Short Circuit Faults in SM

Getachew Biru (Dr.-Ing)

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Introduction
Short-Circuit
Whenever a fault occurs on a network such that a
large current flows in one or more phases, a short-
circuit is said to have occurred.

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Single-phase short-circuit

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Single-phase short-circuit

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Single-phase short-circuit

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Single-phase short-circuit
• Exponentially decaying dc current component

• where T is the time constant

• The value of C1 is determined from the initial

condition

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Single-phase short-circuit
• The magnitude of iDC(0) depends on when the
switch is closed. For fault analysis we're just
concerned with the worst case

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Single-phase short-circuit
• The magnitude of iDC(0) depends on when the
switch is closed. For fault analysis we're just
concerned with the worst case

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Single-phase short-circuit
• The function

• is not periodic, so we can't formally define an

RMS value. However, as an approximation
define

• This function has a maximum value of

• Therefore the dc component is included simply
by multiplying the ac fault currents by 9
Single-phase short-circuit

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Single-phase short-circuit
Example:
• A bolted short circuit occurs in the series R–L
circuit with V=20 kV, X=8 , R=0.8 , and with
maximum dc offset. The circuit breaker opens 3
cycles after fault inception. Determine (a) the rms
ac fault current, (b) the rms ‘‘momentary’’ current
at t = 0.5 cycle, which passes through the
breaker before it opens, and (c) the rms
asymmetrical fault current that the breaker
interrupts.

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Single-phase short-circuit
Example:

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Single-phase short-circuit
Example:

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Single-phase short-circuit
Example:

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Three-phase fault of SM
• When a symmetrical 3-
phase fault occurs at the
terminals of a
synchronous generator,
the resulting current flow
in the phases of the
generator can appear as
shown.

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Three-phase fault of SM
• There are three periods of time:
– Sub-transient period: first cycle or so after the fault – AC
current is very large and falls rapidly;
– Transient period: current falls at a slower rate;
– Steady-state period: current reaches its steady value.

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Three-phase fault of SM
• Generators can be approximated as a constant
voltage behind a time-varying reactance

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Three-phase fault of SM

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Three-phase fault of SM
• The ac fault current in a synchronous machine can
be modeled by the series R–L circuit, if a time-
varying inductance or reactance is employed. In
standard machine theory, the following reactances
are defined:

• The subscript d refers to the direct axis. There are

similar quadrature axis reactances.

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Three-phase fault of SM
• Using the above direct axis reactances, the
instantaneous ac fault current can be written as

• where Eg is the rms line-to-neutral prefault terminal

voltage of the unloaded synchronous machine.
• Armature resistance is neglected. Note that at t =0,
when the fault occurs, the rms value of iac(t) is

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Three-phase fault of SM
• Note that at t =0, when the fault occurs, the rms
value of iac(t) is

• Which is called the rms sub-transient fault current,

I”.
• The duration of I’’ is determined by the time
constant Td”, called the direct axis short-circuit sub
transient time constant.

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Three-phase fault of SM
• At a later time, when t is large compared to Td’’ but
small compared to the direct axis short-circuit
transient time constant T’d, the first exponential
term has decayed almost to zero, but the second
exponential has not decayed significantly.
• The rms ac fault current then equals the rms
transient fault current, given by

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Three-phase fault of SM
• When t is much larger than T’d , the rms ac fault
current approaches its steady-state value, given by

• Since the three-phase no-load voltages are

displaced 120o from each other, the three-phase
ac fault currents are also displaced 120o from each
other. In addition to the ac fault current, each
phase has a direct dc offset.

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Three-phase fault of SM
• The maximum dc offset in any one phase, which
occurs when α=0 is

• where TA is called the armature time constant.

Note that the magnitude of the maximum dc offset
depends only on the rms sub-transient fault current
I’’.

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Three-phase fault of SM
• Machine reactances X’’d ; X’d, and Xd , and as well
as time constants Td’’, Td’,TA are usually provided
by synchronous machine manufacturers

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Three-phase fault of SM
• Example:
• A 500-MVA 20-kV, 50-Hz synchronous generator with
reactances X’’d=0.15, X’d=0.24, Xd=1.1 per unit and time
constants T’’d=0.035, T’d=2.0, Td=0.2 s is connected to a
circuit breaker. The generator is operating at 5% above
rated voltage and at no-load when a bolted three-phase
short circuit occurs on the load side of the breaker. The
breaker interrupts the fault 3 cycles after fault inception.
Determine (a) the subtransient fault current in per-unit
and kA rms; (b) maximum dc o¤set as a function of time;
and (c) rms asymmetrical fault current, which the breaker
interrupts, assuming maximum dc offset.

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Three-phase fault of SM
• Example:
a) The no-load voltage before the fault occurs is
Eg=1.05 per unit. From
• the sub-transient fault current that occurs in each of
the three phases is
• The generator base current is

• The rms subtransient fault current in kA is the per-

unit value multiplied by the base current:

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Three-phase fault of SM
• Example:
b) the maximum dc offset that may occur in any one
phase is the sub-transient fault current that occurs in
each of the three phases is

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Three-phase fault of SM
Example:
• The rms ac fault current at t =3 cycles=0.05 s is

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Three-phase fault of SM
Example:
• To account for the time-varying symmetrical
component of fault current, we obtain

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Three-phase fault of SM
Exercise: A 100 MVA, 13.8 kV, Y-connected, 3 phase 60 Hz
synchronous generator is operating at the rated voltage and no
load when a 3 phase fault occurs at its terminals. Its reactances
per unit to the machine’s own base are

• A) What is the AC component of current in this generator the

instant after the fault?
• b) What is the total current (AC + DC) in the generator right
after the fault occurs?
• c) What will the AC component of the current be after 2
cycles? After 5 s?

• The initial DC component in this machine averages 50% of

the initial AC component. 31