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1236
Setting Zero-Sequence Compensation Factor in
Distance Relays Protecting Distribution Systems
Aristotelis M. Tsimtsios , Student Member, IEEE and Vassilis C. Nikolaidis
Abstract—Reliable protection of modern distribution systems is
challenging due to various technical difficulties, mainly related to
the need for more efficient use of existing networks (e.g., shorter
interruption durations and fewer affected customers, integration
of distributed generation, meshed network operation, etc.). Such
challenges require, among others, the reconsideration of conven-
tional protection techniques. A potential solution under examina-
tion concerns the adoption of distance protection for distribution
feeders, due to its advantages compared to overcurrent protection.
However, as distance relays are mainly designed for transmission
networks, there are several issues to deal with in distribution ap-
plications, such as the proper setting of the zero-sequence compen-
sation factor (K0 ). The latter issue is critical in order to guarantee
correct relay operation during single-line ground faults. This pa-
per examines the effect of K0 on the operation accuracy of distance
relays protecting inhomogeneous distribution feeders. Theoretical
analysis, as well as investigation of various influencing factors, re-
sult in the determination of a pattern, which relates relay accuracy
to K0 . Based on this analysis, a simple methodology for setting K0
properly is proposed, which is implementable with commercially
available relays. The methodology is applied on a test distribution
feeder and meaningful conclusions are derived.
Index Terms—Distance protection, distribution systems, relay
accuracy, zero-sequence compensation factor.
I. INTRODUCTION
ODERN distribution systems have to operate reliably
M into a challenging technical, economic, and regulatory
framework. Among other technical issues that need to be re-
solved in this context, protection philosophy should also be re-
considered in a way to obtain greater controllability and enhance
efficiency, reliability, and quality of service [1] in distribution
systems. Under such a demanding protection environment, the
application of non-conventional, highly-reliable protection con-
cepts in distribution systems is investigated.
A solution being considered concerns the application of dis-
tance relays to distribution systems. Inherent directionality and
independency from external system conditions [2] make dis-
tance protection an attractive option for distribution networks
Manuscript received April 11, 2017; revised August 26, 2017; accepted Oc-
tober 7, 2017. Date of publication October 12, 2017; date of current version
April 6, 2018. Paper no. TPWRD-00530-2017. (Corresponding author: V. C.
Nikolaidis.)
The authors are with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering,
Democritus University of Thrace, Xanthi 67100, Greece (e-mail: atsimtsi@
ee.duth.gr; vnikolai@ee.duth.gr).
Color versions of one or more of the figures in this paper are available online
at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TPWRD.2017.2762465
0885-8977 © 2017 IEEE. Personal use is permitted, but republication/redistribution requires IEEE permission.
See http://www.ieee.org/publications standards/publications/rights/index.html for more information.
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IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER DELIVERY, VOL. 33, NO. 3, JUNE 2018
, Member, IEEE
[3], even as a solution for the coordination of protection means
in multi-recloser schemes [4].
Major issue for the proper application of distance protection
in distribution systems with intermediate sources (DG) is the
infeed effect [2]. The latter is explicitly analysed in [5] and
the performance of the distance relay is tested by using real-
world event report data. In [6], a multi-zone distance protection
scheme for radial distribution systems with DG is presented,
taking into account the infeed effect as well as the coordination
of the distance relay with other protection means in the system.
The application of distance protection to a distribution system
with DG is examined in [7] but since, in this work, DG is always
connected to the substation bus, coordination issues are not ac-
tually dealt with. In [8], the authors investigate the replacement
of overcurrent relays with distance relays in an actual distri-
bution network with DG and study the infeed/outfeed effect
as well as the load variation effect on the performance of the
distance relays. Coordination between the line distance relays
and distance relays used at the DG units (instead of common
undervoltage elements) to enhance fault-ride-through capabil-
ity, is further checked. Distance protection is also considered in
microgrid applications [9], [10].
A significant issue that requires thorough investigation is the
proper setting of zero-sequence compensation factor (K0 ) so
that a distance relay installed in a distribution feeder can protect
against single-line-ground (SLG) faults efficiently. Although
this issue is important for transmission [11] and subtransmis-
sion [12] systems as well, it is less challenging there, due to
the line homogeneity at high voltage levels, despite the fact
that mutual coupling could make it quite demanding [13]. On
the contrary, in distribution systems, proper K0 setting could
be much more complicated due to the inhomogeneity of distri-
bution lines as for their impedance data. In [14], an optimized
value of K0 is extracted for distance relays protecting distri-
bution systems, through an optimization algorithm, achieving
discrimination between different distance relays. However, dis-
crimination between the zones of each individual distance relay
is not always achieved.
As a further step by the authors in the examination of applying
distance protection to distribution systems, this paper analyses
the effect of K0 on the operation of distance relays protect-
ing inhomogeneous radial feeders without DG and proposes a
methodology for setting K0 properly in order to achieve effi-
cient protection against SLG faults. The proposed methodology
can also be used for setting K0 properly when DG is connected
to the feeder, as part of a preliminary attempt to deal with the
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TSIMTSIOS AND NIKOLAIDIS: SETTING ZERO-SEQUENCE COMPENSATION FACTOR IN DISTANCE RELAYS 1237

infeed effect. This methodology is applicable using commer- TABLE I

K 0 VALUES CORRESPONDING TO SEVERAL ACSR NOMINAL CROSS-SECTIONS
cially available distance relays, without any need for interven-
tion in the relay logic.
The organization of this paper is as follows. Section II in- Nominal cross-section (mm2 ) Z 1 (Ω/km) Z 0 (Ω/km) K0
cludes a brief theoretical description of the basic K0 factor 95 0.215 + 0.334 j 0.363 + 1.556 j 1.030∠26o
aspects. In Section III, theoretical analysis of the effect that K0 50 0.404 + 0.386 j 0.552 + 1.584 j 0.720∠39o
has on the distance relay operation is performed, whereas the 35 0.576 + 0.397 j 0.724 + 1.595 j 0.580∠48o
16 1.268 + 0.422 j 1.416 + 1.620 j 0.300∠65o
findings are verified through simulations in a test distribution
feeder. In Section IV, a specific pattern, describing the effect
of K0 on the relay operation, is determined. Based on this, a
proper K0 setting methodology is presented and applied to a
test feeder without DG units. An extension of this methodology
to deal with the infeed effect if DG units are connected to the
feeder is also presented in this section. The conclusions of this
work are drawn in Section V.

