EE7215 Power System Protection
1. Introduction to Power System
Protection
Ms. Tashma Silva
Department of Electrical and Information Engineering
University of Ruhuna
Lesson Details
• LOs Covered:
LO1: Describe the necessity, main elements, features and
attributes of protective schemes in a power system
• Method of Assessment:
Continuous Assessments
1 x Take Home Assignment
End Semester Examination
2
Content
1. Types of power system faults and necessity of
protective schemes
2. Arrangement and attributes of a protective system
3. System transducers
4. Types of protection schemes
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Necessity of Protective Schemes
Necessity of Protective Schemes
Faults will occur in power systems due to:
• Lightning
• Contact of tree branches/animals
• Insulator deterioration
• Vandalism
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Necessity of Protective Schemes
Protection schemes for a power system are required for:
• Safe operation
• Avoid cost of equipment repair / maintenance
• Limit damage to faulty part
• Minimize the possibility of fire
• Avoid nuisance tripping
• Designing a fault free system is impossible
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Classification of Faults
Faults
Shunt (Short Series (Open
Circuit) Circuit)
Symmetrical Asymmetrical
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Classification of Faults
Shunt Faults
• Due to insulation failures
• Insulation failures due to own weakening
o Ageing
o Temperature
o Rain, hail, snow
o Chemical pollution
o Foreign objects
o Other causes
Insulation failures due to over voltages
o The overvoltage may be either internal (due to switching) or external (due
to lightening).
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Classification of Faults
Shunt Faults
Figure: Probability of Occurrence and Severity of Different Types of Faults
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Classification of Faults
Series Faults
• Series fault is a break in the path of current.
• Do not result into catastrophes except when the broken
conductor touches other conductor or some ground part.
• Some instances where an open circuit can have dangerous
consequences;
E.g.: if the secondary circuit of a current transformer is open
circuited, can have dangerous consequences.
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Objectives of Power System Protection
• To design, install and maintain the power system to limit the
cumulative faults and to overcome the possible risk of damage.
• Primary function: Fast removal of any element of a power system
when it starts to operate in any abnormal manner (limit the
damage/isolation)
o Permits the rest of the system to remain in service
o Limits the possibility of damage to other equipment
• Secondary function: Provides an indication of the location and type
of fault (identifying the location)
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Attributes of a Proper Protection System
Figure: Power System Protection System
• Inputs:
o Current from CT and/or voltage from PT
o Relay setting
• The relay processes the information in accordance with some predetermined logic
and compares it with the settings to take a trip/no-trip decision.
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Attributes of a Proper Protection System
• Reliability
• Restoration
• Sensitivity
• Selectivity
• Speed
• Economics
* Weight on each feature depends on the context
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Attributes of a Proper Protection System
Reliability
• Relaying equipment must be found in healthy operating condition when
called upon to act.
• In general, simple systems are more reliable. Systems which depend upon
locally available information, tend to be more reliable than those that
depend upon the information at the remote end.
• There can be a possibility of failure of the (primary) protection system.
Therefore, we add features like back-up protection to enhance the
reliability of the protective system. 14
Attributes of a Proper Protection System
Reliability
Causes for Incorrect Operation:
• Incorrect design/setting
• Incorrect installation/testing
• Deterioration during the service
o Rough or burnt contacts, damaged electronic components, open
circuited coils, stuck mechanical parts, etc.
o Need regular testing – long periods between relay operation
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Attributes of a Proper Protection System
Restoration
• After once isolating the fault, protective system must try to reclose
the breakers restoring the system to its original configuration.
• Ex: Hospital vs domestic installation
Sensitivity
• The protective system must be alive to the presence of the smallest
fault parameter (current/voltage/frequency). The smaller the fault
parameter it can detect, more sensitive it is.
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Attributes of a Proper Protection System
Selectivity
• Choose between faulty and non faulty situation and disconnect
only the minimum section of the network to isolate the fault.
• Methods of introducing selectivity:
1. Time grading
2. Unit protection
3. Directional Protection
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Attributes of a Proper Protection System
Selectivity
1. Time grading
• Setting different time delays for the O/C
protection devices in different zones.
• The closer the protection is to the source, the
longer the time delay.
