Training Report

on the Topic

"Protections used for Transformers, Generators

and HT Switchgear (6.6 KV)"

Submitted for successful completion of training at

Tata Power
Trombay Generating Station

Submitted By:

Raunak Kumar
Student (Roll No. – 12117063)
Department of Electrical Engineering
National Institute of Technology, Raipur

Yogesh Sahu
Student (Roll No. – 12117092)
Department of Electrical Engineering
National Institute of Technology, Raipur

Page 1
Contents
Page No.

Acknowledgement 03

Introduction to Tata power 04 – 09

Transformer protection 10 – 23
 General introduction
 Types of faults
1. Differential Protection (Restrained Merz Prize)
2. Restricted Earth fault Protection
3. Protection against Magnetizing Inrush current
4. Over current Protection
5. Overheating Protection
a. OTI (Oil Temperature Indicator)
b. WTI (Winding Temperature Indicator) HV and LV
6. Buchholz Relay
7. MOG (Magnetic Oil Gauge) (Oil Level Indicator)
8. Oil Pressure Relief devices (PRV)

Generator protection 24 – 32
 General introduction
 Types of mechanical fault
1. High cold gas temperature in generator.
2. Liquid in Generator Terminal Box

 Protection against mechanical faults

3. High Hot Air Temperature in Exciter Unit

1. Protection against overheating of Generator

2. Protection against Internal Ground fault through Terminal Short circuit

 Protection against electrical faults

3. Protection against the overheating of Exciter Unit



Differential protection


Stator ground fault protection


Rotor ground fault protection


Under excitation protection


Over voltage protection


Over current protection


Load unbalance protection


Rise in voltage protection


Reverse power protection
Under –frequency protection
 Pole slipping protection
Switchgear (6.6Kv) protection 33 – 34
Conclusion 35

Page 2
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First of all, with grateful heart we would like to thank Mr. A.

Mukherji (Head, E.M.D) for providing us with helpful environment
for this Internship Training program. His support and guidance
enhanced our abilities and helped us to perform our best during the
program. We owe warm hearted acknowledgement of gratitude to
Mr. N.K. Amin (Senior Manager, E.M.D) for his guidance and
information.

We sincerely thank our guide Mr. Anil Sankhala (Engineer Manager,

E.M.D) for his guidance and support. We would also like to thank
Mr. Manoj Maurya, Mr. Ankur Sharma, Mr. Nilesh Shivankar and
other officials of Tata Power Co. Ltd. who rendered their help
during the period of our training.

We feel it to be a great privilege to work under their guidance.

Their vast experience and profound knowledge have been the
constant source of inspiration and driving force for us throughout
this training.

We would also like to thank Prof. Samir Bajpayee (Head, Training

and Placement Cell, NIT Raipur), Dr. S. Ghosh (H.O.D Electrical
Engineering, NIT Raipur) and other members of the T&P
Department for providing us with this opportunity.

Page 3
 INTRODUCTION TO TATA GROUP OF INDUSTRY

The Tata Group comprises 96 operating companies in seven business sectors: information
systems and communications; engineering; materials; services; energy; consumer products; and
chemicals. The Group was founded by Jamsetji Tata in the mid 19th century, a period when India
had just set out on the road to gaining independence from British rule. Consequently, Jamsetji
Tata and those who followed him aligned business opportunities with the objective of nation
building. This approach remains enshrined in the Group's ethos to this day.

The Tata Group is one of India's largest and most respected business conglomerates, with
revenues in 2005-06 of $21.9 billion (Rs 967,229 million), the equivalent of about 2.8 per cent of
the country's GDP, and a market capitalization of $65.3 billion as on September 27, 2007. Tata
companies together employ some 2, 46,000 people. The Group's 28 publicly listed enterprises —
among them stand out names such as Tata Steel, Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Motors and
Tata Tea — have a combined market capitalization that is the highest among Indian business
houses in the private sector, and a shareholder base of over 2 million. The Tata Group has
operations in more than 85 countries across six continents, and its companies export products and
services to 80 countries.

The Tata family of companies shares a set of five core values: integrity, understanding,
excellence, unity and responsibility. These values, which have been part of the Group's beliefs
and convictions from its earliest days, continue to guide and drive the business decisions of Tata
companies. The Group and its enterprises have been steadfast and distinctive in their adherence
to business ethics and their commitment to corporate social responsibility. This is a legacy that
has earned the Group the trust of many millions of stakeholders in a measure few business houses
anywhere in the world can match.

