© ABB

Month DD, YYYY | Slide 1

Pole Mounted Transformers 

Weight 

Wes Patterson, DOE Negotiating Committee, 17 Oct 2011
© ABB

Month DD, YYYY | Slide 2

1 A power relation 

exists between 

weight and losses in 

two dimensions

- change in KVA

- change in 

technology with a 

KVA

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MVLF – in-scope PPI Poles and all DOE designs (by Phase) 

50% Load Total Loss (x-axis) vs Weight (y-axis)

A 30% reduction 

in watts loss results in 

a 15% increase in weight

All black lines are parallel

so the 1ph relation holds

for 3ph

There is a power relation

between watts loss and weight

- with DOE data at 25 and 150 KVA

- with all PPI data

There is a power relation

between loss watts reduction

and weight increase 

- based on DOE data

- but confirmed with PPI data

Each grouping of 

dots is a different KVA
© ABB

Month DD, YYYY | Slide 3

MVLF – 1ph – 10,15,25,37.5,50,75 KVA

50% Load Total Loss (x-axis) vs Weight (y-axis)

1 Zoom to 1ph, 10-75 

KVA only

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© ABB

Month DD, YYYY | Slide 4

MVLF – 1ph – 10,15,25,37.5,50,75 KVA – M3 only

50% Load Total Loss (x-axis) vs Weight (y-axis)

1 Zoom to 

1ph, 10-75 KVA 

M3 only

2 For M3 only – a 

30% reduction in 

loss results in an 

83% increase in 

mass

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© ABB

Month DD, YYYY | Slide 5

MVLF – Poles 

Average Weight variation by KVA / BIL

1 Weight increase 

with a) increase in 

KVA and b) 

increase in BIL

2 within a given BIL 

rating the weight 

change roughly 

follows the 3⁄4 

scaling rule

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360

DOE Scope

414

682

824

842

1152

1502

1540

1931

2010

1782

1850

1387

1287

382 630 1517 1238
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Month DD, YYYY | Slide 6

MVLF – Poles

MVA distribution (KVA x-axis, BIL y-axis, MVA bubble)

DOE Scope 

1 The market is 

dominated by 95 

BIL at 25 KVA and 

75 KVA

2 but the regulation 

must cover thru 200 

BIL and 

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4 Note: out-of-scope 

are mainly exports 

and are included to 

illustrate the 

situation with no 

regulation

© ABB

Month DD, YYYY | Slide 8

MVLF – 1ph only 

50% Load Total Loss (x-axis) vs Weight (y-axis)

1 Zoom to 1ph only

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© ABB

Month DD, YYYY | Slide 9

MVLF – 1ph – M3 only 

50% Load Total Loss (x-axis) vs Weight (y-axis)

1 Zoom to 

1ph – M3 only

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© ABB

Month DD, YYYY | Slide 11

1 NOTE: includes 

exports

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MVLF – all PPI Poles and all DOE designs 

Efficiency (x-axis) vs Weight (y-axis)
© ABB

Month DD, YYYY | Slide 12

1 NOTE: includes 

exports

2 Eliminated the 1500 

KVA 3ph for better 

clarity of the pole 

market

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MVLF – all PPI Poles and DOE designs (excl 1500 KVA) 

Efficiency (x-axis) vs Weight (y-axis)
© ABB

Month DD, YYYY | Slide 13

1 NOTE: includes 

exports and both 

1ph and 3ph

2 Note the power 

relation between 

losses and weights

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MVLF – all PPI Poles and all DOE designs 

50% Load Total Loss (x-axis) vs Weight (y-axis)
© ABB

Month DD, YYYY | Slide 14

1 NOTE: includes 

exports

2 Note the power 

relation between 

losses and weights

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MVLF – all PPI Poles and all DOE designs (by Phase) 

50% Load Total Loss (x-axis) vs Weight (y-axis)
© ABB

Month DD, YYYY | Slide 15

1 Check the fit to the 

3⁄4 rule

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MVLF – in-scope PPI Poles and all DOE designs (by Phase) 

KVA (x-axis) vs Weight (y-axis) – the 3⁄4 Rule

3⁄4 Rule 3⁄4 Rule
© ABB

Month DD, YYYY | Slide 16

1 Check the fit to the 

3⁄4 rule

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MVLF – all PPI Poles and all DOE designs (by Phase) 

KVA (x-axis) vs Weight (y-axis) – the 3⁄4 Rule

3⁄4 Rule

3⁄4 Rule
© ABB

Month DD, YYYY | Slide 17

1 Check the fit to the 

3⁄4 rule

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MVLF – in-scope PPI Poles and all DOE designs (by Phase) 

KVA (x-axis) vs 50% Load Total Loss (y-axis) – the 3⁄4 Rule

NOTE: The current standard has 

the smaller KVA’s artificially lower

3⁄4 Rule

3⁄4 Rule
© ABB

Month DD, YYYY | Slide 18

MVLF – all PPI Poles and all DOE designs (by Phase) 

KVA (x-axis) vs 50% Load Total Loss (y-axis) – the 3⁄4 Rule

NOTE: this follows the 3⁄4 rule

down thru the smaller KVA

The current standard has the

smaller KVA’s artificially lower

3⁄4 Rule

3⁄4 Rule

1 Check the fit to the 

3⁄4 rule – it’s a better 

fit with the exports 

included !!!

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