• The fault is detected by all the protection devices
(A,B,C and D). But D closes it contacts faster and
clear the fault quickly. So the protection devices
A,B and C no longer have any fault current. 18
Attributes of a Proper Protection System
Selectivity
2. Unit Protection
• The protection only in the zone where fault occurred should operate. Protection
in other zones do not operate.
• This unit protection is used for transformers, busbars, lines, generators
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Attributes of a Proper Protection System
Selectivity
3. Directional Protection
• The relay can determine the direction of power flow. Trips circuit breakers only if
the direction of fault current is according to the relay setting.
• Very important in proving protection to meshed networks, networks with various
generating sources, parallel elements.
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Attributes of a Proper Protection System
Speed
• longer the fault persists on the system, the larger is the damage to the
system and higher is the possibility that the system will lose stability.
• Therefore, fault at any point in the system must be detected and
isolated in the shortest possible time.
• But, speed and accuracy bear an inverse relationship! The high-speed
systems tend to be less accurate.
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Attributes of a Proper Protection System
Economics
• Provide maximum protection required by the situation at minimum
cost.
• Need more components depending upon the situation/context.
o When relays are operated from outstations, auxiliary relays for signaling
are required.
o Backup protection introduces additional number of elements.
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Zones of Protection
• To limit the extent of power system that is disconnected during a
fault, the protection is arranged in zones.
Figure: Protection Zones in a Power System
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Zones of Protection
• A protection zone must overlap with the adjacent zones
Figure: Concept of a Dead Spot/ Zone
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Arrangement of Protection System
Figure: Basic Principle of Relay Operation 25
Arrangement of Protection System
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Arrangement of Protection System
• Current and/or voltage
information of the
primary system are
conveyed to the
protection device (PD)
using the instrument
transformer (IT).
• PD will use this data to compare with the “set” values to determine whether abnormal
conditions exist in the primary system.
• If so, either trip commands/ warnings /alarms will be issued through the control circuit (CC), as
may be necessary.
• Display and recording device (D&R) will provide information about PD actions.
• Auxiliary supply (AS) provides the DC supply for the CC, PD and D&R.
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Primary and Backup Protection
• Failure/unavailability of main protection scheme is possible under certain
situations.
• Backup protection provides the second line of defense and isolate the
faulty element in case the primary protection fails.
• Unit type protection relays operate only for faults within the zone (can only
be used as primary protection). Other relays can detect faults in adjacent
zones, and can be used as backup protection
• Whenever possible, every element must be protected by primary and
backup systems. 28
Primary and Backup Protection
• Consider line
section B-C. Relay
RB provides primary
protection and
relay RA provides
backup protection.
• When a faulty take place in line section B-C, both the primary relay RB and the back-
up relay RA, start operating simultaneously.
• If primary protection fails to open CBB , the back-up protection operates and CBA is
opened.
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Primary and Backup Protection
• Note that backup protection waits for the time in which the primary would have
cleared the fault and then issues the trip command. I.e. Backup protection relay
operating time > primary faulty clearing time.
• When the back-up operates, the time for which the fault persists is longer and
disruption to the loads also lasts longer. 30
Primary and Backup Protection
Primary Protection Backup Protection
• Primary protection must operate every • Operate when the primary protection
time an element detects a fault. failed to operate. Backup protection
• One primary protection element may usually involve a time‐delay before the
cover group of equipment and One operation.
equipment may be protected by a • One relay can provide backup
number of primary protection relays – protection to several different pieces of
for different types of faults. equipment and a primary relay for one
• Usually a unit type protection, and equipment may provide backup.
therefore operate faster. protection to several other equipment
• A single piece of equipment can have
several backup protection system.
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Breaker Failure Protection
• Detect the failure of a circuit breaker
to operate or to interrupt a fault.
• Upon detection of a breaker failure
during faulty condition, the scheme is
designed to take appropriate actions
by opening, locking out, and blocking
the close of all available sources that
could feed the circuit breaker.
A. Remote breaker failure schemes
B. Local breaker failure schemes
• E.g.: Under normal operating conditions, for a fault in the line between Breaker 3 and Breaker 4,
those two breakers would open, and the fault would be cleared.
