BY CHARLES J. MOZINA & DOUGLAS C.

MOODY

LECTRICAL GENERATION AT PAPER

in Maryland, USA, where 1960-vintage electromechanical

mills is becoming an increasingly critical as-

relays were replaced with modern digital protection. This

set and should be well protected from faults,

article points out the advantages of this technology versus

system upsets and abnormal operating con-

conventional electromechanical protection and also dis-

ditions. The loss of a major generating unit for an extended

cusses the unique application considerations in applying

period would result in very costly replacement power and re-

digital protection.

pair costs for any paper mill. This article presents the reasons

Background

why mill generator owners should consider upgrading the

Contrary to popular belief, generators do experience short

electrical protection of their generators to meet todays stan-

circuits and abnormal electrical conditions. In many cases,

dards. It specifically outlines the risks assumed in protection

equipment damage due to these events can be reduced or

areas where 20-year-old (and older) generator protection is

prevented by proper generator protection. As generators

inadequate. The article relates the experience of completed

become older, the likelihood for failure increases as insula-

protection upgrade projects at MeadWestvacos Luke Mill

tion begins to deteriorate. Generators, unlike some other

1077-2618/03/$17.002003 IEEE

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The ADVANTAGES of DIGITAL

versus ELECTROMECHANICAL RELAYING
for mill generator upgrade projects.

37

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38

Significant improvements in protecpower system components, need to be

tion using multifunction digital relays
protected not only from short circuits,
ELECTRICAL
are described in the first sections of this
but also from abnormal operating condiarticle. The protection system improvetions. Examples of such abnormal condiGENERATION AT
ments applied by Luke Mill are discussed
tions are overexcitation, loss-of-field,
in detail with several benefits to mill
and unbalanced currents. When subPAPER MILLS IS
generation operations noted. The process
jected to these conditions, damage or
of upgrading generator protection afcomplete failure can occur within secBECOMING AN
forded an excellent learning experience
onds, thus requiring automatic detecINCREASINGLY
for mill personnel in understanding the
tion and tripping.
protection scheme, both from an engiIn the late 1980s, the IEEE Power SysCRITICAL ASSET.
neering and operations standpoint. The
tem Relay Committee first issued
new Luke Mill generator relays are loANSI/IEEE C37.102, the guide for the
cated a considerable distance from the
protection of synchronous generators [1].
Most of the recommended practices applicable to indus- plant control room. The communications capabilities of
trial-sized generators have been incorporated in the latest re- the newly installed relays were used to remotely display revision of The IEEE Buff Book [2]. These industry guides lay data to the control room for rapid operator analysis.
outline current recommended practices for the protection of
generators and document the substantial changes that have Areas of Protection Upgrade
occurred in generator protection over the last 20 years. These on Older Mill Generators
changes fall into three broad categories: improved sensitiv- The areas of upgrade on generator protection that is 20
ity, new protection areas, and special protection applica- years old or more fall into three broad categories:
tions. These are the key functional areas that need to be
n Improved sensitivity and reduction of damage in
addressed when developing an upgrade program to bring
protection areas where older relaying does not progenerator protection up to current industry standards.
vide the level of detection required. Examples of proThe protection at the Luke Mill is a typical example of
tection in this area are the following:
generator protection installed in the 1960s, employing
n stator ground and ground differential protection
electromechanical relays that remained basically unn field ground fault protection
changed since they were commissioned decades ago. The
n dual-level loss-of-field protection
aging protection system provided minimal alarming with
n negative sequence (unbalanced current) protectrip data limited to relay flags that could be hastily reset
tion
with a total loss of critical relay tripping information.
n sensitive overexcitation protection.
Planned generator breaker upgrade projects for two
n New or additional protection in areas that 20 years ago
13.8-kV, 40-MVA generators afforded the opportunity to
were not perceived to be a problem but operating expeeconomically install microprocessor-based digital relaying
riences have since proved otherwise. These areas are:
and move to modern generator protection. The upgrade on
n inadvertent generator energizing
the first unit was completed in 1996, and the second unit
n sequential tripping
was completed in 2001.
n oscillographic monitoring.
n Application considerations of multifunctional digiIsystem
Igen
tal relays that are unique to generators.
Power
System

Isystem

Current
Igen current ground decay

Time (s)

Generator
Breaker Trips
Generator ground-fault relay.

