Current & Voltage Transformers

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Introduction to Current Transformer
• Current and voltage signals are derived for all electrical
measurements and relaying decisions
• Since relaying hardware works with smaller range of current
(in amperes and not kA) and voltage (volts and not kV), real
life signals (feeder or transmission line currents) and bus
voltages have to be scaled to lower levels and then fed to the
relays. This job is done by current and voltage transformers
(CTs and VTs).
• CTs and VTs also electrically isolate the relaying system from
the actual power apparatus and thus provides safety of both
human personnel and the equipment as well.

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Introduction to Current Transformer
• CT and VTs are the sensors for the relay.
– They function like ‘ears' and the ‘eyes' of the protection system. They
listen to and observe all happening in the external world.
• Relay itself is the brain which processes these signals and
issues decision commands implemented by circuit breakers,
alarms etc.
• Clearly, quality of the relaying decision depends upon ‘faithful'
reproduction on the secondary side of the transformer.

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 Equivalent Circuit of CT

Fundamental difference: regular power transformers are excited by a voltage source, a

current transformer has current source excitation

Primary winding of the CT is connected in series with the transmission line. The load
on the secondary side is the relaying burden and the lead wire resistance.
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Equivalent Circuit of CT
• Total load in ohms that is introduced by CT in series with the
transmission line is insignificant and hence, the connection of
the CT does not alter current in the feeder or the power
apparatus at all.
• Hence from modeling perspectives it is reasonable to assume
that CT primary is connected to a current source.
• The remaining steps in modeling are as follows:
As impedance in series with the current source can be neglected, we
can neglect the primary winding resistance and leakage reactance in
CT modeling.
For the convenience in analysis, we can shift the magnetizing
impedance from the primary side to the secondary side of the ideal
transformer
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 Equivalent Circuit of CT

Secondary winding resistance and leakage reactance is not neglected as it will

affect the performance of CT. The total impedance on the secondary side is the
sum of relay burden, lead wire resistance and leakage impedance of secondary
winding. Therefore, the voltage developed in the secondary winding depends
upon these parameters directly.

E = 4.44 f N2 Фm
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Equivalent Circuit of CT
• Фm is the peak sinusoidal flux developed in the core. If
corresponding to this flux is above Bm (magnetic flux density) the
• knee point, it is more or less obvious that the CT will saturate
During saturation, CT secondary winding cannot replicate the
primary current accurately and hence, the performance of the CT
• deteriorates.
Thus, in practice, while selecting a CT we should ascertain that it
should not saturate on the sinusoidal currents that it would be
•
subjected to.
• Use of numerical relays due to their very small burden improves the
CT performance.
CT is to be operated always in closed condition. If the CT is open
circuited, all the current Ip/N, would flow through Xm. This will lead
to the development of dangerously high level of voltage in
secondary winding which can even burn out the CT. 7
•
One of the major problems faced by the protection systems
engineer is the saturation of CT on large ac currents and dc offset
current present during the transient.
When the CT is saturated, primary current source cannot be faithfully
reflected to the secondary side.

• Also, the magnetizing impedance falls down during saturation. Then

the transformer behaves more like an air core device, with
negligible coupling between the primary and secondary winding.
The high reluctance due to the air path implies that the magnetizing
impedance (inductance) falls down.
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Classification of CT
Measurement CTs
It has much lower VA capacity than a protection grade CT.
accurate over its complete range e.g. from 5% to 125% of
normal current. In other words, its magnetizing impedance at
low current levels.
due to non-linear nature of B-H curve, magnetizing impedance
is not constant but varies over the CT's operating range. It is not
expected to give linear response (secondary current a scaled
replica of the primary current) during large fault currents.
• Protection CTs
– linear response is expected up to 20 times the rated current
– performance has to be accurate in the range of normal currents
and up to fault currents
– magnetizing impedance should be maintained to a large value
in the range of the currents of the order of fault currents
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Classification of CT
When a CT is used for both the purposes, it has to be of required
accuracy class to satisfy both accuracy conditions of measurement
CTs and protection CTs.
In other words, it has to be accurate for both very small and very large
values of current. Typically, CT secondary rated current is standardized
to 1A or 5A (more common).
Unreasonable to assume that the linear response will be
independent of the net burden on the CT secondary.

