© 2011 Alstom Grid.

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Chapter 19
AC Motor Protection

19.1 INTRODUCTION
19.1 Introduction There are a wide range of a.c. motors and motor
19.2 Modern Relay Design characteristics in existence, because of the numerous duties for
19.3 Thermal (Overload) Protection which they are used. All motors need protection, but
19.4 Start/Stall Protection fortunately, the more fundamental problems affecting the
19.5 Short-Circuit Protection choice of protection are independent of the type of motor and
the type of load to which it is connected. There are some
19.6 Earth Fault Protection
important differences between the protection of induction
19.7 Negative Phase Sequence Protection motors and synchronous motors, and these are fully dealt with
19.8 Faults in Rotor Windings in section 19.3.
19.9 RTD Temperature Detection
Motor characteristics must be carefully considered when
19.10 Bearing Failures applying protection; while this may be regarded as stating the
19.11 Undervoltage Protection obvious, it is emphasised because it applies more to motors
19.12 Loss-of-load Protection than to other items of power system plant. For example, the
19.13 Additional Protection for Synchronous Motors starting and stalling currents/times must be known when
19.14 Motor Protection Examples applying overload protection, and furthermore the thermal
withstand of the machine under balanced and unbalanced
loading must be clearly defined.
The conditions for which motor protection is required can be
divided into two broad categories: imposed external conditions
and internal faults. Table 19.1 provides details of most likely
faults that require protection.
External Faults Internal faults
Unbalanced supplies Bearing failures
Undervoltages Winding faults
Single phasing Overloads
Reverse phase sequence
Table 19.1: Causes of motor failures

19.2 MODERN RELAY DESIGN

The design of a modern numerical motor protection relay must
be adequate to cater for the protection needs of any one of the
vast range of motor designs in service, many of the designs
having no permissible allowance for overloads. A relay offering
comprehensive protection will have the following set of
features:
Synchronous and asynchronous motors
 thermal protection
 extended start protection
 stalling protection
 number of starts limitation
 short circuit protection

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Network Protection & Automation Guide

 earth fault protection  t


 winding RTD measurement/trip T  Tmax 1 e @ 

 
 negative sequence current detection
where:
 undervoltage protection
 loss-of-load protection Tmax = final steady state temperature
 auxiliary supply supervision @ = heating time constant
Synchronous motors only Temperature rise is proportional to the current squared:
 out-of-step protection
 t

 loss of supply protection T  KI R2 1 e @ 

In addition, relays may offer options such as circuit breaker
 
condition monitoring as an aid to maintenance. where:
Manufacturers may also offer relays that implement a reduced
functionality to that given above where less comprehensive
I R = current which, if flowing continuously, produces
protection is warranted (e.g. induction motors of low rating). temperature Tmax in the motor

The following sections examine each of the possible failure Therefore, it can be shown that, for any overload current I ,
modes of a motor and discuss how protection may be applied the permissible time t for this current to flow is:
to detect that mode.
$ !
19.3 THERMAL (OVERLOAD) PROTECTION " 
" 1 
The majority of winding failures are either indirectly or directly t  @ log e " 2 
caused by overloading (either prolonged or cyclic), operation " 291  I R  39 
" 49  I  59 
on unbalanced supply voltage, or single phasing, which all lead #6 7
through excessive heating to the deterioration of the winding
insulation until an electrical fault occurs. The generally In general, the supply to which a motor is connected may
accepted rule is that insulation life is halved for each 10ºC rise contain both positive and negative sequence components, and
in temperature above the rated value, modified by the length of both components of current give rise to heating in the motor.
time spent at the higher temperature. As an electrical machine Therefore, the thermal replica should take into account both of
has a relatively large heat storage capacity, it follows that these components, a typical equation for the equivalent current
infrequent overloads of short duration may not adversely affect being:
the machine. However, sustained overloads of only a few
percent may result in premature ageing and insulation failure.
I eq  I12  KI 22

Furthermore, the thermal withstand capability of the motor is where

affected by heating in the winding prior to a fault. It is
I1 = positive sequence current
therefore important that the relay characteristic takes account
of the extremes of zero and full-load pre-fault current known I 2 = negative sequence current
respectively as the 'Cold' and 'Hot' conditions.
K = negative sequence rotor resistance / positive sequence
The variety of motor designs, diverse applications, variety of rotor resistance at rated speed.
possible abnormal operating conditions and resulting modes of
failure result in a complex thermal relationship. A generic A typical value of K is 3.
mathematical model that is accurate is therefore impossible to Finally, the thermal replica model needs to take into account
create. However, it is possible to develop an approximate the fact that the motor will tend to cool down during periods of
model if it is assumed that the motor is a homogeneous body, light load, and the initial state of the motor. The motor will
creating and dissipating heat at a rate proportional to have a cooling time constant, @ r , that defines the rate of
temperature rise. This is the principle behind the ‘thermal cooling. Hence, the final thermal model can be expressed as:
replica’ model of a motor used for overload protection.
The temperature T at any instant is given by:

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 Chapter 19  AC Motor Protection

K 2 A2 100 000

t  @ log e
K2 1
Equation 19.1
10 000
where: Te1 = Te2 = 60min

@ = heating time constant Te1 = Te2 = 54min

Te1 = Te2 = 48min
1000
I eq
K Te1 = Te2 = 42min
I th Te1 = Te2 = 36min

A2 = initial state of motor (cold or hot) 100

Operating time (seconds)