Improved Sensitivity and Reduced Damage

Stator Grounding and
Ground Differential Protection

When a generator stator ground fault is detected by protective relays, the generator is shut down by tripping the generator breaker, field breaker, and turbine. The system
contribution to the fault will immediately be removed when
the generator breaker trips, as illustrated in Figure 1. The
generator stator ground current, however, will continue to
flow after the tripping. The generator short-circuit current
cannot be turned off instantaneously because of the stored
energy in the rotating machine. The flow of damaging generator fault current will continue for several seconds after the
generator has been tripped. This long decay time results in
the vast majority of the damage occurring after tripping [3].
Reducing the decay time is very difficult; however, reducing
the fault current during the generator coast-down can be
done. As machines get older, the possibility of stator ground
faults increase. Reducing the damage, therefore, becomes a

I OPP = (31 O )I N cos ,

IN

where

31 O is the residual current from the bus side CTs

I N especially, electronic is the generator neutral current
n is the phase angle between the currents.
The scheme is illustrated in Figure 3. The use of digital
technology allows the scheme to be applied using the normal complement of generator CTs without the need for auxiliary CTs. The 87G was an upgrade area on the Luke Mill
generators that previously had only 87-phase differential
n
n

51
G
R

87 - Generator
Differential
87G - Generator
Ground Differential
51G - Neutral Overcurrent

3
Sensitive stator ground fault protection.

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major objective. Recent high

Utility System
costs and long outages of mill generators have caused engineers to
R
ponder the problem of reducing
Typically
ground fault damage during gen200-400 A
A
erator coast-down. The most
To Other
Bus Sections
promising solution is called hyIndustrial System Bus
brid generator grounding.
B
In mill applications, generators
are directly connected to a bus that
services the local load. Figure 2 illustrates this type of configuration.
Hybrid grounding can be typically
Mill Load
applied to these types of generators.
The generator is both high- and
low-resistance grounded. Under
87G
normal operating conditions, both
generator ground sources are operG
ated in parallel. For ground faults
on the mill system, the ground fault
contribution from the generator
will typically be almost entirely
51G
from the low-resistance (200-400
A) source. This provides the reGround
quired level of system ground curInterrupting
59N
rent for proper mill ground relay
Device R Typically
operation, allowing the generator to
200-400 A
supply the mill load when the utility system is unavailable (breakers
Low-Resistance
High-Resistance
Ground
Ground
A and B open). When there is a
(Typically Less
ground fault in the generator stator
Than 10 A)
2
windings or associated bus connection to the generator breaker, the Hybrid generator grounding.
ground differential (87G) will operate to initiate a unit shutdown. As
part of the generator tripping, the ground interruption device in series with the low resistance path is tripped, typi3I0
cally reducing ground current to below the 10-A level. This
greatly reduces stator ground fault damage during the generator coast-down. This is a relatively new idea and was recently implemented on one of the two Luke Mill generators.
87
87
See [3] for more details on hybrid grounding.
(3IO)INcos0
G
Mill generators are generally grounded through a resistor in the generator neutral as described above. Sensitive
detection of stator ground faults can be substantially increased through the addition of an 87G ground differential
relay that uses a product approach utilizing the following
equation. The relay operating characteristic is:
G