II. ZERO-SEQUENCE COMPENSATION FACTOR (K0)

Distance relays are designed to determine the positive- se-
quence impedance up to the fault position, by measuring the
voltages and currents at the relay location [2]. Therefore, the
reach setting of each phase and ground zone of a distance relay
is set based solely on the positive-sequence impedance between
the relay and the endpoint of the line segment to protect. In
case of phase faults, the aforementioned setting is adequate for
the relay to locate the fault accurately, as the phase distance
element calculates the actual positive-sequence impedance up
to the fault position. However, in case of SLG faults, this reach
setting cannot guarantee correct operation of the distance relay,
as the impedance calculated by the ground distance element is
not equal to the positive-sequence impedance up to the fault
position due to the zero-sequence current effect. In order for the
ground element to operate correctly, the zero-sequence current
is compensated by the zero-sequence compensation factor (K0 ),
which stands for a complex value included in the relay settings.
K0 factor is mainly expressed as:
K0 = (Z0 − Z1)/(KZ1) (1)
where Z1 and Z0 stand for the actual positive- and zero-sequence
line impedance from the relay location up to the fault position
respectively, whereas K can be equal to 1 or 3, depending on the
relay design [15].
Alternatively, for several relays, K0 is expressed as the com-
plex ratio of Z0 to Z1 [16]. K0 can also be expressed by being
split into a real and an imaginary part giving a reactive and a
resistive zero-sequence compensation factor [16].
It is clear that each K0 value refers to a specific line type,
having specific characteristics, as each line type corresponds to
unique values for Z1 and Z0 . Table I presents all the ACSR
conductor nominal cross-sections used in the Greek distribution
system, the corresponding per unit (p.u.) Z1 and Z0 values, as
well as the corresponding K0 factor, calculated using (1) for
K = 3. It is apparent that, as the conductor nominal cross-
section decreases, K0 decreases in magnitude and increases in
angle. This behaviour of K0 , shown above for ACSR conduc-
tors, is generic and holds for all common conductor types used
in overhead distribution systems.
Fig. 1. Distance relay protecting a line consisting of different segments.
III. EFFECT OF K0 ON THE RELAY ACCURACY
A. Theoretical Analysis
In case of a distance relay protecting a line or a line segment,
which is homogenous in terms of conductor type and cross-
section, setting K0 is simple, as only the Z1 and Z0 values of
the line to protect are needed. It is worth mentioning that, in this
case, the proper K0 factor is independent of the line length, as
according to the definitions of the previous section, only the p.u.
values of Z1 and Z0 are needed for its calculation. If, however,
the protected line consists of segments with different Z1 and Z0
values, the determination of K0 factor for efficient protection
against SLG faults is rather complicated. In other words, the
impedance calculated by a ground distance element in case of a
SLG fault is inaccurate if K0 is incompatible with the protected
inhomogeneous line.
The latter can be shown with the help of Fig. 1, which depicts
a radial overhead line with laterals as well as its representa-
tion on the complex impedance plane. The main trunk con-
sists of segments (LA1 , LA2 , . . . , LAn ) of the same length, con-
ductor type and nominal cross-section, which are represented
on the R-X plane by the positive-sequence impedance vectors
ZA1 , ZA2 , . . . , ZAn respectively. For all the line laterals, the
same conductor is considered which is of the same length but
smaller nominal cross-section compared to the conductor of the
main trunk segments. Laterals LB1 , LB2 , . . . , LBn are repre-
sented on the R-X plane by the positive-sequence impedance
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1238
vectors ZB1 , ZB2 , . . . , ZBn respectively. Because of the smaller
cross-sections, ZB vectors have a greater magnitude and smaller
angle compared to ZA vectors. The whole line is protected by
a distance relay (namely DR) installed at the head of segment
LA1 , i.e., at the departure of the feeder. Only one ground dis-
tance zone is shown in Fig. 1, which is set to reach up to the
endpoint of lateral LB1 , covering also a part of lateral LB2 . It
is assumed that the time delay of this zone is set, so that the
distance relay coordinates properly with the protection means
(e.g., main fuses fB1 and fB2 ) of laterals LB1 and LB2 .
Let us focus on the two segments LA1 and LB1 . If K0 is
set according to the positive- and zero-sequence impedance of
segment LA1 , then, for a SLG fault anywhere in this segment,
the ground distance element will calculate the positive-sequence
impedance up to the fault position accurately. Nevertheless, in
case of a SLG fault occurring anywhere in segment LB1 (e.g., at
point SC1 ’ in Fig. 1), the aforementioned K0 setting will result
in an inaccurate ground distance calculation and consequently,
in an inaccurate fault location. It should be noted that this prob-
lem cannot be solved if K0 is set based on the impedance data
of segment LB1 , as segment LA1 interposes between the relay
location and segment LB1 . The latter K0 setting would be proper
only if the relay was installed at the beginning of segment LB1
(i.e., protecting only this segment). In order to achieve accurate
impedance calculation for a SLG fault at point SC1 , K0 should
be set according to the impedance data of the fictitious segment
LC1 , whose positive-sequence impedance is represented by the
vector ZC1 on the R-X plane of Fig. 1. However, in this case,
the relay will locate the fault accurately only if the fault occurs
exactly at point SC1 , whereas the problem will remain unsolved
for the rest of the line.
It can be derived that, when a distance relay protects a line
consisting of segments with different impedance data, it is not
possible to determine a single value for K0 which results in ac-
curate fault distance calculation for all the possible SLG fault sit-
uations in the protected line. This phenomenon can be analysed
based on the general expression of the impedance calculated by
the relay in case of a phase-a SLG fault [2]:
Za = V a/[Ia(1 + K0 )] (2)
where Va and Ia are the phase-a voltage and current measured
by the relay respectively.
We could express (2) as:
Za = Znc/(1 + K0 ) (3)
where Zn c stands for the non-compensated impedance, namely
the calculated impedance up to the fault position without the
consideration of K0 , which would lead the relay to an inaccurate
fault distance calculation.
Considering again the example of Fig. 1 and based on (3),
the impedance calculated by the relay for a phase-a SLG fault
at point SC1 of segment LB1 will be:
Za = [ZA1nc/(1 + K0 )] + [ZB1 nc/(1 + K0 )] (4)
where ZA 1n c is the non-compensated impedance from the re-
lay location to the endpoint of LA1 and ZB 1 nc is the non-
compensated impedance from the endpoint of LA1 to the fault
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position SC1 (i.e., the non-compensated calculated impedance
for sub-segment LB1 ). We assume that, in (4), K0 has been set
according to the impedance data of segment LA1 , i.e., the re-
lay can operate accurately only for SLG faults occurring in this
segment (and the rest of the main trunk).
The right part of (4) is the sum of two terms. The first term
is ZA 1n c /(1 + K0 ), where the calculated impedance for seg-
ment LA1 is “corrected” by being multiplied by 1/(1 + K0 ),
with K0 being compatible with the impedance data of this seg-
ment. The second term is ZB 1 nc/(1 + K0 ), where the calcu-
lated impedance for sub-segment LB1 is intended to be “cor-
rected” based on a K0 value, which is incompatible with the
impedance data of LB1 . Hence, it would be reasonable to say
that ZB 1 nc/(1 + K0 ) is the term that affects the impedance
calculation accuracy of the ground distance element and, subse-
quently, the fault distance calculation accuracy. That means that
the inaccuracy rate of the ground distance element is propor-
tional to the magnitude of ZB 1 nc. Since the impedance mag-
nitude of a line is proportional to its length, we could say that
the inaccuracy rate of a ground distance element increases as
the length of the protected segment, whose impedance data are
incompatible to the K0 setting, increases.
The above conclusions can be further clarified with a more
detailed analysis using Fig. 1. We examine now three fault cases,
in which SLG faults occur in the main trunk and in the first lateral
LB1 , at the same distance from the relay location. In particular,
the following fault cases are examined:
1) Faults SC1 and SC1 , at distance d1 from the relay location.
2) Faults SC2 and SC2 , at distance d2 from the relay location.
3) Faults SC3 and SC3 , at distance d3 from the relay location.
where d1 < d2 < d3 . Note that all SLG faults (six in total)
shown in Fig. 1 with their actual fault position (symbol SC) are
independent of each other and do not occur at the same time.
Due to the differences in the conductor cross-sections, the
impedance vector (dashed lines) up to the fault position for a
fault in the lateral is of greater magnitude and smaller angle com-
pared to the corresponding vector for a fault in the main trunk,
at the same distance from the relay location. Furthermore, it is
apparent that as the distance from the relay location increases,
the divergence of the impedance vector for a lateral fault, from
the corresponding vector for a fault in the main trunk, increases.
Assuming that K0 is set according to the impedance data of the
main trunk, then, as the lateral conductor length up to the fault
position increases, the compatibility of K0 decreases, so does
the relay accuracy. This can be related to the previous interpre-
tation of (4). In general, one could say that the inaccuracy rate
of a ground distance element is proportional to the percentage
of the total conductor length up to the fault position that corre-
sponds to different impedance data compared to the impedance
data based on which K0 is set.
B. Simulation Results
The previous analysis is performed for the radial 20 kV,
50 Hz, overhead distribution line, shown in Fig. 2, which
is based on typical data of the Greek distribution system,
as received by the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network
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TSIMTSIOS AND NIKOLAIDIS: SETTING ZERO-SEQUENCE COMPENSATION FACTOR IN DISTANCE RELAYS 1239

