A Novel Approach to Current Transformer Characterization in the Presence of Harmonic Distortion

The current transformer (CT) performance under distorted waveform conditions is usually characterized by means of the frequency-response test. In this paper, a new way to characterize CTs, closer to real operation conditions, is proposed. The harmonic phase-angle and ratio errors are measured using a nonsinusoidal current composed of fundamental and one harmonic with adjustable phase shift. The new method was tested by determining the performance of two metering class CTs commonly used by the Italian power company. The errors measured using the proposed approach are larger than the ones obtained with the frequency response. This result suggests that the frequency-response approach for the evaluation of CT performance under distorted waveform conditions is not a reliable method.