39

chine. These unbalanced fluxes produce

unbalanced magnetic forces that result in
A MORE SECURE machine vibration. A field ground fault
also produces rotor iron heating from the
Field Ground Fault Detection
FIELD GROUND
short-circuit currents. The tripping pracThe field circuit of a generator is an untices within the industry for field ground
grounded (typically 600 V) dc system, as
RELAY IS
relaying are not well established. Some
shown in Figure 4. A single field ground
users trip while others prefer to alarm,
fault will generally not affect the operaDESIRABLE IF
thereby risking a second ground fault
tion of a generator, nor will it produce
AUTOMATIC
and major damage before the first ground
any immediate damaging effects. Howis cleared.
ever, the probability of a second ground
TRIPPING IS
The existing practice within the infault occurring is greater after the first
dustry has been to use dc voltage relaying
ground fault has established a ground
BEING
to detect field ground faults. These voltreference. When a second ground fault
age schemes have been prone to false opoccurs, a portion of the field winding
CONSIDERED.
erationespecially during start-up.
will be short-circuited, thereby producUnit operators routinely reset the alarm
ing unbalanced air-gap fluxes in the maand continue with start-up procedures. If
a persistent alarm occurred, operators attempted to locate
the problem.
Brush
A more secure field ground relay is desirable if autoField
matic tripping is being considered. Such a relay is shown in
Figure 5 and uses an injection principle. This principle has
been widely used in Europe with great success, but, until
recently, it was not available in a multifunction relay. As illustrated in Figure 5, a 15-V square wave signal is injected
into the field through a coupling network. The return sigExciter
Field
nal waveform is modified due to field winding capacitance.
Breaker
The injection frequency setting is adjusted (0.1 to 1.0 Hz)
to compensate for field winding capacitance. From the input and return voltage signals, the relay calculates the field
insulation resistance.
The injection scheme provides a major improvement
Grounding
over
traditional voltage schemes in terms of both sensitivity
Brush
Brush
as well as security. In addition, digital relays can provide
real-time monitoring of field insulation resistance, so deteri4
oration with time can be monitored. The scheme can also deBasic generator field circuit.
tect grounds on an offline generator, allowing the operator
to determine if the field circuitry is
free of a ground before start-up.
Digital
This 64F protection was an upgrade
Protective
area on the Luke Mill generators.
Relay
An added benefit of the injection
Processor
scheme described above is that it
operates at a low voltage (15 V)
compared to the scheme it replaced
(120 V), thus improving operator
Field Ground
safety when changing brushes with
Coupling
Detection
Network
the unit online.
Injected

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protection. This change substantially improved stator ground fault sensitivity.

40

Signal

R
C

Squarewave
Generator

R
C

Measuring
Circuit

Dual-Level
Loss-of-Field Protection

Gen.
Rotor

Return
Signal
Ground
Machine
Frame
Ground

Field ground protection using an injection voltage signal.

Partial or total loss-of-field on a

synchronous generator is detrimental to both the generator and
the power system to which it is
connected. The condition must
be quickly detected and the generator isolated from the system to
avoid generator damage. When
the generator loses its field, it op-

Negative Sequence
(Unbalanced Current) Protection

There are a number of system conditions that can cause unbalanced three-phase currents in a generator. These system
conditions produce negative sequence components of current that induce a double-frequency (120 Hz) current on
the surface of the rotor. The skin effect of the double-frequency rotor current causes it to be forced into the rotor
surface, causing excessive rotor temperatures in a very short
time. The general flow of this current in a cylindrical machine rotor is shown in Figure 7. The current flows across
the metal-to-metal contact of the retaining rings to the rotor forging wedges. Because of the skin effect, only a very
small portion of this current flows in the field windings.
Excessive negative sequence heating beyond rotor thermal
limits results in failure. These limits are based on the following equation, for a given generator:
K = I t,
2
2

7
Unbalance currents in the rotor surface.

TABLE 1. CONTINUOUS UNBALANCED CURRENT

CAPABILITY OF A GENERATOR.
Type of Generator:
Cylindrical rotor

Permissible I2
(percent of stator rating)

Indirectly cooled

10

Directly cooled
to 960 MVA

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erates as an induction generator, causing rotor heating. where

A loss-of-field condition that is not detected can have a
n K is the constant depending on generator design and
devastating impact on the mill system by causing a loss
size
of reactive power support as well as creating a substann t is the time in seconds
tial reactive power drain. If this is not quickly detected
n I2 is the root-mean-square (rms) value of a negative
on large generators, this condition can trigger a mill
sequence current per unit of generator rating.
voltage collapse.
The continuous unbalanced current capability of a genThe most widely applied method for detecting a gener- erator is defined in [5] and shown in Table 1. For open-conator loss-of-field is the use of an impedance measuring re- ductor or open-breaker pole conditions, the negative
lay. The loss-of-field relay
measures the impedance as viewed
+X
from the machine terminals, and it
operates when the impedance falls
inside the circular characteristic.
Heavy Load
Xd
Light Load

