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Difference between Metering CT and Protection

CT

In electrical power systems, an instrument transformer is used in measurement and

protection applications.

A current transformer is nothing but a specially designed voltage step-up and current
step-down electrical transformer which is used to reduce the high currents in power lines
to a safe value for metering and protection applications. In practice, a current transformer
is referred to as a CT.

Depending on the application, there are two main types of current transformers (CTs)
namely, metering current transformer and protection current transformer. Both
types of current transformers are different from each other in many aspects.

The primary difference between metering CT and protection CT is that a metering CT is

used for measuring the flow of current in the power line, while the protection CT is used for
detecting fault currents in the power lines.

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Read this article to understand all the important differences between metering CT and
protection CT.

What is a Metering CT?

Metering CT stands for metering current transformer. It is a type of current
transformer or CT which is specially designed for measuring high electric currents flowing in
the power distribution and transmission lines.

The output terminals of the metering CTs are connected to the measuring instruments like
ammeters. These types of CTs are required to have a good accuracy in current
measurement approximately up to 120% of the rated current.

Also, the metering CTs generally use a core made up of nickel-iron alloy with a low
excitation current and low flux density.

The metering CTs are rated as 100/1 A, 200/2 A, etc. and have accuracy classes as 0.1,
0.2, 0.5, 1, 3, and 5.

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What is a Protection CT?

A protection CT (current transformer) is a type of current transformer which is
designed to sense faults in the system and operate the protective relay in response.
Therefore, the primary purpose of protection CTs are to protect system from faults and
abnormal conditions.

These CTs are so designed that they can handle both normal operating currents and fault
currents. The protection CTs continuously monitor the flow of current in the power lines
and operate if any abnormal current flows in the system.

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At the output side, a protective relay is connected across its secondary winding which
initiate the operation of a circuit breaker if required.

The core of protection CTs is design in a way that they can operate for a wide range of
currents under fault conditions and does not get saturated. In practice, the core of
protection CTs is made up of gain-oriented silicon steel having a high saturation flux
density.

The accuracy classes for protection CTs are defined as PS, 5P20, 5P10, etc.

Consider a 5P10 CT. It has 5% error, 20 times of the rated current, and P is the protection
class. Thus, this protection CT allows a flow of fault current of 20 times of the rated
current with a 5% error in the secondary current.

This is all about the basics of metering CT and protective CT used in electrical power
systems for measurement of currents and protection applications respectively. We will now
highlight the key differences between metering CT and protective CT.

Difference between Metering and Protection CT

The significant differences between metering and protection CTs are highlighted in the
following table -

Parameter Metering CT Protection CT

Protection CTs are mainly

Metering CTs are primarily
designed for detecting faults and
Main purpose designed for measurement of
any abnormal conditions in the
electric current in power lines.
circuit.

Protection CTs operate in the full

Metering CTs operate in the ankle
Operation range range between the ankle point
point region.
and the knee point.

Metering CTs can operate Protection CTs can operate

Accuracy accurately up to 1.2 times of accurately up to 20 times of their
their rated current. rated current.

Metering CTs can saturate for a Protection CTs can handle a large
Saturation level current about 120% of their value of fault current without
rated current. getting saturated.

The output of the metering CT is

The output of the protection CT is
Output provided to a measuring
connected to a protective relay.
instrument like ammeter.

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Cross-sectional Metering CT requires a smaller Protection CT requires a large

area of core cross-sectional area of core. area of cross-section of core.

Metering CTs have smaller

Size Protection CTs are larger in size.
physical size.

The core of metering CTs is The core of protection CTs is

Core material generally made up of nickel iron made up of grain-oriented silicon
alloy. steel.

Metering CTs require low exciting

Protection CTs require high
Exciting AT ampere-turns per unit length of
excitation ampere-turns.
the core.

For metering CTs, the accuracy For protection CTs, the accuracy
Accuracy
classes are defined as 0.2, 0.5, classes are defined as PS, 5P20,
classes
1, 3, 5, etc. 5P10, 10P20, 15P20, etc.

Metering CTs can have a slower Protection CTs should have a fast
Response time
response time. response time.

Operation under Metering CTs can show errors Protection CTs can accurately
fault during fault conditions. operate under fault conditions.

Metering CTs are relatively less Protection CTs are more

Cost
expensive. expensive than metering CTs.

Conclusion
Metering CTs are the current transformers designed for monitoring and measuring the
current flowing in the power lines and these CTs are connected to a measuring instrument
like ammeter. In contrast, protection CTs are the current transformers designed for
detecting faults in the power system and they are connected to a protective relay.

FAQs Related to Metering and Protection CTs

Here is a list of some commonly asked questions related to metering CTs and protective
CTs -

1. Why is CT metering not used for protection?

We cannot use the metering CT for protection of power system because the core of
metering CT has low saturation flux density. Thus, its core gets saturated when the circuit
current becomes 1.2 times of the rated current. We know that fault current is generally
many times higher than the rated current. Hence, we cannot use the metering CT for
protection.

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2. What are the different types of CT protection?

The following are the main types of protections CTs -

Chapters Categories
PVC tape wound CT

Class PS/X CT

Resin Cast CT

3. How do I choose a CT for protection?

To select an appropriate CT to protect a system, we must consider several important

factors which are listed below -

System voltage and current levels under normal operating conditions.

System voltage and current levels under fault conditions.

Accuracy class of CT depending on the accuracy required in fault detection and
relay used on the output side.

Saturation level of the CT core.

Response time of the CT, etc.

After knowing all these factors, we select a protection CT that fulfil all these parameters.

4. What is 5P10 in CT?

In this case of CT, 5P10 represents the following parameters -

5P represents the accuracy class of the CT. Where, 5 is the ratio error in the output
current and P stands for protection.
10 represents the accuracy limit factor of the CT.

So, we can state that when 10 times current flows in the primary winding of the CT, then
there can be a 5% error in the secondary current.

5. What CT class is used for metering?

The CT classes used for metering application are Class 0.1, Class 0.2, Class 0.2S, Class
0.5, Class 0.5S, Class 1, Class 3, and Class 5.

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