Power System Protection

1 February 2018 1
 Need for Protective Systems

• Power system consists of; generators, transformers, transmission and

distribution lines, etc.
• Short circuits and other abnormal conditions often occur on a power
system, which turn into faults or cause damage to equipment’s
• Fault must be cleared within fraction of a second
• Uncleared short circuits may cause total failure of the system

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 Need for Protective Systems

• Protection is needed not only against short circuit but also against any
abnormal condition
• Overspeed of generators and motors
• Overvoltage
• Under frequency
• Loss of excitation
• Overheating of stator or rotor of an generator
• Protection is a pre-requisite for an effective and reliable system
• A protective relay takes action only after a fault has occurred, but does
not anticipate or prevent the occurrence of fault.
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 Objective of the Power System Protection

Objectives of the protection:

▪ To isolate the faulty part and facilitate the continual
operation of the healthy part of the power system network.
▪ To protect the apparatus in the power system
▪ To protect the personal in the surrounding of the power
system

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 Types of Protection

Fuses
• For : LV Systems, Distribution Feeders and Transformers, VTs, Auxiliary
Supplies
Direct Acting AC Trip
• For : LV Systems, Pole Mounted Reclosers
Overcurrent and Earth fault
• Widely used in all Power Systems
• Non-Directional
• Voltage Dependant
• Directional
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 Types of Protection

Differential
• For : Feeders, Busbars, Transformers, Generators, etc.
• High Impedance
• Restricted E/F
• Biased (or low-impedance)
• Pilot Wire
• Digital

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 Types of Protection

Distance
• For : Distribution Feeders and Transmission and Sub-Transmission
Circuits
• Also used as Back-up Protection for Transformers and Generators
Phase Comparison
• For : Transmission Lines
Directional Comparison
• For : Transmission Lines

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 Essential qualities of Protection

The basic requirements of a protective system are as follows

▪ Discrimination/selectivity
▪ Sensitivity
▪ Reliable
▪ Stability
▪ Speed

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 Discrimination/Selectivity

▪ Relay has ability to select either to operate or not within protection

zone
▪ Select to isolate the faulty section only (the rest normal condition)
▪ Absolute selectivity
▪ relay select only for faults within protection zone
▪ The nearest circuit breaker will trip
▪ Time grading , Current grading and Combination of Time/Current
grading
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 Sensitivity

▪ Relay should operate when the magnitude of the current exceeds

the pre-set or set value. This value is called pick up current
▪ Should not operate when current is below its pick-up value
▪ Should be sufficiently sensitive to operate when the operating
current just exceeds the pick-up value relate with minimum
operating current

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 Reliability

• A protective system must operate reliably when a fault occurs in its

zone of protection
• Failure may due to its protective element system; CT, PT, CB, relay
etc….
• Reliability of protective system must ensure 95%

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 Stability

• A protective system should remain stable even when a large current

is flowing through its protective zone due to an external fault
• Concerned circuit breaker is supposed to clear the fault

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 Speed of operation

in order to minimize the damages & maintain transmission stability

• Isolate fault as quickly as possible (at shortest time possible )
• Isolate disturbances before loss of synchronism and plant stop
operation –time should not exceed critical clearing time
• Speed balanced with economy Cost of protective equipment should
be relevant to the cost of the protected zone
• Avoid fire to equipment's, interruption of supply to consumer,
voltage drop operating time; 1 cycle, ½ cycle are also available;
distribution system > 1 cycle
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 Protection Schemes

Protection scheme
• Describe the protection adoption for each bay
• A protective scheme includes transducers, protective relays and
circuit breakers to isolate the faulty section of the system from the
healthy section.

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 Protection Schemes

• Protection schemes must apply with very pragmatic approach to

clearing power system faults.
• Design of protection scheme should balance between the technical
and economic aspects

Example:
Sophisticated protection devices are not used for feeder protections or
small machines or for less important power system equipment's.

