Advanced Transplay

Testing a Distance Relay with Transient Playback

Practical Example of Use
 OMICRON Test Universe

Manual Version: Expl_AdvTrpl.ENU.1 - Year 2013

OMICRON electronics. All rights reserved.
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reliable. However, OMICRON electronics does not assume responsibility for any inaccuracies which may be
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the English and a non-English version, the English version of this manual shall govern.

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 Advanced TransPlay

1 Advanced TransPlay
Advanced TransPlay is used to import, edit and output transient data to a test
object. These transient data were created from real or simulated fault
occurrences beforehand and are available as a data file.
The main application field is seen in the reproduction of real fault occurrences.
The fault occurrences recorded with the integrated fault recorder of the
protection device are transmitted to a PC and stored in a corresponding file
format.
Of course, this data may also originate from another source than a fault recorder
as long as is is available in a compatible file format.
The following file formats used to import transient signals are supported:
Comtrade format with the following files:
- CFG: COMTRADE configuration file for the description of the failure
report channels (signal names, sample frequency etc.)
- DAT: COMTRADE file with the sample values of the failure report
channels.
- HDR: "Header file", that contains any data-related text that is not used
by the software.
L4 format with a PL4 file
TRF format with a TRF file
A detailed description about the supported file formats can be found in the
Advanced TransPlay online help under the table of contents entry "File Formats
and Size".
Using this data, a protection device can be optimally tested and adjusted under
real operation conditions.
Advanced TransPlay is also a suitable tool for testing protection devices (e.g.,
with simulated data) during the process of development.
The data output is started either via an external trigger (e.g., GPS), via binary
inputs, by pressing a key or immediately after pressing the S T A R T / C O N T I N U E
button.
Afterwards, the reaction of the test object is compared with given nominal values
or binary signals (reaction saved in the data record or user-defined) and
assessed in the test report.

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 OMICRON Test Universe

1.1 The Advanced TransPlay Views

The Advanced TransPlay test module provides four different views:

Detail View

Time Signal View

Measurement View

Report View

All settings necessary for the test are made in the Detail View. In the Detail View
the transient analog signals are routed individually to the analog CMC output
channels, the binary signals are interconnected and the trigger conditions are
defined.
The Time Signal View is active after loading (importing) a data record. This view
displays the transient current and voltage signals and the binary signals, if
available.
It is now possible using Advanced TransPlay to edit this data record and to adapt
it for the planned test. Any time sections can be repeated (e.g. to extend the
prefault time), state transitions can be marked, and new binary signals can be
inserted.
The nominal values for the time measurements are defined in the Measurement
View. During the test, each measurement condition is analyzed for the
observance of the tolerances and assessed with "Passed" or "Failed".
The test results are displayed in the Report View. The contents of the Report
View can be either defined by the user or standard default settings can be used.

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1.1.1 Detail View

The Detail View consists of the tabs Analog Out, Binary Out, Trigger, and
General. With these tabs, it is possible to view and edit the parameters which
are necessary for the test.
Which fields in the tabs are active and which names are assigned to these fields
depends on the settings previously made in the hardware configuration. If, for
instance, only one generator group is assigned in the hardware configuration
only this generator group will be available. The designation is the name that is
assigned for this group in the hardware configuration.

Analog Outputs
The Analog Outputs tab contains a table for setting the output magnitudes of
the available generators.
This table has five columns: Signal, Channel, Scale, Minimum, and Maximum.
Each line corresponds to one used analog output.
After loading a data file, the table is filled with the information stored in the data
record. The signals are routed to the analog outputs of the CMC on the basis of
the signal names. This assignment can be changed at any time. The Scale
column can be used to increase or decrease the voltage and current values that
are to be output. The result of the scaling is displayed in the Minimum and
Maximum fields.

Binary Outputs
The Binary Outputs tab shows the available binary outputs (as defined in the
hardware configuration) and what is interconnected with the binary signals.

Trigger
The Trigger tab defines the start conditions for the output of the transient
signals.

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Four trigger conditions are available:

No Trigger: The output of data is started immediately after the
S T A R T / C O N T I N U E button is pressed (or the
corresponding option is selected on the T E S T menu).
Binary Trigger Condition: The output is put on hold until the binary inputs of the
hardware meet the logical conditions defined in the
lower half of the tab.
Key Pressed: With this option it is waited until the user presses a
key.
External Trigger: It is waited for an external trigger event via the
connector on the CMC's CMExif board (e.g. from a
CMGPS synchronization unit).
When test repetitions are performed, the trigger condition is only valid for the first
test.
The output of the transient data is started for the repetitions after the pause time
between the repetitions is elapsed. (These settings are made at
V I E W | D E T A I L V I E W in the General tab).