The relay ohmic characteristic is

2
R
+R
offset from the origin by one-half
of the direct axis transient
reactance ( X d 2) to prevent
Impedance Trajectory
1.0 p.u.
on Loss-of-Field
misoperation during system disturbances and other fault condiXd
tions. The diameter of the circle is
adjusted to be equal to the direct
axis synchronous generator
reactance. A time delay is used to
provide security against false
Machine Capabitlity
trippings on stable power swings.
Minimum Exciter Limit
This time delay increases the operX
6
ating time of the relay, which
means that the Mvars drawn by the Modern loss-of-field using two-zone offset impedance method.
generator persist for a longer time,
making the mill system more susceptible to severe voltage dips. Many users have upgraded
to modern two-zone impedance relays to enhance protecRetaining
tion. This scheme is shown in Figure 6. The inner
Ring
Wedge
small-impedance circle is set to trip with only a few cycles
Locking
delay and is within the impedance locus trajectory for most
Ring
loss-of-field events. The fast operation of the inner impedance unit quickly detects a loss-of-field condition. This
Field
was an upgrade area on the Luke Mill generators, where the
Winding
fast tripping by the inner circle characteristics prevented a
mill shutdown, which is described in later in this article.

41

sequence relay is usually the only protection. The low magnitude of negative sequence currents created by this type of
event (typically 10-33% of stator rating) prevents other
fault relays from providing protections. For electromechanical negative sequence relays, the minimum pickup
can be set to only about 60% of the stator-rated current

sensitivity. Thus, these relays will provide no protection for

open-phase or open-generator breaker pole conditions that
are frequent negative-sequence events within the industry.
The sensitivity of negative-sequence static or digital relays
is required. Almost all generators that are over 20 years old
are protected with electromechanical negative-sequence
relays, which make this an important upgrade area. This
was an upgrade area on the Luke Mill generators.
Sensitive Overexcitation Volts-per-Hertz Protection

CT

Overexcitation, or volts-per-hertz, relaying is used to protect

generators from excessive magnetic-flux density levels. High
flux-density levels result from an overexcitation of the generator. At high flux levels, the magnetic iron paths designed to
carry the normal flux saturate and flux begins to flow in leakage paths not designed to carry it. These resulting fields are
proportional to voltage and inversely proportional to frequency. Hence, high flux-density levels (and overexcitation)
will result from overvoltage, underfrequency, or a combination of both. Although overexcitation protection has been
recommended by manufacturers for many years, it is not installed on many mill generators that rely solely on overvoltage
protection. ANSI/IEEE Standard C50.13 has established
1.05% (generator base voltage) volts-per-hertz limits for continuous operation. For values above these levels, generators
have short-time operating limits.
Damage due to excessive volts-per-hertz operation most
frequently occurs when the unit is offline prior to synchronization. The potential for overexcitation of the generator
dramatically increases if the operators manually prepare
the unit for synchronization. This is particularly true if the
overexcitation alarms are inadequate or if the voltage transformer (VT) has an open circuit due to an improper connection. Modern digital relays provide improved protection
using both definite-time as well as inverse-time characteristics to closely match the short-time overexcitation characteristics of a generator. Volts-per-hertz protection was
added to the Luke Mill generators, and it immediately paid
dividends by detecting a recurring volts-per-hertz condition during generator shutdown.

50

27

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VT

42

GEN

New or Additional Protection Areas

Inadvertent Generator Energizing
(a)

50
Overcurrent
I > p.u.

27
Undervoltage*
V < p.u.

AND

Pickup
Delay

Output
Contact

Dropout
Delay

*On All Three Phases Simultaneously

(b)

Inadvertent energizing protection. (a) Relay input. (b) Relay

logic diagram.