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 Overall Scheme Checks

• Bill of materials
• General arrangement
• Internal general arrangement
• Supply
• DC supply- all Relays and All MCBs
• AC Supply-Heater coil, thermostat, three pin plug and fluorescent
Light.
• Binary input, output check, alarm and LED indications
• Trip Coil supervision, Spare contact check and SAS inputs and
outputs
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 Specific Scheme Checks

• Check the earth point to protection panel (Looping of earth

connection is not permitted. VT, and CT secondary neutral lead shall
be earthed at one place only)
• Check the AC source 230V AC and its only one MCB.
• Check the DC source 220V on both sources (From Board 1 and board
2)
• Check the DC Changeover 80CO

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 Scheme Checks

• Check the trip circuit resistance if any by opening the link. But it
should be minimum 1K Ω.
• Check the all MCB Input, output voltage and resistance also.
• Extend the +ve to the relay or Make input high to operate the relays.
• Check the continuity for all terminal blocks (TB`s).

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 Protection Scheme Classification

Protection scheme Classification

A wide range of schemes are offered for transmission, distribution
and industrial sectors that include
• Generator Protection Scheme
• Transformer Protection Scheme
• Line Protection Scheme
• Cable Feeder Protection
• Bus coupler Protection Scheme
• Bus Sectionalizer, Feeder and Reactor Protection Panel

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 Unit I- Protective Schemes

Transformer Protection Scheme

Main protection includes:
• Differential protection

• REF protection (Residual Earth Fault)

Back Up Protection Includes:

• SEF protection (Sensitive Earth Fault)

• Over current protection

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 Unit I- Protective Schemes

Line Protection Scheme

• Main protection includes:
• Line differential protection

• Distance protection

• Directional over current protection

• Breaker failure protection

• Auto re-close & synchronizing check scheme

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 Relays

• Relays are used to detect abnormal conditions in the power systems. After
detection of a fault, relays close circuit breakers and disconnect faulty circuits
from the general supply system in order to minimize the damage.
• There is a list of ANSI/IEEE codes of different types of protection relays as
follows:

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 Relay Classification

The most common methods used to classify relays are by:

• Function
• Input source
• Operating principle
• Performance characteristics

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 Classification by Function

There are five general categories of relays as defined below.

1.Protective Relay: A protective relay functions to detect defective
lines or equipment, or other power system conditions of an abnormal
or dangerous nature, and to initiate appropriate control circuit action.
Examples of protective relays are:
• Overcurrent relays
• Under voltage relays
• Differential relays
• Reverse sequence relays
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 2. Auxiliary Relay

• An auxiliary relay provides a specific, or secondary, function to assist

another relay or control device in performing a general function

• Typical functions performed by an auxiliary relay include time delay,

control signals, and contact trip.
Examples of auxiliary relays are:
– Control relays , Time delay relays
– Lockout relays & Trip and close relays

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 3. Monitoring Relay

• Monitoring Relay: A monitoring relay functions to verify that

system or control circuit conditions conform to prescribed limits.
• Examples of Monitoring Relays are:
– Alarm relays
– Fault detector relays
– Verification relays
– Synchronism check relays
• Monitoring Relays are not used to initiate protective functions
during a fault.
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 4. Regulating Relay

• Regulating Relay: A regulating relay responds to normal changes in

system operating conditions and functions to control system
parameters (e.g., voltage, power) within specified operating limits.
• Regulating relays are typically used to control transformer tap
changers and generator governors.

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 5. Programming Relay
Programming Relay: A programming relay functions to establish or
detect electrical sequences. Typical functions performed by a
programming relay include reposing and Synchronizing.
Examples of programming relays are:
• Accelerating relays
• Phase selector relays
• Reclosing relays
• Synchronizing relays
• Initiating relays
 Classification by Input

Protective relays may be identified by the input parameter monitored.