I th = thermal setting current
Equation 19.1 takes into account the ‘cold’ and ‘hot’ 10 Te1 = Te2 = 30min
characteristics defined in IEC 60255, part 8. Te1 = Te2 = 24min
Te1 = Te2 = 18min
Some relays may use a dual curve characteristic for the Te1 = Te2 = 12min
heating time constant, and hence two values of the heating 1
Te1 = Te2 = 6min

time constant are required. Switching between the two values Te1 = Te2 = 1min

takes place at a pre-defined motor current. This may be used

to obtain better tripping performance during starting on
0
motors that use a star-delta starter. During starting, the 1 10

motor windings carry full line current, while in the ‘run’ Thermal equivalent current Ieq in terms of the
condition, they carry only 57% of the current seen by the relay. current thermal threshold I >
Similarly, when the motor is disconnected from the supply, the
Figure 19.1: Thermal overload characteristic curves from cold – initial
heating time constant @ is set equal to the cooling time thermal state 0%
constant @ r .
19.4 START/STALL PROTECTION
Since the relay should ideally be matched to the protected
motor and be capable of close sustained overload protection, a When a motor is started, it draws a current well in excess of
wide range of relay adjustment is desirable together with good full load rating throughout the period that the motor takes to
accuracy and low thermal overshoot. run-up to speed. While the motor starting current reduces
somewhat as motor speed increases, it is normal in protection
Typical relay setting curves are shown in Figure 19.1. practice to assume that the motor current remains constant
throughout the starting period. The starting current will vary
depending on the design of the motor and method of starting.
For motors started DOL (direct-on-line), the nominal starting
current can be 4-8 times full-load current. However, when a
1
star-delta starter is used, the line current will only be of
3
the DOL starting current.
Should a motor stall whilst running, or fail to start, due to
excessive loading, the motor will draw a current equal to its
locked rotor current. It is not therefore possible to distinguish
between a stall condition and a healthy start solely on the basis
of the current drawn. Discrimination between the two
conditions must be made based on the duration of the current
drawn. For motors where the starting time is less than the
safe stall time of the motor, protection is easy to arrange.
However, where motors are used to drive high inertia loads,

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Network Protection & Automation Guide

the stall withstand time can be less than the starting time. In 100

these cases, an additional means must be provided to enable

discrimination between the two conditions to be achieved.
Relay current setting

19.4.1 Excessive Start Time/Locked Rotor Protection

Motor starting current
A motor may fail to accelerate from rest for a number of
Relay time setting
10
reasons:
 loss of a supply phase

Time (s)
 mechanical problems
 low supply voltage
 excessive load torque
1
 etc.
A large current will be drawn from the supply, and cause
extremely high temperatures to be generated within the motor.
This is made worse by the fact that the motor is not rotating,
and hence no cooling due to rotation is available. Winding
damage will occur very quickly – either to the stator or rotor 0.1
0.1 1 10
windings depending on the thermal limitations of the Current (p.u.)
particular design (motors are said to be stator or rotor limited Figure 19.2: Relay setting for successful start: start time<stall time
in this respect). The method of protection varies depending on
whether the starting time is less than or greater than the safe 19.4.1.2 Start time 1 safe stall time
stall time. In both cases, initiation of the start may be sensed For this condition, a definite time overcurrent characteristic by
by detection of the closure of the switch in the motor feeder itself is not sufficient, since the time delay required is longer
(contactor or CB) and optionally current rising above a starting than the maximum time that the motor can be allowed to
current threshold value – typically 200% of motor rated carry starting current safely. An additional means of detection
current. For the case of both conditions being sensed, they of rotor movement, indicating a safe start, is required. A
may have to occur within a narrow aperture of time for a start speed-sensing switch usually provides this function. Detection
to be recognised. of a successful start is used to select the relay timer used for
Special requirements may exist for certain types of motors the safe run-up time of the motor. This time can be longer
installed in hazardous areas (e.g. motors with type of than the safe stall time, as there is both a (small) decrease in
protection EEx ‘e’) and the setting of the relay must take these current drawn by the motor during the start and the rotor fans
into account. Sometimes a permissive interlock for machine begin to improve cooling of the machine as it accelerates. If a
pressurisation (on EEx ‘p’ machines) may be required, and this start is sensed by the relay through monitoring current and/or
can be conveniently achieved by use of a relay digital input and start device closure, but the speed switch does not operate, the
the in-built logic capabilities. relay element uses the safe stall time setting to trip the motor
before damage can occur. Figure 19.3(a) illustrates the
19.4.1.1 Start time < safe stall time principle of operation for a successful start, and Figure 19.3(b)
Protection is achieved by use of a definite time overcurrent for an unsuccessful start.
characteristic, the current setting being greater than full load
current but less than the starting current of the machine. The
time setting should be a little longer than the start time, but
less than the permitted safe starting time of the motor. Figure
19.2 illustrates the principle of operation for a successful start.