Inadvertent or accidental energizing of synchronous generators has been a particular problem within the industry in
recent years. A number of machines have been damaged or,
in some cases, completely destroyed when they were accidentally energized while offline. The frequency of these occurrences has prompted the industry to recommend that
the problem be addressed through dedicated protective relay schemes. Operating errors, control-circuit malfunctions, or a combination of these causes, have resulted in
generators becoming accidentally energized while offline.
In industrial applications, the major cause of inadvertent
energization of generators is the closing of the generator
breaker through the mechanical close/trip control at the
breaker itself, thereby defeating the electrical interlocks.
Due to the severe limitation of conventional generator
relaying to detect inadvertent energizing, dedicated protection schemes have been developed and installed. Unlike
conventional protection schemes that provide protection

Sequential Tripping

This method of shutting down a generator is used on

Where
steam generators to prevent overspeed when delayed tripX1S System Positive Sequence Reactance
ping has no detrimental effect on the generating unit.
X2G Generator Negative Sequence Reactance
This generator tripping method was recommended by
ES System Voltage
generator manufacturers of steam turbines some years ago
as a result of overspeed generator failures. The first deEG Generator Terminal Voltage
vices tripped are the turbine valves. A reverse power relay
I
Current
in series with the valves close position switches provides
9
security against possible overspeed of the turbine by ensuring that steam flows have been reduced below the
Inadvertent energizing equivalent circuit.
amount necessary to produce an
overspeeding condition before
the generator breaker is tripped.
Mechanical Devices
For boiler or turbine mechanical
Trip Generator
Turbine Tripped
Lockout
Breakers
problems, this is the preferred
Steam Valves Closed
or
tripping mode since it prevents
AND
Auxilary
the overspeed of the machine. FigTrip Field
Relay
Breaker
ure 10 shows the block diagram
for sequential tripping.
Timer
Generator Reverse
On steam machines, reverse
Power Relay (32)
power sensitivities of % or lower
Time
of generator winding megawatt
Delay
rating can occur, requiring a very
10
sensitive reverse of power relay.
This trip mode should not override Sequential tripping logic.

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the generator protection that instantawhen equipment is in service, these

neously opens the generator breaker
schemes provide protection when
OSCILLOGRAPHIC
and initiates generator shutdown when
equipment is out of service. One
a critical electrical fault occurs that
method widely used to detect inadverINFORMATION
might cause serious damage to the gentent energizing is the voltage-supererator. Sequential tripping was added
vised overcurrent scheme shown in
CAN POSITIVELY
to the Luke Mill generators.
Figure 8. An undervoltage element
with adjustable pickup and dropout
IDENTIFY THE
time delays supervises an instantaneous
Oscillographic Monitoring
CAUSE OF A
overcurrent relay. The undervoltage
The monitoring of generators with
detectors automatically arm the overoscillographs is very rare at industrial
TRIPPING
current tripping when the generator is
installations because it is thought that
taken offline. The undervoltage detecmonitoring could not be economically
INCIDENT.
tor will disable the overcurrent relay
justified with stand-alone oscillowhen the machine is returned to sergraphs. However, with the advent of
vice. Great care should be taken when
digital protective relays for generators,
implementing this protection, so that the dc tripping oscillograph and target information can be quickly acpower and relay input quantities to the scheme are not re- cessed from a remote location after a generator tripping to
moved when the generator is offline.
determine if relay and circuit breaker operations were
When an offline generator is inadvertently energized,
it behaves as an induction motor and can be damaged
within seconds. During three-phase energization at a
X1S
standstill, a rotating flux at synchronous frequency is induced in the generator rotor. The resulting rotor current
is forced into paths in the rotor body, similar to those roI
tor current paths for negative-sequence stator currents
during generator single-phasing. Rapid rotor heating
X2G
and damage to the rotor will occur. The machine impedance during this high-slip interval is equivalent to the
generator negative-sequence reactance. Figure 9 shows a
ES
simplified equivalent circuit that can be used to calculate
the current and voltage associated with three-phase inadEG
vertent energizing. Inadvertent energizing is an area that
System
was upgraded on the Luke Mill generators.
Voltage

43

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proper. Oscillographic information can

positively identify the cause of a tripping
incident. This valuable information
gives the mill engineer the necessary
data to keep machines offline for testing
and inspection, when necessary, after an
electrical tripping incident or to return
the unit to service with minimum delay.
Oscillographic data provided key information in analyzing tripping events (described later in this article) on the Luke
Mill generators.

