INTRODUCTION TO POWER SYSTEM PROTECTION

THE NEED FOR PROTECTION

This can be achieved in two ways:
ways

• to implement a system adopting components, which should not

fail and requires the least or nil maintenance to maintain the
continuity of service.

•to foresee any possible effects or failures that may cause long-
term shutdown of a system, which may take longer time to
recover. The main idea is to restrict the disturbances during
failures to a limited area and continue power distribution in the
balance areas.
 HOW???

Fault detection

Isolation the fault

This is referred as protective equipment or

PROTECTIVE RELAY and the system that uses such

equipment is termed as PROTECTION SYSTEM
 FAULTS, TYPES AND EFFECTS

Simple Distribution Systems

Radial Distribution Systems
Radial Distribution Systems

Advantages:
If fault occurs at T2 then only the protection on one leg
connecting T2 is called into operation to isolate this leg.
Other consumers are not affected.

Disadvantages:
If the conductor to T2 2 fails, then supply to this
particular consumers is lost completely and cannot be
restored until the conductor is replaced/repaired.
 So??
Radial Distribution Systems with parallel
feeders
A Ring Main Distribution Systems
A Ring Main Distribution Systems

Advantages:
 Each consumer has two feeders but connected in
different paths.
 Meets the requirement of two alternative feeds to give
100% continuity of supply, whilst saving in
cabling/copper.

Disadvantages:
If fault at T1, fault current is fed into fault via two
parallel paths.
Zs, If
Therefore...

protection must be fast and discriminate correctly

Other considerations:
 Cable (most vulnerable component)
 Transformer (winding strained, overloading, ageing
failure
 Busbar (act as ‘node’ for feeding in or sending out
power) ..need to be given careful consideration from the
protection point of view.
Fault types

1. Active
2. Passive
1. Active faults:
-When actual current flows from one phase
conductor to another (P-P)
(P or P-E.

Can further be classified:

classified
SOLID (complete breakdown) and INCIPIENT
(initial)
SOLID fault: must be cleared ASAP, otherwise;

 increased damage at fault location, where Wf = I2xRfxt

 danger to operating personnel (flashes)
 danger of igniting combustible gas such as methane in
coal mines
 increased probability of earth faults spreading to
healthy phases
INCIPIENT fault:

 start as a small thing and gets developed e.g PD, high

resistance joint or contact, insulator contamination
which causes tracking

Can cause SOLID fault!!

2. Passive faults:
-Condition that are stressing the system beyond
its design capacity, which can cause ultimate
active faults.

Example:
 3. Three-phase
phase faults:
A: P-E
B: P-P
C: P-P-E
D: 3P
E: 3P-E
*F: P-Pi
*G: Pi-E

* In underground mining applications ONLY

4. Transient and permanent faults.

5. Symmetrical (balanced) and asymmetrical

faults.
 EFFECT OF SHORT CIRCUIT FAULTS

• If short circuit faults are allowed to persist , the following

may occur:
- loss of power system stability
- damage to equipment due to heavy currents
- explosions in equipment containing oil
- disruption of the entire power system due to a
succession of protection relay actions (cascading tripping)
 Calculation of short circuit MVA

• Important to know how to calculate the level of fault

current
• Worst type of fault: 3-phase
phase fault
Example
It should be noted that, a few assumption are made to simplify the
calculation;
– Assume the fault occurs very close to the switchgear. This means that
the cable impedance between the switchgear and the fault may be
ignored
– Ignore any arc resistance
– Ignore the cable impedance between the transformer secondary and
the switchgear, if the transformer is located in the vicinity of the
substation. If not, the cable impedance may reduce the possible fault
current quite substantially, and should be included for economic
considerations (a lower-rated switchgear panel, at lower cost, may be
installed)
– When adding cable impedance , assume the phase angle between the
cable impedance and transformer reactance are zero, hence the
values maybe added without complex algebra and values readily
available from cable manufacturers’ tables may be used.
– Ignore complex algebra when calculating and using transformer
internal impedance
– Ignore the effect of source impedance (from generators or utility)
Useful formulae
 Ohmic reactance method

1) source ZΩ = kV/√3 x HV fault current

2) transformer Z Ω = (Z% x kV)/kA (convert Z in Ω)

3) transformer Z in Ω = (Z x kV2)/ (100 x MVA)
In case of consisting generator source and transformer;

4) total Z Ω HV = source Z Ω + transformer Z Ω

5) Z Ω LV = total Z Ω HV x LV2/HV2 (convert Z Ω from HV
to LV)
√3 x Z ΩLV )
6) LV fault current = LV/(/√

*All voltages to be expressed in kV

Calculate:
a. Total impedance in Ω at 1000 V
b. Fault current at 1000 V

Answer:
Other formulae in Ohmic method

7) fault value MVA = E2/X

8) X =E2/fault value in MVA
9) X at B kV = (X at A kV) B2/A2
Percentage reactance method

Per unit method

*Please look at page 20-22 (Practical Power System Protection)

 Cable Information
• The cable selected in distribution system should be
capable of withstand the short cct currents expected
until the fault is isolated/fault current is arrested.

• Cable are selected for their sustained current rating so

that they can thermally withstand the heat generated
by the current under healthy operating conditions and
at the same time it is necessary that the cable also
withstand the thermal heat generated during short cct
condition.
SYSTEM EARTHING (GROUNDING)
 Earthing devices

• Solid: low voltage (up to say 600V) and single phase load
• Resistance: higher voltages (up to 33kV)
• Reactor/Transformer: > 33kV
33
Cable properties and example
Touch potentials- solid earthing
Touch potentials- resistive earthing
 Electrical injuries

Four major factors which determine the seriousness of an

electric shock:

• Path taken by electric current through the body

• Amount f current
• time the current is flowing
• The body’s electrical resistance
The most dangerous and most common path is through the
heart..(almost all accidents are P-E)
Four stages of the effect of a current flow through the body:
Resistance of human body
 Earth Leakage Protection

IL=IN+IF;

IF=IL-IN
ELCB or
RCCB

Principle of core balance protection