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 Chapter 19  AC Motor Protection

The stall protection would be expected to operate and defeat

1 the object of the re-acceleration scheme. A motor protection
CB closed
0 relay will therefore recognise the presence of a voltage dip and
Time recovery, and inhibit stall protection for a defined period. The
1
Current undervoltage protection element (section 19.11) can be used
0
Time to detect the presence of the voltage dip and inhibit stall
Speed 1 protection for a set period after voltage recovery. Protection
switch against stalled motors in case of an unsuccessful re-
information 0
Time acceleration is therefore maintained. The time delay setting is
Trip 1
dependent on the re-acceleration scheme adopted and the
command
0 characteristics of individual motors. It should be established
Time after performing a transient stability study for the re-
(a) Successful start acceleration scheme proposed.

1 19.4.3 Number of Starts Limitation

CB closed
0 Any motor has a restriction on the number of starts that are
Time allowed in a defined period without the permitted winding, etc.
1
Current temperatures being exceeded. Starting should be blocked if
0 the permitted number of starts is exceeded. The situation is
Time
Speed 1 complicated by the fact the number of permitted ‘hot’ starts in
switch a given period is less than the number of ‘cold’ starts, due to
information 0
Time the differing initial temperatures of the motor. The relay must
Trip 1 Stall time setting maintain a separate count of ‘cold’ and ‘hot’ starts. By
command
0 making use of the data held in the motor thermal replica, ‘hot’
Time and ‘cold’ starts can be distinguished.
(b) Unsuccessful start
To allow the motor to cool down between starts, a time delay
Figure 19.3: Relay settings for start time> stall time may be specified between consecutive starts (again
distinguishing between ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ starts). The start
19.4.2 Stall Protection inhibit is released after a time determined by the motor
Should a motor stall when running or be unable to start specification.
because of excessive load, it will draw a current from the
supply equivalent to the locked rotor current. It is obviously The overall protection function is illustrated in Figure 19.4.
desirable to avoid damage by disconnecting the machine as
quickly as possible if this condition arises.
Motor stalling can be recognised by the motor current
exceeding the start current threshold after a successful start –
i.e. a motor start has been detected and the motor current has
dropped below the start current threshold within the motor
safe start time. A subsequent rise in motor current above the
motor starting current threshold is then indicative of a stall
condition, and tripping will occur if this condition persists for
greater than the setting of the stall timer. An instantaneous
overcurrent relay element provides protection.
In many systems, transient supply voltage loss (typically up to
2 seconds) does not result in tripping of designated motors.
They are allowed to re-accelerate upon restoration of the
supply. During re-acceleration, they draw a current similar to
the starting current for a period that may be several seconds.
It is thus above the motor stall relay element current threshold.
Figure 19.4: Number of starts limitation

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In this example, the maximum number of starts within the phase, etc.) or the cause (cyclic overheating, etc.), the
Supervising Time has been reached, therefore the Inhibit Start presence of the surrounding metallic frame and casing will
Time is initiated. The remaining time is greater than the ensure that it rapidly develops into a fault involving earth.
Inhibit Start Time, so the start inhibition remains for a duration Therefore, provision of earth fault protection is very important.
equal to the supervising time minus the tn. The type and sensitivity of protection provided depends largely
on the system earthing, so the various types will be dealt with
19.5 SHORT-CIRCUIT PROTECTION in turn. It is common, however, to provide both instantaneous
Motor short-circuit protection is often provided to cater for and time-delayed relay elements to cater for major and slowly
major stator winding faults and terminal flashovers. Because developing faults.
of the relatively greater amount of insulation between phase
windings, faults between phases seldom occur. As the stator 19.6.1 Solidly-Earthed System
windings are completely enclosed in grounded metal the fault Most LV systems fall into this category, for reasons of
would very quickly involve earth, which would then operate the personnel safety. Two types of earth fault protection are
instantaneous earth fault protection. A single definite time commonly found – depending on the sensitivity required.
overcurrent relay element is all that is required for this
For applications where a sensitivity of > 20% of motor
purpose, set to about 125% of motor starting current. The time
continuous rated current is acceptable, conventional earth
delay is required to prevent spurious operation due to CT spill
fault protection using the residual CT connection of Figure
currents, and is typically set at 100ms. If the motor is fed from
19.5 can be used. A lower limit is imposed on the setting by
a fused contactor, co-ordination is required with the fuse, and
possible load unbalance and/or (for HV systems) system
this will probably involve use of a long time delay for the relay
capacitive currents.
element. Since the object of the protection is to provide rapid
fault clearance to minimise damage caused by the fault, the
protection is effectively worthless in these circumstances. It is
therefore only provided on motors fed via circuit breakers.
Differential (unit) protection may be provided on larger HV
motors fed via circuit breakers to protect against phase-phase
and phase-earth faults, particularly where the power system is
resistance-earthed. The differential protection can be made
quite sensitive allowing early detection of faults, thus damage
to the motor can be minimised. The normal definite time
overcurrent protection would not be sufficiently sensitive, and
sensitive earth fault protection may not be provided. The user
may wish to avoid the detailed calculations required of
capacitance current in order to set sensitive non-directional
earth fault overcurrent protection correctly on HV systems
(Chapter 9) or there may be no provision for a VT to allow
application of directional sensitive earth fault protection. There
is still a lower limit to the setting that can be applied, due to
spill currents from CT saturation during starting, while on
some motors, neutral current has been found to flow during
starting, even with balanced supply voltages, that would cause
the differential protection to operate. For details on the
application of differential protection, refer to Chapter 10. Figure 19.5: Residual CT connection for earth fault protection
However, non-directional earth fault overcurrent protection Care must be taken to ensure that the relay does not operate
will normally be cheaper in cases where adequate sensitivity from the spill current resulting from unequal CT saturation
can be provided. during motor starting, where the high currents involved will
almost certainly saturate the motor CT’s. It is common to use
19.6 EARTH FAULT PROTECTION a stabilising resistor in series with the relay, with the value
One of the most common faults to occur on a motor is a stator being calculated using the formula:
winding fault. Whatever the initial form of the fault (phase-