Page 4
FIVE CORE VALUES

The Tata Group has always sought to be a value-driven organization. These values
continue to direct the Group's growth and businesses. The five core Tata values underpinning the
way we do business are:

Integrity: We must conduct our business fairly, with honesty and transparency.
Everything we do must stand the test of public scrutiny

Understanding: We must be caring, show respect, compassion and humanity for our
colleagues and customers around the world, and always work for the benefit of the communities
we serve.

Excellence: We must constantly strive to achieve the highest possible standards in our
day-to-day work and in the quality of the goods and services we provide.

Unity: We must work cohesively with our colleagues across the Group and with our
customers and partners around the world, building strong relationships based on tolerance,
understanding and mutual cooperation.

Responsibility: We must continue to be responsible, sensitive to the countries,

communities and environments in which we work, always ensuring that what comes from the
people goes back to the people many times over.

Page 5
 INTRODUCTION TO
Tata Power

The TATA Power Company Ltd. was established in 1910 and its hydro power station at
Khopoli was commissioned in 1915. With this, TATA electric system came into existence due to
vision and foresight of Shri Jamsetji Tata. The second major step was the formation of the
Andhra Valley Power Supply Company Ltd. in 1916 to meet the increased demand of electricity
during First War.

The company’s power station was commissioned in 1922 at Bhivpuri. Subsequently, the Tata
Power Company was registered in 1919 and its power station was commissioned at Bhira in
1927. All the three power stations of these companies were interlinked with network and a
unified power system was brought into operation. The total installed capacity was adequate to
meet the demand of electricity in the Bombay-Pune region at that time.

For transmission of power generated at the three stations, 110 KV network was established
between generating stations and load centers in Bombay. The transmission of power at 110 KV
in 1915 was considered to be an engineering feat. Further, distribution network at 6.6 KV & 22
KV was established to distribute power to textile mills & industrial consumers and through
licenses to domestic consumers in Bombay-Pune region.

Page 6
 In 1929, central railways established their power station at Chola, 50 Km from Bombay, to
supply traction loads in ghat section. The station was interconnected with Tata system through
110 KV lines at Kalyan receiving station in 1940.The interconnection proved beneficial to both
railways and a TATA during Second World War.

TPCL have been pioneers in load dispatch techniques in India. The first load dispatch center
(LDC) was established in

1950 at Khopoli power station even before formation of state electric boards after
independence. With this, a centralized power system control center was brought into operation
for TATA -railway system.

As early as 1950, it had become clear that hydro stations alone would not be able to meet
future demand of electricity in Bombay-Pune region. After making careful assessment of the
future trend of demand, Tata's brought to the notice of the government in 1950-51 the urgency of
installing a new thermal station close to load center. Trombay was found to be the appropriate
location as around the same two refineries, (Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum) were
established in the same area and fuel oil was available for thermal station through direct
pipelines.

However, as demand continued to rise rapidly, the installed capacity of Trombay station was
enhanced to 337.5 Mw installing fourth thermal unit of 150 Mw in August 1965, which was the
single largest thermal unit in country at that time. Meanwhile the Koyna hydro station of the
Maharashtra government was brought into commission in 1962 and interconnected with the
TATA electric power system.

The first 500 MW unit of the country was commissioned at Trombay (unit#5) on 25th
January 1984 and has registered 535

MW hourly peak generation and produced maximum daily energy of 12.40 MUs. Trombay
was the first thermal station to start utilizing natural gas as a fuel from Bombay-High offshore in
July 1978 which otherwise was being flared off. The second 500 MW unit (unit#6) at Trombay
was synchronized on 23rd march 1990 followed by the commissioning of 180 MW combined
cycle power plant (CCPP) in 1994. At Bhira hydro station, 150 MW pumped storage units were
commissioned in December 1996.

Page 7
 TATA Power pioneered the generation of electricity in India ten decades ago. Today, it is the
largest private power utility in India. The core business of Tata Power Company is to generate,
transmit and distribute electricity. The Company operates in two business segments i.e. Power
and Other. The Power segment is engaged in generation, transmission and distribution of
electricity. The other segment includes electronic equipment, broadband services, and project
consultancy and oil exploration.

