Auxiliary Relays

Content
1. Introduction
2. Auxiliary Relays
2.1. Why needed
2.2. Types of Auxiliary Relays
2.2.1. Difference between Auxiliary Relays
1. Introduction
There is almost no scheme or panel used in the substation is free from something called
Auxiliary Relay, our main questions here is to get a quick study and overview about this one
called Auxiliary Relay, what does it mean? Why is it required? What are its types?

2. Auxiliary Relays
Auxiliary Relays are Electro-Mechanical relays application; they are not the main protection
relays, but they act like master and slave system while the main Digital Relay is the master
the Auxiliary Relay is the slave that follows the master in its actions.

This relay is based on the simple attraction idea, when the current flows in a coil it produce a
flux and attracts the contacts so that it becomes closed if it is normal open, and vice versa.

2.1. Why needed?

The Digital Relays are very expensive compared to the Electro-Mechanical relays, very
complicated in design and its replacement is very risky as it requires complete shutdown of
system because during the replacement the system is completely unprotected., so it is very
risky to use the Digital Relay directly in the Trip Circuit as it is supposed to withstand high
current in short time (Trip must be very fast), if this contact is damaged the entire Binary
Input Output (BIO) must be replaced and the relay is required to be off and also more
contacts are required for the protection function and interlocks which may be not available
in the main Digital Relay otherwise a larger relay is required with more BIO card slots ; for all
of this reasons an Auxiliary Relay is used for the tripping function and the interlocks.

2.2. Types of Auxiliary Relays

There are many types of Auxiliary Relays, we will discuss here two major types of the
Auxiliary Relays which are Trip Relay and Lockout Relays.

2.2.1. Difference between Auxiliary Relays

What is the difference between the Trip Relay and the Lockout Relay?

Lockout Relays are usually used after a trip, to lockout close order. A typical example is, after
a Transformer trip (by Buchloz, or Differential…), the close order will be blocked by a relay
that needs manual and local recognize, avoiding remote closes over a damaged transformer,
the same goes for a Busbar protection, on this case, you need to lockout every tripped CBs.
Sometimes this type of relays is called Bi-stable Relay, as Lockout relay is not self reset relay
–If the signal is cleared it will not reset- so it needs to be reset by the user itself so it works
between two stable states operation and resetting.

If it is electrically reset then it has a resetting coil, if it has manual reset then it has a handle
reset and some relays have the two features.
From this end; the test is to detect the operating values of each coil –for electrical reset-
besides detecting the Burden and Timing of relay.

On the other hand the Auxiliary Relay is self reset relay as soon as the signal is cleared the
relay resets and its contacts return to the normal position.

Based on this; when we test we need to detect its Pick-up and Drop-off Values besides
detecting the Burden and Timing of relay.