MATLAB-SIMULINK-Based

Simulation for Digital

Differential Relay Protection of
Power Transformer for
Educational Purpose
B. VAHIDI,1 E. ESMAEELI2
1
Department of Electrical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
2
Department of Electrical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran

Received 13 January 2010; accepted 1 August 2010

ABSTRACT: Differential protection was already applied toward the end of the 19th century and was one of the
first protection systems ever used. Faults are detected by comparison of the currents flowing into and out of the
protected plant item. As a result of the fast tripping with absolute selectivity, it is suited as main protection of all
important items of plant. The article presents an approach to teaching relay laboratory using specially designed
exercises that can be done using MATLAB-SIMULINK. This article presents a MATLAB-SIMULINK-based
technology to simulate differential relay for determining behavior of it during transformer internal fault
protection. The results show that this simulation method can work properly and this design can be used for
power system simulation in MATLAB-SIMULINK. Evaluation of the simulation with more than 60 students
is very positive in terms of their developing confidence in and understanding of this kind of relay operation.
ß 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com;
DOI 10.1002/cae.20493

Keywords: MATLAB-SIMULINK; differential relay; protection

INTRODUCTION although it has not protection component models. Power System

Computer simulation plays an important role in engineering
course teaching. Nowadays, a variety of software tools are
available to simulate electrical circuits. While most of these tools
are computationally very efficient and reasonably user-friendly,
they have a closed architecture where it is very difficult or
impossible to simulate component models. Further, most
industrial-grade tools require substantial training before they
can be used productively. A simulation package like PowerWorld
Simulator has the power for serious engineering analysis and also
it can be used to explain power system operations to non-
technical audiences. The simulator allows the user to visualize the
system through the use of full-color animated oneline diagrams
Correspondence to B. Vahidi (vahidi@aut.ac.ir).
ß 2010 Wiley Periodicals Inc.
Analysis toolbox (PSAT)—a freely available MATLAB imple-
mentation—is a MATLAB toolbox for electric power system
analysis and control. PSAT includes power flow, continuation
power flow, optimal power flow, small signal stability analysis,
and time domain simulation, although it has no protection
component models either. Some commercial tools like ETAP and
DIgSILENT have most of protection component models but
require substantial training. A widespread environment for
simulation of power engineering problems is MATLAB-SIMU-
LINK. Many simulations of different aspects of a power system
and engineering application using MATLAB_SIMULINK have
been presented by different researchers [1
11]. Martin and
Fernandez [1] used SIMULINK to model the overcurrent relay
and fault circuit breaker. Zhang et al. used MATLAB-SIMULINK
to test and model the protection devices for shipboard power
systems [2]. Luo and Kezunovic [3] introduced SIMULINK for
modeling digital relay. Zocholl and Mooney [4] used MATLAB

