Power System Protection (ELG 7113)

Lecture 4

Dr. Javad Fattahi

Sep 18, 2023

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 Protection Zones

I Power System Elements: A power system Notes:

encompasses generators, transformers, bus bars,
transmission and distribution lines, etc. Each
of these components necessitates its own
protective scheme.
I Protection Zones: The power system is
divided into multiple zones for protection
purposes. Each zone corresponds to specific
equipment or element protection, such as
generator protection, transformer protection,
transmission line protection, bus bar
protection, and more.
I Comprehensive Coverage: Protective zones
are meticulously planned to ensure collective
coverage of the entire power system. This
strategy guarantees that no part of the system
is left without appropriate protection.

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 Protection Overlap

Notes:

I Overlap for Reliability: Adjacent protective

zones have overlapping regions to account for
faults occurring at the boundaries. This
ensures that even in such cases, the proper
circuit breaker would be triggered, preventing
vulnerabilities due to measurement inaccuracies
or other factors.
I Balancing Overlap: It’s crucial to balance the
extent of overlap. Excessive overlap can lead
to unnecessary circuit breaker tripping. A
controlled extent of overlap is maintained to
minimize the chances of faults in the
overlapping region and reduce excessive
tripping frequency.

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 Protection Backup

In situations where primary protection may fail, the I Operating Time Consideration: The
following considerations come into play: operating time of backup protection should
I Failures and Secondary Defence: Failures in equal the operating time of primary protection
CT/VT, relays, or circuit breakers could plus the operating time of the primary circuit
undermine primary protection. To address this, breaker.
a secondary layer of defence is essential.
I Backup Protection Zone: Secondary
protection involves adding another zone of
protection. This zone is designed to activate
and isolate faulty components when primary
protection fails.
I Independence and Location: Backup
protection must differ from primary protection
and should ideally be located separately. This
ensures that a failure affecting one zone won’t
impact the other.
I Delayed Activation: The operating time of
backup protection should be delayed by an
appropriate duration beyond that of the
primary protection.

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 Solving 3-Phase Short-Circuit Faults: Procedure

3-phase short-circuit faults lead to symmetrical fault currents where the magnitudes are equal, but the phases are displaced
by 120 electrical degrees. Therefore, analyzing such faults can be simplified by considering just one phase, as the same
conditions apply to the other two phases. The step-by-step procedure for solving these faults is as follows:
I Draw a single-line diagram of the entire network, indicating the ratings, voltages, and percentage reactances of each
network element.
I Choose a convenient base kVA value and convert all percentage reactances to this base value.
I Create a reactance diagram corresponding to the single-line network diagram, displaying one phase and the neutral.
Indicate the percentage reactances based on the chosen base kVA in the reactance diagram. Represent transformers in
the system with series reactances.
I Calculate the total percentage reactance of the network up to the point of the fault, denoted as X%.
I Determine the full-load current for the selected base kVA (I) and the normal system voltage (V) at the fault location.
I Perform various short-circuit calculations using the following formulas:
I Short-circuit current: sc = ⇥100 ,
-% Short-circuit kVA: (sc = Base kVA⇥100
-%

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 Reactance and Short Circuit Calculations
The reactance of various components such as generators, transformers, and reactors is commonly
represented as a percentage to facilitate quick calculations for short circuit scenarios. The percentage reactance
signifies the proportion of the total phase voltage that is lost across the circuit when it carries full-load current.
Mathematically, it is expressed as:
100 -
%- =
+
Here, represents the full-load current, + is the phase voltage, and - is the reactance in ohms per phase.
In cases of balanced three-phase faults, similar to balanced three-phase loads, it is possible to analyze the
situation on a line-to-neutral basis. Alternatively, the percentage reactance (%X) can also be conveyed in terms
of kilovolt-amperes (kVA) and kilovolts (kV) as demonstrated below:
(kVA) -
%- =
10(kV) 2
In scenarios where - is the sole reactance component within the circuit, the formula for short-circuit current
( sc ) is given by:
+ 100
sc = =
- %-
Hence, the short-circuit current can be calculated by multiplying the full-load current by (100/%-).

