Principles and Characteristics of Distance Protection

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Principles and Characteristics of Distance Protection

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Principles and Characteristics of Distance Protection (on photo distance protection relay type SIPROTEC 4 7SA522 for transmission lines)
Introduction to Distance Protection

Distance relays are one of the most important protection elements in a transmission line.
These relays may sometimes be set based in percentages of the line impedances, for example a typical setting for
zone 1 is 80% of the impedance of the line in order to not reach the remote end, the zone 2 can be set at 120% of
the impedance of the line in order to dependably overreach the line, Zone 3 sometimes are disabled or set to cover
an adjacent line.
Distance relays characteristics may be Mho, Quadrilateral, Offset Mho, etc. In the case of the quadrilateral
characteristic or long reaching mho characteristics, additional care may be required to remain secure during heavy
load.
In the case of parallel lines, the mutual coupling of these lines can cause distance relays to under reach and over
reach. For this reason the relay setting must consider this effect, some relays have algorithms to compensate, but it
is necessary to use the current of the parallel line which adds complexity to the installation.
In some countries there criteria that a distance protection can not reach fault in other voltage levels, because fault
clearing times in sub transmission levels may be slower than fault clearing times at the transmission level.
The problem of combining fast fault clearance with selective tripping of plant is a key aim for the protection of
power systems.
To meet these requirements, high-speed protection systems for transmission and primary distribution circuits that are
suitable for use with the automatic reclosure of circuit breakers are under continuous development and are very
widely applied.
Distance protection, in its basic form, is a non-unit system of protection offering considerable economic and technical
advantages.
Unlike phase and neutral overcurrent protection, the key advantage of distance protection is that its fault coverage of
the protected circuit is virtually independent of source impedance variations.
Figure 1 - Advantages of distance over overcurrent protection
Distance protection is comparatively simple to apply and it can be fast in operation for faults located along most of a
protected circuit. It can also provide both primary and remote back-up functions in a single scheme. It can easily be
adapted to create a unit protection scheme when applied with a signalling channel.
In this form it is eminently suitable for application with high-speed auto- reclosing, for the protection of critical
transmission lines.
Principles of Distance Relays

Since the impedance of a transmission line is proportional to its length, for distance measurement it is appropriate to
use a relay capable of measuring the impedance of a line up to a predetermined point (the reach point).
Such a relay is described as a distance relay and is designed to operate only for faults occurring between the relay
location and the selected reach point, thus giving discrimination for faults that may occur in different line sections.
The basic principle of distance protection involves the division of the voltage at the relaying point by the measured
current. The apparent impedance so calculated is compared with the reach point impedance. If the measured
impedance is less than the reach point impedance, it is assumed that a fault exists on the line between the relay and
the reach point.
The reach point of a relay is the point along the line impedance locus that is intersected by the boundary
characteristic of the relay.
Since this is dependent on the ratio of voltage and current and the phase angle between them, it may be plotted on
an R/X diagram. The loci of power system impedances as seen by the relay during faults, power swings and load
variations may be plotted on the same diagram and in this manner the performance of the relay in the presence of
system faults and disturbances may be studied.
Relay performance
Distance relay performance is defined in terms of reach accuracy and operating time. Reach accuracy is a
comparison of the actual ohmic reach of the relay under practical conditions with the relay setting value in ohms.
Reach accuracy particularly depends on the level of voltage presented to the relay under fault conditions .
The impedance measuring techniques employed in particular relay designs also have an impact. Operating times can
vary with fault current, with fault position relative to the relay setting, and with the point on the voltage wave at which
the fault occurs.
Depending on the measuring techniques employed in a particular relay design, measuring signal transient errors,
such as those produced by Capacitor Voltage Transformers or saturating CTs, can also adversely delay relay
operation for faults close to the reach point. It is usual for electromechanical and static distance relays to claim both
maximum and minimum operating times.
However, for modern digital or numerical distance relays, the variation between these is small over a wide range of
system operating conditions and fault positions.
Distance Relay Characteristics
Some numerical relays measure the absolute fault impedance and then determine whether operation is required
according to impedance boundaries defined on the R/X diagram.
Traditional distance relays and numerical relays that emulate the impedance elements of traditional relays do not
measure absolute impedance. They compare the measured fault voltage with a replica voltage derived from the fault
current and the zone impedance setting to determine whether the fault is within zone or out-of-zone. Distance relay
impedance comparators or algorithms which emulate traditional comparators are classified according to their polar
characteristics, the number of signal inputs they have, and the method by which signal comparisons are made.
The common types compare either the relative amplitude or phase of two input quantities to obtain operating
characteristics that are either straight lines or circles when plotted on an R/X diagram. At each stage of distance relay
design evolution, the development of impedance operating characteristic shapes and sophistication has been
governed by the technology available and the acceptable cost.
Since many traditional relays are still in service and since some numerical relays emulate the techniques of the
traditional relays, a brief review of impedance comparators is justified.
Example of Modern Distance Protection Relay
SIPROTEC 7SA522 protection relay - Single line diagram (provides full-scheme distance protection and incorporates all functions usually
required for the protection of a power line)
This particulary relay has following ANSI protection functions:

ANSI
Description
ANSI
Description
21/21N
Distance protection
50HS
Switch-onto-fault protection
FL
Fault locator
50BF
Breaker failure protection
50N/51N; 67N
Directional ground-fault protection
59/27
Overvoltage/undervoltage protection
50/51/67
Backup overcurrent protection
81O/U Over/underfrequency protection
50 STUB
STUB-bus overcurrent stage
25
Synchro-check
68/68T
Power swing detection/tripping
79
Auto-reclosure
85/21
Teleprotection for distance protection
74TC
Trip circuit supervision
27WI
Weak-infeed protection
86
Lockout (CLOSE command interlocking)
85/67N
Teleprotection for ground-fault protection
Distance Relays (VIDEO)

Cant see this video? Click here to watch it on Youtube.
Resource: Network protection and automation guide Areva; SIPROTEC47SA522 Distance Protection Relay for
Transmission Lines; An Example Distance Protection Application with Complicating Factors by Yofre Jacome and
Charles F Henville

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electrical-engineering-portal.

Principles and Characteristics of Distance Protection

Introduction to Distance Protection

Figure 1 - Advantages of distance over overcurrent protection

Principles of Distance Relays

Distance Relay Characteristics

Example of Modern Distance Protection Relay

This particulary relay has following ANSI protection functions:

Breaker failure protection

Directional ground-fault protection

Backup overcurrent protection

81O/U Over/underfrequency protection

STUB-bus overcurrent stage

Power swing detection/tripping

Teleprotection for distance protection

Trip circuit supervision

Lockout (CLOSE command interlocking)

Teleprotection for ground-fault protection

Distance Relays (VIDEO)

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