1
2 VAHIDI AND ESMAEELI
simulation to compare with overcurrent relay testing. Chow and
Cheung [5] introduced a MATLAB-based toolbox for power
system dynamics and control engineering education and research.
MATLAB simulation is used by El Sayed and Eldin [6] for
discrimination between inrush current and fault current. Deep
et al. [7] used MATLAB for optimal relay operating times
determination. Using MATLAB for power systems simulation
and analysis are described in Ref. [8]. Application of MATLAB
in ferroresonance modeling is introduced in Ref. [9]. Kezunovic
et al. [10] developed computer exercise by using MATLAB
software. Karagiannis et al. [11] used MATLAB web server to
facilitate the education of mathematical programming.
Other methods are employed by other researcher, Larsson
[12] described a power system library called ObjectStab for
power system stability simulation. Lazaridis et al. [13] used
visual LinProg in mathematical programming course to supple-
ment the teaching.
A power transformer, being a vital and expensive piece of
equipment in a power system, requires critical attention from the
standpoint of its protection. Therefore, it is highly desirable to
simulate the differential protection of a transformer.
The protection design for a transformer is the duty of power
system engineers; therefore, the students of power system
engineering should be familiar with differential protection of
power transformers. Our course on power system protection is
taken by students in 15 weeks (3 h per week). In this course
fundamentals and different methods of protection are taught, one
of them is differential protection of power transformers.
The authors of this article have been using MATLAB-
SIMULINK 7.1 as an instructional tool to teach differential
protection of power transformer to undergraduate students. This
method of instruction has enabled students to understand the
techniques of this kind of protection (a power system together
with relay are simulated and results are obtained from
simulation). The success rate of students in understanding the
subject shows the ability of this method.
PRINCIPLE OF DIFFERENTIAL PROTECTION
Differential protection calculates the sum of all currents flowing
into and out of the protected object. Apart from magnetizing
currents and capacitive charging currents, this current sum must
always be equal to zero (Kirchhoff’s current law) if the protected
object is unfaulted (Fig. 1). Internal faults are therefore detected
by the appearance of a differential or operating current [14
16].
For security against maloperation due to current transformer
(CT) transformation errors, the pick-up threshold of the
protection is increased in proportion to the total current flow
Figure 1 Differential protection principle.
Figure 2 Characteristic of a percentage differential relay.
(stabilizing or bias current). Thereby, the protection sensitivity is
automatically matched to the prevailing short circuit conditions
[14].
Implementation of differential protection is simpler in the
case of protected objects that are not geographically spread out
(transformers, generators, busbars), where the CTs are situated
close together. In this case, the CTs may be connected to the
protection device directly via control cables [14,15].
Percentage restraint differential protection employs the
restraint current IRT, together with the operating current IOP, to
define the relay operation on a coordinate plane, as shown in
Figure 2. A line divides the coordinate plane into two parts. The
upper part is the operating region while the lower part is the
restraining region. This dividing line is called the characteristic of
the differential relay. Typical characteristic of differential relays
presents a small slope for low currents to allow sensitivity to light
internal faults. At higher currents, the slope of the characteristic is
much higher, which requires that the operating current, IOP, be
higher in order to cause operation of the differential relay
IOP ¼ I1s
I2s ð1Þ
IRT ¼ kðI1s þ I2s Þ ð2Þ
where k is a compensation factor, generally taken as 0.5 or 1.
The operation of a percentage-differential relay can be
expressed by the following equation:
IOP > SLPi  IRT ð3Þ
where SLPi is the slope of the ith characteristic of the differential
relay.
The effectiveness of the differential relay used for protecting
transformers against faults is undisputed [17,18]. However, the
major drawback of this technique stems from its potential for false
tripping caused by the transient magnetizing inrush current. Given
that harmonic content of the short circuit currents is negligible, the
harmonic-based methods are used for either restraining or blocking
the relay from operation during initial current inrush. Harmonic-
based methods allow the differential relay to remain sensitive to
fault currents while keeping the relay from operating due to
magnetizing currents. The harmonic-restrained differential relay
compares the fundamental component of the operating current with
a restraint signal consisting of the unfiltered restraint current plus
the harmonics of the operating current. The differential relay
operation condition can be expressed as
IOP > SLPi  IRT þ k2 I2h þ k3 I3h þ    ð4Þ
 MATLAB-SIMULINK-BASED SIMULATION 3

Table 1 Typical Amplitude of the Harmonics SIMULATED CIRCUIT

Harmonic components in Amplitude
magnetizing inrush current (% of fundamental) The circuit that is simulated on MATLAB-SIMULINK is shown
in Figure 3 and simulated circuit for differential relay is shown in
DC 55
Figure 4. Descriptions of different parts of circuit are as follows
Second harmonic 63
Third harmonic 26.8
[25,26]:
Fourth harmonic 5.1 (4) CT relay: The CT relay consists of three saturable trans-
Fifth harmonic 4.1 former block model. The model takes into account the winding
Sixth harmonic 3.7 resistances and the leakage inductances as well as the magnetizing
Seventh harmonic 2.4 characteristics of the core, which is modeled by a resistance
simulating the core active losses and a saturable inductance. In the
present simulation for 800/10 A the CT burden is 1.62 þ j0.784 O.
(5) Three-phase transformer: Power and voltage of power
where IOP is the fundamental component of the operating current, transformer that is used in the present simulation is Pn ¼
I2h, I3h, . . . are higher harmonics of the operating current, IRT is the 150 MVA, Vlow voltage (phase to phase) ¼ 33 kV, Vhigh voltage (phase
unfiltered restraint current, k2, k3, . . . are constant coefficients. to phase) ¼ 132 kV.
The second-order harmonic of the asymmetrical magnet- (8) Relay: Described in the next section.
ization is peculiar to the inrush. A more recent set of techniques (2) Fcn block: The Fcn block applies the specified C
use only the second harmonic to identify inrush currents and the language style expression to its input.
fifth harmonic to avoid misoperations for transformer due to over- This block removes the zero-sequence component of the
excitation [19,20] In Table 1 typical amplitudes of the harmonics input current.
are shown, compared with the fundamental (100%) [21]. The math functions for these blocks are 1/
Many studies based on the use of wavelet and neural 3*(2*u(1)
u(2)
u(3)), 1/3*(
u(1) þ 2*u(2)
u(3)), and 1/
network analysis to characterize inrush currents aim to recognize 3*(
u(1)
u(2) þ 2*u(3)) for a, b, c phases, respectively.
the inrush current and to distinguish it from an internal fault (4) Fourier: The Fourier block performs a Fourier analysis
current [22
24]; these methods are out of scope of this of the input signal over a running window of one cycle of the
educational article. fundamental frequency of the signal.