Fig. 2. Test distribution feeder.

Fig. 4. Variation of the relay accuracy with regard to the K 0 value.

TABLE II
CALCULATED IMPEDANCE FOR EACH FAULT LOCATION POINT

Fault location point Impedance Z (Ω Reactance X (Ω Resistance R (Ω

primary) primary) primary)

C1 2.979∠57.12o 2.502 1.617

Fig. 3. Variation of the relay accuracy with regard to the actual fault position.
Operator S.A. (HEDNO S.A.). All segments of the main trunk
consist of 5-km long, 95 − mm2 ACSR conductors, whereas the
laterals consist of 3-km long, 16 − mm2 ACSR conductors. The
total line load is 3.32 MVA (2.86 MW). The transmission grid
is represented by an equivalent source with a maximum short-
circuit power of 2085.1 MVA at 150 kV. The feeder is supplied
from the external transmission grid through a 150/20 kV bulk
distribution transformer. The distribution system is modelled
using DIgSILENT PowerFactory 2016.
A particular distance relay model was chosen from the soft-
ware database to replicate the relay that is considered being
installed at the head of the line. The relay model used pro-
vides four independent quadrilateral phase elements and four
independent quadrilateral ground elements. The quadrilateral
characteristic is selected due to its advantages compared to oth-
ers (e.g., mho), especially regarding fault resistance coverage.
In addition, the relay model used provides four independent po-
larizing elements, which allow the user to set a different K0
value for each ground element, whereas it applies expression
(1) with K = 3 for the calculation of K0 .
At first, the variation of the relay accuracy (calculated fault
position) with regard to the actual fault position is examined.
For this purpose, four SLG faults are simulated at points P1 ,
P2 , P3 and P4 across lateral L1 (shown in Fig. 3), correspond-
ing to a distance equal to 0%, 20%, 50%, and 100% from the
beginning of L1 respectively. F1 , F2 , F3 and F4 in Fig. 3 stand
for the positions, at which the relay locates the faults occurring
at P1 , P2 , P3 and P4 respectively, if K0 is set according to
the impedance data of the main trunk. As can be seen, in the
first case, point F1 coincides with the actual fault position P1 ,
C2 2.220∠54.00o 1.796 1.305
C3 4.487∠63.45o 4.014 2.006
C4 3.145∠47.11o 2.304 2.141
C5 2.915∠67.13o 2.686 1.133
because P1 belongs to the main trunk. However, as the actual
fault position moves away from P1 and consequently, from the
main trunk, the divergence of the calculated fault position from
the actual one increases, i.e., the accuracy of the relay decreases.
The above observations agree with the findings of the previous
theoretical analysis.
At this point, it is interesting to examine how the relay accu-
racy varies with the change of K0 , for a SLG fault at a given
position. Fig. 4 shows the different positions where the relay
locates a SLG fault occurring at the midpoint of segment L12 ,
depending on the K0 setting. In particular, five cases are illus-
trated in Fig. 4, depending on how K0 is set:
1) K0 is set according to the impedance data of the main
trunk, being equal to 1.03∠26o . The relay locates the fault
accurately, at the midpoint of segment L12 (point C1 ).
2) The magnitude of the accurate K0 is increased by 0.7, i.e.,
the K0 setting is equal to 1.73∠26o . The relay locates the
fault inaccurately, at point C2 .
3) The magnitude of the accurate K0 is decreased by 0.7,
i.e., the K0 setting is equal to 0.33∠26o . The relay locates
the fault inaccurately, at point C3 .
4) The angle of the accurate K0 is increased by 20o , i.e.,
the K0 setting is equal to 1.03∠46o . The relay locates the
fault inaccurately, at point C4 .
5) The angle of the accurate K0 is decreased by 20o , i.e.,
K0 setting is equal to 1.03∠6o . The relay locates the fault
inaccurately, at point C5 .
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Fig. 5. (a) Vector diagram of (1 + K 0 ) and its components, (b) Variation of
the calculated reactance with regard to the change of vector C ∠c.
Table II shows the positive-sequence impedance values, cor-
responding to points C1 − C5 of Fig. 4, as calculated by the
ground distance element of the relay. As can be derived by
Fig. 4 and Table II, by increasing the magnitude of K0 , the re-
lay calculates an impedance of smaller magnitude and smaller
angle compared to the impedance of the actual fault position
(C1 ), whereas, by decreasing the magnitude of K0 , exactly the
opposite is valid. In addition, by increasing the angle of K0 , the
relay calculates an impedance of smaller angle and greater mag-
nitude compared to the impedance of the actual fault position,
whereas, by decreasing the angle of K0 , the opposite is valid.
The above results show that the variation of the fault location
point with regard to the K0 value follows a specific pattern.
The generalization of this pattern assists in coming up with a
solution for setting K0 factor properly.
IV. EXAMINATION OF THE K0 SETTING PROBLEM
As mentioned in the previous section, in case of a distance
relay protecting an inhomogeneous feeder, it is not possible to
achieve absolute fault distance calculation accuracy for every
SLG fault by using a single K0 setting, at least with the cur-
rent relay technologies. However, that might not be necessary.
Actually, what should be preserved is the relay never to locate
a fault outside the desirable distance zone due to under-reach
phenomena. That means that relay inaccuracy could be allowed,
as long as the fault is located inside the desirable distance zone.
Nevertheless, in order to achieve this goal, a specific pattern
for the K0 effect should be determined first. Otherwise, this
procedure would be much more complicated and considerable
computational effort would be needed.
A. Determination of the K0 Effect Pattern
The terms Zn c and (1 + K0 ), used in (3), can be expressed
in their polar form as:
Znc = A∠a
(1 + K0) = B∠b
Therefore, (3) can be alternatively expressed as:
Za = C∠c
where C = A/B and c = a − b.
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IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER DELIVERY, VOL. 33, NO. 3, JUNE 2018
Fig. 5(a) shows the vector (1 + K0 ), as well as its compo-
nents 1∠0 and K0 . As can be derived from this vector diagram:
1) If only the magnitude |K0 | of K0 increases, then magni-
tude B and angle b increase both. This results in a decrease
in magnitude C and angle c (as A and a remain constant).
2) If only the magnitude |K0 | of K0 decreases, then mag-
nitude B and angle b decrease both. This results in an
increase in magnitude C and angle c.
3) If only the angle g of K0 increases, then angle b increases,
whereas magnitude B decreases. This results in a decrease
in angle c and an increase in magnitude C.
4) If only the angle g of K0 decreases, then angle b decreases,
whereas magnitude B increases. This results in an increase
in angle c and a decrease in magnitude C.
It can be seen that, in general, the K0 setting affects the relay
accuracy following a specific pattern.
Let us refer to the example of Fig. 3 again. ZP2 , ZP3 and