overexcitation condition. Some method

of detection is required so that the afCONTRARY TO
fected relay tripping can be blocked and
voltage regulator transferred to
POPULAR BELIEF, the
manual operation. Typically, protective
functions, such as 32, 40, and 51 V, are
GENERATORS
impacted and normally blocked when a
loss of potential is detected.
DO EXPERIENCE
On larger generators, it is common
SHORT CIRCUITS
practice to use two sets of VTs in the generator zone of protection. As shown in
AND
Figure 11(a), the VTs are usually connected grounded wye-grounded wye and
ABNORMAL
normally have primary and secondary
Special Protection
fuses. These VTs are used to provide poApplication Considerations
ELECTRICAL
tential for protective relays and the voltage regulator. If a fuse blows in the VT
Voltage Transformer
CONDITIONS.
circuits, the secondary voltages applied
Fuse Loss Protection
to the relays and voltage regulators will
Loss of the VT signal can occur due to a
be reduced in magnitude and shifted in
number of causes, the most common being a VT fuse blowing. Other causes may be a wiring fail- phase angle. A voltage balance relay is used to detect this
ure, an opening in the draw-out assemblies, a contact loss of VT input.
opening due to corrosion, or a blown fuse due to screwOn many mill-sized generators, only one set of VTs is
driver shorts during online maintenance. This loss of a frequently provided. It is not possible to use a voltage balVT signal can cause protective relay misoperations or ance relay unless a second set of VTs is added. Thus, many
generator voltage regulator runaway, leading to an mill generators do not have VT fuse-loss protection. A
modern digital method can be used in VT failure detection
where only one set of VTs are available. Figure 11(b) illustrates this method, which makes use of the relationships of
GEN
negative-sequence voltages and currents to detect a loss of
potential. When one VT signal is lost, the three-phase
voltages become unbalanced. Due to this imbalance, a negVT
ative-sequence voltage is produced. To distinguish this
R
condition from a fault, negative-sequence currents are
checked. The presence of negative-sequence voltage in the
absence of negative-sequence current indicates a VT
60
open-phase condition rather than a fault. This type of VT
fuse-loss detection was added on the Luke Mill generators
VoltageBalance
upgrade project.
To
To
Protective
Relay

Relay

Voltage
Regulator

(a)

GEN

R
60

(b)

To
Protective
Relay and
Voltage
Regulator

11
(a) Voltage balance relay. (b) Modern VT loss of potential

44

detection using digital relaying.

Using Digital Technology

to Implement an Upgrade Program

Multifunction digital relaying is an ideal and cost-effective

way to upgrade generator protection to current industry
standards. Figure 12 shows a functional diagram of such a
relay. The upgrade functions (shaded) are shown in Figure
12. These functions, plus eight additional protection functions, are included in a single, compact, low-cost package
and can be installed in a fraction of the space and time required for discrete static or electromechanical relays. Additional features that make digital relays extremely flexible
for upgrade applications include the following:
n multiple programmable inputs and outputs
n target and sequence of events storage in relay memory
n metering of all measured parameters
n RS-232 and RS-485 ports and communications capability with central location
n continuous self-checking diagnostics
n built-in waveform capture/oscillography.
A major concern in the application of multifunction
digital relays for the protection of generators is that almost

Clearly, digital technology is reliable

all of the electrical protection, including
enough to protect generators. This is the
both primary and backup, are embedded
CLEARLY,
type of relaying used on all new generaon a single digital hardware platform.
How reliable are the multifunction digitors. On important generators, most usDIGITAL
tal generator relays? Failure statistics are
ers provide fully redundant systems to
carefully kept by most manufacturers so
have delineated primary and backup proTECHNOLOGY
they can determine if there are any pattection. In most mill applications, beterns or specific component failures. One
cause of the cost for the loss of a
IS RELIABLE
major manufacturers data for a relay degenerator, users justify the dual relay apENOUGH TO
sign sold since 1994 provides the followproach. Figure 12 illustrates the dual-reing statistics:
lay scheme that was installed on the Luke
PROTECT
Mill generators.
n total relays in service:
3,281
GENERATORS.
Mill Case Studies of Generator
n number of failures:
Protection Upgrade Benefits
62 (1.9%)
n total in-service operating hours:
50,990,000
Description of Luke Mill
13.8-kV System One-Line
n mean time between failures (MTBF):
92 years.
The Luke Mill system simplified one-line diagram is
All relay failures were detected by self-diagnostics that shown in Figure 13. Both the (50 MVA) utility ties and
operated as designed (the relay being automatically re- mill generators are normally in operation to supply the
moved from service without tripping the generator). total mill load of about 70 MW. The bus tie reactor is in

