What are Current Transformers and What Do They Do?

There’s no denying that electricity is indispensable in today’s world. However, the same power that runs your TV can also be very destructive if delivered to your home in too large a quantity. That’s why proper electricity level is vital to ensure that your appliances don’t just explode the moment you plug them in.

Yet monitoring and measuring electricity is not exactly an easy task, especially since electricity is distributed in dangerously high voltage levels. Even if you had an instrument, how can it survive exposure to such power?

Thankfully, electrical engineers have created a useful tool that safely and efficiently measures electricity: the current transformer. The genius of current transformers is that they do not interact directly with an electrical current; rather, they interact with the magnetic field that the current produces.

All electrical devices create a magnetic field. Current transformers use this field to create a smaller current that is of a smaller proportion to the current being measured. For example, at a ratio of 1:100, a 4-ampere reading means the line being measured produces a 400-ampere charge.

These devices have become so advanced that there are even split core models available today. Split core types can easily be installed over power lines by snapping them around conductors. With that, there is no need to disconnect the power lines prior to installation, so there is also no service interruption.