ZP4 stand for the impedance vectors up to the fault positions
P2 , P3 and P4 respectively. ZP2 , ZP3 and ZP4 represent the
impedance vectors up to the fault position for SLG faults at the
same distance from the relay location compared to the faults at
P2 , P3 and P4 respectively, but in a fictitious 16 − mm2 con-
ductor starting from the relay location. It can be seen that as the
fault position moves away from the main trunk across the lateral
L1 , the fault impedance vector differs considerably from that of
a SLG fault at the same distance in the main trunk (increases in
magnitude and decreases in angle). Actually, it tends to become
similar to the fault impedance vector corresponding to a SLG
fault at the same distance in the fictitious 16 − mm2 conduc-
tor. In fact, the (theoretical) ideal K0 value for accurate fault
location approaches the K0 value of a 16 − mm2 conductor,
i.e., decreases in magnitude and increases in angle. Since K0
is set based on the impedance data of the main trunk (having a
95 − mm2 cross-section conductor), it is of greater magnitude
and smaller angle (see Table I) compared to the ideal K0 value
for a fault anywhere in lateral L1 .
In general, situations such as the above constitute a combi-
nation of Cases 1 and 4 described previously. Based on that,
the ground distance element will calculate an impedance of
smaller magnitude compared to the actual impedance up to the
fault position. However, Cases 1 and 4 are contradictive regard-
ing the angle change of K0 , and by extension, the change of
angle c. Case 1 (resp. Case 4) indicates a decrease (resp. in-
crease) in angle c of the calculated impedance compared to the
actual impedance. Nevertheless, no matter whether the variation
of angle c is positive or negative, it always results in a lower
calculated reactance than that of the actual fault position. Bear-
ing in mind that in order for this to be valid, the combination of
Cases 1 and 4 should result in decrease of magnitude C (increase
of magnitude B) and/or decrease of angle c (increase of angle
b), it is explained as follows:
(5) Table III shows the percentage variation of magnitude B and
angle b of term (1 + K0 ), when moving from a lower to a
greater ACSR nominal cross-section (i.e., from CSi to CSi + 1 ,
(6) i = 1, . . . , 4), which gives a combination of Cases 1 and 4 as for
the change of K0 . As can be seen, when the variation of angle b is
negative (which tends to increase angle c and thus the calculated
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TSIMTSIOS AND NIKOLAIDIS: SETTING ZERO-SEQUENCE COMPENSATION FACTOR IN DISTANCE RELAYS
TABLE III
PERCENTAGE (%) VARIATION OF MAGNITUDE AND ANGLE OF TERM (1 + K 0 )
C Si Nominal 1 + K0 Moving from C S i to C S i
cross-section (B∠b)
(mm2 )
% variation of B % variation of b
C S1 16 1.16∠13.57o + 25.00 + 27.12
C S2 35 1.45∠17.25o
+ 11.72 −6.09
C S3 50 1.62∠16.20o + 22.22 −18.58
C S4 95 1.98∠13.19o - -
reactance) the variation of magnitude B (always positive) is
greater than that of angle b. Therefore, the tendency towards the
reduction of the calculated reactance is always dominant. Note
that in the case of moving from CS1 to CS2 , the percentage
variation of angle b is greater than that of magnitude B; however,
as this variation is positive, it further strengthens the tendency
towards the reduction of the calculated reactance.
Based on the above explanation, the decrease of magnitude
C is always more intense than the possible increase of angle c.
In fact, when the combination of Cases 1 and 4 results in an in-
crease of angle c, this increase is not enough to compensate for
the decrease of magnitude C and lead to a greater calculated re-
actance compared to that of the actual fault position. This can be
further clarified with the example of Fig. 5(b), which illustrates
the impedance vectors Cact ∠cact and Ca ∠ca corresponding to
the actual and the calculated fault position respectively, on the
R-X plane. In this example, it is assumed that Ca and ca both
differ by 50% (decrease and increase respectively) compared to
Cact and cact respectively. As analysed before, the variation in
angle c is always less intense. However, even in this case, where
the vector magnitude and angle are equally varied, the calcu-
lated reactance (+ Xa ) is considerably lower than the reactance
of the actual fault position (+ Xact ).
To sum up, it is generally fair to say that when a SLG fault
occurs at a point that corresponds to an impedance vector of
greater magnitude and smaller angle compared to the impedance
vector based on which K0 is set, the relay calculates a lower
reactance value compared to the reactance of the actual fault
position. Similar analysis showed that exactly the opposite is
also valid. Just to mention, in the example of Fig. 3, for the SLG
faults at P2 , P3 and P4 , the ground distance element calculates,
in each case, an impedance of smaller magnitude and greater
angle (resulting to a lower reactance), compared to the actual
impedance up to the fault position.
B. Proposed K0 Setting Methodology
Major problem for setting a ground distance element pro-
tecting an inhomogeneous line part is that a single K0 cannot
be compatible with all the possible fault cases. This can result
in undetected ground faults, if the fault is located outside the
desirable zone, or in undesired zone trips due to under-/over-
reach. This work proposes a simple methodοlogy to deal with
this problem, based on the previously derived pattern for the
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1241
+1
Fig. 6. Ground distance zones for the examined distribution feeder.
effect of K0 on the relay accuracy. The proposed methodol-
ogy mainly considers the calculated reactance variation and is
implementable using the current relay technologies and logics;
however, it requires that the relay allows the determination of a
different K0 setting for each ground distance element, a feature
provided by several well-established relay manufacturers.
In principle, the proposed methodology is based on the setting
rules originally described in [6]. To briefly illustrate these set-
ting rules, let us consider again the radial overhead line depicted
in Fig. 2. Fuses f1 - f4 protect the main laterals, whereas fuses
f1.r − f 4.r protect the remotest tapped distribution transformer
connected to each lateral. Coordination between the main fuse
and the fuse at the primary of the tapped transformers is always
assumed. According to the setting philosophy of [6], the zone
1 phase and ground distance elements of the relay are set to
cover 85% of the main line between the relay location and the
first lateral. The higher-step distance zones are set to protect up
to the endpoint of one or more laterals, i.e., up to the remotest
distribution transformer(s) fed by the lateral(s), without over-
reaching it (them). Fig. 6 shows the feeder with ground distance
zones graphically illustrated on it.
Moreover, the fuse-blowing principle is adopted in [6], mean-