3-CT

52

To Bus Diff.
3-CT
Metering

3-CT

Generator Protection (B)

VT

VT

24

59

27

81

Generator Protection (A)

3-CT
81

27

59

24

50
BF

50
BF

87
G

Field

64F

87

Exciter

50
60
FL

40 51V 32

46

50
27

87
G

46

32 51V

40

60
FL

27
3-CT
3-CT

51G

Upgrade
Function

1-CT

51G

87
G

12
Mill generator protection.

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3-CT

45

service with all sources energized to

limit the system available fault currents to within the interrupting capacity of the 1,000-MVA
switchgear. The reactor is bypassed
when either utility tie or generator
is out of service to prevent excessive
reactor voltage drop to mill loads
should the loss of the second source
occur on the same side of the reactor.
With two reliable utility ties
and two in-house generators, the
mills 13.8-kV system is normally
very stable, and major upset conditions are quite rare. Should they occur, however, such events can be
very disruptive and costly to mill
production processes. Delays in de-

#1
Transformer
50 MVA

ABNORMAL
OPERATIONS
SEQUENCES CAN
PRESENT SERIOUS
INCIDENTS THAT
REQUIRE ACCURATE
EVENT DATA TO
ASSESS AND
RESOLVE.

#2
Transformer
50 MVA

Utility Substation

APS 2

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APS 1

46

#12 GEN
40 MVA

#11 GEN
42 MVA
G-11

2-01
2-02
Syn Bus 2

1-30
1-20

20-A

4-20
Bus 4 Loads

Cascading Event Resulting in

Generator Loss-of-Field Tripping

G-12
3-20

Bus 3 Loads

13
Luke Mill one-line diagram.

Turbine Values Closed

Field Breaker Trip

Loss-of-field oscillograph.

Relay Trip

termining the cause of the disruption and in assessing any equipment

damage involved can add hours to
re-energizing and returning to normal operations. Should either mill
generator be involved, it is critical
to assess the integrity of the unit and
perform any testing necessary before
reconnecting to the system. It is
critical to have good sequence of
events and oscillographic data to review protective relay performance,
assess fault levels, and clear the machine of any damage. To proceed
otherwise risks restarting the unit
with possible increased damage and
extensive downtime.
Abnormal operations sequences
can also present serious incidents
that require accurate event data to
assess and resolve. In these cases,
oscillographic data from the relays
can provide objective, unbiased input for revising operating procedures and training. Even where
generation is not directly involved,
data from the digital generator relays is valuable in determining
fault levels at other points in the
system and to determine whether
other relaying has functioned
properly. An example of one such
incident is described below.

14

Analysis of this cascading event

was greatly helped by the relay diagnostics. A turbine trip was followed by a breaker misoperation
leading to a loss-of-field tripping
of the generator. The event occurred shortly after start-up with
significant load on the unit when
the turbine oil-trip device failed,
closing the main stop valve. The
oil-trip solenoid linkage had worn
badly, causing failure. Reverse
power relaying picked up, but was
unable to trip. The operator
turned his initial attention to correcting upsets to the mill steam
system. Upon realizing the main
generator breaker had not tripped, he mistakenly tripped the #1
utility tie (Breaker 1-30, Figure
13) instead. He followed by tripping the field breaker about 7 s
later. Detecting the loss-of-field
condition, the new relaying tripped the generator just in time to

