Is it accurate to say that a step-up transformer reduces current

electric-circuitselectric-currentelectromagnetic-inductionpowervoltage

Usually, it is said that step-up transformers are used to transmit power at high voltage and low current, so that $I^{2}R$ losses are minimum. But what does this "low" current actually mean? Yes, it is low compared to what is in the primary circuit, but the primary current is in fact dependent on the number of turns and load in the secondary. So is it correct to say step-up transformers reduce current?

To make things clear, suppose the primary voltage is 10V and the secondary voltage is 100V. If there is a 10 ohm resistor in the secondary, then the secondary current is 10A. Since the secondary current is 10A, the primary current should be 100A. (Right?). If the resistance of the wire (in secondary) is 'R', then the power loss in the secondary circuit is $10^{2}R = 100R.$ Now, if you just remove the transformer and directly connect the power source to the resistor, then you have a 10V source and 10 ohm resistor, which means the current in the circuit is just 1A. That would imply that the power loss is just $1^{2}R = R$, 100 times less than what was when the transformer was used.

What is it that I'm missing here?

Best Answer

The step-up transformer boosts voltage on the secondary. Since the power must be preserved on primary and secondary, the current is reduced by the same factor:

$$V_P \cdot I_P = V_S \cdot I_S$$

The loads are rarely characterized as resistances. In reality they have some complex impedance. For example, motors are modelled as inductances, air conditioning devices even have negative impedance etc.

For transmission you should think of it like this: there is some power $P$ required by loads; if the voltage on the transmission line is $V$ then the current will be $I = \frac{P}{V}$. The total power output equals loads plus ohmic losses in the transmission line.

If the load is purely resistive as in your example, then power increases with voltage since $P_R = \frac{U^2}{R}$.

See related discussion about power transmission: https://physics.stackexchange.com/a/682024/149541

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