ing that faults occurring in a lateral are let to be cleared by the
lateral fuse before the distance relay trips. This way, the relay
serves as primary protection for the main line and as backup
protection for the line laterals, which are primarily protected
by the fuses. In order for this to be ensured, the time delay of
each phase/ground distance zone is set greater (increased by the
proper Coordination Time Interval - CTI) than the maximum
possible total clearing time of any main fuse(s) included in this
zone. In addition, coordination between two successive zones
is achieved, meaning that the time delay tk of zone k is always
lower than the time delay tk + 1 of zone k + 1.
Assuming now that the reach and time delay settings of the
ground elements of a distance relay, protecting a distribution
feeder, have already been set based on [6], K0 for each ground
element is set following the next steps:
1) The areas Ak −1,k , formed in the complex impedance plane
between + Xk −1 and + Xk , where + Xk is the forward
reactance reach of ground distance zone k, are determined.
The first area A01 is the area between the R-X origin
(relay location) and the forward reactance reach of the
first ground distance zone.
2) The positive-sequence impedance (Z1 ) and the zero-
sequence impedance (Z0 ) of the main trunk, from the
relay location up to the beginning of the lateral in-
side each area Ak −1,k which is closest to the relay, are
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1242
Fig. 7. Explanation of the proposed methodology.
calculated. These calculations give a pair of Z1,k and Z0,k
values defining a reference point for each ground distance
element k.
3) For each ground distance element k, K0 is calculated using
the Z1,k and Z0,k values calculated for this element. If the
first ground distance zone is set to cover a part of the main
line between the relay location and the first lateral, K0 for
this zone element is calculated based on the p.u. Z1 and
Z0 values of the protected segment.
The rationale behind the proposed methodology is explained
through Fig. 7, which shows a part of a distribution line with
four laterals on the R-X plane. A distance relay at the head of the
feeder protects the whole line. Consider the area Ak −1,k between
the + Xk −1 and + Xk settings of ground distance elements k-1
and k respectively, shown with solid horizontal lines in Fig. 7.
The + Xk setting of zone k is defined as the upper boundary
(UB) of this zone. Lateral Lk −1 is assigned to zone k-1, laterals
Lk 1 and Lk 2 are assigned to zone k and lateral Lk + 1 is assigned
to zone k + 1 [6].
The first condition that should be fulfilled by ground distance
element k is this element never to locate a SLG fault occurring
in the segments D − U1 , D − U2 or D − U3 outside of zone k,
i.e., above the UB ( + Xk ) of that zone. Let us consider the
reference point S, which corresponds to the beginning of the
lateral inside the area Ak −1,k which is closest to the relay. Line
e separates the feeder into the parts upstream and downstream
to S. If K0 factor for element k is calculated based on the Z1
and Z0 values from the relay location up to S, it is guaranteed
that any SLG fault inside area Ak −1,k will be located inside this
area (thus inside zone k). This is based on the derived pattern
for the effect of K0 on the calculated reactance, in combination
with the fact that, in principle, the nominal cross-section of the
conductor that constitutes the segments of a distribution feeder
is descending as we move towards the end of the feeder.
Specifically, if a SLG fault occurs anywhere downstream to
S, the Z1 vector up to the fault position will always be of greater
magnitude and smaller angle compared to the corresponding
vector up to S. Since K0 has been set based on the latter vector,
the calculated reactance for a fault anywhere in the segments S-
U1, S-U2 or S-U3, will be lower than the reactance of the actual
fault position. Therefore, the fault point calculated by element k
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IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER DELIVERY, VOL. 33, NO. 3, JUNE 2018
Fig. 8. Ground zone characteristics of the distance relay.
will always lie between line e and the UB of zone k. Similarly,
if a SLG fault occurs anywhere upstream to S, the Z1 vector
up to the fault position will always be of smaller magnitude
and greater angle compared to the corresponding vector up to
S. Thus, the fault point calculated by element k will always lie
under line e.
The second condition that should be fulfilled is ground dis-
tance element k never to locate a SLG fault occurring in a lateral
Lk +j,m(j, m ≥ 1), that is assigned to a higher-step element
k + j, inside zone k. If this happens, selectivity problems be-
tween the relay and the lateral’s fuse may occur (due to the lower
time delay of element k compared to that of element k + j). The
possibility of such undesired trips is lower, as closer the refer-
ence point S is placed to lateral Lk + 1 ,m . This is because, then,
the K0 setting value of element k will be as close as possible to
the ideal K0 value for a SLG fault in lateral Lk + 1m . However,
at the same time, the reference point S should be upstream to
all the laterals assigned to element k, so that every SLG fault
in the segments S-U1, S-U2 or S-U3 is located under the UB
of zone k, according to the previous explanation. Therefore, the
consideration of the reference point S being the intersection
point of the main line and the lateral inside area Ak −1,k , which
is the closest to the relay, gives an optimized solution for set-
ting K0 for ground distance element k. It has to be noted that
such undesired trips of a lower-step zone due to a SLG fault
occurring in a lateral assigned to a higher-step zone have never
been observed whenever the proposed methodology has been
applied, even after extensive simulations performed on different
distribution line configurations.
C. Application of the Proposed Methodology
The distribution feeder shown in Fig. 2 is considered again.
For the sake of generality, the main trunk is not assumed ho-
mogenous in this example, but with different ACSR conductor
cross-sections along the line; 95 − mm2 for L01 , 50 − mm2 for
L12 , 35 − mm2 for L23 and L34 . The line is protected by the
previously described distance relay, which is installed at its de-
parture and is set according to [6].
Fig. 8 depicts the zone characteristics of the ground distance
elements of the relay. The first zone is set to protect the 85%
of L01 instantaneously. The second and the third zone are set
to protect up to the endpoint of laterals L1 and L2 respectively,
whereas their time delays are set to be higher than the highest
ground fault clearing time of the corresponding main lateral fuse.
The fourth zone is set to protect up to the endpoint of lateral
L4 (covering also lateral L3 ), with a time delay that is higher
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TSIMTSIOS AND NIKOLAIDIS: SETTING ZERO-SEQUENCE COMPENSATION FACTOR IN DISTANCE RELAYS 1243

