Re: potential transformer question

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: dhmccauley-at-spacecatlighting-dot-com 

You are playing with fire there.  Assuming the transformer is 240VAC, that
is 2x the rated voltage.  Thats a big NO NO unless you want to ruin your
"expensive" transformer
in a very short time.  BIL is NOT the DC Hi-Pot level.
BIL is short for BASIC IMPULSE LEVEL.  It is the rating that the transformer
can withstand under transient conditions such as a voltage surge or
lightning hit etc...  This
rating simply allows power engineers to design a proper insulation
capability in their power system.  A good design will always have a "safer"
path during transient conditions than
allow the transient to voltage to reach and exceed the BIL of the
transformer.

So in short, if you put 500V into your transformer, YOU WILL DESTROY IT!
Maybe not right away, but pretty quickly, especially if its a 120VAC input
transformer and not a 240VAC
input.

However, you can push these to 2x the rated power for short periods.
Typically, 1.5kVA potential transformers can easily run at up to 3.5kVA for
short periods.

Dan


 > Hi all. I came across a 3kVA 14.4kV potential transformer (expensive, but
 > looking for something I can run continuous without watcing the timer or a
 > bunch of nst's paralled or a heavy oil-filled pig). Anyone know how much
 > voltage these put out before self-destructing? Was aiming for 500v in with
 > 4x the regular current limiting to get 60kv, 60 mA out (slight overload).
I
 > know these have 110kv bill rating but isn't that a dc hi-pot test? How far
 > can these be pushed kVA wise? It's encased in plastic and I'd hate to melt
 > it off.