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 Chapter 19  AC Motor Protection

I st
Rstab  Rct  kRl  Rr
I0 Contact
breaking
Equation 19.2 capacity
Fuse
where:

I st = starting current referred to CT secondary

I 0 = relay earth fault setting (A) Earth Fault relay

Rstab =stabilising resistor value (ohms)

Rct =dc resistance of CT secondary (ohms)
Current
Rl =CT single lead resistance (ohms) (a) Incorrect

Rr = relay resistance (ohms)

k = CT connection factor (1 for star point at CT, 2 for star
Contact
point at relay). breaking
The effect of the stabilising resistor is to increase the effective capacity
setting of the relay under these conditions, and hence delay Fuse
tripping. When a stabilising resistor is used, the tripping
characteristic should normally be instantaneous. An
alternative technique, avoiding the use of a stabilising resistor Earth Fault relay
is to use a definite time delay characteristic. The time delay
used will normally have to be found by trial and error, as it
must be long enough to prevent maloperation during a motor
start, but short enough to provide effective protection in case
Current
of a fault.
(b) Correct
Co-ordination with other devices must also be considered. A
Figure 19.6: Grading of relay with fused contactor
common means of supplying a motor is via a fused contactor.
The contactor itself is not capable of breaking fault current If a more sensitive relay setting is required, it is necessary to
beyond a certain value, which will normally be below the use a core-balance CT (CBCT). This is a ring type CT, through
maximum system fault current – reliance is placed on the fuse which all phases of the supply to the motor are passed, plus
in these circumstances. As a trip command from the relay the neutral on a four-wire system. The turns ratio of the CT is
instructs the contactor to open, care must be taken to ensure no longer related to the normal line current expected to flow,
that this does not occur until the fuse has had time to operate. so can be chosen to optimise the pick-up current required.
Figure 19.6(a) illustrates incorrect grading of the relay with the Magnetising current requirements are also reduced, with only
fuse, the relay operating first for a range of fault currents in a single CT core to be magnetised instead of three, thus
excess of the contactor breaking capacity. Figure 19.6(b) enabling low settings to be used. Figure 19.7 illustrates the
illustrates correct grading. To achieve this, it may require the application of a core-balance CT, including the routing of the
use of an intentional definite time delay in the relay. cable sheath to ensure correct operation in case of core-sheath
cable faults.

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Network Protection & Automation Guide

Cable gland 19.6.2.2 High resistance earthing

Cable box
In some HV systems, high resistance earthing is used to limit
the earth fault current to a few amps. In this case, the system
capacitive charging current will normally prevent conventional
Cable gland /sheath sensitive earth fault protection being applied, as the magnitude
SEF
ground connection
of the charging current will be comparable with the earth fault
(a) Connection
current in the event of a fault. The solution is to use a sensitive
directional earth fault relay. A core balance CT is used in
conjunction with a VT measuring the residual voltage of the
system, with a relay characteristic angle setting of +45ºC (see
Chapter 9 for details). The VT must be suitable for the relay
and therefore the relay manufacturer should be consulted over
suitable types – some relays require that the VT must be able
to carry residual flux and this rules out use of a 3-limb, 3-
phase VT. A setting of 125% of the single phase capacitive
No operation
SEF
charging current for the whole system is possible using this
method. The time delay used is not critical but must be fast
(b) Incorrect wiring enough to disconnect equipment rapidly in the event of a
second earth fault occurring immediately after the first.
Minimal damage is caused by the first fault, but the second
effectively removes the current limiting resistance from the
fault path leading to very large fault currents.
An alternative technique using residual voltage detection is
also possible, and is described in the next section.

Operation 19.6.3 Insulated Earth System

SEF
Earth fault detection presents problems on these systems since
(c) Correct wiring no earth fault current flows for a single earth fault. However,
Figure 19.7: Application of core-balance CT detection is still essential as overvoltages occur on sound
phases and it is necessary to locate and clear the fault before a
19.6.2 Resistance-Earthed Systems second occurs. Two methods are possible:
These are commonly found on HV systems, where the  detection of the resulting unbalance in system charging
intention is to limit damage caused by earth faults through currents
limiting the earth-fault current that can flow. Two methods of  residual overvoltage.
resistance earthing are commonly used:
19.6.3.1 System charging current unbalance
19.6.2.1 Low resistance earthing
Sensitive earth fault protection using a core-balance CT is
In this method, the value of resistance is chosen to limit the required for this scheme. The principle is the same as already
fault current to a few hundred amps – values of 200A-400A detailed, except that the voltage is phase shifted by +90ºC
being typical. With a residual connection of line CT’s, the instead of -90ºC. To illustrate this, Figure 19.8 shows the
minimum sensitivity possible is about 10% of CT rated primary current distribution in an Insulated system subjected to a C-
current, due to the possibility of CT saturation during starting. phase to earth fault and Figure 19.9 the relay vector diagram
For a core-balance CT, the sensitivity that is possible using a for this condition. The residual current detected by the relay is
simple non-directional earth fault relay element is limited to the sum of the charging currents flowing in the healthy part of
three times the steady-state charging current of the feeder. the system plus the healthy phase charging currents on the
The setting should not be greater than about 30% of the faulted feeder – i.e. three times the per phase charging current
minimum earth fault current expected. Other than this, the of the healthy part of the system. A relay setting of 30% of this
considerations in respect of settings and time delays are as for value can be used to provide protection without the risk of a
solidly earthed systems. trip due to healthy system capacitive charging currents. As