TABLE IV TABLE VI
CALCULATED K 0 VALUES FOR EACH GROUND DISTANCE ELEMENT CHECK FOR UNDESIRED TRIPS DUE TO SLG FAULTS IN LATERALS
ACCORDING TO THE PROPOSED METHODOLOGY
Calculated Calculated UB ( + X k )
Ground Z 1 up to the reference Z 0 up to the reference K0 reactance with reactance with the (Ω primary)
element (k) point (Ω primary) point (Ω primary) conventional K 0 proposed K 0
(Ω primary) (Ω primary)
2 1.075 + 1.670 j 1.815 + 7.780 j 1.030∠26o
3 3.095 + 3.600j 4.575 + 15.700j 0.860∠34o Ground B2 B3 B2 B3
4 5.975 + 5.585j 8.195 + 23.675j 0.740∠40o element (k)

2 3.33 4.88 3.33 4.88 2.97

3 3.33 4.88 3.56 5.18 4.90
TABLE V
CALCULATED REACTANCE FOR SLG FAULTS AT BOUNDARY POSITIONS

Calculated reactance D. Comparison With the Traditional K0 Setting Philosophy

(Ω primary)
Ground element E1 E2 E3 E4 E5 UB ( + X k ) (Ω
(k) primary)
1 2.78 2.41 4.34 4.05 7.03
2 2.78 2.41 4.34 4.05 7.03
3 2.98 2.51 4.62 4.25 7.35
4 3.18 2.64 4.89 4.48 7.70
than the highest ground fault clearing time of the main fuses at
laterals L3 and L4 . The positive resistive reach ( + Rk ) of each
zone k has been set equal to four times the positive reactance
reach ( + Xk ). This is a good assumption for considering fault
resistance in a medium voltage distribution network [3].
Based on the method-implementation steps described in the
previous section, the Z1 and Z0 values of the main line up to
buses B1 , B2 and B3 (reference points), are calculated. Then,
by using (1), the K0 setting values for each ground distance
element are calculated. The results of the above calculations are
given in Table IV. Note that the K0 setting for the first element
is equal to the K0 value corresponding to the 95 − mm2 ACSR
conductor (K0 = 1.03∠26o ).
The above K0 settings are applied to each ground distance
element and SLG faults are simulated at each point where the
main trunk or the laterals cross the + Xk characteristic of each
ground zone k (i.e., the UB of each zone). The exact fault po-
sitions (points E) are given in Fig. 8. The reactance, calculated
by each ground distance element for those faults, is given in
Table V. From all the calculated reactances, those correspond-
ing to faults that are assigned to the corresponding ground dis-
tance element of the first column are highlighted with bold in
Table V. The non-bolded results refer to reactance values that are
calculated by ground distance elements, which are not assigned
to trip for the corresponding faults.
Table V gives also the reactance values of the UB ( + Xk )
that should not be violated by zone k element in each case. As
can be seen, in all cases, the bolded calculated reactances are
below the corresponding UB value. Since this is valid for faults
occurring at the zones’ UB and based on the previous analyses,
any fault in the examined feeder will be located inside the desir-
able zone. Note that in all fault cases, the fault is located inside
the assigned zone, as well as inside all the higher-step zones, but
never inside a lower-step zone. Therefore, the desirable ground
distance element always trips first.
To date, significant experience concerning K0 setting is re-
trieved from transmission line applications. However, as trans-
mission lines are in their vast majority homogeneous as to their
1.42 conductor type and cross-section, the traditional K0 setting phi-
2.97 losophy indicates that K0 is set simply based on the p.u. positive-
4.90
8.87
and zero-sequence impedance of the conductor where the dis-
tance relay is installed. That means that a uniform K0 setting
is determined for the whole line. Nevertheless, if this setting
is applied to an inhomogeneous distribution line, protected by
a multi-zone distance scheme as that of Fig. 8, there could be
undesired zone trips due to the loss of discrimination between
the ground distance zones.
In the following, the possibility of an undesired zone trip
due to a SLG fault in a lateral assigned to a higher-step zone
is checked, by applying the traditional and the proposed K0
setting methodology. For this purpose, SLG faults are simulated
at the beginning of every lateral that follows the UB of a ground
distance zone. In the examined distribution system, SLG faults
are applied at buses B2 and B3 , from which laterals L2 and L3
depart, so as to check whether those faults are located outside
zone 2 and zone 3 respectively (as desired), by zone 2 and zone
3 elements respectively. This check is not performed for lateral
L1 , since zone 1 and zone 2 elements have the same K0 setting,
meaning that every fault in lateral L1 will be located by zone 1
between bus B1 and the UB of zone 2. Moreover, simulations
performed with the proposed K0 setting, are compared to those
conducted with a uniform K0 setting for all ground distance
elements. The latter is taken equal to the K0 setting of zone
1 element (i.e., that corresponding to the main line segment
where the relay is installed, according to the traditional K0
setting philosophy).
The simulation results are given in Table VI. As can be seen,
for the conventional (uniform) K0 setting, zone 3 trips unde-
sirably in case of a fault at B3 . Referring to Fig. 8, the fault
at B3 (inside zone 4) is located by zone 3 element inside zone
3. However, this is avoided if the proposed K0 setting is used.
