Transformer

1. An electrical transformer comprising:

a primary circuit extending between two ends, said primary circuit having at least one of the ends thereof connected with a power supply so that a first electrical current from the power source flows through the primary circuit;

a secondary circuit connected with an electrical load;

the primary and secondary circuits each having a respective plurality of wire segments having a length and being connected in series;

said wire segments of the primary and secondary circuits being supported so as to extend in pathways adjacent and parallel to each other over the length thereof in a cross-sectional pattern that is substantially constant over the length of the wire segments so that, when viewed in cross section perpendicular to the direction of extension thereof, the wire segments of the primary and secondary circuits are arranged with the wire segments of the primary circuit alternating with the wire segments of the secondary circuit around points in the cross-sectional pattern, and with the wire segments of the secondary circuit are separated spaced from each other and from the wire segments of the primary circuit; and

wherein the first electrical current in the primary circuit causes formation of a second electrical current in the secondary circuit that is transmitted to the load;

wherein some of the wire segments of the secondary circuit each have a respective set of three or more of the wire segments of the primary circuit arranged rotatively spaced therearound at equal angles, and

wherein the first electrical current creates varying magnetic fields about each of the wire segments of the primary circuit that magnetically induce the second electrical current flowing in said wire segments of the secondary circuit.

2. The electrical transformer of claim 1 , wherein the wire segments are supported in the cross-sectional pattern over the length thereof by a wire support structure.

3. The electrical transformer of claim 2 , wherein the cross sectional pattern is a matrix pattern of rows and columns, the pathways of the second circuit wire segments alternating with the pathways of the primary circuit in each of the rows and each of the columns, and wherein the respective sets each have four of the wire segments of the primary circuit arranged rotatively spaced therearound at angles of 90 degrees.

4. The electrical transformer of claim 2 , wherein the cross-sectional pattern is a hexagonal pattern wherein three of the primary circuit wire segments and three of the secondary circuit wire segments are rotatively spaced at displacement angles of 60 degrees about the point, and wherein the respective sets each have no more than three of the wire segments of the primary circuit arranged rotatively spaced therearound at angles of 120 degrees.

5. The electrical transformer of claim 2 , wherein a member of non-conductive iron-containing material is supported between the wire segments of the primary circuit and the wire segments of the secondary circuit.

6. The electrical transformer of claim 2 , wherein the support structure comprises a body of non-conductive material having a number of passages therein, the wire segments being supported in bundles in said passages, each of said bundles of the primary circuit having at least two wire segments, the wire segments being covered in insulating material so as to be electrically isolated from each other.

7. The electrical transformer of claim 6 , wherein each of said bundles of the primary circuit has at least seven wire segments therein covered in insulating material so as to be electrically isolated from each other.

8. The electrical transformer of claim 2 , wherein the support structure is linear in shape.

9. The electrical transformer of claim 2 , wherein the support structure has a plurality of parallel passages therein forming the pathways for the wire elements, and further passages therein providing for cooling of the transformer.

10. The electrical transformer of claim 9 , wherein the support structure is formed of a plurality of modular components that include complementary mating parts that are assembled so as to form the parallel passages therebetween.

11. The electrical transformer of claim 1 , wherein the wire segments of the primary circuit have a total length L p and the wire segments of the secondary circuit have a total length L s , the second current having a voltage that differs from a voltage of the first current by a ratio of approximately L s /L p .

12. The electrical transformer of claim 1 , wherein the wire segments are supported in bundles thereof in the pathways.

13. The electrical transformer of claim 1 , wherein the primary or secondary circuit has a second plurality of wire segments connected in serial with each other and extending in at least some of the pathways, said first plurality of wire segments and said second plurality of wire segments being wired in parallel.

14. The electrical transformer of claim 1 , wherein the wire support structure comprises a lattice structure of non-conducting ferritic material that surrounds each of the wire segments so that the wire segments each extend through a respective passage in the lattice structure over the length thereof.

15. The electrical transformer of claim 14 , wherein in the lattice structure has coolant passages between the passages through which the wire segments extend, and a coolant gas or liquid is caused to flow through said coolant passages so as to cool the transformer.

16. The electrical transformer of claim 14 , wherein the lattice structure is made up of a plurality of conductive elements of iron electrically isolated from each other.

17. The electrical transformer of claim 16 , wherein the elements of iron have notches therein that define the cooling passages therebetween.

18. The electrical transformer of claim 1 , wherein the transformer is formed by wrapping a pair of wires or wire bundles side by side around a base member a number of iterations so that the wires wrap around themselves each iteration, wherein the pair of wires are twisted each time the wires or bundles of wires extend around the base member so that one of the wires or wire bundles overlies the other of the wires or wire bundles on the next iteration of wrapping.

19. An electrical transformer comprising:

a support structure having a plurality of parallel passages therein arranged in a generally rectangular matrix of rows and columns, and supporting in each passage a respective bundle of mutually insulated wire segments all having two opposing ends and extending a length approximately equal to a length of the support structure;

said bundles constituting two subsets of bundles, the bundles of one of the subsets alternating with the bundles of the other subset in each row and column of the support structure, said bundles being separate from and spaced from each other;

a first of the wire segments in one of the bundles of the first subset of bundles being connected in series with a first group of wire segments, including a final wire segment thereof, wherein all of said wire segments are in the bundles of the first subset and form a primary circuit,

a first of the wire segments in one of the bundles of the second subset of bundles being connected in series with a second group of wire segments, including a final wire segment thereof, and forming together a secondary circuit;

wherein all of said wire segments are connected such that current running through each of the wire segments of each of the groups of wire segments flows in one direction with respect to the support structure;

the first group of wire segments having a total length L thereof in the support structure from the end of the first wire to the end of the last wire segment thereof, and the second group of wire segments having a total length 1 thereof in the support structure from the end of the first wire to the end of the last wire segment thereof,

a power supply connected with the first wire segment of the first group of wires so that an electrical current flows therethrough to the last wire segment thereof; and

a load connected with the second group of wire segments so that electrical current created therein by the electrical current in the first group of wire segments flows thereto;

the electrical current flowing to the load having a voltage that is approximately 1/L times a voltage of the electrical current from the power source.