Padmount Supply

Home / Diagrams / Three Phase Transformer Wiring Diagram

Three Phase Transformer Wiring Diagram

Four combinations, drawn properly. Which one you have is on the nameplate.

Three Phase Transformer Wiring DiagramAll four three phase transformer connections drawn, delta delta, delta wye, wye wye and wye delta, with what each is used for.H1H2H3X1X2X3Delta primary480 V, three wireDelta secondary240 V, three wire
All four three phase transformer connections drawn, delta delta, delta wye, wye wye and wye delta, with what each is used for. Drawn by Padmount Supply, free to use with a link to this page.

The other three connections

Delta to grounded wyeDelta primary to grounded wye secondary, the standard distribution connection.H1H2H3X0 neutral, groundedX1X2X3Delta primary12470 V, three wireWye secondary480Y/277 V, four wire
Delta primary to grounded wye secondary, the standard distribution connection. Drawn by Padmount Supply, free to use with a link to this page.
Wye to wyeWye primary to wye secondary, a neutral on both sides and no path for triplen harmonics.H0 neutral, groundedH1H2H3X0 neutral, groundedX1X2X3Wye primary12470 GY/7200 VWye secondary480Y/277 V
Wye primary to wye secondary, a neutral on both sides and no path for triplen harmonics. Drawn by Padmount Supply, free to use with a link to this page.
Wye to deltaWye primary to delta secondary, used for stepping up and in older industrial services.H0 neutral, groundedH1H2H3X1X2X3Wye primary12470 GY/7200 VDelta secondary480 V, three wire
Wye primary to delta secondary, used for stepping up and in older industrial services. Drawn by Padmount Supply, free to use with a link to this page.

There are only four

Each side of a three phase transformer is connected either in delta or in wye, so there are four combinations in total. Delta delta, delta wye, wye wye and wye delta. Everything else you will read about, including open delta and zig zag, is a variation on these rather than a fifth type.

Delta delta

No neutral on either side. Used in industrial work where the load is three phase motors and nothing needs 120 volts. Its useful property is that if one winding fails the other two can carry reduced load in open delta, which is why it survives in plants that cannot afford to stop.

Wye wye

A neutral on both sides, which sounds convenient and causes trouble. Without a delta winding somewhere there is no path for triplen harmonics, so the neutral has to be solidly grounded and the system is sensitive to unbalanced load. It is used where both sides genuinely need a neutral, and usually with a buried delta tertiary winding to fix the harmonic problem.

Wye delta

Used for stepping up, and in some older industrial services. The delta secondary has no neutral, so anything needing 120 volts has to come from somewhere else.

Common questions

What are the possible connections for a three phase transformer

Four. Delta delta, delta wye, wye wye and wye delta. Each side is connected either as a closed triangle with no neutral, which is delta, or with one end of each winding joined at a common point, which is wye.

What is the most common connection for a three phase distribution transformer

Delta primary to grounded wye secondary. It provides the four wire secondary that buildings need and keeps triplen harmonics circulating in the delta rather than passing into the utility system.

What are the disadvantages of a wye wye transformer

With no delta winding there is no path for triplen harmonics, so the neutral must be solidly grounded and the transformer is sensitive to unbalanced loading. Many wye wye units carry a buried delta tertiary winding specifically to solve this.

How do I know if my transformer is delta or wye

Read the nameplate. It states the connection for each winding and usually shows a small diagram. A secondary written as 480Y/277 or 208Y/120 is wye. A secondary written as a single voltage with no second figure is delta.

Other diagrams