Figure 3 Simulated circuit on MATLAB-SIMULINK [25].

4 VAHIDI AND ESMAEELI

Figure 4 Simulated circuit for differential relay [25].

The Fourier block can be programmed to calculate the function x ¼ fcn(I)

magnitude and phase of the DC component, the fundamental or i1_m ¼ I(1:3); %I1s
any harmonic component of the input signal. i2_m ¼ I(4:6); %I2s
i_setting1 ¼ I(15); % current setting
The voltage incidence angle and the residual flux are main
i_setting2 ¼ i_setting1;
factors to determine the first peak value of the inrush current and
k1 ¼ I(16); % bias percent
it mainly contains the fundamental frequency and second k2 ¼ k1;
harmonic. Both magnitudes decrease as the inrush current % I(8:10) ! k2*I2h (2nd harmonic) I(11:13) ! k3*I3h (3rd harmonic)
diminishes and we do not want the differential relay to declare inrush ¼ (I(8:10) þ I(11:13)); % k2*I2h þ k3*I3h
a trip condition while energizing an unfaulted transformer. Digital idiff ¼ abs(i1_m
i2_m)
inrush;
filters (Fourier blocks) extract the fundamental, second-, and ibias ¼ sqrt(2)*abs(i2_m þ i1_m)/2;
fifth-harmonic (overexcitation can introduce fifth-harmonic level) inrush ¼ max(I(8:10) þ I(11:13));
quantities from the digital signals. i ¼ 1; x ¼ 1;
(10) Embedded MATLAB function: MATLAB and SIMU- while i  3
if I(14) > 0.1 % energize the power transformer
LINK presently do not have a toolbox, which helps us in
x ¼ 1;
simulating power system protection equipment. Therefore, end
MATLAB scripts must be written in order to model the relays. if I(7) < 0.5 % if there is a fault
Zero sequence elimination and extraction of fundamental x ¼ 0;
component are implemented by blocks (2) and (4) and are inputs break
of the Embedded Function block (I(1:6)). Other inputs end
are second- and third-harmonic components (I(8:13)) to utilize if ibias(i) > i_setting1
in inrush current detection. Relay settings and command if idiff(i) > (k1*ibias(i) þ i_setting1 þ inrush) %
feedback are entered as I(14:16) and I(7), respectively. This IOP SLPi IRT þ k2 I2h þ k3 I3h
x ¼ 0; % open the circuit breaker if there is a fault
decision block implements the characteristic of a percentage
break
differential relay.
 MATLAB-SIMULINK-BASED SIMULATION 5

else SIMULATION RESULTS

x ¼ 1; % leave circuit in close circuit if there is a balanced
situation
Inrush Current
end
else In order to check the behavior of the relay under inrush current,
if idiff(i) > (k1*ibias(i) þ i_setting1 þ (k1
k2)*i_setting2) the transformer is energized at no-load condition and the result is
x ¼ 0; % open the circuit breaker if there is an unbalanced
shown in Figure 5. During energize period of transformer the
situation
differential relay should not operate. Results show that the
break
else designed differential relay is not operated under inrush current.
x ¼ 1; % leave circuit in close circuit if there is balanced
situation
end
end Fault Conditions
i ¼ i þ 1;
end %while In order to show the behavior of differential relay under different
if x ¼ 0 fault conditions and confirm that the relay operate under fault
x ¼ 1; condition a series of simulation is conducted and results are
else shown in Figures 6
9. For all these kinds of faults the relay
x ¼ 0; should operate and remove the fault. Figure 6 shows the A Phase
end to B Phase to ground fault condition on the high-voltage side of
transformer under load condition. Figure 7 shows the A Phase to
B Phase to ground fault condition on the high-voltage side of
transformer during inrush current process (fault þ inrush current)
under load condition.

Figure 5 Currents and voltages during inrush current condition.

6 VAHIDI AND ESMAEELI

Figure 6 Currents and voltages during A Phase to B Phase to ground fault condition.

Figure 7 Currents and voltages during A Phase to B Phase to ground fault condition þ inrush current.
 MATLAB-SIMULINK-BASED SIMULATION 7

Figure 8 Currents and voltages during A Phase to ground fault condition.