Recognized as India's largest integrated power Company with a reputation for reliability,
built up over nearly ten decades, Tata Power forges ahead into yet another year with plans of
sustained growth, impeccable performance, customer care, and up gradation of technology.

THE TOTAL GENERATING CAPACITY OF TATA POWER CO. LTD. IS AS FOLLOWS:

LOCATION CAPACITY
TROMBAY (Mumbai) 1430 MW
MUNDRA ULTRA MEGA POWER
4000 MW
PROJECT (Gujarat)
KHOPOLI -HYDRO (Maharashtra) 72 MW
BHIVPURI -HYDRO (Maharashtra) 72 MW
TRPH -HYDRO (Maharashtra) 03 MW
BHIRA-HYDRO (Maharashtra) 150 MW
BPSU -HYDRO (Maharashtra) 150 MW
JOJOBERA -THERMAL (Jharkhand) 548 MW
BELGAUM -THERMAL (Karnataka) 81 MW
HALDIA-THERMAL (West Bengal) 120 MW
MAITHON-THERMAL (West Bengal) 525 MW
WIND 200 MW
TOTAL 7351 MW

Page 8
A SUMMARY OF THE VARIOUS UNITS AT TROMBAY PLANT:

Commissioned Capacity
Units Efficiency (%)
in (MW)

Unit 5
1984 500 34.89
COAL BASED
Unit 6
1990 500 36.64
OG FIRED
Unit 7
1993 180 43.54
CCPP
Unit 8
2008 250 36.01
COAL BASED

*OG Fired: Oil and Gas Fired

*CCPP: Combined Cycle Power Plant

Page 9
Transformer Protection
Transformer is a static device which is used to transfer electrical power at constant frequency from one
electrical circuit to another electrical circuit and transform voltage, current and impedance from primary
side to the secondary side. It is used in step up or step down the voltage and also for electrical isolation
of electrical circuits and its magnetic coupling. As the rating of transformer increases (which includes the
voltage transformation rating and power rating), the level of protection as well as cooling it requires also
increases. The various cooling involved in transformers are:

1. Air Natural
2. Oil Natural Air Natural (ONAN)
3. Oil Natural Air Forced (ONAF)
4. Oil Forced Air Forced (OFAF)

Air natural cooling is usually involved with low rating transformers. Power transformers usually use all
other types of cooling based on automatic control system which works in accordance to the transformer
windings and oil temperature. The level of protection in transformers depends on the power ratings. At
a power generating station, Generator Transformer (GT) and Station Transformer (ST) associated with
each generating unit are transformers with high power rating. The GT and ST of Unit 8 at Tata Power
Trombay Generating station are of following rating:

GT – 8
Voltage – 16.5 /220 Kv
Power – 300 MVA

ST – 8
Voltage – 220/6.6/6.6 Kv (Three Winding)
Power – 40 MVA

There can be number of faults which can occur in a power transformer which is the reason behind
protecting it. The various types of faults which can occur in a transformer is shown in the following
figure.

Page 10
The protection schemes which are used for the transformers and there details are mentioned below:
9. Differential Protection (Restrained Merz Prize)
10. Restricted Earth fault Protection
11. Protection against Magnetizing Inrush current
12. Over current Protection
13. Overheating Protection
a. OTI (Oil Temperature Indicator)
b. WTI (Winding Temperature Indicator) HV and LV
14. Buchholz Relay
15. MOG (Magnetic Oil Gauge) (Oil Level Indicator)
16. Oil Pressure Relief devices (PRV)

1. DIFFERENTIAL PROTECTION :

The differential protection is a unit protection scheme used to protect a unit against internal faults.
Transformer differential protection is slightly different from other protection schemes due to the
tra sfor er’s tra sfor atio ratio a d due to the vector group or type of winding on primary and
secondary side (star-star, start-delta, delta-star, and delta-delta). For this reason we have to
calculate the CT ratio to be used on both sides in order to obtain differential protection in case of
electromagnetic relays and also have to use proper CT connections. On star side we need to connect
CTs in delta and on delta side we need to connect in star in order to balance currents in the normal
conditions. This type of connection is known as Restrained Merz Prize Protection Scheme. This
scheme is explained in following figure:

Figure: Differential Protection ( Merz Prize Restrained )

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2. RESTRICTED EARTH FAULT PROTECTION :

To prevent the system against ground faults the system is provided with Restricted Earth fault
protection. Here the system is transformer. CTs in each phase or line are connected separately on
primary and secondary sides. The CTs of each side are connected in parallel and then connected to
their neutral to compare flow of unbalanced current. The protection scheme is as shown in the
figure.