I EEE I NDUSTRY A PPLI CA TI ONS MA GA ZI NE MA R|A PR 2003 WWW.I EEE.ORG/I A S

avert a mill shutdown from undershortcomings when compared to curvoltage from the reactive power upset.
rent IEEE recommended generaMAJOR
Inputs to the two generator relays from
tor-protection practices. This article
the turbine stop valve, the field breaker,
identifies these protection areas and
POWER-SYSTEM
and main breaker enabled exact times to
the risks of not addressing the shortbe obtained for the related events. Secomings. It also points out the advanEVENTS ARE
quence of events and oscillography captages of using multifunction digital
tured by the new relays verify the
relaying to upgrade generator protecRARE, YET DATA
following:
tion as a technology that offers many
ANALYSIS IS
advantages over older electromechanin The relay event log showed multical relays. The completed upgrade prople reverse power (32) pickups,
CRITICAL TO
ject at MeadWestvacos Luke Mill in
however, the setting was too high
Maryland provided a number of examto time out to trip. For about 2
RETURNING THE
ples of these benefits in uncovering
min after the turbine trip, the
mill problems that, if they had gone
generator motored with field,
GENERATOR TO
undetected, could have resulted in
supplying up to 25 Mvar to supcostly mill shutdowns or damage to
port bus voltage after the accidenSERVICE.
mill generators.
tal loss of the incoming utility tie.
The current can be seen to be 90
lagging the voltage in the Figure
14 oscillograph.
References
n When the field breaker opened, reactive power flow
[1] Guide for AC Generator Protection, ANSI/IEEE C37.102-1995.
reversed in 18 cycles and the generator drew in leading current rising to 800 A from the system to re-establish field, as shown in Figure 14. The unit was [2] Recommended Practices for the Protection and Coordination of Industrial and Commercial Power Systems, ANSI/IEEE 242-2001.
now motoring without field as an induction machine
and placing large reactive load on the mill system,
with the bus voltage sagging to about 11 kV when [3] B. Bailey, J. Bowen, G. Dalke, B. Douglas, J. Fischer, J.R. Jones, D.
generator tripping occurred.
Love, C. Mozina, N. Nichols, C. Normand, L. Padden, A. Pierce, P.
n Fortunately, the new relaying tripped the unit on
Pillai, L. Powell, D. Shipp, N.T. Stringer, and R. Young, Gounding
loss-of-field about 2 s after the field breaker opened.
and ground fault protection of multiple generator installation on
Separate bus tie (Breaker 1-20, Figure 13) relay
medium-voltage industrial and commercial systems, in Conf. Rec.
data verified the tie was in overload and timing to
IEEE IAS 2002 Annu. Meeting, vol. 3, pp. 1888-1895.
trip the bus for a total mill bus shutdown.
n Initially, the operator believed he had followed normal operating procedure and that the utility tie had [4] L.J. Powell, The impact of system grounding practices on generaopened on overload from the loss of the generator.
tor fault damage, IEEE Trans. Ind. Applicat., vol.37, pp. 218-222,
The relay data provided unbiased evidence to show
Jan./Feb. 2001.
he had, in fact, misoperated and tripped the utility
tie breaker.
n Data from relay waveforms verified that when mo[5] American National Standard for Cylindrical Rotor Synchronous Gentoring with and without field, the generator did not
erators, ANSI/IEEE C50.13-1987.
exceed maximum rated Mvar loading per the capability curve. Motoring at no load (with field and
within rating) does not harm the generator, but long [6] Guide for AC Generator Ground Protection, ANSI/ IEEE
C37.l01-1993.
periods can overheat turbine blading. Loss-of-field is
serious, as the rotor is not designed to handle the
large induced slip currents. This event was at no load [7] Guide for Abnormal Frequency Protection for Power Generating
and tripped in 2 s, per the oscillographs shown in
Plants, ANSI/IEEE C37.106-1987.
Figure 14. The decay of stator amps after the field
breaker opened is followed by the rise of reactive current, which increased to 800 A (rated current is [8] Tutorial on the Protection of Synchronous Generators, IEEE 95TP 102.
1,787 A). Major power-system events involving mill
generation tend to be rare. Yet, should one occur, Charles J. Mozina (cmozina@beckwithelectric.com) is with
having data to analyze the incident is critical to re- Beckwith Electric Co., Inc., in Largo, Florida, USA. Douglas C.
Moody (dcmoody@meadvestvaco.com) is with MeadWestvaco
turning the generator to service.
Corp. in Luke, Maryland, USA. Moody is a Senior Member of
the IEEE, and Mozina is a Member of the IEEE. This article first
Conclusions
There are a number of functional protection areas on appeared in its original form at the 2002 IEEE IAS Pulp and
mill generators 20 years or older that have significant Paper Technical Conference.

47