What are Technical Losses and Its Types | New Topic [2024]

In this blog, we will learn about Technical Losses and their types like Copper Losses, Core Losses, Dielectric Losses, and many more. Welcome to Poly Notes Hub, a leading destination for engineering notes for diploma and degree engineering students.

Author Name: Arun Paul.

What are Technical Losses?

Technical Losses in electrical systems are caused by the intrinsic qualities of the equipment and conductors used in the transmission and distribution of power. These losses are primarily manifested as heat, which wastes energy that could otherwise be used productively.

Types of Technical Losses

There are different types of technical losses that are listed below –

1. I²R (Copper) Losses: These are resistive losses caused by the resistance (R) in conductors as current (I) flows through them. They are proportional to the square of the current and play an important role in transmission and distribution networks.
2. Core (Iron) Losses: These losses occur within the magnetic cores of transformers and other inductive equipment. Core losses are categorized as:
   • Hysteresis Losses: Caused by the reversal of magnetization in the transformer core during each cycle of alternating current.
   • Eddy Current Losses: Caused by circulating currents generated in the core material by a changing magnetic field.
3. Dielectric Losses: These losses occur in cable and transformer insulating materials as a result of dielectric heating caused by alternating electric fields.
4. Leakage Currents: Small currents leak through the insulation materials of cables, transformers, and other equipment. Over time, this can result in large losses, especially in high-voltage systems.
5. Corona Losses: These losses are caused by the ionization of the air surrounding high-voltage conductors, which results in partial discharges that waste energy. Corona losses are more common in high-voltage transmission lines, particularly in humid or dirty circumstances.
6. Magnetizing Losses: These arise in transformers and other magnetic devices because of the energy required to establish the magnetic field. These losses are considered no-load losses in transformers.
7. Stray Losses: These are losses that occur due to non-ideal conditions in electrical machines and systems, such as leakage fluxes and non-uniform current distributions. Stray losses are difficult to quantify accurately but are typically a small percentage of the total losses.
8. Skin Effect and Proximity Effect Losses:
   • Skin Effect Losses: At high frequencies, alternating current tends to travel near the conductor’s surface, increasing effective resistance and, consequently, losses.
   • Proximity Effect Losses: When conductors are put close together, non-uniform current distribution occurs as a result of the magnetic fields they create in one another.
9. Switching Losses: These losses occur as a result of switching in power electrical devices. When a switch (such as a transistor or thyristor) switches on or off, energy is lost as heat.
10. Losses in Inductive and Capacitive Components:
    • Inductive Components: Inductors and transformers lose energy mostly due to winding resistance and core losses.
    • Capacitive Components: Capacitors experience losses due to dielectric heating and leakage currents.
11. Harmonic Losses: Harmonics in the electrical system, caused by nonlinear loads like power electronics, can result in additional losses due to increased current flow at harmonic frequencies. Harmonics enhance I²R losses in conductors and transformers, leading to increased core losses.
12. Losses in Distribution Transformers: This includes both no-load losses (core losses) and load losses (I²R losses in windings). The efficiency of transformers is affected by such losses.

How to Reduce Technical Losses?

Below we listed some strategies by which we can easily reduce technical losses in electrical system –

1. By using materials with low resistance and optimizing conductor size.
2. By using high-quality core materials and optimizing transformer design to minimize core and copper losses.
3. Using capacitor banks and synchronous condensers to reduce reactive power flow.
4. To minimize uneven current losses, make sure loads are balanced across all phases.
5. Making use of smart grids, superconductors, and other cutting-edge technology to reduce different kinds of losses.