Electric Protections

Protection of
an islanded industrial MV network
Politecnico di Milano, 22 November 2018
E. Brambilla
CEE Italiana S.r.l.
www.ceeitaliana.com 1
Protection of an islanded industrial MV network
AGENDA
• Fundamentals: scope and characteristics of an electrical protection system
• Overcurrent protection: time-current graded selectivity for phase faults
• Voltage restrained criteria application
• Ground faults and grounding methods considerations
• Generator faults and relevant protections
Fundamentals
Scope of an electrical protection system
Scope of a protection system is to limit the GENERATOR

(Energy source)
damages to people and equipment of
G
electrical abnormal conditions

Abnormal conditions can be:
• Faults / Short circuit (low impedance
connection between parts at different
potential due to a loss of insulation):
– Single phase to ground M MV User M MV User
– Phase to phase (three-phase or

phase-phase)
MV User
• Operational conditions out of normal limits:
– Overcurrent due to overload
– Overvoltage / Undervoltage
– Overfrequency / Underfrequency
Fault in one point of the network affects also M MV User M LV User
other equipment in the network.

Fundamentals
Elements of an electrical protection system
Protection relay:
• Measures the magnitudes of the electric power Protection relay: principle
system and acts when the set thresholds are internal scheme
exceeded.
Instrument transformers (CT’s and VT’s): threshold
• Isolate secondary circuits from primary

• Adapt I and V primary values lowering them to comparator time delay
operate
values acceptable in electronic devices
measure
• Standardize nominal values
– 1A-5A
– 100/√3 V - 110 /√3 V
Circuit Breaker:
• Interrupts the fault current clearing the fault
Fundamentals
Characteristics of an electrical protection system
Speed: GENERATOR
(Energy source)
G
• Limits the damages
• Maintains the stability of the electrical system
Stability:
• Avoid unnecessary interruption due to false trips
Security:
• Avoid over and/or under functioning
M M
Selectivity (only the CB closest to the fault must trip):
MV User MV User
• Increases availability as avoid tripping of the
MV User
parts of the network not necessary to clear the
fault
• Reduces the amount of breakdown
• Backup & Redundancy concepts
M MV User M LV User
Fundamentals
Protection relays – “ANSI codes” (IEEE Std. C37-2)
Current: Algorithm:
• 51/50 = Overcurrent (suffix N/G = earth fault) • 87 = Differential
• 46 = Inverse sequence overcurrent • 67 = Directional overcurrent
• 49 = Thermal image Electrical machine protections:
• 37 = Undercurrent / underpower • 24 = Overfluxing (59/81 V/Hz)
Voltage: • 26 = Over temperature
• 59 = Overvoltage (suffix N/V0 = earth fault) • 40 = Loss of field
• 27 = Undervoltage • 68/78 = Out of step
• 47 = Inverse sequence overvoltage (source 2- Various function:
phase swap) • 25 = Synchrocheck
• 60 = Voltage balance • 86 = Lock Out Relay
Frequency: • 90 = Automatic Volktage Regulator
• 81 = Under (suffix: <) Over (suffix: >) freq. Primary equipment:
Power: • 52 = CB
• 32 = Reverse power • 89 = Disconnector
Impedance:
• 21 = Under impedance
Case Study
The protection system of the electrical network of a gas extraction platform
Overcurrent protection: TCC time current coordination curve

time-current graded selectivity for phase faults
1000
GENERATOR
(source of energy)
100
G
4
51
10
1
51
2
t [s]
3
3
4
M M M M 1
0,1
2
51
51
1 0,01
10 100 1000 10000 100000
M user M user I [A] referred to .xx kV
Overcurrent protection:
Coordinamento protezioni
time-current graded sel. for phase faults
1000
Normal operation – NO TRIP:
 Load up to the rated
 Asynchronous motor starting currents
Short time overloads
100

 Xmfr Inrush
Equipment capability – TRIP BEFORE:
10
1
 I2t cables
2  Xmfr capability points
t [s]
3
Time selectivity:
4
1  NOTE: to get selectivity, clearing times increase as
more as we get closer the energy sources
Current selectivity:
0,1  Useful method to decrease trip times in case of large
differences in short circuit value between two point of
the network (upstream-downstream a Xmfr, long
cable lines)
0,01
10 100 1000 10000 100000 Short circuit currents as reference (attention to the min.
I [A] riferite a ....kV values)
Overcurrent protection:
Voltage restrained criteria
Generator short circuit current

