one of the largest manufacturers of dry-type transformers in the ZRUOG DQG SURYLGHV XV ZLWK ͥH[LELOLW\ DQG PDQXIDFWXULQJ FDSDELOLW\ We often have fast-tracked projects and our relationship with TMC in sub-Saharan Africa enables us to meet tight production schedules.” Claassen explains that TMC has been in the dry-type transformer business for close to 40 years and has excellent experience with designing and manufacturing such transformers for a host of different environments. “It is a large exporting company and this knowledge gives us a competitive advantage,” Claassen explains. ̸$IWHU DQ DQDO\VLV RI WKH FOLHQW̵V VSHFLͤF QHHGV WR DVFHUWDLQ WKH application, what the environmental conditions are and what the load will be, we put forward a design concept to TMC to design and manufacture the transformer. The enclosure around the transformer normally requires various customisations and are done locally,” says Claassen.

CONSTRUCTION WORLD SEPTEMBER 2020 34