Figure 9 Currents and voltages during A Phase to B Phase to C Phase fault condition.
8 VAHIDI AND ESMAEELI
Figure 10 Number of students who have understood the concept
before using the simulator.
Figure 8 shows the A Phase to ground fault condition on the
high-voltage side of transformer under load condition.
Figure 9 shows the A Phase to B Phase to C Phase fault
condition on the high-voltage side of transformer under load
condition.
From the above results, it can be concluded that the designed
relay is working properly and can discriminate inrush from
internal faults and it works on different fault condition. The
designed relay is tested for high impedance fault and it works
properly on this kind of internal fault.
STUDENTS FEEDBACK
Assessment of learning outcomes refers to specific processes
through which learners demonstrate the attainment of learning
outcomes. In a course, the instructor has the obligation to check
learners whether they have attained the learning outcomes or not.
To assess the depth of learning of learners of this test, a
question sheet is prepared. The students are required to answer
the questions after theoretical sessions are attained and before
using the simulator. Same questions are asked of students after
each try of using the simulator. To be noted is that before the first
try of using the simulator, working procedure with simulator is
taught first and the questions are based only on the machine itself.
A student is said to understand the concept, if he/she answers all
the questions correctly.
Figure 11 Number of students in each group who have under-
stood the concept in successive four tries of using the simulator.
Figure 12 Students understanding chart.
The following questions are prepared for testing the students
whether they gained all the concepts or not:
(1) How is differential relay acting?
(2) Explain the differences between voltage and current
waveforms due to inrush current phenomena and fault
phenomena.
The test is performed on four groups (i.e., G1, G2, G3, and
G4) of students (15 students per group). Before using the
simulator, the understanding rate of students in each group is
shown in Figure 10. As it can be seen from this chart, the learning
rate in all four groups is low. However, after the first try, the rate
of understanding increases.
Figure 11 shows the understanding rate of students of each
group in four successive tries. The final result is also shown for
cumulative number of learning of students during four tries in
Figure 12. After four tries, all the students have got the concepts
by using the simulation utilities (at the end of each try the same
questions are asked). It is good to mention that during each try,
the students may focus on the questions that they have not
answered correctly. In a different test, with different learners, it
may take more than four tries for educators to learn the subject to
all the learners.
CONCLUSION
The present article has outlined and illustrated a MATLAB-
SIMULINK model to simulate power transformers digital
differential protection. The method considerably reduces
the time and cost needed to teach power transformers differential
protection. Therefore, it is very useful for educational purposes
where the budget is limited, or to serve as useful preparatory
exercises during the power system protection course. Several
fault conditions are simulated and interruption of current shows
that designed differential relay work properly. The students can
get the idea from this article and design differential relays or other
kind of relays for different simulation jobs. The undergraduate
students can learn how to model and simulate the relay for power
system protection studies.

Several semesters’ evaluation of the project involving 60
students indicates benefits of this project in teaching the power
transformer differential protection.
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BIOGRAPHIES
Behrooz Vahidi was born in Abadan, Iran in
1953. He received the BS in electrical engi-
neering from Sharif University of Technology,
Tehran, Iran in 1980 and MS degree in
electrical engineering from Amirkabir Univer-
sity of Technology, Tehran, Iran in 1989. He
also received his PhD in electrical engineering
from UMIST, Manchester, UK in 1997. From
1980 to 1986 he worked in the field of high
voltage in industry as chief engineer. From
1989 to present he has been with the Department of Electrical
Engineering of Amirkabir University of Technology where he is now
a professor. Prof. Vahidi is a senior member of IEEE. His main fields
of research are high voltage, electrical insulation, power system
transient, lightning protection, and pulse power technology. He has
authored and co-authored five books and 200 articles on high-voltage
engineering and power system.
MATLAB-SIMULINK-BASED SIMULATION 9
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stability studies, IEEE Trans Power Syst 19 (2004), 56
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[13] V. Lazaridis, K. Paparrizos, N. Samaras, and A. Sifaleras, Visual
Linprog: A web-based educational software for linear program-
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[14] G. Ziegler, Numerical differential protection: Principles and
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systems protection, 1st edition, Elsevier, Oxford, 2005.
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[22] J. Faiz and S. Lotfi-Fard, A novel wavelet-based algorithm for
discrimination of internal faults from magnetizing inrush currents in
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phase power transformer using wavelet packet transform, IEEE
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[24] M. Nagpal, M. S. Sachdev, K. Ning, and L. M. Wedephol, Using a
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[25] Mathworks, Inc., MATLAB Manual, Version 7.1, Mathworks, Inc.,
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[26] SIPROTEC 4 7UT6 differential protection relay catalog, https://
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home.
Ehsan Esmaeeli was born in Najafabad, Iran
in 1981. He received the BS in electrical
engineering from Isfahan University of Tech-
nology, Isfahan, Iran in 2004, and MSc in
electrical engineering from Amirkabir Univer-
sity of Technology, Tehran, Iran in 2006.
Presently, he is a PhD student at the Depart-
ment of Electrical Engineering of Iran Uni-
versity of Science and Technology, Tehran,
Iran. His main fields of research are power system and high-voltage
engineering.