Figure: Tra sfor er’s each side Restricted Earth fault Protectio

3. PROTECTION AGAINST MAGNETIZING INRUSH CURRENT:

When an unloaded transformer is turned on, it draws a large initial magnetizing current which may
be several times the rated current of the transformer. The initial magnetizing current is called
magnetizing inrush current. As the inrush current flows only through the primary winding so the
differential protection will see it as an internal fault. As the second harmonic is more in the inrush
current than in the fault current so this feature can be utilized to distinguish between a fault and
magnetizing inrush current. The figure shows high speed biased differential protection scheme
incorporating a harmonic restraint feature. The operating principle is to filter out the harmonics
from the differential current, rectify them and add them to the percentage restraint.
This scheme is actually ruled out by bypassing the differential protection of transformer during its
start and then turning the differential protection on.

Figure: Harmonic Restraint relay

Page 12
4. OVER CURRENT PROTECTION :

Over current protection in transformers are used with ratings between 100 KVA and 5 MVA. An
earth fault tripping element is also provided in addition to the over current feature. Such relays are
used as primary protection for transformers which are not provided with differential protection.
Over current relays are also used for the backup protection where differential protection is used as
primary protection. These type of protection is included in small transformers where it is used for
both overload and fault protection. An extremely inverse relay is desirable for this type of scheme.

5. OVERHEATING PROTECTION:

The rating of a transformer depends upon the temperature rise above an assumed maximum
ambient temperature. Sustained overload is not allowed if the ambient temperature is equal to the
assumed ambient temperature. At lower ambient temperature, some overloading is permissible.
The overloading will depend on ambient temperature prevailing at the time of operation. The
maximum safe overloading is that which does not overheat the winding. The maximum allowed
temperature is 95oC. The protection of overload depends on the winding temperature which is
usually measured using temperature sensors.
Temperature measurement of the Windings and Oil is done for protection against Overheating of
transformers.
For this scheme two temperature indicators namely OTI (Oil Temperature Indicator) and WTI
(Winding Temperature Indicator) are used.

a. OTI (Oil Temperature Indicator):

Liquid immersed distribution transformers, power transformers and reactors are using
oil as insulating media and for cooling. The temperature of the oil increases by the load of the
transformer. In fact it is mainly the resistance in the transformer windings that increases the
temperature of the winding and then subsequently the oil – the higher the current through the
winding is the higher the temperature will get. The winding is cooled by the oil – which is then
heated up. Since the life time of the transformer is depending on the deterioration of the
insulating material around the windings, typically some kind of paper material – and this
material is aged quicker at higher temperatures, it is important to check and control the oil
temperature. This is done by the use of Oil Temperature Indicators, usually called OTIs. They are
designed to measure the oil temperature and provide a clear temperature indication as well as
providing the option of starting/stopping cooling equipment, giving alarm and trip signals. All
transformers larger than 2 MVA are equipped with minimum one OTI.

Figure: Oil Temperature Indicator (OTI)

Page 13
 b. WTI (Winding Temperature Indicator):
This device measures the LV and HV winding temperature. The basic operating principle
of WTI is same as OTI. But only difference is that the sensing bulb pocket on transformer top
cover is heated by a heater coil surrounded it. This heater coil is fed by secondary of current
transformers associated with transformer winding. Hence the current through the heater coil is
directly proportional to the current flowing through transformer winding. This is because there
is no scope of direct measuring of temperature inside a winding. When load of transformer
increases, the winding temperature is also increased and this increased temperature is sensed
by sensing bulb as the heater coil surrounds it. Rest of the working principle of winding
temperature indicator is same as principle of oil temperature indicator.

Figure: Winding Temperature Indicator (WTI)

6. BUCHHOLZ RELAY:
A Buchholz relay is a gas and oil actuated device installed in the pipe work between the top of the
transformer main tank and the conservator. The function of the relay is to detect an abnormal
condition within the tank and send an alarm or trip signal. Under normal conditions the relay is
completely full of oil. Operation occurs when floats are displaced by an accumulation of gas, or a
flap is moved by a surge of oil. Almost all large oil-filled transformers are equipped with a Buchholz
relay.