decrement:
in worst cases (when excitation
does not respond) the short circuit
current can be less than the rated
current
Overcurrent protection: Short circuits occurring close to the generator decrease fault current which inhibit the
operation of high set over current stage.
Voltage restrained criteria To provide improved sensitivity decreasing voltage caused by these faults can be used
to decrease the current pick-up level.
Voltage restrained overcurrent can be used as an alternative for under impedance
function for more sensitive short circuit detection in generator protection applications.
Ground faults foundamentals
• Ground faults, also called earth faults, are due to a loss of insulation between one single phase
and the ground and they are the most probable faults.
• In a MV system, where the fourth conductor (neutral) isn’t distributed: the current DO NOT pass
through the earth path (or rather we DO NOT have any zero sequence) without a ground fault.
Simplifying: the vectorial sum of the 3 phase currents is equal to 0 without ground fault; in case of
fault it is equal to the fault current.
• The Delta windings of the transformers “block” the zero sequence currents, de-coupling, from the
ground faults point of view, systems at different rated voltage.
• “OK”, one will say, “it’s just matter of controlling the zero sequence currents, by means of a
standard ground overcurrent relay set to the minimum, and just trip whenever any current
appear…”
• Unfortunately difficulties arise exactly when one tries to measure the zero sequence currents: in
fact the fault current values largely vary depending on the state of the star point of the system.
• Let’s see why and how….
Ground faults
Star point directly connected to the ground (solid grounding)
• It is the simplest case: the maximum fault current reaches values up to the three-phase fault
current as it is just limited by the line impedance.
• So we can also have the phase faults protections trip: all what has been stated about phase faults
remains so valid.
ZL
• Needing to be sensible also to the minimum earth fault currents (e.g. due to arcing faults which
lead to high resistances in the point of fault) it is however suggested to foresee specific earth fault
protection: in fact, as the zero sequence current is absent in a system not affected by any fault, on
those relays it is possible to set very low thresholds sensible also to the a.m. high resistance faults
Ground faults
Star point unearthed (isolated from the ground)
• Leaving the star point un-earthed, it seems that any current can circulate in case of an earth fault,
but…
ZL
• It has to be noted that cables (like any other equipment in an electrical network) present a “natural”
capacitance to ground.
• The earth fault current in an unearthed network is limited by (i.e. it is in inverse proportionality to)
the reactance of its path: the reactance X is inversely proportional to the capacitance C of a
capacitor, the C is directly proportional to the length of its plates (the geometric length of the
cables or lines in a network). Thus, the longer are the lines of an unearthed network, the higher is
the ground fault current.
Ground faults
Star point connected to the ground via a limiting resistor
• Maximum fault current is practically limited only by the resistor connected in series to the
connection to ground of the star point, the line impedance is neglected.
• In case of MV industrial networks, typical limited current values vary from 10 A to 100 A (resistors
connected to Generators star point or zigzag transformer). In case of more than one machine
feeding the network, the star point resistors results in parallel and the currents limited by
each one is summed to the others.
• From the protective relaying perspective, it is advisable to have appreciable fault currents, in order
to ease its measure. It has also to be taken into account that star wounded electrical machines
(like motors or transformers) the fault current value is inversely proportional to distance of the point
of fault from the star point (this is the principle behind the name of the 90% stator earth fault
protections).
ZL
R
Ground faults
Zero sequence current measurement methods (1)
• Holmgreen connection (aka “residual” connection): suitable just for cases where high zero
sequence currents are expected as a minimum threshold of 20% InCT has to be considered to
take into account the different errors of the three CT’s involved.
51N
Ground faults
• The Core Balance CT (CBCT) allows to accurately measure the zero sequence current of a cable.
Its core is in fact, under normal conditions (i.e. balanced or unbalanced load currents or short
circuits not involving the ground), all current flows out and returns through the CT. The net flux
produced in the CT core is zero, and no current flows in the ground relay. When a ground fault
occurs, the ground-fault current returns through the equipment grounding circuit conductor (and
possibly other ground paths) and bypasses the CT. The flux produced in the CT core is
proportional to the ground-fault current, and a proportional current flows from the CT secondary to
the relay circuit
• Typical CT ratio are 50/1 A or 100/1 A.
64
Ground faults
• The star point overcurrent protection: it is used as a global backup for each and every earth fault in
the network, as well as the protection for the ground faults inside the electrical machine.
• It is an overcurrent relay fed by a CT installed in the connection to ground of the star point.
• It is also applicable to solidly grounded system: attention must be paid in case of networks with
several zero sequence sources (several star point connected to ground) as the star point relay
become sensible to any fault and can react unselectively.
ZL
51G
R
Generators faults and relevant protections

Internal faults
GRID
+ -
Excitation
Internal Faults:
Stator:
 Earth faults  51N
 Short circuits  87G/51V
Rotor, Excitation:
 Earth faults  51N
 Loss of field  40
Generators faults and relevant protections

External faults
GRID
+ -
Excitation
External Faults: Abnormal conditions:

Network: Network:
 Earth faults in the grid  51G  Overloads  49
 Short circuits in the grid  51V  Unbalanced loads  46
Turbine/regulators:
 Motoring  32
 Over/under voltage  27/59
 Over/under frequency  81
Contact page
Erminio Brambilla
Senior Application Engineer
+39 039 64 74 01
CEE Italiana S.r.l. +39 039 60 40 949
Via Verga, 11
20863 Concorezzo (MB), Italy
erminio.brambilla@ceeitaliana.com

Electric Protections

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Electric Protections

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Protection of

an islanded industrial MV network

Politecnico di Milano, 22 November 2018

Scope of a protection system is to limit the GENERATOR

electrical abnormal conditions

– Phase to phase (three-phase or

other equipment in the network.

• Isolate secondary circuits from primary

values acceptable in electronic devices

• Increases availability as avoid tripping of the

Overcurrent protection: TCC time current coordination curve

Generator short circuit current

Ground faults foundamentals

Generators faults and relevant protections

Generators faults and relevant protections

External Faults: Abnormal conditions:

You might also like