Types and Applications Of Overcurrent Relay (part 1)

http://electrical- engineering- portal.com/types- and- applications- of- overcurrent- relay- 1 Februray 3, 2013

Types, applicatio ns and co nnectio ns o f Overcurrent relay (o n pho to : Transmissio n lines fro m Gillam to Churchill)

Index
T ypes of prot ect ion: 1. Unit T ype Prot ect ion 2. Non-unit schemes 1. Overcurrent prot ect ion 2. Eart h f ault prot ect ion Various t ypes of Line Fault s Overcurrent Relay Purpose and Rat ings Primary requirement of Overcurrent prot ect ion Purpose of overcurrent Prot ect ion Overcurrent Relay Rat ings Dif f erence bet ween Overcurrent and Overload prot ect ion

T ypes of Overcurrent Relay: 1. Inst ant aneous Overcurrent relay (Def ine Current ) 2. Def init e T ime Overcurrent Relays 3. Inverse T ime Overcurrent Relays (IDMT Relay) 1. Normal Inverse T ime Overcurrent Relay 2. Very Inverse T ime Overcurrent Relay 3. Ext remely Inverse T ime Overcurrent Relay 4. Direct ional Overcurrent Relays Applicat ion of Overcurrent Relay

Types of protection
Protection schemes can be divided into two major groupings: 1. Unit schemes 2. Non-unit schemes

1. Unit Type Protection

Unit t ype schemes prot ect a specif ic area of t he syst em, i.e., a t ransf ormer, t ransmission line, generat or or bus bar. T he unit prot ect ion schemes is based on Kirchhof f s Current Law t he sum of t he current s ent ering an area of t he syst em must be zero. Any deviat ion f rom t his must indicat e an abnormal current path. In t hese schemes, t he ef f ect s of any dist urbance or operat ing condit ion out side t he area of int erest are t ot ally ignored and t he prot ect ion must be designed t o be st able above t he maximum possible f ault current t hat could f low t hrough t he prot ect ed area. Go back t o Index

2. Non unit type protection

T he non-unit schemes, while also int ended t o prot ect specif ic areas, have no fixed boundaries. As well as prot ect ing t heir own designat ed areas, t he prot ect ive zones can overlap int o ot her areas. While t his can be very benef icial f or backup purposes, t here can be a t endency f or t oo great an area t o be isolat ed if a f ault is det ect ed by dif f erent non unit schemes. T he most simple of t hese schemes measures current and incorporat es an inverse t ime charact erist ic int o t he prot ect ion operat ion t o allow prot ect ion nearer t o t he f ault t o operat e f irst . The non unit type protection system includes following schemes: 1. T ime graded overcurrent prot ect ion 2. Current graded overcurrent prot ect ion 3. Dist ance or Impedance Prot ect ion Go back t o Index

2.1 Overcurrent protection

This is the simplest of the ways to protect a line and therefore widely used. It owes it s applicat ion f rom t he f act t hat in t he event of f ault t he current would increase t o a value several t imes great er t han maximum load current . It has a limit at ion t hat it can be applied only t o simple and non cost ly equipment s. Go back t o Index

2.2 Earth fault protection

T he general pract ice is t o employ a set of t wo or t hree overcurrent relays and a separat e overcurrent relay f or single line t o ground f ault . Separat e eart h f ault relay provided makes earth fault protection faster and more sensitive. Earth fault current is always less than phase fault current in magnitude. T heref ore, relay connect ed f or eart h f ault prot ect ion is dif f erent f rom t hose f or phase t o phase f ault prot ect ion. Go back t o Index

Various types of Line Faults

No 1 2 3 T ype of Fault Phase t o Ground f ault (Eart h Fault ) Phase t o Phase f ault Not wit h Ground Double phase t o Ground f ault Operation of Relay Eart h Fault Relay Relat ed Phase Overcurrent relays Relat ed Phase Overcurrent relays and Eart h Fault relays