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Breaker Failure Protection
Remote Breaker Failure Schemes
• This scheme utilize over-
reaching elements in
surrounding zones to sense
the failure of a fault to be
isolated as expected by the
first-choice breaker tripping.
• Drawbacks:
o If multiple overreaching
trips respond to the same
fault, outages can spread.
• E.g.: If Breaker 3 fails to clear the fault, then Breaker 1, Breaker 6, and Breaker 8 will trip clearing
the fault. Since Breaker 1, Breaker 6, and Breaker 8 are not on the same substation as Breaker 3,
this is considered a remote breaker failure protection scheme.
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Breaker Failure Protection
Local Breaker Failure Schemes
• Local Breaker Failure Protection (BFP) schemes indeed rely on communication between relays at
multiple breakers within the same substation or facility.
• Limits the potential for unnecessarily widespread outages.
• E.g.: If Breaker 3 fails to open, a trip signal could be sent to Breaker 2, Breaker 5, and Breaker 7,
which would clear the fault. Since all the breakers involved in the scheme are in the same
substation, this can be considered an example of local breaker failure protection.
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Primary and Backup Protection
Example:
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Primary and Backup Protection
Answer:
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System Transducers
Current Transformer (CT)
• The current transformer has two jobs;
o Step down the current to such levels that it can
be handled by the relay coil. The standard
secondary current ratings used in practice are
5 A and 1 A. This frees the relay designer from
the actual value of primary current.
o Isolates the relay circuit from the high voltage
system.
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System Transducers
Current Transformer (CT)
• There are two kinds of CTs;
1. Measurement CTs: Used in metering
purposes. Designed in a way that, at a
fault condition it should saturate and
save the instrument connected to its
secondary from excessive current.
2. Protective CTs: Used in protection
systems. Designed in a way that, at a
fault condition it should produce the
largest secondary current ,which
increase the speed of the protection
system.
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System Transducers
Voltage/Potential Transformer (VT/PT)
• The voltage transformer steps down the high voltage of the line to a level safe
enough for the relaying system and personnel to handle
• A VT primary is connected in parallel at the point where measurement is desired
unlike a CT primary which is in series with the line.
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System Transducers
Voltage/Potential Transformer (VT/PT)
• A Commonly used version of
voltage transformer is capacitor
voltage transformer (CVT) or
capacitance coupled voltage
transformer (CCVT).
• In practice, capacitor C1 is often
constructed as a stack of smaller
capacitors connected in series. This
provides a large voltage drop
across C1 and a relatively small
voltage drop across C2
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Types of Protection Schemes
Power System Elements That Need Projection
• The power system consists of alternators, busbars, transformers for transmission
and distribution, transmission lines at various voltage levels from EHV to 11 ky
cables, induction and synchronous motors, reactors, capacitors, instrument and
protective CTs and PTs, various control and metering equipment, etc. Each of
these entities needs protection
• Each apparatus has a unique set of operating conditions. Thus each apparatus
needs a different kind of protective system targeted to its unique set of
anticipated faults and abnormal operating conditions.
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Types of Protection Schemes
Principles of Power System Protection
• The most visible effect of fault is a sudden build-up of current. Thus, over-current
relaying is the most natural principle of relaying. However, fault current magnitude is
a function of type of fault and the source impedance. The source impedance, which
depends upon the number of generating units that are in service at a given time,
keeps changing from time to time. Therefore, the reach as well as the operating time
of over-current relaying keep changing from fault to fault, and time to time
• Differential protection is based on the premise that the current entering a protected
section must be equal to that leaving it. Any discrepancy between the two indicates
the presence of a fault. However, it is impractical to apply this principle to a
transmission line because the ends are far apart and it is not easy to compare
information at the two ends.
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Types of Protection Schemes
Principles of Power System Protection
• To get over the above problem, a distance relay compares voltage with current at the
same end. This, in effect, measures the impedance between the relay location and
the fault point. Since impedance of a transmission line can be considered to be
directly proportional to the distance along the line, this type of relaying is known as
distance relaying.
• In case of a double-end feed system, or parallel lines, or a ring main system, a fault
gets fed from both sides. In order to be selective, the relay must be sensitive to the
direction of fault power flow. The relays which exhibit such property are termed
directional relays.
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Types of Protection Schemes
Principles of Power System Protection
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Thank You!