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 Chapter 19  AC Motor Protection

there is no earth fault current, it is also possible to set the relay 19.6.3.2 Residual voltage method
at site after deliberately applying earth faults at various parts of A single earth fault results in a rise in the voltage between
the system and measuring the resulting residual currents. system neutral and earth, which may be detected by a relay
If it is possible to set the relay to a value between the charging measuring the residual voltage of the system (normally zero for
current on the feeder being protected and the charging current a perfectly balanced, healthy system). Thus, no CTs are
for the rest of the system, the directional facility is not required required, and the technique may be useful where provision of
and the VT can be dispensed with. an extensive number of core-balance CTs is impossible or
difficult, due to physical constraints or on cost grounds. The
The comments made in section 19.6.1 regarding grading with
VTs used must be suitable for the duty, thus 3-limb, 3-phase
fused contactors also apply.
VTs are not suitable, and the relay usually has alarm and trip
settings, each with adjustable time delays. The setting voltage
must be calculated from knowledge of system earthing and
impedances, an example for a resistance-earthed system is
shown in Figure 19.10.
Grading of the relays must be carried out with care, as the
residual voltage will be detected by all relays in the affected
section of the system. Grading has to be carried out with this
in mind, and will generally be on a time basis for providing
alarms (1st stage), with a high set definite time trip second
stage to provide backup.
S R F
E ZS ZL
N

ZE
A-G

S S
S VA-G R VA-G R

G,F G,F G,F

VC-G VB-G VC-G VB-G VC-G VB-G

Figure 19.8: Current distribution in insulated-earth system for phase-

earth fault VRES VB-G VRES VRES VB-G
VB-G

Vaf VA-G VA-G

VC-G VC-G VC-G

Restrain
Vapf
IR1
Ib1
Z SO  3Z E
V RES   3E
2Z S1  Z SO  2Z L1  Z LO  3Z E
Ia1 Operate
Figure 19.10: Residual voltage earth-fault protection for resistance-
Vbf earthed system

Vcpf
Vbpf 19.6.4 Petersen Coil Earthed System
Earthing of a HV power system using a reactor equal to the
Vres
system shunt capacitance is known as Petersen Coil (or
(=-3Vo)
resonant coil) earthing. With this method, a single earth fault
results in zero earth fault current flowing (for perfect balance
IR3 = - (IH1+IH2)
An RCA setting of +90° shifts between the earthing inductance and system shunt
the MTA to here
capacitance), and hence the system can be run in this state for
Figure 19.9: Relay vector diagram
a substantial period of time while the fault is located and

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corrected. The detailed theory and protection method is

explained in Section 9.19.

19.7 NEGATIVE PHASE SEQUENCE

PROTECTION
Negative phase sequence current is generated from any
unbalanced voltage condition, such as unbalanced loading,
loss of a single phase, or single-phase faults. The latter will
normally be detected by earth-fault protection, however, a
fault location in a motor winding may not result in the earth
fault protection operating unless it is of the sensitive variety.
The actual value of the negative sequence current depends on
the degree of unbalance in the supply voltage and the ratio of
the negative to the positive sequence impedance of the
machine. The degree of unbalance depends on many factors,
but the negative sequence impedance is more easily
determined. Considering the classical induction motor
Figure 19.11: Induction motor equivalent circuits
equivalent circuit with magnetising impedance neglected of
Figure 19.11: The resistance can be neglected as it is small compared with
the reactance. Thus the negative sequence reactance at
Motor positive sequence impedance at slip s:
running speed is approximately equal to the positive sequence
0.5 reactance at standstill. An alternative more meaningful way of
$ R1 p  R2 p 
2
2
!
 "   X 1 p  X 2' p  expressing this is:
"# 2 s  
positive seq. impedance starting current

negative seq. impedance rated current
Hence, at standstill (s=1.0), impedance
A typical LV motor starting current is 6 x full load current
'
 R1 p  R2' p
2
 X 1 p  X 2' p (
2 0.5 (FLC). Therefore, a 5% negative sequence voltage (due to, say,
unbalanced loads on the system) would produce a 30%
negative sequence current in the machine, leading to excessive
The motor negative sequence impedance at slip s heating. For the same motor, negative sequence voltages in
excess of 17% will result in a negative sequence current larger
0.5
$ R2' n 
2
2
! than rated full load current.
 " R1n    X 1n  X 2' n 
"# S   Negative sequence current is at twice supply frequency. Skin
effect in the rotor means that the heating effect in the rotor of
a given negative sequence current is larger than the same
and, at normal running speed, the impedance positive sequence current. Thus, negative sequence current
may result in rapid heating of the motor. Larger motors are
0.5
$ R2' n 
2
2
! more susceptible in this respect, as the rotor resistance of such
 " R1n    X 1n  X 2' n  machines tends to be higher. Protection against negative
"# 2   sequence currents is therefore essential.
Modern motor protection relays have a negative sequence
where: current measurement capability, in order to provide such
protection. The level of negative sequence unbalance depends
 suffix p indicates positive sequence quantities
largely upon the type of fault. For loss of a single phase at
and start, the negative sequence current will be 50% of the normal
 suffix n indicates negative sequence quantities starting current. It is more difficult to provide an estimate of
the negative sequence current if loss of a phase occurs while
running. This is because the impact on the motor may vary

