ProtectiveRelayTheBrainThatDetectsAbnormal

SystemConditions
Protective Relay The Brain That Detects Abnormal System Conditions (photo credit: congede.net)

ProtectiverelayinMVapplications//
Formediumvoltagecircuitbreakerapplications,protectiverelayserveasthebrainthat
detectsabnormalsystemconditionsanddirectthecircuitbreakertooperate.Theyalso
servetoprovidespecializedprotectioninlowvoltagepowercircuitbreakerapplications
forfunctionsnotavailableinthecircuitbreakertripunits.

Mostmodernprotectiverelaysaresolidstate
electronicormicroprocessorbaseddevices,
althougholderelectromechanicaldevicesarestill
availableandstillwork!
Microprocessorbasedorsolidstateelectronicrelaysoffermoreflexibilityand
functionalitythanelectromechanicalrelays,includingtheabilitytointerfacewith
commoncommunicationsprotocolssuchas MODBUSforintegrationintoaSCADA
environment.
Figure 1 Microprocessorbased protective relay (on photo: SIPROTEC 5 credit:
digitalsubstation.ru)

However,theydorequirereliablecontrolpowertomaintainoperationduring
abnormalsystemconditions.Thisreliablecontrolpowerismostoftenprovidedbya
DCbatterysystem,althoughACUPSbasedsystemsarealsoencountered.
Electromechanicalrelaysaretypicallysinglephasedevices.Solidstateelectronicrelays
aretypicallyavailableinsinglephaseorthreephaseversions.Microprocessorbased
relaysaretypicallythreephasedevices.

Whileelectromechanicalandsolidstateelectronicrelaystypicallyincorporateonerelay
functionperdevice,microprocessorbasedrelaysusuallyencompassmanyfunctionsin
onedevice.Thismakesasinglemicroprocessorbasedrelaycapableofperformingthe
samefunctionsthatwouldrequireseveralelectromechanicalorsolidstaterelays.

Thisfunctionalityusuallymakesmicroprocessorbased
relaysthebestchoicefornewinstallations.

Generally,protectiverelayisnotratedfordirectconnectiontothepowersystemwhere
theyareapplied.Forthisreason,instrumenttransformersareusedtoreducethe
currentsandvoltagestothelevelsforwhichtherelaysaredesigned.Instrument
transformersgenerallyfallintooneoftwobroadcategories:
1. CurrentTransformers(CTs)and
2. VoltageTransformers(VTs)
Theloadsoninstrumenttransformers,suchasrelaysandmeters,areknownasburdens

todistinguishthemfrompowersystemloads.

Medium voltage cubicle compartments showing positions of protection relay SEPAM, CTs and VTs (on
photo: Schneider Electrics MV switchgear MCSET)

Currenttransformers(CTs)

Acurrenttransformerconsistsofacoiltoroidallywoundarounda ferromagneticcore.
Theconductorforwhichthecurrentistobemeasuredispassedthroughthecenterof
thetoroid.Themagneticfieldgeneratedbythecurrentthroughtheconductorcauses
currenttoflowinthecoil.

Inessence,aCTmaybethoughtofas
aconventionaltransformerwithoneprimaryturn.
CurrenttransformersintheUnitedStatestypicallyhave5Aratedsecondaries,with
primaryratingsfrom1040,000Aandlarger.Forrelayingapplicationsinindustrial
facilities,CTratiosaretypically50:54000:5.
Theclassificationsystemconsistsofaletterandanumber.ThelettermaybeC,
designatingthatthepercentratiocorrectionmaybecalculated,orT,denotingthatthe
ratiocorrectionhasbeendeterminedbytest.
MV Current Transformers (photo credit: naswgr.net)

ThenumberdenotesthevoltagethattheCTcandelivertoastandardburdenat20
timestheratedsecondarycurrentwithoutexceeding10%ratioerror.Asamore
accuratealternative,manufacturerpublishedCTexcitationcurvesmaybeusedto
determinethe currenttransformeraccuracy.
Forrelayingapplication,theissueathandistheperformanceoftheprotectiverelay
duringworstcaseshortcircuitconditions,whentheCTsecondarycurrentsarethe
largestandmaycausethesecondaryvoltagetoexceedtheCTsratingduetothe
voltagedevelopedacrosstherelayinputcoil.
Figure 2 Current transformer scheme

ThisconditionwillcausetheCTtosaturate,significantlychangingtheratioandthusthe
accuracyofthemeasurement.ForcasesofsevereCTsaturationtheprotectiverelay
mayrespondinanunpredictablemanner,suchasnotoperatingorproducingchatterof
itsoutputcontacts.
CTswherethepowerconductorpassesthroughthewindowformedbythetoroidalCT
windingareknownaswindowtypeCTs.CTswhicharedesignedwithanintegralbusbar
runningthroughdeviceareknownasbusbartypeCTs.Otherdesigns,suchaswound
primaryCTsformeteringapplicationsandnonsaturatingaircoreCTs,areavailable.

GobacktoInstrumentTransformers

Voltagetransformers(VTs)
Voltagetransformers(VTs)areusedtostepthepowersystemvoltagedowntoalevel
thattheprotectiverelaycanutilize.Theoperationofvoltagetransformersisessentially
thesameasforconventionalpowertransformersdiscussedinsection2ofthisguide,
exceptthatthedesignhasbeenoptimizedforaccuracy.Likecurrenttransformers,
voltagetransformersareassignedaccuracyclassesbyIEEEStd.C57.13.
VTaccuracyclassesaredesignatedW,X,MY,Z,andZZinorderofincreasingburden
requirements.
Voltage instrument supporting transformer

Protectiverelaysareclassifiedbyfunction.To
makecircuitrepresentationseasier,eachfunctionhas
beendefinedandassignedanumberby
IEEEStd.C37.2.TheIEEEstandardfunctionnumbers
aregiveninTable1.
Table2givesthecommonlyusedsuffixletterstofurtherdesignateprotective
functions.Thesedesignationscanbecombinedinvariousways.Forexample,87T
denotesatransformerdifferentialrelay,51Ndenotesaresidualgroundtimeovercurrent
relay,87Bdenotesabusdifferentialrelay,etc.
Table1Commonlyusedprotectiverelaydevicefunctionnumbers
Relaydevicefunction
number(ANSICode)

Protectionfunction

21

Distance

25

Synchronizing

27

Undervoltage

32

DirectionalPower

40

LossofExcitation(field)

46

Phasebalance(currentbalance,
negativesequencecurrent)

47

PhaseSequenceVoltage(reverse

phasevoltage)
49

Thermal(generallythermaloverload)

50

InstantaneousOvercurrent

51

Timeovercurrent

59

Overvoltage

60

Voltagebalance(betweentwo
circuits)

67

DirectionalOvercurrent

81

Frequency(overandunderfrequency)

86

Lockout

87

Differential

Table2Commonlyusedsuffixlettersappliedtoprotectiverelayfunctionnumbers
Suffix
Letter

RelayApplication

Alarmonly

Busprotection

Groundfaultprotection[relaycurrenttransformer(CT)ina
systemneutralcircuit]orgeneratorprotection]

GS

Groundfaultprotection(relayCTistoroidalorground
sensor)

LineProtection

MotorProtection

Groundfaultprotection(relaycoilconnectedinresidual
CTcircuit)

Transformerprotection

Voltage

GobacktoInstrumentTransformers
Reference//SystemProtectionbyBillBrown,P.E.,SquareDEngineeringServices