Go back t o Index

Overcurrent Relay Purpose and Ratings

A relay t hat operat es or picks up when it s current exceeds a predet ermined value (setting value) is called Overcurrent Relay. Overcurrent prot ect ion protects electrical power systems against excessive currents which are caused by short circuit s, ground f ault s, et c. Overcurrent relays can be used t o prot ect pract ically any power syst em element s, i.e. t ransmission lines, t ransf ormers, generat ors, or mot ors. For f eeder prot ect ion, t here would be more t han one overcurrent relay t o prot ect dif f erent sect ions of t he f eeder. T hese overcurrent relays need t o coordinat e wit h each ot her such t hat t he relay nearest f ault operat es f irst . Use t ime, current and a combinat ion of bot h t ime and current are t hree ways t o discriminat e adjacent overcurrent relays.

OverCurrent Relay gives protection against: Overcurrent includes short -circuit prot ect ion, and short circuit s can be: 1. Phase f ault s 2. Eart h f ault s 3. Winding f ault s Short -circuit current s are generally several times (5 to 20) full load current. Hence f ast f ault clearance is always desirable on short circuit s. Go back t o Index

Primary requirement of Overcurrent protection

T he prot ect ion should not operat e f or st art ing current s, permissible overcurrent , current surges. T o achieve t his, t he time delay is provided (in case of inverse relays). T he prot ect ion should be co-ordinat e wit h neighboring overcurrent prot ect ion. Overcurrent relay is a basic element of overcurrent prot ect ion. Go back t o Index

Purpose of overcurrent Protection

These are the most important purposes of overcurrent relay: Det ect abnormal condit ions Isolat e f ault y part of t he syst em Speed Fast operat ion t o minimize damage and danger Discriminat ion Isolat e only t he f ault y sect ion Dependabilit y / reliabilit y Securit y / st abilit y Cost of prot ect ion / against cost of pot ent ial hazards Go back t o Index

Overcurrent Relay Ratings

In order f or an overcurrent prot ect ive device t o operat e properly, overcurrent prot ect ive device rat ings must be properly select ed. T hese rat ings include volt age, ampere and int errupt ing rat ing. If t he int errupt ing rat ing is not properly select ed, a serious hazard f or equipment and personnel will exist . Current limit ing can be considered as anot her overcurrent prot ect ive device rat ing, alt hough not all overcurrent prot ect ive devices are required t o have t his charact erist ic Voltage Rating: T he volt age rat ing of t he overcurrent prot ect ive device must be at least equal t o

or great er t han t he circuit volt age. T he overcurrent prot ect ive device rat ing can be higher t han t he syst em volt age but never lower. Ampere Rating: T he ampere rat ing of a overcurrent prot ect ing device normally should not exceed t he current carrying capacit y of t he conduct ors As a general rule, t he ampere rat ing of a overcurrent prot ect ing device is select ed at 125% of t he cont inuous load current . Go back t o Index

Dif f erence between Overcurrent and Overload protection

Overcurrent prot ect ion prot ect s against excessive currents or currents beyond the acceptable current ratings, which are result ing f rom short circuit s, ground f ault s and overload condit ions. While, t he overload prot ect ion prot ect s against t he sit uat ion where overload current causes overheating of the protected equipment. T he overcurrent prot ect ion is a bigger concept So t hat t he overload prot ect ion can be considered as a subset of overcurrent prot ect ion. T he overcurrent relay can be used as overload (thermal) prot ect ion when prot ect s t he resist ive loads, et c., however, f or mot or loads, t he overcurrent relay cannot serve as overload prot ect ion Overload relays usually have a longer t ime set t ing t han t he overcurrent relays. Go back t o Index

Types of Overcurrent Relay

These are the types of overcurrent relay: 1. Inst ant aneous Overcurrent (Define Current) Relay 2. Def ine T ime Overcurrent Relay 3. Inverse T ime Overcurrent Relay (IDMT Relay) Moderat ely Inverse Very Inverse T ime Ext remely Inverse Direct ional overcurrent Relay Go back t o Index

1. Instantaneous Overcurrent relay (Define Current)

Def init e current relay operat e inst ant aneously when t he current reaches a predet ermined value.

