1 Line Differential Protection

Differential Protection
This tutorial concentrates on the fundamental aspects of handling differential protection. It demonstrates how
to implement, use and adjust differential protection device models in PowerFactory.
It is important here to highlight that PowerFactory does not support the calculation of internal faults on electrical
plant. This means that there are no calculation tools built in to PowerFactory that can assist you in calculating
faults on the windings of transformers or any rotating machine.
It is assumed that you are familiar with the basic editing of network data in PowerFactory and therefore the
network has been pre-prepared for use, only requiring the adjustment of the protection devices. Instructions
on how to perform load flows/short circuit and the access and visualise results can be found in other tutorials
and within the user manual. It is also assumed that you have completed the overcurrent protection tutorial so
that the basics of relay modelling are familiar.
1 Line Differential Protection
Two of the defining handling features of differential relays in comparison to other relay models in PowerFactory,
are that firstly differential protection devices need a minimum of two different current transformer inputs and
secondly that differential relays are more often required to send tripping signal to multiple circuit breakers.
In this exercise we will use a Siemens 7SD610_1A relay model. This is a universal differential protection
relay that will be applied here as line differential protection device for two line ends. The actual relay device is a
multifunctional device containing a variety of different protection elements including thermal overload protection
(ANSI 49), overcurrent protection (50(N),51(N)), Auto-Reclosure (79). . . . and many of these features are
also implemented in the PowerFactory relay model. However, for the purposes of this exercise we will only
concentrate on the differential protection block (87).
• Click on the icon , to import and activate the project for this exercise.
• Create a new protection relay on the 10km long line “L_2”.
– To create a Protection device, right click on the cubicle where the relay should be placed and select
New Devices → Relay Model. . .
DIFFERENTIAL PROTECTION
Figure 1.1: Creating a new Relay Model
• Rename the relay as “R_LineDiff” and select Siemens 7SD610 as the type. You can find this relay model
stored in the local project equipment type library. Familiarise yourself with the relay model.
• Create two current transformers (CT’s) “CT1” and “CT2” at both ends of this “L_2” line. Select a CT ratio
of 1000/1 A.
– To create a CT right click on the cubicle where the CT should be located and select New Devices →
Current Transformer. . .
• Once you have created a CT at each end of the line, assign the two new CT’s to the recently created
relay “R_LineDiff”.
– The easiest way to assign existing CT’s to a relay is by copying it and pasting it into the correspond-
ing field inside of the relay model.
Rev.2 2
Figure 1.2: Assigning CT’s to a Relay model
• Since the focus of this exercise is on differential protection, set all other protection blocks out of service.
– One way to set blocks of interest out of service is to open the relay → press the “Contents” button→
in the newly opened browser you can easily set multiple blocks out of service by Copying/Pasting
the status of the “Out of Service” parameter
• Open the differential block of the relay and set the following settings:
– Release Threshold to 0.15 sec.A
– Restraint 1st Slope Threshold to 0.5 sec.A
– Restraint 2nd Slope Threshold to 5 sec.A
– Restraint 1st Slope to 30%
– Restraint 2nd Slope to 60 %
– Unrestrained Differential Threshold to 5 sec.A
• Create a Differential protection plot for this relay.
– Right click on the relay and choose Show → Current comparison differential plot
Rev.2 3
Figure 1.3: Create a differential plot
• Execute a three phase short circuit at the midpoint of the line and confirm that the relay trips.
• Go to the single line diagram and configure the result boxes to show the short circuit current contributions
from both sides of the faulted line. Based on these results calculate the differential and stabilising currents
𝐼𝐷𝐼𝐹 𝐹 and 𝐼𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑏 you would expect the relay to calculate.
• Compare these values with the values on the differential plot.

• Run a Short Circuit Trace for a fault at the midpoint of the protected line.
– To run the Short Circuit Trace right click on the line of interest → Calculate→ Short-Circuit Trace . . .
• After pressing Execute on the Short Circuit Trace command, a tabular report will appear. You will see
that the differential relay opens only one circuit breaker (CB1).
• To fix this we will need to assign the remote circuit breaker to the relay tripping logic.
– Open the differential relay object and navigate to the “Logic” block.
– Insert an additional empty row in the Circuit-Breaker table as shown in figure 1.4
Rev.2 4
Figure 1.4: Adding Row to Logic block in order to assign additional switching device
– To assign switching devices to two empty rows you can apply the same copy/paste approach as we
used for assigning CT’s to Relay’s.
– Navigate to the cubicle containing the local circuit breaker in the single line and choose Edit Devices.
Copy the circuit breaker in the browser which appears.
– Paste the circuit breaker over the empty “Open” parameter in one of the two empty rows.
– Repeat the same procedure for the remote circuit breaker.
• Repeat the Short circuit trace calculation, you should get the results shown in figure 1.5. Did the
adjustment of the logic block work?
Figure 1.5: Results of Short Circuit Trace calculation tool
• Insert a graphical representation of the protection relay in the single line diagram
– Click on the Diagram Layout Tool icon from the local icon bar .
– Select the Auto-insert elements into current diagram option and choose Protection devices under
Insert elements into current diagram.
Rev.2 5
– On the Protection Devices page mark both Relays and CT’s and VTs.
– Press the Execute button.
2 Summary
This concludes the exercise. Now it should be clear how to carry out the following tasks:
Model differential relay protection in PowerFactory.

Assign different measurement devices to a relay model.
Show current comparison differential plots.
Execute the short circuit trace.

Assign circuit breakers to relay tripping logic.
Use the Diagram Layout Tool to add protection devices to single line diagram.

1 Line Differential Protection

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Differential Protection

1 Line Differential Protection

Figure 1.1: Creating a new Relay Model

Figure 1.2: Assigning CT’s to a Relay model

Figure 1.3: Create a differential plot

• Compare these values with the values on the differential plot.

Figure 1.5: Results of Short Circuit Trace calculation tool

Model differential relay protection in PowerFactory.

Execute the short circuit trace.

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