 Gas produced within the transformer

A Buchholz relay will detect:

 An oil surge from the tank to the conservator

 A complete loss of oil from the conservator (very low oil level)

After an alarm or trip signal has been received this must be collected and analyzed before the
transformer is returned to service. Gas collection can be done at the relay or at ground level if suitable
arrangements exist. Clearly the latter is a safer and more convenient option.

Figure: Buchholz Relay

Page 14
7. MOG (MAGNETIC OIL GAUGE):

This is device used for indicating the level of the oil in the Conservator tank. The device is equipped
with a float, a bevel gear arrangement and dial to indicate the level of oil in the conservator tank.
The dial of this device has scale from empty to full. It has some intermediate divisions such as 1/4,
1/1, 3/4. A mercury switch and bevel gear is fixed with pointer. When pointer rotates, the alignment
of mercury switch also changes according to the angle of rotation of the pointer.

Figure: Magnetic Oil Gauge (MOG)

One ball type or drum type float is attached with a sufficiently long float arm. One unit of bevel gear
is fitted on the other side of the float arm. Other unit of the bevel gear is magnetically coupled with
pointer and mercury switch arrangement. The bevel gear arrangement is positioned inside the
conservator tank of transformer and dial, pointer and mercury switch are positioned outside the
conservator tank. It is essential to maintain a minimum oil level in the conservator tank of
transformer even at lowest possible temperature. All large electrical power transformers are
therefore provided with a magnetic oil level indicator or magnetic oil gauge.

8. OIL PRESSURE RELIEF DEVICES (PRV):

All transformers of oil filled cooling type are subjected to internal pressure due to the liquid being
heated within the tank hence needs to be prevented from the damage due pressure increase
beyond limit. For this transformers are equipped with one or more safety valves which are fitted
with a diaphragm which ruptures when pressure increase beyond the limit. The safety valve is
calibrated for the maximum allowed pressure, so that overpressure caused by internal faults can be
instantaneously relieved through the valves, thus avoiding greater damages such as the deformation
or even the burst of the tank and the spraying of hot oil with subsequent fire risks. The safety valves
must be mounted near the points where a failure is most likely to occur. The operating pressure of
the valves must be definitely lower than the maximum allowed pressure in the tank, but higher than
possible pressure peak reached during operation of the transformer.

Page 15
Figure: Pressure Relief Valve (PRV)

Page 16
220Kv / 6.6Kv /6.6Kv
(Three Winding Transformer, 3Ø Tank)
40 MVA

Page 17
Single Line Diagram of ST – 8 from Switchyard
220 KV Main Bus II

/
/
CT

Underground Cable

LA

N LV1 LV2 N
6.6Kv/230V 6.6Kv/230V
G Δ Y Y Δ G
R R

CT CT

Underground Cable

X X

6.6Kv Station SWBD OCA 6.6Kv Station SWBD OCB

Page 18
HV Side CT Connections and Protection
Schemes (SLD)

Page 19
LV Side CT Connections and Protection Schemes

Page 20
Differential Protection Scheme for ST- 8
(Numerical Relay Protection scheme)

Differential Protection scheme for the Station Transformer at UNIT 8 is not as

complex as the restrained Percentage Differential Protection Scheme. This is
because the protection is not done through electromagnetic relays but
numerical relays. CT is connected to both star and delta side in star fashion and
neutral of CTs is grounded. The signals of current from both side CTs are sent
to the numerical relay as shown above. The numerical relay has settings for the
type of transformer and here it will be set to star to delta to delta. The
transformation ratio and CT ratio are given as inputs. Using these data the
relay calculates the Multiplying factor for comparison between CT currents on
both sides HV and LV. If the currents are balanced then there is no fault else
there is an internal fault. This decreases the complexity of the Differential
Protection scheme.