Note that due to the coincidence of the uniform K0 setting with
the proposed K0 setting for zone 2, the corresponding element
calculates the same reactance values in each case, whereas it
never trips undesirably for a SLG fault at B2 or B3 .
It results that the traditional K0 setting philosophy is not suit-
able for distribution system applications, as it can lead to unde-
sired zone trips, affecting selectivity between the distance relay
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1244 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER DELIVERY, VOL. 33, NO. 3, JUNE 2018

TABLE VII
TRIPPING TIME OF GROUND DISTANCE ELEMENTS COMPARED TO THAT OF A
TYPICAL RECLOSER

Ground Lateral(s) Examined tT C m a x (s) tk (s) tR E C (s)

element (k) where fuse (fk )
ground
faults are
simulated

1 - - 0.055
2 L1 f1 0.265 0.565 0.567
3 L2 f2 0.378 0.678 0.729
4 L3 , L4 f3 , f4 0.752 1.052 1.196

and the protection means of the line laterals. This is because K0

is uniform for the whole line and not suitably specialized for Fig. 9. Conventional recloser-fuses scheme.
each individual ground zone, so as to avoid undesired trips (see
Section IV.B). On the contrary, the proposed K0 can ensure the
detection of a fault inside the desirable zone and, at the same
time, eliminate the danger of undesired trips.

E. Advantages of the Proposed Distance Scheme Compared to

Overcurrent Protection
Distance protection provides inherent directionality and in-
dependency from external system conditions compared to over-
current protection [2]. Apart from those advantages, the ability
of distance relays to coordinate efficiently with other protec-
tion means in the system (e.g., fuses), while, at the same time,
achieving the minimum possible fault clearing time, renders
the application of distance protection to distribution systems a
promising solution.
Let us compare the distance-based protection scheme shown
in Fig. 8 with a typical overcurrent one, where a very common
recloser is installed at the head of the line. Since a fuse-blowing
philosophy is adopted in the distance-based protection scheme,
the same philosophy is adopted in the recloser-fuses coordi-
nation. Remember that according to [6], the time delay tk of
each ground distance zone k is set equal or greater to the largest
possible total clearing time (tTCm ax ) of the main fuse at the
lateral(s) protected by this zone, plus the required CTI, which is
here considered equal to 0.3 s. 30T fuse links are assumed at all
the line laterals.
Table VII shows the largest total clearing times tTCm ax of
the main fuses, resulting from ground fault simulations at the
endpoint of each lateral. It also shows the time delay setting
tk of each ground distance element k. Zone 1 is set with an
almost instantaneous time delay. Zones 2 and 3 are coordinated
with the largest total clearing time of the main fuse f1 and f2
respectively. Zone 4 is coordinated with the largest total clearing
time out of those calculated for fuses f3 and f4 at laterals L3 and
L4 respectively. Finally, Table VII includes the tripping time
tREC of the recloser, for the same simulated ground faults. It is
shown that, for the same SLG faults, the recloser set with inverse
time-overcurrent phase and ground characteristics (Fig. 9) acts
with an increased time delay compared to that of the distance
relay. The difference in the tripping time between the recloser
and the distance relay increases as the fault distance from the
Fig. 10. Connection of DG plants to the examined distribution line.
relay location increases. Bear also in mind that the tripping
time of the recloser varies with respect to the fault location
due to the inverse-time characteristic, whereas the tripping time
of each ground distance element remains always constant, in
the lowest possible value. Moreover, the tripping time of the
recloser varies with respect to the short-circuit capacity of the
external grid, unlike the distance relay.
F. Setting the Distance Relay Considering DG
It is a fact that (2)–(6) are not valid if intermediate sources are
present in a distribution line. Therefore, the proposed K0 set-
ting alone cannot guarantee discrimination between the ground
distance zones due to the infeed effect [2], which usually results
in an increased reactance calculated by the DR [16]. However,
the infeed effect can be compensated by increasing the forward
reactance reach setting + Xk of each ground distance zone suit-
ably, even if the proposed K0 is taken into account, which is
calculated without considering DG. In this way, in case of DG
being present in the line, the impedance that a ground distance
element will calculate, using the proposed K0 , for a SLG fault
occurring anywhere in its assigned line part, will lie inside the
respective (desirable) zone area.
The latter conclusion will be verified by considering the dis-
tribution feeder of Fig. 2, having now two generating plants
connected through step-up transformers to buses B1 and B3 re-
spectively (Fig. 10). Three cases are considered as for the type
of the DG units composing the plants:
1) A 1.0 MVA, 0.4 kV, 50 Hz round-rotor synchronous gen-
erator (SG), operating with a unity power factor.
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TSIMTSIOS AND NIKOLAIDIS: SETTING ZERO-SEQUENCE COMPENSATION FACTOR IN DISTANCE RELAYS 1245