Operat es in a def init e t ime when current exceeds it s Pick-up value. It s operat ion crit erion is only current magnit ude (without time delay). Operat ing t ime is const ant . T here is no int ent ional t ime delay. Coordinat ion of def init e-current relays is based on t he f act t hat t he f ault current varies wit h t he posit ion of t he f ault because of t he dif f erence in t he impedance bet ween t he f ault and t he source T he relay locat ed f urt hest f rom t he source operat e f or a low current value T he operat ing current s are progressively increased f or t he ot her relays when moving t owards t he source. It operat es in 0.1s or less Application: T his t ype is applied t o t he out going f eeders. Go back t o Index

Instantaneo us Overcurrent Relay - Definite Current

2. Definite Time Overcurrent Relays

In t his t ype, t wo condit ions must be sat isf ied f or operat ion (tripping), current must exceed t he set t ing value and t he f ault must be cont inuous at least a t ime equal t o t ime set t ing of t he relay.

Modern relays may cont ain more t han one st age of prot ect ion each st age includes each own current and t ime set t ing. 1. For Operat ion of Def init e T ime Overcurrent Relay operat ing t ime is const ant 2. It s operat ion is independent of t he magnit ude of current above t he pick-up value. 3. It has pick-up and t ime dial set t ings, desired t ime delay can be set wit h t he help of an int ent ional t ime delay mechanism. 4. Easy t o coordinat e. 5. Const ant t ripping t ime independent of in f eed variat ion and f ault locat ion.
Definite time o f o vercurrent relay

Drawback of Relay:
1. T he cont inuit y in t he supply cannot be maint ained at t he load end in t he event of f ault . 2. T ime lag is provided which is not desirable in on short circuit s. 3. It is dif f icult t o co-ordinat e and requires changes wit h t he addit ion of load. 4. It is not suit able f or long dist ance t ransmission lines where rapid f ault clearance is necessary f or st abilit y.

5. Relay have dif f icult ies in dist inguishing bet ween Fault current s at one point or anot her when f ault impedances bet ween t hese point s are small, t hus poor discriminat ion.

Application:
Definite time overcurrent relay is used as: 1. Back up prot ect ion of dist ance relay of t ransmission line wit h t ime delay. 2. Back up prot ect ion t o dif f erent ial relay of power t ransf ormer wit h t ime delay. 3. Main prot ect ion t o out going f eeders and bus couplers wit h adjust able t ime delay set t ing. Go back t o Index

3. Inverse Time Overcurrent Relays (IDMT Relay)

In t his t ype of relays, operat ing t ime is inversely changed wit h current . So, high current will operat e overcurrent relay f ast er t han lower ones. T here are st andard inverse, very inverse and ext remely inverse t ypes. Discrimination by both Time and Current. The relay operation time is inversely proportional to the fault current. Inverse T ime relays are also ref erred t o as Inverse Def init e Minimum T ime (IDMT ) relay. T he operat ing t ime of an overcurrent relay can be moved up (made slower) by adjust ing t he time dial setting. T he lowest t ime dial set t ing (fastest operating time) is generally 0.5 and t he slowest is 10. Operat es when current exceeds it s pick-up value. Operat ing t ime depends on t he magnit ude of current . It gives inverse t ime current charact erist ics at lower values of f ault current and def init e t ime charact erist ics at higher values
Inverse Definite Minimum Time (IDMT)

An inverse charact erist ic is obt ained if t he value of plug set t ing mult iplier is below 10, f or values bet ween 10 and 20 charact erist ics t end t owards def init e t ime charact erist ics. Widely used f or t he prot ect ion of dist ribut ion lines. Based on the inverseness it has three different types:

Go back t o Index

3.1. Normal Inverse Time Overcurrent Relay

T he accuracy of t he operat ing t ime may range f rom 5 t o 7.5% of t he nominal operat ing t ime as specif ied in t he relevant norms. T he uncert aint y of t he operat ing t ime and t he necessary operat ing t ime may require a grading margin of 0.4 t o 0.5 seconds. It s used when Fault Current is dependent on generation of fault not f ault locat ion. Normal inverse t ime Overcurrent Relay is relat ively small change in t ime per unit of change of current . Application: Most f requent ly used in ut ilit y and indust rial circuit s. especially applicable where t he f ault magnit ude is mainly dependent on t he syst em generat ing capacit y at t he t ime of f ault . Go back t o Index
Inverse types

3.2. Very Inverse Time Overcurrent Relay

Gives more inverse charact erist ics t han t hat of IDMT . Used where t here is a reduct ion in f ault current , as t he dist ance f rom source increases. Part icularly ef f ect ive wit h ground f ault s because of t heir st eep charact erist ics. Suit able if t here is a subst ant ial reduct ion of f ault current as t he f ault dist ance f rom t he power source increases. Very inverse overcurrent relays are part icularly suit able if t he short -circuit current drops rapidly wit h t he dist ance f rom t he subst at ion. T he grading margin may be reduced t o a value in t he range f rom 0.3 t o 0.4 seconds when overcurrent relays wit h very inverse charact erist ics are used. Used when Fault Current is dependent on f ault locat ion. Used when Fault Current independent of normal changes in generat ing capacit y. Go back t o Index

3.3. Extremely Inverse Time Overcurrent Relay

It has more inverse charact erist ics t han t hat of IDMT and very inverse overcurrent relay. Suit able f or t he prot ect ion of machines against overheat ing. T he operat ing t ime of a t ime overcurrent relay wit h an ext remely inverse t ime-current charact erist ic is approximat ely inversely proport ional t o t he square of t he current

T he use of ext remely inverse overcurrent relays makes it possible t o use a short t ime delay in spit e of high swit ching-in current s. Used when Fault current is dependent on f ault locat ion Used when Fault current independent of normal changes in generat ing capacit y. Application: Suit able f or prot ect ion of dist ribut ion f eeders wit h peak current s on swit ching in (ref rigerat ors, pumps, wat er heat ers and so on). Part icular suit able f or grading and coordinat es wit h f uses and re closes For t he prot ect ion of alt ernat ors, t ransf ormers. Expensive cables, et c. Go back t o Index

3.4. Long Time Inverse Overcurrent Relay

T he main applicat ion of long t ime overcurrent relays is as backup eart h f ault prot ect ion.

4. Directional Overcurrent Relays

When t he power syst em is not radial (source on one side of t he line), an overcurrent relay may not be able t o provide adequat e prot ect ion. T his t ype of relay operat es in on direct ion of current f low and blocks in t he opposit e direct ion. T hree condit ions must be sat isf ied f or it s operat ion: current magnit ude, t ime delay and direct ionalit y. T he direct ionalit y of current f low can be ident if ied using volt age as a ref erence of direct ion. Go back t o Index

Application of Overcurrent Relay

Motor Protection: Used against overloads and short -circuit s in st at or windings of mot or. Inverse t ime and inst ant aneous overcurrent phase and ground Overcurrent relays used f or mot ors above 1000 kW. Transformer Protection: Used only when t he cost of overcurrent relays are not just if ied. Ext ensively also at power-t ransf ormer locat ions f or ext ernal-f ault back-up prot ect ion. Line Protection: On some sub t ransmission lines where t he cost of dist ance relaying cannot be just if ied. primary ground-f ault prot ect ion on most t ransmission lines where dist ance relays are used f or phase f ault s. For ground back-up prot ect ion on most lines having pilot relaying f or primary prot ect ion.

Distribution Protection: Overcurrent relaying is very well suit ed t o dist ribut ion syst em prot ect ion f or t he f ollowing reasons: It is basically simple and inexpensive. Very of t en t he relays do not need t o be direct ional and hence no PT supply is required. It is possible t o use a set of t wo O/C relays f or prot ect ion against int er-phase f ault s and a separat e Overcurrent relay f or ground f ault s. Go back t o Index