Page 21
Neutral Grounding of LV side of ST – 8 Δ side

Page 22
Transformer Trips and Alarms
 Buchholz Trip
 PRV Trip
 WTI HV Trip
 WTI LV Trip
 OTI Trip
 Fire Protection Trip
 OLTC oil surge Trip
 OTI Alarm
 WTI HV Alarm
 WTI LV Alarm
 Buchholz Alarm
 Low Oil level alarm

Circuit Breaker faults

 Loss of SF6
 Pole discrepancy
 Low Air Pressure
 Low oil level
 DC supply failed
 AC Supply failed
 CB Lockout

Page 23
Generator Protection
Generators used at thermal power generating units are equipped with two pole non salient cylindrical
rotor. Thus they are known as turbo alternator or turbo generator. Turbo generators required
comprehensive safety and supervisory devices to prevent damage and long forced outages. The
generators require protection against mechanical and electrical faults. The mechanical faults are
described below
4. High cold gas temperature in generator.
5. Liquid in Generator Terminal Box.
6. High Hot Air Temperature in Exciter Unit.
Each of these criteria activates a turbine trip. The generator is disconnected from the grid and de excited
through the two channel reverse power relay.
The protection against these faults is done through following protection circuits:
4. Protection against overheating of Generator
The protection circuit for criterion 1 prevents insufficient cooling and thus overheating of the
hydrogen cooled components. This is done by measuring temperature of the cooling gas by
using RTD (Resistance Temperature Detector) and transmitted directly to the protection circuit.
5. Protection against Internal Ground fault through Terminal Short circuit
The generator can be damaged due to leakage in its components through which the cooling
water or seal oil flows. The operation of Generator is affected when there is large leakage. In
case of large leakage due to the restricted volume of the compartment or terminal box, the level
of liquid rise quickly, resulting in terminal short circuit or ground fault. For this two level
detectors are connected to generator terminal box and signal is sent to the protection circuit.
6. Protection against the overheating of Exciter Unit
The hot air temperature after the main exciter is sensed with the help of RTD (Resistance
Temperature Detector) and is transmitted directly to the protection circuit. This is required for
protection against the overheating of the Exciter unit due to insufficient cooling (failure of
exciter cooler).

Apart from the protection required against faults developed mechanically, protection against electrical
faults is also required. The protection schemes used for protection of generator against electrical faults
are described below.
Generators may be endangered by short circuits, ground faults, under excitation, over voltages and
thermal stresses.

 Differential protection
Following protective equipments are recommended:

 Stator ground fault protection

 Rotor ground fault protection
 Under excitation protection
 Over voltage protection
 Over current protection
 Load unbalance protection
 Rise in voltage protection
 Reverse power protection
 Under –frequency protection
 Pole slipping protection

Page 24
Differential protection
Breakdown of insulation between different stator phase windings result in an internal short circuit. The
fault is detected by a differential relay which initiates immediate isolation and de-excitation of the
generator. In order to obtain high sensitivity, the protected area should include the generator only.

Relay time<=60ms

In certain cases the generator may also be included in the differential protection for the main
transformer and station service feeder

Figure: Differential protection

Stator ground fault protection

The breakdown of insulation between stator winding and the frame result in a stator ground fault. The
stator ground fault protection should cover the complete winding including the neutral point of the
generator. The protection is to initiate the immediate isolation and de-excitation of the generator.

Relay time <= 1s

The load resistance of a grounding transformer and any required boost to raise the neutral point
potential should be selected so that the ground current due to a fault should be less than 15 Ampere.

Rotor ground fault protection

For rotor ground fault protection rapid fault detection is required because an interruption of the field
circuit with arcing releases high amount of energy in the form of heat which may cause severe burning.
A one line to ground fault may develop into a double ground fault resulting in dangerous magnetic
unbalances, especially on four pole generators. Danger arises if a second earth fault occurs at a separate
point in the field system, to cause the high field current to be diverted, in part at least, from the
intervening turns. Serious damage to the conductors and possibly the rotor can occur very rapidly under
these conditions. More damage may be caused mechanically. If a large portion of the winding is short-
circuited, the flux may adopt a pattern such as that shown in Figure.

To minimize the consequential damage, it is recommended to provide two-pole and four- pole
generators with a protection circuit featuring a delayed response in the core of four pole generators,

Page 25
the rotor ground fault protection must always operate to avoid the hazard of sudden, extremely high
vibrations due to magnetic unbalances.

