Loss of excitation protection function

Budapest, May 2012.

Loss of exitation protection function

Loss of excitation protection function

The loss of excitation protection function can be applied mainly for synchronous generators.
On loss of excitation, the flux decreases and the reactive current demand increases relatively
slowly. At the end, high reactive current flows from the power system into the machine. To
protect the stator coils from the harmful effects of the high currents and to protect the rotor
from damages caused by the induced slip-frequency current, a disconnection is required.
The loss of excitation (loss-of-field) protection function is designed for this purpose.
When the excitation is lost then a relatively high inductive current flows into the generator.
With the positive direction from the generator to the network, the calculated impedance based
on this current and on the phase voltage is a negative reactive value. As the internal e.m.f.
collapses, the locus of the impedance on the impedance plane travels to this negative
reactive value. With an appropriate characteristic curve on the impedance plane, the loss of
excitation state can be detected. The applied characteristic line is a closed offset circle, the
radius and the centre of which is defined by parameter setting (see Figure on the following
page).
If the calculated impedance gets into the offset circle then the function generates a trip
command.
The loss of excitation protection function provides two stages, where the parameters of the
circles and additionally the delay times can be set independently.
The main features of the loss of excitation protection function are as follows:
A full-scheme system provides continuous measurement of impedances separately in
three independent phase-to-phase measuring loops.
Impedance calculation is conditional on the values of phase currents being sufficient.
The operate decision is based on offset circle characteristics.
Two independent stages.
Input signals:
o The Fourier components of three phase voltages.
o The Fourier components of three phase currents.
o Parameters.
o Binary input signals:
Blocking/enabling.
VT failure signal.
Binary output signals:
o Starting signals for the two stages.
o Tripping signals for the two stages.
The loss of excitation protection supplied by PROTECTA Ltd. continuously measures the
impedances in the three line-to-line measuring loops. The calculation is performed in the
phase-to-phase loops based on the line-to-line voltages and the difference of the affected
phase currents. The result of this calculation is the positive sequence impedance of the
measuring loops.
The numerical processes apply the simple R-L model.
For the equivalent impedance elements of the measuring loop, the following differential
equation can be written:

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di
dt

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Loss of exitation protection function

If current and voltage values sampled at two separate sampling points in time are substituted
in this equation, two equations are derived with the two unknown values R and L, so they can
be calculated.
The operate decision is based on offset circle characteristics.
The calculated R1 and X1= L1 co-ordinate values of the three measuring loops define three
points on the complex impedance plane. These impedances are the positive sequence
impedances in the measuring loops. The protection compares these points with the offset
circle characteristics of the loss of excitation protection, shown for stage 1 in Figure below.
For stage 2 the characteristic is the same with independent parameters.
Parameter settings decide the size and the position of the circle. The center of the circle can
be on the positive R and negative X quadrant of the impedance plane. The R offset and X
offset values are defined to be positive in this quadrant.

jX
Compound circle

Stage1 R offset
R

Stage1 Z
Stage1 X offset

If a measured impedance point is inside the circle, the algorithm generates the true value of
the related output binary signal.
The calculated impedance values are compared one by one with the setting values of the
offset circle characteristics.
The procedure is processed for each line-to-line loop. The result is the binary setting of three
status variables. This indicates that the calculated impedance is within the processed offset
circle characteristics.
The impedance protection function can operate only if the current is sufficient for impedance
calculation. The current is considered to be sufficient for impedance calculation if it is above
the level set by parameter IPh Base Sens.

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Loss of exitation protection function

Technical data
Function
Rated current In
Rated Voltage Un
Current effective range
Voltage effective range
Impedance effective range
In=1A
In=5A
Zone static accuracy
Zone angular accuracy
Operate time
Minimum operate time
Reset time
Reset ratio

Range
Accuracy
1/5A, parameter setting
100/200V, parameter setting
35 2000% of In
1% of In
3-110 % of Un
1% of Un
0.1 200 Ohm
0.1 40 Ohm
48 Hz 52 Hz
49.5 Hz 50.5 Hz

5%
10%
5%
3
3 ms

Typically 50 ms
<60 ms
30 60 ms
1.1

Parameters
Enumerated parameters
Parameter name
Title
Parameter for disabling stage 1
UEX_40Z_Op1_EPar_
Stage 1 Operation
Parameter for disabling stage 1
UEX_40Z_Op2_EPar_
Stage 2 Operation

Selection range

Default

Off, On

Off

Off, On

Off

Boolean parameters
Parameter name
Title
Default Explanation
Boolean parameter to disable the trip command for stage 1
Impedance
Set 0 value to generate also an
UEX_40Z_StOnly1_BPar_
0
Start Only
operate signal for stage 1
Boolean parameter to disable the trip command for stage 2
Impedance
Set 0 value to generate also an
UEX_40Z_StOnly2_BPar_
0
Start Only
operate signal for stage 2

Integer parameter
Parameter name
Title
Unit
Min
Definition of minimal current enabling impedance calculation:
UEX_40Z_Imin_IPar_
IPh Base Sens
%
10

Max

Step

30

Default
20

Float point parameters

Parameter name
Title
Raduis of the circle of stage 1
UEX_40Z_Z_1_FPar_
Stage1 Z
X offset of the circle of stage 1
UEX_40Z_Z1_1_FPar_
Stage1 X offset
R offset of the circle of stage 1
UEX_40Z_Z1_2_FPar_
Stage1 R offset
Raduis of the circle of stage 2
UEX_40Z_Z_2_FPar_
Stage2 Z
X offset of the circle of stage 2
UEX_40Z_Z2_1_FPar_
Stage2 X offset
R offset of the circle of stage 2

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Unit

Min

Max

Digits

Default

ohm

0.1

250

10.0

ohm

0.1

250

10.0

ohm

0.0

100

0.0

ohm

0.1

250

10.0

ohm

0.1

250

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Loss of exitation protection function

UEX_40Z_Z2_2_FPar_

Stage2 R offset

ohm

0.0

100

0.0

Timer parameters
Parameter name
Time delay for stage 1
UEX_40Z_Del1_TPar_
Time delay for stage 2
UEX_40Z_Del2_TPar_

Title

Unit

Min

Max

Step

Default

Stage1 Delay

msec

60000

500

Stage2 Delay

msec

60000

500

Binary output status signals

Binary status signal
UEX_40Z_GenSt1_GrI_
UEX_40Z_GenTr1_GrI_
UEX_40Z_GenSt2_GrI_
UEX_40Z_GenTr2_GrI_

Title
General Start1
General Trip1
General Start2
General Trip2

Explanation
General start signal of the first stage
General trip signal of the first stage
General start signal of the second stage
General trip signal of the second stage

Binary input status signals

The conditions of the binary input status signals are defined by the user, applying the graphic
equation editor.
Binary status signal
Title
Explanation
Blocking of the loss of excitation
UEX_40Z_Blk_GrO_
Block
function
Blocking of the loss of excitation
UEX_40Z_VTSBlk_GrO_
Block from VTS
function from the VT supervision

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