Figure 1-1:
Validity of trigger Test start
conditions
Test 1 Test 2 Test 3

Trigger Time Time between Time between

= 0 for "No Trigger" repetitions repetitions
> 0 for all other trigger
conditions

General Tab
The General tab contains specifications for the entire test, such as the number
of test repetitions and the time between the individual test repetitions.
Additionally, the sampling rate can be specified with which the transient signals
are output.

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1.1.2 Time Signal View

The transient signals are displayed in the Time Signal View. Three different
display modes are available:
Original: Displays only the played back data record. Here data markers
for the repeated output of time ranges or for the restriction of the
time range to be output (start and end) can be defined or edited.
Expanded: Displays the transient signals as they are to be output, taking
into consideration the repetitions and restrictions defined in the
original mode. In addition it is possible to define binary signals
(for the output to the test object or as a nominal signal for
comparison purposes) and state markers.
Test Results: Displays the analog and binary signals output during the test
and the recorded binary inputs.This mode is only available after
the test is carried out.
Two cursor sliders are available in all views to determine the values at certain
time positions and to determine time differences. The measurement values are
displayed in the cursor data window.
Context menus allow
zooming individual time ranges and the optimized display of the signals in the
diagram (concerning X and Y axis)
magnifying the display of the diagrams (100% to 400%)
editing the properties of the signals and data markers and removing the self-
defined binary signals, state markers, and data markers.

Cursor Slider
The sliders act as anchor points for the measuring cursors. In addition they are
used to move the cursor horizontally along the time axis. This is done either by
using the cursor arrow keys of the PC keyboard or by clicking and dragging with
the mouse to the position of your choice.
If you prefer to use the cursor arrow keys on your PC keyboard, use the <Tab>
key or <Shift> + <Tab> to switch between the cursor sliders.

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Cursor Data Table

The Cursor Data table is now located within the Time Signal View dialog box.
The table displays the position of the two cursors in the Time column in the Time
Signal View. It is possible to change the cursor position by entering a time. In the
Signal column, an analog signal can be assigned to each cursor. The
momentary value of the selected signal is displayed in the Value column. If the
signals assigned to the two cursors are of the same physical quantity (e.g. two
voltages) then the difference is shown in the third line.
Figure 1-2:
Cursor Data table

Voltage / Current Output Signal

A diagram is displayed for each of the available voltage and current generator
groups to represent the voltage/current output signals as a time function. A
different line format is used for each signal of one generator group. The
assignment between line type and generator output is displayed at the bottom
of the diagrams. The representation of the signals (line type, color, width and
marking) can be changed by the user.

Binary Output and Input Signals

The binary signals are represented with the designations assigned in the
hardware configuration or when defining the signals. The binary state 0 is
represented by a thin line and the binary state 1 is represented by a stylized
rectangle.

Data Markers
In the Original mode repetition type data markers can be defined and displayed.
The data markers are represented by vertical lines in the diagram and with their
names in the state diagram. The representation of the lines can be individually
defined by the user.

State Markers
State markers are defined in the Expanded mode. As with the data markers,
they are depicted by vertical lines and their names.

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 Advanced TransPlay

1.1.3 Measurement View

Any number of time measurement conditions can be defined in the
Measurement View. To do this, two tables are offered. In the upper table,
individual moments (state markers and edge changes) can be specified as
assessment criterion (Table 1-1).
Table 1-1:
Terms in the Terms in the measurement table
measurement table
Name User-defined name for the identification of the time
measurement condition.
Ignore before An event which has to occur before the "Start" and "Stop"
events. With this, the time measurement range is limited. All
events until the end of the specified state will be ignored for the
measurement. If the field remains empty the time
measurement starts immediately when the start condition is
fulfilled.
Start The event which starts the time measurement. The start
condition is selected from a drop-down list of options.
Stop The event which stops the time measurement. The stop
condition is selected from a drop-down list of options.
Tnom Nominal time interval for the defined measurement condition
(in seconds).
Tdev- Permitted negative deviation from the nominal time (in
seconds).
Tdev+ Permitted positive deviation from the nominal time (in
seconds).
Tact Measured time interval between the start and the stop
condition. If the cell is empty, either the start condition or the
stop condition did not occur.
The start conditions and the stop conditions are scanned
simultaneously. This means that possibly the stop condition
occurred before the start condition. In this case the time
measurement value is negative.
Tdev The measured deviation of Tact in relation to Tnom (this value
can be either positive or negative).
Assessment "Passed" (green +), "Failed" (red x), or "Not assessed" (grey
o). The assessment is based on the comparison between
actual deviation and permitted deviation.