TABLE VIII for PV systems), the reactance seen by a ground element for a
+ X k SETTING DETERMINED IN EACH CASE TO ADDRESS THE INFEED EFFECT
SLG fault will be lower than the actual one, thus it will definitely
lie inside the assigned zone.
No DG 2 DG plants (at B 1 and B 3 ) Based on the results of the above analysis, the proposed K0
DG type Ground element Initial + X k for + X k for the setting facilitates the optimized adjustment of the relay settings
(k) + Xk ideal K 0 proposed K 0 to the infeed effect conditions. A more detailed study of setting
setting (Ω primary) (Ω primary) the ground distance elements rigorously, when DG is present, is
(Ω primary)
planned for future work.
SG 2 2.97 3.67 3.05
3 4.90 6.73 6.09
4 8.87 14.30 13.57 V. CONCLUSION
IG 2 2.97 3.72 3.08
3 4.90 6.84 6.18 This paper examines the effect of K0 on the operation accu-
4 8.87 14.63 13.88 racy of distance relays protecting distribution feeders. Accord-
PV 2 2.97 2.99 2.45
3 4.90 4.96 4.38 ing to the theoretical analysis performed and based on the results
4 8.87 9.02 8.25 extracted from the examined test cases, the K0 effect follows
a specific pattern, considering conductors commonly used in
distribution networks. In particular, if K0 has been set based
on a specific positive- and zero-sequence impedance (reference
2) A set of four 250 KVA, 0.4 kV, 50 Hz induction generators impedance corresponding to a reference position) and a fault oc-
(IGs). curs in a position (downstream to the reference position), which
3) A set of two 500 KVA, 0.4 kV, 50 Hz inverter-interfaced corresponds to a positive-sequence impedance of greater mag-
photovoltaic (PV) systems operating with a unity power nitude and smaller angle compared to the reference impedance,
factor. The maximum steady state short-circuit contribu- the ground distance element locates the fault in a position of
tion of each PV system is limited to its nominal current. lower reactance compared to that of the actual fault position,
SLG faults are simulated at the endpoints of laterals L1 , L2 i.e., over-reach appears. On the contrary, if a fault occurs up-
and L4 , which correspond to the UB of ground distance zones 2, stream to the reference position, under-reach may appear. If not
3, and 4 respectively, in order to calculate the increased + Xk considered properly, those phenomena may lead to incorrect
setting for those zones, which addresses the infeed effect. Zone relay operation.
1 remains unaffected. Each fault is simulated twice; at first for By exploiting this pattern, the authors develop a methodology
the (theoretical) ideal K0 corresponding exactly to the fault for determining a single K0 factor for each ground distance ele-
position, in order to extract the pure effect of the intermediate ment, which leads the element to locate any SLG fault occurring
infeed, and secondly for the K0 setting of Table IV. in its assigned line part, inside the corresponding (desirable) dis-
The results of this analysis are presented in Table VIII. Each tance zone. The proposed methodology can be applied offline,
value in the fourth column of Table VIII corresponds to the reac- does not require considerable computational effort, and is ef-
tance calculated by each ground distance element for the ideal ficient for distribution systems without DG, in contrast to the
and the proposed K0 setting, when DG production is present traditional K0 setting philosophy. If intermediate DG sources
in the line. These values can be compared to those of the third are considered, it is observed that the proposed K0 reduces the
column, corresponding to zero DG production, in order to cal- infeed effect, making its handling easier.
culate the required increase in the + Xk setting and achieve
discrimination between the ground distance zones. VI. FUTURE WORK
It is shown that when SG or IG type DG units are connected
to the line, the + Xk setting of all zones, except the first one, has Using the findings of this work, the authors intend to proceed
to be increased either if the ideal or the proposed K0 is assumed. with a deeper examination of additional parameters, such as the
However, when the proposed K0 setting is applied, the required effect of fault resistance and DG. In addition, several other set-
increase is reduced. Concerning the connection of PV type DG ting criteria considering the coverage and time delay of distance
units, the infeed effect is negligible due to their low short-circuit relay zones will be examined. The ultimate goal is to propose
contribution. Therefore, when the ideal K0 is considered, the complete guidelines for the optimized setting of distance relays
required increase of the + Xk setting for zones 2, 3 and 4, is protecting distribution feeders with DG.
very low in this case. On the contrary, when the proposed K0
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Aristotelis M. Tsimtsios (S’17) received the Diploma of Electrical and Com-
puter Engineering and the M.Sc. degree in energy systems and renewable energy
sources from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Dem-
ocritus University of Thrace, Xanthi, Greece, in 2013 and 2015, respectively.
He is currently working toward the Ph.D. degree at the same Department. His
research interests include power system protection, distributed generation, and
power system reliability. Dr. Tsimtsios is a member of the Technical Chamber
of Greece.
Vassilis C. Nikolaidis (M’11) received the five-year Diploma of Electrical
and Computer Engineering from the Department of Electrical and Computer
Engineering, Democritus University of Thrace, Xanthi, Greece, in 2001, the
M.Sc. degree in energy engineering and management from National Techni-
cal University of Athens (NTUA), Athens, Greece, in 2002, and the Doctor of
Engineering degree from NTUA, in 2007. Since 2008, he has been working as a
power systems consulting engineer. He is currently an Assistant Professor with
the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Democritus Univer-
sity of Thrace. His research interests mainly include power system protection,
control, stability, and transients.