quite obvious that the driving force required to drive the primary
current replica will increase as this burden increases.
If this voltage exceeds the designer's set limits, then the CT core will
saturate and hence linear response will be lost. Hence, when we say
that a CT will give linear response up to 20 times the rated current,
there is also an implicit constraint that the CT burden will be kept to a
low value.
In general, name-plate rating specifies a voltage limit on the secondary
(e.g., 100 V) up to which linear response is expected. If the CT burden
causes this voltage to be exceeded, CT saturation results
Classification of CTs (ANSI / IEEE)
Class T CT: wound type CT with
one or more primary turns wound
on a core. Due to high leakage flux
in the core, the only way to
determine it's performance is by
test.
letter ‘B' indicates the burden in
ohms to which the CT is subjected.
Linear performance for B - 0.1 Ω
A general rule of thumb is that,
but with increasing burden the
one should try to keep the CT
linearity criteria is not met burden as low as possible

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Class T CT
• CT performance is usually gauged from the ratio error. The ratio
error is the percentage deviation in the current magnitude in the
secondary from the desired value. In other words, if the current
measured in the secondary is Is, true or actual value is Ip/N, where
N is nominal ratio.
• Ratio error is equal to IE/IS, where IE is magnetizing current
• When the CT is saturated, coupling between primary and secondary
is reduced. Hence large ratio errors are expected in saturation. The
current in the secondary is also phase shifted.
– For measurement grade CTs, there are strict performance requirements
on phase angle errors also. Error in phase angle measurement affects
power factor calculation and ultimately real and reactive power
measurements. It is expected that the ratio error for protection grade CTs
will be maintained within ±10%

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Class C CT
Class C CTs are the more accurate bar type CTs; where, the
leakage flux from the core is kept very small and therefore
negligible.
Performance can be evaluated from the standard exciting
curves.
Ratio error is maintained within for standard operating
conditions. For such CTs, voltage rating on the secondary is
specified up to which linear response is guaranteed.
For example, a class C CT specification could be as follows: 200:5
C 100; indicates secondary winding will supply an output current
of 5 amperes when the primary winding current is 200 amperes.
100 indicated the secondary exciting voltage. Class C CT will
provide linear response up to 20 times rated current provided
the burden on the secondary is kept below 1 ohm (100/(5*20)).
Similarly, a corresponding class T CT may be labeled as 200:5 T
100.
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Class C CT

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Example 1
• A 1200/5, C400 CT with excitation curves shown on
above figure, is connected to a 2.0 burden. Based on
the accuracy classification, what is the maximum
symmetrical fault current that may be applied to this
CT without exceeding a 10% ratio error?

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Solution:
Example 2
• A 1200/5, C400 CT is connected on the 1000/5 tap.
What is the maximum secondary burden that can be
used and we can maintain rated accuracy at 20 times
rated symmetrical secondary current?

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Solution:
Example 3
• Assume that secondary burden of a 300:5
class C CT is 5 Ω. The relay setting is 2A and
the CT ratio is 300/5. Using figure for Class C
CT, calculate the primary current required to
operate the relay?

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Example 4
• A relay is expected to operate for 7000A primary
current. The class C CT ratio is 600/5 (see figure).
Secondary burden is 3.5 Ω. Will the CT saturate at
this burden? Also, comment on the ratio error.

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Example 5
• What will be the approximate % error if a
500:5 class C CT is connected to a secondary
burden of 2.5 Ω and the secondary current is
68A.

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Example 6
• If a 300:5 class C CT is connected to a meter with resistance
1Ω and secondary current in the CT is 4.5A; find out the
primary current, voltage developed across the meter and %
ratio error. Lead wire resistance secondary resistance RL =
0.02 Ω of a 300:5 CT = 0.15 Ω

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