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 Example: 3-phase short-circuit current

Example: Consider the single-line diagram of a Solution:

3-phase system, as shown in Figure. Each
alternator’s percentage reactance is based on its
individual capacity. The objective is to determine
the short-circuit current that will occur in the event
of a complete 3-phase short-circuit at point F.

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 Example: External reactance per phase

Example: A 3-phase, 20 MVA, 10 kV alternator is Solution:

characterized by internal reactance (X) of 5% and
negligible resistance. The goal is to find the
external reactance per phase to be connected in
series with the alternator. This external reactance
should be set so that the steady current on
short-circuit does not exceed 8 times the full load
current.

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 Example: Short-circuit kVA fed to a symmetrical fault

Example: A 3-phase transmission line operates at Solution:

10 kV with a resistance of 1 ohm and reactance of
4 ohms. It is connected to the generating station
bus-bars through a 5 MVA step-up transformer with
a reactance of 5%. The bus-bars are supplied by a
10 MVA alternator with a 10% reactance.
(i) Calculate the short-circuit kVA fed to a
symmetrical fault occurring at the load end of the
transmission line.
(ii) Calculate the short-circuit kVA fed to a
symmetrical fault occurring at the high voltage
terminals of the transformer.

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 Example: Short-circuit kVA fed to a symmetrical fault

Solution: Solution:

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 Example: Maximum Fault MVA Calculation

Example: For a 3-phase generating station has the Solution:

following configuration:
- Two 10,000 kVA generators, each with a
reactance of 12%.
- One 5,000 kVA generator with a reactance of
18%.
- The generators are connected to the station
bus-bars.
- Load is distributed through three 5,000 kVA
step-up transformers, each having a reactance of 5%.
(i) Determine the maximum fault MVA that the
circuit breakers on the low voltage side may have to
deal with.
(ii) Determine the maximum fault MVA that the
circuit breakers on the high voltage side may have
to deal with.

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 Example: Maximum Fault MVA Calculation

Solution: Solution:

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 Exaample: Symmetrical Components of Line Currents

Example: A balanced star-connected load draws Solution:

90A from a balanced 3-phase, 4-wire supply. If the
fuses in the Y (b phase) and B (c phase) phases are
removed, find the symmetrical components of the
line currents:
(i) Determine the symmetrical components of the
line currents before the fuses are removed.
(ii) Determine the symmetrical components of the
line currents after the fuses are removed.

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 Exaample: Symmetrical Components of Line Currents

Solution: Solution:

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 Example: Current Analysis in Unequally Loaded 3-Phase System

Example: In a 3-phase, 4-wire system supplying Solution:

unequally distributed loads across R (a), Y (b), and
B (c) phases, the following current components are
observed:
- In the R (a) line: Positive phase sequence
component is 200\0° A, and the negative phase
sequence component is 100\60° A.
- The total observed current flowing back to the
supply in the neutral conductor is 300\300° A.
Calculate the currents in the three lines (R, Y, B) to
complete the analysis.

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 Example: Symmetrical Components of Line Currents in a Faulty 3-Phase
Line
Example: In a scenario where one conductor of a Solution:
3-phase line is open, specifically phase a (a phase),
and the current flowing to the Delta-connected load
through this phase a is 10 A, we can determine the
symmetrical components of the line currents.
Assuming that phase c is open and using the current
in phase a as a reference, this analysis will provide
insights into the symmetrical components of the line
currents.

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 Example: Line Symmetrical Components in a Delta-Connected Load

Example: In a setup where a delta-connected load Notes:

is supplied from a 3-phase source, we observe that
the fuse in the c phase is removed, while the
current in the other two lines, specifically the a and
b phases are 20 A. The objective is to determine the
symmetrical components of the line currents under
these conditions.

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 Example: Calculation of Phase Current Using Symmetrical Components

Example: A star-connected load consists of three Solution:

equal resistors, each with a resistance of 1 W. The
load is connected to an unsymmetrical 3-phase
supply, and the line voltages are given as 200 V,
346 V, and 400 V. We aim to determine the
magnitude of the current in any phase using the
symmetrical components method.

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 Example: Calculation of Phase Current Using Symmetrical Components

Solution: Solution:

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