Examples include:
• Current relays
• Voltage relays
• Power relays
• Temperature relays
• Pressure relays
 Classification by Operating Principle

• This method of classification provides insight into the basic design

features of a relay.
Examples:
• Electromagnetic relays
• Solid-state relays
• Numerical relays

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 Classification by Performance Characteristics

Performance characteristics represent the specific function provided

by the relay.
Examples includes:
• High-speed differential relays
• Directional-overcurrent relays
• Reverse-power relays
• Impedance relays
• Overcurrent relays, • Under voltage relays
• Phase-balance relays, • Frequency relays and • Overload relays
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 Overcurrent Protection

• A relay that operates or picks up when the magnitude of current

exceeds a predetermined value or pickup or setting level is called
Over Current protection.
• Overcurrent relays can be used to protect practically any power
system elements, i.e. transmission lines, transformers, generators, or
motors.

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 Overcurrent Protection

• As an example, a radial transmission line .

Operating principle as follows

For a fault within the zone of protection, the fault current is
smallest at the end of the line and greatest at the relay end

If the minimum fault current possible within the zone of

protection is greater than the maximum possible load current

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 Connection of over current and Earth Fault Relay

• Over current relays generally have 50% to 200% setting while earth
leakages over current relays have either 10% to 40% or 20% to 80%
current settings.
• One important thing to be noted here is that the connection of the
C.T. secondary’s star point towards relay windings should be earthed.
• The neutral of the CTs and neutral of the relays are separately
earthed.
• Under normal operating conditions and three phase fault conditions the
current in the 3-phase are equal and symmetrically displaced by 120 Deg.
Hence the sum of these three currents is zero. No current flow through the
earth fault relay.
• In case of phase to phase faults (say a short between R and Y phases) the
current flows from R-phase up to the point of fault and return back through ‘Y’
phase. Thus only O/L relays in R and Y phases get the fault and operate.
• Only earth faults cause currents to flow through E/L relay.
 Overcurrent Protection

• There are four types of overcurrent relays.

– Instantaneous Over Current Relays (Define Current)
– Definite Minimum Time (DMT) Over Current relays
– Inverse Definite Minimum Time (IDMT) Over Current Relays
– Directional Over Current Relays

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 Instantaneous Over Current Relay

• Relay operate instantaneously when the current reaches a

predetermined value.
• Operates in a definite time when current exceeds its Pick-up value.
• Its operation criterion is only current magnitude (without time
delay).
• Operating time is constant.
• There is no intentional time delay.

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• Coordination of this relays is based on current only.
• It operates in 0.1s or less
• Cha of Inst.. O/C Protection

Application: This type is applied to the outgoing feeders

 Definite Minimum Time (DMT) Over Current relay

• In this type, two conditions must be satisfied for operation

(tripping), current must exceed the setting value and the fault must
be continuous at least a time equal to time setting of the relay.
• For Operation of DMT Relay, operating time is constant and current
must be above the pick-up value.
• It has pick-up and time dial settings, desired time delay can be set
with the help of an intentional time delay mechanism.
• Easy to coordinate.
• Cha of DMT O/C Relay:
Application:
• Back up protection of distance relay of transmission line with time
delay.
• Back up protection to differential relay of power transformer with
time delay.
• Main protection to outgoing feeders and bus couplers with
adjustable time delay setting.
 Inverse Definite Minimum Time (IDMT) Over Current Protection

• In this type of relays, operating time is inversely changed with

current.
• So, high current will operate over current relay faster than lower
ones
• Operating time depends on the magnitude of current.
• There are standard inverse, very inverse and extremely inverse types.
 Inverse Definite Minimum Time (IDMT) Over Current Protection

• Cha of IDMT O/C Protection.

Application:

Widely used for the protection of distribution lines.