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 Chapter 19  AC Motor Protection

widely, from increased heating to stalling due to the reduced (up to around 350kW), and the sleeve bearing, used mainly on
torque available. large motors.
A typical setting for negative sequence current protection must The failure of ball or roller bearings usually occurs very quickly,
take into account the fact that the motor circuit protected by causing the motor to come to a standstill as pieces of the
the relay may not be the source of the negative sequence damaged roller get entangled with the others. There is
current. Time should be allowed for the appropriate protection therefore very little chance that any relay operating from the
to clear the source of the negative sequence current without input current can detect bearing failures of this type before the
introducing risk of overheating to the motor being considered. bearing is completely destroyed. Therefore, protection is
This indicates a two stage tripping characteristic, similar in limited to disconnecting the stalled motor rapidly to avoid
principle to overcurrent protection. A low-set definite time- consequential damage. Refer to Section 19.4 on stall
delay element can be used to provide an alarm, with an IDMT protection for details of suitable protection.
element used to trip the motor in the case of higher levels of
Failure of a sleeve bearing can be detected by means of a rise
negative sequence current, such as loss-of-phase conditions at
in bearing temperature. The normal thermal overload relays
start, occurring. Typical settings might be 20% of CT rated
cannot give protection to the bearing itself but will operate to
primary current for the definite time element and 50% for the
protect the motor from excessive damage. Use of RTD
IDMT element. The IDMT time delay has to be chosen to
temperature detection, as noted in Section 19.9, can provide
protect the motor while, if possible, grading with other
suitable protection, allowing investigation into the cause of the
negative sequence relays on the system. Some relays may not
bearing running hot prior to complete failure.
incorporate two elements, in which case the single element
should be set to protect the motor, with grading being a
19.11 UNDERVOLTAGE PROTECTION
secondary consideration.
Motors may stall when subjected to prolonged undervoltage
19.8 FAULTS IN ROTOR WINDINGS conditions. Transient undervoltages will generally allow a
motor to recover when the voltage is restored, unless the
On wound rotor machines, some degree of protection against
supply is weak.
faults in the rotor winding can be given by an instantaneous
stator current overcurrent relay element. As the starting Motors fed by contactors have inherent undervoltage
current is normally limited by resistance to a maximum of protection, unless a latched contactor is used. Where a
twice full load, the instantaneous unit can safely be set to specific undervoltage trip is required, a definite time
about three times full load if a slight time delay of undervoltage element is used. If two elements are provided,
approximately 30 milliseconds is incorporated. It should be alarm and trip settings can be used. An interlock with the
noted that faults occurring in the rotor winding would not be motor starter is required to block relay operation when the
detected by any differential protection applied to the stator. starting device is open, otherwise a start will never be
permitted. The voltage and time delay settings will be system
19.9 RTD TEMPERATURE DETECTION and motor dependent. They must allow for all voltage dips
RTDs are used to measure temperatures of motor windings or likely to occur on the system during transient faults, starting of
shaft bearings. A rise in temperature may denote overloading motors, etc. to avoid spurious trips. As motor starting can
of the machine, or the beginning of a fault in the affected part. result in a voltage depression to 80% of nominal, the voltage
A motor protection relay will therefore usually have the setting is likely to be below this value. Re-acceleration is
capability of accepting a number of RTD inputs and internal normally possible for voltage dips lasting between 0.5-2
logic to initiate an alarm and/or trip when the temperature seconds, depending on system, motor and drive
exceeds the appropriate setpoint(s). Occasionally, HV motors characteristics, and therefore the time delay will be set bearing
are fed via a unit transformer, and in these circumstances, these factors in mind.
some of the motor protection relay RTD inputs may be
assigned to the transformer winding temperature RTDs, thus 19.12 LOSS-OF-LOAD PROTECTION
providing overtemperature protection for the transformer Loss-of-load protection has a number of possible functions. It
without the use of a separate relay. can be used to protect a pump against becoming unprimed, or
to stop a motor in case of a failure in a mechanical
19.10 BEARING FAILURES transmission (e.g. conveyor belt), or it can be used with
There are two types of bearings to be considered: the anti- synchronous motors to protect against loss-of-supply
friction bearing (ball or roller), used mainly on small motors conditions. Implementation of the function is by a low forward

