Advanced Power System

Protection
Lecture-11
Dr. Muhammad Kamran

Lecture contents
Discrimination of fault

Discrimination with time and

Current
Each of the two methods described so far
has a fundamental disadvantage
In the case of discrimination by time alone,
the disadvantage is due to the fact that the
more severe faults are cleared in the
longest operating time
On the other hand, discrimination by
current can be applied only where there is
appreciable impedance between the two
circuit breakers concerned

 It is because of the limitations imposed by

the independent use of either time or
current co-ordination that the inverse time
overcurrent
relay
characteristic
has
evolved
With this characteristic, the time of
operation is inversely proportional to the
fault current level and the actual
characteristic is a function of both time
and 'current' settings.

 The advantage of this method of relay Coordination may be best illustrated by the
system shown in (Fig.a)
In order to carry out a system analysis, before a
relay co-ordination study of the system shown
in (Fig. a), it is necessary to refer all the system
impedances to a common base and thus, using
10 MVA as the reference base, we have:

Assignment / Solution
In order to carry out a system analysis, before a relay co-ordination
study of the system shown in (Fig. ), it is necessary to refer all the
system impedances to a common base and thus, using 10 MVA as
the reference base, we have: 4MVA transformer percentage
impedance on 10MVA base=7X (10/4) =17.5%
11 kV cable between B and A percentage impedance on10 MVA
base= (0.04 X 100 X 10) / 112= 0.33%
11 kV cable between C and B percentage impedance on 10 MVA
base
= (0.24 X 100 X10) /112 =1.98 %
30 MVA transformer percentage impedance on 10 MVA base
=22.5 X 10 / 30 =7.5 %
132 kV overhead line percentage impedance on10 MVA base
= (6.2x100x10)/ 1322 =0.36%
132 kV source percentage impedance on 10 MVA base= (100 x
10) /3500 =0.29%

 The graph in (Fig.) illustrates the use of 'dis

crimination curves', which are an important aid to
satisfactory protection co-ordination
In this example, a voltage base of 3.3kV has been
chosen and the first curve plotted is that of the
200 A fuse, which is assumed to protect the largest
outgoing 3.3kV circuit
Once the operating characteristic of the highest
rated 3.3kV fuse has been plotted, the grading of
the over current relays at the various sub-stations
of the radial system is carried out as follows:

 Substation B
CT ratio 250/5A Relay over current characteristic
assumed to be extremely inverse, as for the type
CDG 14 relay. This relay must discriminate with the
200A fuse at fault levels up to:(10 x 100) /
(17.5+0.33+1.98+7.5+0.36+0.29) = 35.7 MVA
That is, 6260 A at 3.3kV or 1880 A at 11 kV. The
operating characteristics of the CDG 14 relay show
that at a plug setting of 100%, that is, 250 A and
4.76 MVA at 11 kV, and at a time multiplier setting
of 0.2, suitable discrimination with the 200 A fuse is
achieved

 Substation C
CT ratio 500/5A Relay over current characteristic assumed
to be extremely inverse, as for the type CDG 14 relay. This
relay must discriminate with the relay in substation
B at fault levels up to:
(10 X 100) / (1.98 +7.5 +0.36 +0.29) = 98.7MVA
That is, 17,280 A at 3.3kV or 5180 A at 11 kV
The operating characteristics of the CDG 14 relay show
that at a plug setting of 100%, that is, 500 A and 9.52
MVA at 11 kV, and at a time multiplier setting of 0.7,
suitable discrimination with the relay at substation B is
achieved.

 Substation D
CT ratio 150/1A Relay over current characteristic
assumed to be extremely inverse, as for the type CDG 14
relay
This relay must discriminate with the relay in substation
C at fault levels up to
(10 X 100) / (7.5 + 0.36 + 0.29) = 123 MVA
That is, 21,500 A at 3.3kV or 538 A at 132 kV. The
operating characteristics of the CDG 14 relay show that
at a plug setting of 100%, that is, 150 A and 34.2 MVA at
132 kV and at a time multiplier setting of 0.25, suitable
discrimination with the relay at substation C is achieved.

