Generator Protection

Lecture 4

Presented by:
Professor Dr. Saady Abd-El hamid
 Rotor Protection
1- FIELD GROUND-FAULT PROTECTION
Because field circuits are operated ungrounded, a
single ground fault will not cause any damage or
affect the operation of a generator in any way
Thus, the probability of a second ground occurring
is increased. Should a second ground occur, part of
the field winding will be by-passed, and the current
through the remaining portion may be increased.
By-passing part of the field winding will unbalance the air-
gap fluxes, and this will unbalance the magnetic forces on
opposite sides of the rotor.
The field is biased by a dc voltage which causes
current to flow through R for an earth fault.
For units with brushes, a relay (64) with a
voltage-divider circuit can be connected across
the field and the exciter with a sensitive DC-
type relay that is connected between bridge
network and ground. When a ground occurs in
the field of exciter circuits, a voltage appears
across the relay to produce operation.
To avoid no-operation for a ground fault at a
null point, one branch of the bridge includes a
nonlinear resistor that changes this blind spot
with voltage variations of the field.
 Method 2
Rotor earth fault detection using DC injection method.
Either a-c or d-c voltage may be impressed
between the field circuit and ground through an
overvoltage relay. A ground anywhere in the
field circuit will pick up the relay. If direct
current is used, the overvoltage relay can be
more sensitive than if alternating current is used;
with alternating current, the relay must not pick
up on the current that flows normally through
the capacitance to ground, and care must be
taken to avoid resonance between this
capacitance and the relay inductance.
Loss of Excitation (Field Failure) Protection
The loss of field circuit imposes the circuit to draw reactive
VAR from the system. This results in machine being operated
as an induction generator. This causes overheating in the
circuit. Loss of excitation is detected by the import of VAR
indicating either actual or prospective loss of synchronism. So
the transients in such phenomena can be allowed for 1 to 5
seconds in tripping sequence of the relay. Due to the loss of
excitation, there would be a drop in voltage and resulting in
the drop of current. This can be detected by an undercurrent
moving coil relay in the field circuit. Even this method is not
suitable for generators having wide range of operation in the
field excitation. The alternative solution is to apply an offset
impedance or mho relay. Its operating characteristics are
arranged so that during conditions of low excitation the
effective generator impedance falls in the tripping zone.
FIELD FAILURE PROTECTION:
Acts as an Induction Generator.
Possible Causes;
AVR Fault
Tripping of Field C.B.
Open circuit or Short circuit occurring in the D.C. circuit.
PMG failure
In normal condition, generator when running shares the
reactive demand of the system. If excitation fails,
synchronous generator runs at a super-synchronous speed,
draws reactive power from the power system instead of
supplying the Qe.
In case, the other generators can’t meet the requirement of
reactive power, this shall result in large voltage drop which
may ultimately result in instability.
 In this case, slip becomes –Ve result in slip
frequency currents. Rotor gets heated up due to
induced currents in the rotor winding, core or
damage the winding if this condition is
sustained. Stator heats up due to high stator
currents
due to increase in reactive current from the
system.
By monitor (i) Field current, If
(ii) Phase current & voltage.
(1) Ground Faults
Loss of Field
The equivalent generator impedance locus traces a
path from first quadrant of R-X diagram to the fourth
quadrant. The distance relay is used which covers the
portion of the fourth quadrant where impedance locus
path exists. Thus when the impedance takes value in
the region covered by the relay characteristics, the
relay operates. The relay operates when generator first
starts to slip poles. Then relay trips the field circuit
breaker. And it disconnects the generator from the
system, too. When the excitation is regained and
becomes normal, the generator can then be returned to
service instantly.
(2) Loss of Excitation ( Field Failure ) Protection

Generator field failure protection using sensitive

undercurrent relay
Behavior of differential current relay during external Fault
with saturation of C.T.2