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Network Protection & Automation Guide

power relay element, interlocked with the motor starting This is necessary in order to prevent the supply being restored
device to prevent operation when the motor is tripped and thus out of phase with the motor generated voltage.
preventing a motor start. When starting against a very low
Two methods are generally used to detect this condition, in
load (e.g. a compressor), the function may also need to be
order to cover different operating modes of the motor.
inhibited for the duration of the start, to prevent maloperation.
The setting will be influenced by the function to be performed 19.13.2.1 Underfrequency protection
by the relay. A time delay may be required after pickup of the The underfrequency relay element will operate in the case of
element to prevent operation during system transients. This is the supply failing when the motor is on load, which causes the
especially important for synchronous motor loss-of supply motor to decelerate quickly. Typically, two elements are
protection. provided, for alarm and trip indications. The underfrequency
setting value needs to consider the power system
19.13 ADDITIONAL PROTECTION FOR characteristics. In some power systems, lengthy periods of
SYNCHRONOUS MOTORS operation at frequencies substantially below normal occur, and
The differences in construction and operational characteristics should not result in a motor trip. The minimum safe operating
of synchronous motors mean that additional protection is frequency of the motor under load conditions must therefore
required for these types of motor. This additional protection is be determined, along with minimum system frequency.
discussed in the following sections.
19.13.2.2 Low forward power protection
19.13.1 Out-of-Step Protection This can be applied in conjunction with a time delay to detect a
A synchronous motor may decelerate and lose synchronism loss-of-supply condition when the motor may share a busbar
(fall out-of-step) if a mechanical overload exceeding the peak with other loads. The motor may attempt to supply the other
motor torque occurs. Other conditions that may cause this loads with power from the stored kinetic energy of rotation. A
condition are a fall in the applied voltage to stator or field low-forward-power relay can detect this condition. A time
windings. Such a fall may not need to be prolonged, a voltage delay will be required to prevent operation during system
dip of a few seconds may be all that is required. An out-of- transients leading to momentary reverse power flow in the
step condition causes the motor to draw excessive current and motor.
generate a pulsating torque. Even if the cause is removed
promptly, the motor will probably not recover synchronism, but 19.14 MOTOR PROTECTION EXAMPLES
eventually stall. Hence, it must be disconnected from the This section gives examples of the protection of HV and LV
supply. induction motors.
The current drawn during an out-of-step condition is at a very
19.14.1 Protection of a HV Motor
low power factor. Hence a relay element that responds to low
power factor can be used to provide protection. The element Table 19.2 gives relevant parameters of a HV induction motor
must be inhibited during starting, when a similar low power to be protected. Using an Alstom MiCOM P241 motor
factor condition occurs. This can conveniently be achieved by protection relay, the important protection settings are
use of a definite time delay, set to a value slightly in excess of calculated in the following sections.
the motor start time. Quantity Value
The power factor setting will vary depending on the rated Rated output 1000kW CMR
power factor of the motor. It would typically be 0.1 less than Rated Voltage 3.3kV
the motor rated power factor i.e. for a motor rated at 0.85 Rated frequency 50Hz
power factor, the setting would be 0.75. Rated power factor/efficiency 0.9/0.92
Stall withstand time cold/hot 20/7 sec
19.13.2 Protection against Sudden Restoration of Starting current 550% DOL
Supply Permitted starts cold/hot 3/2
If the supply to a synchronous motor is interrupted, it is CT ratio 250/1
essential that the motor breaker be tripped as quickly as Start time at 100% voltage 4 sec
possible if there is any possibility of the supply being restored Start time at 80% voltage 5.5 sec
automatically or without the machine operator’s knowledge.
Heating/cooling time constant 25/75 mins

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 Chapter 19  AC Motor Protection

Quantity Value resistor present, instantaneous tripping is permitted. The

System earthing Solid alternative is to omit the stabilising resistor and use a definite
Control device Circuit Breaker time delay in association with the earth-fault element.
Table 19.2: Example motor data However, the time delay must be found by trial and error
during commissioning.
19.14.1.1 Thermal protection
19.14.1.4 Locked rotor/Excessive start time protection
The current setting ITH is set equal to the motor full load
current, as it is a CMR rated (Continuous Maximum Rated) The current element must be set in excess of the rated current
motor. Motor full load current can be calculated as 211A, of the motor, but well below the starting current of the motor
therefore (in secondary quantities): to ensure that a start condition is recognised (this could also
be achieved by use of an auxiliary contact on the motor CB
211 wired to the relay). A setting of 500A (2In) is suitable. The
I TH   0.844
250 associated time delay needs to be set to longer than the start
Use a value of 0.85, nearest available setting. time, but less than the cold stall time. Use a value of 15s.

The relay has a parameter, K, to allow for the increased 19.14.1.5 Stall protection
heating effect of negative sequence currents. In the absence of The same current setting as for locked rotor protection can be
any specific information, use K=3. used – 500A. The time delay has to be less than the hot stall
Two thermal heating time constants are provided, @ 1 and @ 2 . time of 7s but greater than the start time by a sufficient
margin to avoid a spurious trip if the start time happens to be
@ 2 is used for starting methods other than DOL, otherwise it is
a little longer than anticipated. Use a value of 6.5s.
set equal to @ 1 . @ 1 is set to the heating time constant, hence
The protection characteristics for sections 19.14.1.1-5 are
@ 1 = @ 2 .=25min. Cooling time constant @ R is set as a
shown in Figure 19.12.
multiple of @ 1 . With a cooling time constant of 75min,
Motor tripping characteristics.
@ R  3 @1 .
1000