 Substation E
CT ratio 500/1 A Relay over current
characteristic
assumed
to
be
extremely inverse, as for the type
CDG 14 relay
This relay must discriminate with the
relay in substation D at fault levels
up to:
(10 x 100) / (0.36+0.29) = 1540
MVA

 To finalize the co-ordination study it

is instructive to assess the average
operating time for each extremely
inverse over current relay at its
maximum and minimum fault levels,
and to compare these with the
operating time for the definite time
over current relay

 To finalize the co-ordination

study it is instructive to assess
the average operating time for
each extremely inverse over
current relay at its maximum and
minimum fault levels, and to
compare
these
with
the
operating time for the definite
time over current relay.

Overcurrent relay (General

Principle)
The overcurrent type of current-balance relay
has one overcurrent element arranged to
produce torque in opposition to another
overcurrent element, both elements acting on
the same moving structure
Figure shows schematically an electromagneticattraction balanced-beam type of structure
Another commonly used structure is an
induction-type relay having two overcurrent
elements acting in opposition on a rotor.

Operating Characteristics

 The effect of the control spring is to

require a certain minimum value of
I1 for pickup when I2 is zero, but the
spring effect becomes less and less
noticeable at the higher values of
current
The relay will pick up for ratios of I1
to I2 represented by points above the
operating characteristic

 Such an operating characteristic is specified by

expressing in percent the ratio of I1 to I2 required
for pickup when the relay is operating on the
straight part of the characteristic, and by giving the
minimum pickup value of I1 when I2 is zero
I1 is called the operating current since it
produces positive,, or pickup, torque; I2 is called
the restraining current.
By proportioning the number of turns on the
operating and the restraining coils, one can obtain
any desired percent slope as it is sometimes
called.

 Should it be desired to close an a

contact circuit when either of two
currents exceeds the other by a
given percentage, two elements are
used, as illustrated schematically in
Fig.
For some applications, the contacts
of the two elements may be
arranged to trip different circuit
breakers, depending on which

 By these means, the currents in the different

phases of a circuit, in different circuit
branches of the same phase, or between
corresponding phases of different circuits, can
be compared
When applied between circuits where the ratio
of one of the currents to the other never
exceeds a certain amount except when a
short circuit occurs in one of the circuits, a
current-balance relay provides inherently
selective protection

 Although the torque equations were

written on the assumption that the
phase angle between the two
balanced quantities had no effect,
the characteristics of such relays
may be somewhat affected by the
phase angle
In other
actual
torque
T K I words,
K I K the
I I cos(
)
relation may be:
2

1 1

2 2

3 1 2

 where the effect of the control spring

is neglected, and where and are
defined as for directional relays
The constant K3 is small, the
production of directional torque by
the interaction between the induced
currents and stray fluxes of the two
elements being incidental and often
purposely minimized by design

 Relays are available having highspeed characteristics or inverse-time

characteristics with or without an
adjustable time dial
A typical set of time curves is shown
in Fig., where the effect of different
values of restraining currents on the
shape of the time curve is shown for
one time adjustment

 Such curves cannot be plotted on a multiple

basis because the pickup is different for each
value of restraining current
It will be noted that each curve is asymptotic
to the pickup current for the given value of
restraining current
High-speed relays may operate undesirably on
transient unbalances if the percent slope is too
nearly 100% and for this reason such relays
may
require
higher
percent-slope
characteristics than inverse-time relays.

Directional Type
The directional type of current-balance
relay uses a current-current directional
element in which the polarizing quantity is
the vector difference of two currents, and
the actuating quantity is the vector sum of
the two currents
If we assume that the currents are in
phase, and neglect the effect of the control
spring, the torque is:
T=K1(I1+I2)(I1-I2)

 If the two currents are 180 out of phase, the

direction of torque for a given unbalance
will be the same as when the currents are in
phase, as can be seen by changing the sign
of either current in the torque equation
This type of relay may have double-throw
contacts both of which are normally open,
the control spring being arranged to
produce restraint against movement in
either direction from the mid position

Differential Relay
Differential relays take a variety of forms, depending
on the equipment they protect
The definition of such a relay is one that operates
when the vector difference of two or more similar
electrical quantities exceeds a predetermined
amount
It will be seen later that almost any type of relay,
when connected in a certain way, can be made to
operate as a differential relay
In other words, it is not so much the relay
construction as the way the relay is connected in a
circuit that makes it a differential relay

Next Lecture
Directional relay continued
Presentation on
assignment/discussion