Relay time: approximately 1 s

Figure: Rotor earth fault protection scheme

Under excitation protection

Failure of the voltage regulator, mal-operation of the generator or transformer control systems and
generator operation in a system with capacitive load may result in a reduction of the excitation required
to ensure system stability below a predetermined minimum value. Short -circuits or interruptions in a
field circuit result in a complete loss of field and thus in instability of the generator this result in the
higher rise of temperature in the rotor and core end portion.

Loss of excitation may occur for a variety of reasons. If the generator was initially operating at only 20%-
30%of rated power, it may settle to run super-synchronously as an induction generator, at a low level of
slip. In doing so, it will draw reactive current from the power system for rotor excitation. This form of
response is particularly true of salient pole generators. In these circumstances, the generator may be
able to run for several minutes without requiring to be tripped. There may be sufficient time for
remedial action to restore the excitation, but the reactive power demand of the machine during the
failure may severely depress the power system voltage to an unacceptable level. For operation at high
initial power output, the rotor speed may rise to approximately 105% of rated speed, where there
would be low power output and where a high reactive current of up to 2.0p.u. may be drawn from the
supply. Rapid automatic disconnection is then required to protect the stator windings from excessive
current and to protect the rotor from damage caused by induced slip frequency currents.

The protection used varies according to the size of generator being protected. A momentary excursion
beyond a steady state stability limit must not result in a loss of stability .therefore a under excitation

Page 26
protection is designed to give a warning when steady state limit is reached. The protection must operate
instantaneously if a loss of field occurs when a steady state stability limit is reached.

Scheme for loss of excitation could be based on impedance measurement. The impedance
characteristic must be appropriately set or shaped to ensure decisive operation for loss of excitation
while permitting stable generator operation within allowable limits. One or two offset mho under
impedance elements are ideally suited for providing loss of excitation protection as long as a generator
operating at low power output (20-30% Pn)does not settle down to operate as an induction generator.
The impedance characteristics of a mho relays typical two-stage loss of excitation protection scheme
changes say it is set to x1 and x2 can be applied to provide detection of loss of excitation.

Over-voltage Protection
Over-voltages on a generator may occur due to transient surges on the network, or prolonged power
frequency over-voltages may arise from a variety of conditions. Surge arrestors may be required to
protect against transient over-voltages, but relay protection may be used to protect against power
frequency over-voltages. A sustained overvoltage condition should not occur for a machine with a
healthy voltage regulator, but it may be caused by the following contingencies:

a) Defective operation of the automatic voltage regulator when the machine is in isolated operation

b) Operation under manual control with the voltage regulator out of service. A sudden variation of the
load, in particular the reactive power component, will give rise to a substantial change in voltage
because of the large voltage regulation inherent in a typical alternator.

c) Sudden loss of load (due to tripping of outgoing feeders, leaving the set isolated or feeding a very
small load) may cause a sudden rise in terminal voltage due to the trapped field flux and/or over speed

Sudden loss of load should only cause a transient over-voltage while the voltage regulator and governor
act to correct the situation. A maladjusted voltage regulator may trip to manual, maintaining excitation
at the value prior to load loss while the generator supplies little or no load. The terminal voltage will
increase substantially, and in severe cases it would be limited only by the saturation characteristic of the
generator. A rise in speed simply compounds the problem. If load that is sensitive to over-voltages
remains connected, the consequences in terms of equipment damage and lost revenue can be severe.
Prolonged over-voltages may also occur on isolated networks, or ones with weak interconnections, due
to the fault conditions listed earlier. It is prudent to provide power frequency overvoltage protection, in
the form of a time-delayed elements either IDMT or definite time. The time delay should be long
enough to prevent operation during normal regulator action, and therefore should take account of the
type of AVR fitted and its transient response. Sometimes a high-set element is provided as well, with a
very short definite-time delay or instantaneous setting to provide a rapid trip in extreme circumstances.
The usefulness of this is questionable for generators fitted with an excitation system other than a static
type, because the excitation will decay in accordance with the open-circuit time constant of the field
winding. This decay can last several seconds. The relay element is arranged to trip both the main circuit
breaker (if not already open) and the excitation; tripping the main circuit breaker alone is not sufficient.

Over-current Protection
Over-current protection of generators may take two forms. Plain over-current protection may be used
as the principle form of protection for small generators, and back-up protection for larger ones where
differential protection is used as the primary method of generator stator winding protection. Voltage
dependent Over-current protection may be applied where differential protection is not justified on
larger generators, or where problems are met in applying plain over-current protection.