19.14.1.2 Short circuit protection

100
Following the recommendations of Section 19.5, with a
starting current of 550% of full load current, the short-circuit
10
element is set to 1.25 x 5.5 x 211A = 1450A.
In terms of the relay nominal current In, the setting value is 1 Cold Thermal
Hot Thermal
1450 S/C
 5.8 I n Locked Rotor
Stall
250 0.1 Start Current (100% V)
Start Current (80% V)

There is a minimum time delay of 100ms for currents up to

0.01
120% of setting to allow for transient CT saturation during 0.01 1 10
Ith/I (p.u.)
starting and 40ms above this current value. These settings are
Figure 19.12: Protection characteristics for motor protection example
satisfactory.
19.14.1.6 Negative phase sequence protection
19.14.1.3 Earth-fault protection
Two protection elements are provided, the first is definite time-
It is assumed that no CBCT is fitted. A typical setting of 30% of
delayed to provide an alarm. The second is an IDMT element
motor rated current is used, leading to an earth fault relay
used to trip the motor on high levels of negative sequence
setting of
current, such as would occur on a loss of phase condition at
211 starting. In accordance with Section 19.7, use a setting of 20%
0.3   0.25I n with a time delay of 30s for the definite time element and 50%
250
with a TMS of 1.0 for the IDMT element. The resulting
A stabilising resistor is required, calculated in accordance with
characteristic is shown in Figure 19.13. The motor thermal
Equation 19.2 to prevent maloperation due to CT spill current
protection, as it utilises a negative sequence component, is
during starting as the CTs may saturate. With the stabilising
used for protection of the motor at low levels of negative

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19-13
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Network Protection & Automation Guide

sequence current. Parameter Symbol Value Unit

10
Unbalance I2 20 %
Unbalance time delay I2>t 25 sec
Loss of phase time delay <Ip 5 sec
Time (sec)

Table 19.3: LV motor protection setting example

1
19.14.2.1 CT ratio
The relay is set in secondary quantities, and therefore a
suitable CT ratio has to be calculated. From the relay manual,
0.1 a CT with 5A secondary rating and a motor rated current in the
10 Current (A) 10000
range of 4-6A when referred to the secondary of CT is required.
Figure 19.13: Motor protection example- negative sequence
protection characteristic Use of a 150/5A CT gives a motor rated current of 4.4A when
referred to the CT secondary, so use this CT ratio.
19.14.1.7 Other protection considerations
If the relay can be supplied with a suitable voltage signal, stall
19.14.2.2 Overcurrent (short-circuit) protection
protection can be inhibited during re-acceleration after a The fuse provides the motor overcurrent protection, as the
voltage dip using the undervoltage element (set to 80-85% of protection relay cannot be allowed to trip the contactor on
rated voltage). Undervoltage protection (set to approximately overcurrent in case the current to be broken exceeds the
80% voltage with a time delay of up to several seconds, contactor breaking capacity. The facility for overcurrent
dependent on system characteristics) and reverse phase protection within the relay is therefore disabled.
protection can also be implemented to provide extra
protection. Unless the drive is critical to the process, it is not 19.14.2.3 Thermal (overload) protection
justifiable to provide a VT specially to enable these features to The motor is an existing one, and no data exists for it except
be implemented. the standard data provided in the manufacturer's catalogue.
This data does not include the thermal (heating) time constant
19.14.2 Protection of an LV Motor of the motor.
LV motors are commonly fed via fused contactors and In these circumstances, it is usual to set the thermal protection
therefore the tripping times of a protection relay for so that it lies just above the motor starting current.
overcurrent must be carefully co-ordinated with the fuse to
ensure that the contactor does not attempt to break a current The current setting of the relay, I b , is found using the formula
in excess of its rating. Table 19.3(a) gives details of an LV
In
motor and associated fused contactor. Ib  5 
Ip
Parameter Symbol Value Unit
(a) LV motor example Where
Standard IEC 60034 I n = motor rated primary current
Motor Voltage 400 V
Motor kW 75 kW I p = CT primary current
Motor kVA 91.45 kVA
Hence,
Motor FLC 132 A
132
Starting Current 670 % Ib  5   4.4 A
Starting Time 4.5 sec 150
Contactor rating 300 A With a motor starting current of 670% of nominal, a setting of
Contactor breaking capacity 650 A the relay thermal time constant with motor initial thermal
Fuse rating 250 A state of 50% of 15s is found satisfactory, as shown in Figure
(b) Relay settings 19.14.
Overcurrent Disabled -
Overload setting Ib 4.4 A
Overload time delay I>t 15 sec

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 Chapter 19  AC Motor Protection

Time (sec)

Figure 19.14: Motor protection example – contactor-fed motor

19.14.2.4 Negative sequence (phase unbalance)

protection
The motor is built to IEC standards, which permit a negative
sequence (unbalance) voltage of 1% on a continuous basis.
This would lead to approximately 7% negative sequence current
in the motor (Section 19.7). As the relay is fitted only with a
definite time relay element, a setting of 20% (from Section
19.7) is appropriate, with a time delay of 25s to allow for short
high-level negative sequence transients arising from other
causes.

19.14.2.5 Loss of phase protection

The relay has a separate element for this protection. Loss of a
phase gives rise to large negative sequence currents, and
therefore a much shorter time delay is required. A definite
time delay of 5s is considered appropriate.
The relay settings are summarised in Table 19.3(b).

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copyright notice but may not be copied or displayed for commercial purposes without the prior written permission of Alstom Grid.