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 OMICRON Test Universe

In the second table, binary signals are used for time comparison (Table 1-2).
If the start condition and the stop condition are the same a measurement of 0 s
is recorded. It is not searched for a second appearance of a condition, i.e. the
time between the first and the second 0 -> 1 transition of a binary signal is not
measurable; the first 0 -> 1 transition fulfills both measurement conditions. In
order to measure such a condition the cursor measurement function in the Time
Signal View can be used.
Table 1-2:
Additional terms in the Additional terms in the measurement table 2
measurement table 2
Signal Binary signal which is to be played back in order to be
compared with the reference signal. Here, all the binary signals
which are set in the HCC dialog are available.
Reference Binary signal from the data record or self-defined signal which
signal serves as a reference for the comparison with the signal to be
played back.
Tact Here the measured time for the edge change of the played
back signal is entered. The edge change time with the
maximum deviation in relation to the reference signal is
entered for binary signals with several edge changes.
Tdev The (greatest) measured deviation of Tact in relation to Tnom
(this value can be either positive or negative).

The tables are expanded in accordance to the number of measurement

repetitions, i.e. all measurement results are displayed. The first column in the
table in which the measurement conditions are numbered obtains an additional
number enclosed in brackets. This specifies the number of the measurement to
detect which result belongs to which measurement.

1.1.4 Report View

The Report View depicts the test results in the form of a report for later printing.
All settings made in the test object, in the hardware configuration, and in the test
module can be displayed as well as all the results of the test. The selection of
the contents is made on the menu P A R A M E T E R S | R E P O R T .

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 Advanced TransPlay

1.2 Example:
Distance Relay with a Transient Playback
Sample files:
AdvTransPlay-Transient_Playback.tra
AdvTransPlay-Transient_Playback.occ
Comtrade Example.cfg
Comtrade Example.dat
Stored at: ...OMICRON Test Universe installation path\
Test Library\Samples\SW Manual Examples\Advanced Protection

Task
A distance relay is to be tested with a transient "play back" test. The test file is
in COMTRADE format (Comtrade Example.cfg) and was created from a
fault recording. The prefault time should be extended to at least one second.
Also a measurement condition for the trip signal of the relay should be defined.

The COMTRADE file format is an internationally accepted standard for transient

data exchange (COMTRADE = COMmon TRAnsient Data Exchange). This
standard was formulated by the IEEE. Ref.: IEEE C37.111-1999: "IEEE
Standard Common Format for Transient Data Exchange (Comtrade) for Power
Systems".

Solution
The OMICRON Test Universe offers a dedicated test module Advanced
TransPlay to "play back" any transient fault recording or simulation. This is the
only module that can fulfill the above task completely.
Assuming that this transient "play back" test is to become part of a complete
automatic test for a distance relay, this test module will be embedded into a test
document for the OMICRON Control Center.
If this test is a once-off test, the Advanced TransPlay module could also be used
in a stand-alone configuration, i.e. without the Control Center.

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 OMICRON Test Universe

1.2.1 Wiring Between Protection Relay and CMC

Connection of a CMC test set (here a CMC 356) to the computer.

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4

1 3

1. Connection variants:
CMC 356, CMC 256plus or CMC 256-6 with the NET-1 or NET-1B option
via Ethernet (ETH connector on the test set's back side) Ethernet port
of your computer.
CMC 256plus with the PAR-1 option parallel printer port of your
computer.
CMC 256plus with the PAR-1 option CMUSB-P converter USB port
of your computer.
Standard CMC 256-6 with parallel Host Interface parallel printer port
of your computer.
CMC 156 with parallel Host Interface CMUSB-P converter USB
port of your computer.
2. Connection of the CMC's analog VOLTAGE OUTPUTS to feed the simulated
voltage signals to the corresponding voltage inputs of the test object.
3. Connection of the CMC's analog CURRENT OUTPUTS to feed the simulated
current signals to the corresponding current inputs of the test object.
4. Connection of the CMC's BINARY OUTPUTS to feed binary signals to the
corresponding binary inputs of the test object.
5. Connection of the test set's BINARY INPUTS to the corresponding binary
outputs of the test object to read the binary signals of the test object (and
therefore the reactions to the fed analog voltage and current signals).

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 Advanced TransPlay

1.2.2 Starting Advanced TransPlay from the OCC

Start the OMICRON Control Center from the Start Page by clicking O P E N
E M P T Y D O C U M E N T . Insert Advanced TransPlay into the OCC document by
selecting the menu item I N S E R T | T E S T M O D U L E . . . | O M I C R O N
ADVANCED TRANSPLAY.