 Calculation of Over Current Relay Setting

• Feeder fault current = 384A, Feeder fault current= 11KA Min and
22KA Max, CT ratio=600/1A,Relay setting=125% & TMS=0.125S.
Perform overcurrent setting for IDMT , NI Cha.

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Calculation of Over Current Relay Setting
 ELECTRO-MECHANICAL RELAYS

• Conventional relay in which the measurement is performed by

moveable parts.
• The operation of such relays is based upon the following effects of
electric current :-
• Electro – Magnetic attraction
• Electro – Magnetic induction
• Thermal effect -Heat generation
• Some electro-mechanical relays responds to gas pressure generated
due to heat of arc
• ( Buchholz Relay)
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 STATIC RELAYS

The expansion and growing complexity of modern Power System

required
• High Performance and Sophisticated characteristics from Protection
Relays.
• This was possible with the use of
• Semi – Conductors and Other Components.
• STATIC RELAYS WERE ECONOMICAL

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 NUMERICAL RELAYS

• The Numerical Relays purely work on mathematical solution of different equations. They were micro-
processor based relays. Tripping decisions are not made by any measuring elements but are done by Micro-
Computers who continuously calculate and monitor the system data.
• Main Advantage
➢ Highly economical
➢ Continuous self-monitoring
➢ More availability
➢ Less work at panel fabrication
➢ Highly flexible in use
➢ Memory
➢ Possibility of Remote Control
➢ Possibility of down loading the information to
or
➢ From Relay by Latop Computers.
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 Protection zones
The power system is divided into protection zones defined by the
various power system equipment and available circuit breakers.
Six possible protection zones are listed below:
▪ Generator or Generator-Transformer Units
▪
15
Transformers
▪ Buses
▪ Lines (transmission and distribution)
▪ Utilization equipment (motors, static loads, etc.)
▪ Capacitor or reactor (when separately protected)

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Zones of Protection
Zones of Protection
 Zones of Protection

• Power system is divided into several zones

• Each zone of protection is provided with 2 types of protection:
• Primary protection
• Backup protection

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 Zones of Protection

Primary Protection:
• Primary protection is the main protection
• Take immediate action in case of faults in the protection zone
• Act as first line of defense
Back Protection:
• Act as substitute for the main protection in case of failure of py
protection
• Second line of defense and Longer time delay
• Ideally py/back up protection must be independent
• Back is slower then py protection
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 Zones of Protection

Back up protection classified into two types

– Local Back up
– Remote Back up
• Local Back up
– Clear the faults in the Substation (S/S) where the fault has occurred
• Remote Back Up
– Clear the faults in remote S/S where the fault has fault has occurred.

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 Zones of Protection

Back up protection under radial feeder

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 Zones of Protection

Disadvantage of Back up Protection:

• Open more CB to clear faults
• Long back up time (0.8 to 1 Sec)
• Difficult to set remote relays

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 Negative Sequence relays

• Negative sequence relays are used to protect electrical

machines (Generator/Motor) against overheating due to unbalance
currents in stator
• A relay used to protect from negative sequence component is called a
Negative sequence relay or unbalance phase relay.
• The negative sequence relay protects the generator and motor phase-
to-phase faults.
• The phase to phase fault mainly occurs because of the negative
sequence components or unbalanced load.
• The relay always has a low current setting because the small
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 Negative Sequence relays

• The NPS current has a heating characteristic

• Kn in the relay is chosen between 5% and 30% depending upon the

actual Kn value of the generator.
• A typical relay has an operating time of 10 seconds when 100% NPS
current flows in its circuit, and the time multiplier setting (TMS) is
set at 100%
• The relay should be insensitive to zero sequence and third harmonic
currents.
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 Negative Sequence relays

• These sequence currents interconnect in different ways to represent

a different unbalance fault condition.
• These sequence current and voltage are calculated during the fault
to determine the actual current and voltage.
• The negative sequence relay has earthing which protects them from
phase to earth fault but not from phase to phase fault.

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