Transformers – The History of Their Inception and Development

The history of the invention and development of transformers is summarized as follows:

• 1831: Michael Faraday discovered that electric current can create a magnetic field and, conversely, that a changing magnetic field can induce an electric current.

• 1880: Thomas Edison patented the electrical distribution system, a key event that contributed to the eventual invention of the electric light bulb. By 1887, Edison had established 121 power stations in the United States supplying direct current (DC) electricity to customers. However, DC could only be delivered to customers within about 2.4 km from the power stations. The need for long-distance power transmission led to the invention of the transformer.

(Thomas Edison, 1847–1931)

1884: The first transformer was invented by Károly Zipernowsky, Miksa Déri, and Ottó Titusz Bláthy. Together, they designed and introduced the transformer for both experimental and commercial use, known as the “ZBD Transformer.”

(Ottó Bláthy, 1860–1939; Miksa Déri, 1854–1938; Károly Zipernowsky, 1853–1942)

1885: The “ZBD Transformer” was developed.

Later, Lucien Gaulard, Sebastian Ferranti, and William Stanley refined the design and introduced subsequent generations of transformers.

(William Stanley, 1858–1916; Lucien Gaulard, 1850–1888; Sebastian Ferranti, 1864–1930)

William Stanley’s first transformer, a single-phase AC transformer, was built in 1885.

His first transformer in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, was built in 1886.

1889: Mikhail Dolivo-Dobrovolsky, a Polish inventor, built the first three-phase transformer.

(Mikhail Dolivo-Dobrovolsky, 1862–1919)

1891: Nikola Tesla developed the Tesla transformer, capable of producing alternating current (AC) with high frequency and high voltage.

(Nikola Tesla, 1856–1943)

Development of Transformers and Power Transmission:

• 1907: The first 110kV power transmission line was established between Croton and Grand Rapids, Michigan.

• 1920: A 220kV transmission system was implemented to transfer electricity from hydropower plants in the Sierra Nevada to the San Francisco Bay area, which began commercial operation in 1923.

• 1952: The world’s first 380kV high-voltage transmission line was built on the Harsprånget – Hallsberg route in Sweden, stretching 952 km.

(Inchicore Substation, 1930)

(Winding Room (Building 17) in 1950, courtesy of General Electric Company)

• 1965: The first 735kV high-voltage transmission line was constructed on a route from Hydro-Québec.

• 1982: The first 1200kV power transmission line was established in the former Soviet Union.

800kV transformer (2014)

1200kV transformer in India (2011)