An equivalent circuit model considering the non-linear hysteresis characteristics of iron core is established for 500 kV converter transformer composed of single-phase transformers. The influence of closing angle and core remanence on the no-load excitation inrush currents of converter transformer is simulated and analyzed. The results show that when the core remanence is negligible, the phase controlled switching strategy is that phase A closes at the peak voltage moment, and phase B and C close simultaneously with a delay of 5 ms. When considering the effect of core remanence, the no-load switching strategy must consider the order of three-phase breaking moment as the transformer is removed, the phase controlled closing strategy is that the second breaking phase with the largest remanence closes first. If the maximum remanence is positive (or negative), the moment of switch is about 0.6 ms ahead of the negative (or positive) peak time of the bus voltage, the delay time of first break phase is about 5.45 ms and the last break phase is about 6.14 ms. The method can restrain the inrush current effectively. This work is supported by National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2017YFB0903700) and Science and Technology Project of China Southern Power Grid Company (No. CGYKJXM20160021).