1.2.3 Setting up the Test Object

For configuration of your relay under test, the correspondingly named software
function Test Object is used. Open Test Object either by using the pull-down
menu item P A R A M E T E R S | T E S T O B J E C T or by clicking the "Test Object"
button in the toolbar. In Test Object browse, access and edit the test object
parameters.
A detailed description of Test Object and the closely related subject "XRIO" can
be found in section 3 Setting Up the Test Object of the "Concept" manual, or
in the online help under the --- Test Object --- entry of the table of contents.

1.2.4 Configuring the Hardware

Configure the hardware according to the wiring described in section
1.2.1 Wiring Between Protection Relay and CMC.
A detailed description of the Hardware Configuration can be found in the
"Concept" manuals section 4 Setting Up the Test Hardware, or in the online
help under the --- Hardware Configuration --- entry of the table of contents.

1.2.5 Defining the Test

Step 1: Importing the COMTRADE file

1. Select F I L E | I M P O R T .
2. Select the COMTRADE file to import, Comtrade Example.cfg in this
case.
Maximize the "Time Signal View" window to obtain a full view of the signal to
be played back.

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Figure 1-3:
Time Signal View

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 Advanced TransPlay

Step 2: Extending the prefault time

1. Zoom the prefault portion of the signal to show about three cycles of data.
To zoom the signal, first enable the zoom function (right mouse click
anywhere in the Time Signal View and select Z O O M ). The cursor changes
to a magnifying glass to indicate the activated zoom function. A zoom window
can be defined with a left mouse click and dragging a window open. The
width of the window defines the limits to which the graph is zoomed.
To "zoom out" to the original signal, right mouse click and select O P T I M I Z E .
2. Mark exactly one cycle of data.
Two markers are available. They can be positioned by dragging the yellow or
blue mark on the horizontal marker bar (1).
Position the markers at the zero crossings of one phase voltage, e.g. V A-N.
Position the second marker one sample before the zero crossing. This
prevents two consecutive samples with a zero value when this cycle of data
is repeated. Note that "Delta t" in the cursor window shows 19.9 ms and not
20 ms.
Figure 1-4:
Zoomed signal with one
cycle of data marked

3. Select E D I T | I N S E R T R E P E T I T I O N to repeat this portion of the signal.

4. In the Data Markers dialog box, set the name to "Extended Prefault".

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5. Specify 50 repetitions.
Note that the value for "Time" and "Duration" is automatically entered from
the present position of the markers.
Figure 1-5:
Defining the signal to be
repeated

6. Click O K .
7. Select "expanded" as display mode (1).
Figure 1-6:
Complete signal with
prefault extended

8. Unzoom (Optimize) to view the complete signal.

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 Advanced TransPlay

Step 3: Defining a measurement condition

To time the trip signal accurately, it is important to define the exact moment of
fault inception. This is done by manually defining a state marker at the moment
of fault inception.
1. Zoom into the time around fault inception.
2. Position one of the markers directly on the moment of fault inception.
3. Select E D I T | I N S E R T S T A T E M A R K E R .
4. Define the name "Fault Inception".
5. Click O K .
Figure 1-7:
Defining a state marker

6. Activate the M E A S U R E M E N T V I E W by clicking its icon.

7. Define the parameters of the trip signal to be measured:
Name = Trip; Start at "Fault Inception"; Stop at "Trip 0>1"
Tnom = 60 ms; Tdev- = 20 ms; Tdev+=50 ms.

This function enables the definition of any signal to be measured: From, To, the
nominal trip time and the deviation in the negative and positive direction. The
actual measured "trip" time, actual deviation and the assessment will be shown
after a test has been performed.

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1.2.6 Running the Test

A test is only possible, if no results are present. If necessary, clear the results by
clicking the C L E A R toolbar icon or selecting T E S T | C L E A R .
To start the test, click the S T A R T / C O N T I N U E T E S T T O O L B A R icon or select
TEST | START/ CONTINUE.
This downloads the transient file to the CMC and reproduces the voltage and
current signals exactly as shown.

The trip signal measurement together with an assessment will be shown in the
Measurement View.

1.2.7 Defining the Test Report Format

Select P A R A M E T E R S | R E P O R T . A dialog box appears where you can define
the scope of the report.
A detailed description about defining test reports can be found in the "Concept"
manuals section 5.2 Test Reports, or in the online help under the --- Test
Reports --- entry of the table of contents.
Select V I E W | R E P O R T to display the test report.

Note that if the signal has been zoomed, it will also be shown in this zoomed
state in the Report View.

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