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 Plain over-current protection

It is usual to apply time-delayed plain over-current protection to generators. For generators rated less
than 1MVA, this will form the principal stator winding protection for phase faults. For larger generators,
Over-current protection can be applied as remote back-up protection, to disconnect the unit from any
uncleared external fault. Where there is only one set of differential main protection, for a smaller
generator, the over-current protection will also provide local back-up protection for the protected plant,
in the event that the main protection fails to operate.

In the case of a single generator feeding an isolated system, current transformers at the neutral end of
the machine should energies the over-current protection, to allow a response to winding fault
conditions. Relay characteristics should be selected to take into account the fault current decrement
behavior of the generator, with allowance for the performance of the excitation

Figure: Voltage controlled relay characteristics

 Voltage controlled over-current Protection.

Voltage controlled over-current protection has two time/current characteristics which are selected
according to the status of a generator terminal voltage measuring element. The voltage threshold
setting for the switching element is chosen according to the following criteria.

1. During overloads, when the system voltage is sustained near normal, the over-current protection
should have a current setting above full load current and an operating time characteristic that will
prevent the generating plant from passing current to a remote external fault for a period in excess of the
plant short-time withstand limits.

2. Under close-up fault conditions, the bus bar voltage must fall below the voltage threshold so that the
second protection characteristic will be selected. This characteristic should be set to allow relay
operation with fault current decrement for a close-up fault at the generator terminals or at the HV bus
bars. The protection should also time-grade with external circuit protection. There may be additional in
feeds to an external circuit fault that will assist with grading.

 Voltage dependent over-current Protection

The plain over-current protection setting difficulty referred to in the previous section arises because
allowance has to be made both for the decrement of the generator fault current with time and for the
passage of full load current. To overcome the difficulty of discrimination, the generator terminal voltage
can be measured and used to dynamically modify the basic relay current/time over-current
characteristic for faults close to the generating plant. There are two basic alternatives for the
application of voltage-dependent over-current protection,

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1-Voltage controlled over-current protection

2-Voltage restrained over-current protection

The choice depends upon the power system characteristics and level of protection to be provided.
Voltage-dependent over-current relays are often found applied to generators used on industrial systems
as an alternative to full differential protection.

 Voltage restrained over-current Protection

The alternative technique is to continuously vary the relay element pickup setting with generator
voltage variation between upper and lower limits. The voltage is said to restrain the operation of the
current element. The effect is to provide a dynamic I.D.M.T. protection characteristic, according to the
voltage at the machine terminals. Alternatively, the relay element may be regarded as an impedance
type with a long dependent time delay. In consequence, for a given fault condition, the relay continues
to operate more or less independently of current decrement in the machine. A typical characteristic is
shown in Figure

Figure: Voltage Restrained over current relay characteristics

Protection against unbalanced loading

When the unbalanced loading occur it result in the unbalanced stator currents the negative component
of this unbalanced stator current causes a double frequency current to be induced in the rotor iron. If
this component becomes high severe overheating of the rotor may be caused. A three-phase balanced
load produces a reaction field that, to a first approximation, is constant and rotates synchronously with
the rotor field system. Any unbalanced condition can be resolved into positive, negative and zero
sequence components. The positive sequence component is similar to the normal balanced load. The
zero sequence components produce no main armature reaction.

Effect of negative sequence current:

The negative sequence component is similar to the positive sequence system, except that the resulting
reaction field rotates in the opposite direction to the dc field system. Hence, a flux is produced which
cuts the rotor at twice the rotational velocity, thereby inducing double frequency currents in the field
system and in the rotor body. The resulting eddy-currents are very large and cause severe heating of
the rotor.

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A generator is assigned a continuous negative sequence rating. For turbo-generators this rating is low;
standard values of 10% and 15% of the generator continuous rating have been adopted. The lower
rating applies when the more intensive cooling techniques are applied, for example hydrogen-cooling
with gas ducts in the rotor to facilitate direct cooling of the winding. Short time heating is of interest
during system fault conditions and it is usual in determining the generator negative sequence
withstands capability to assume that the heat dissipation during such periods is negligible.

Using this approximation it is possible to express the heating by the law:

I22 t=k

Negative phase sequence protection

A specialized relay to detect these circulating currents, called a Negative Sequence Current Relay (since
the "induced" currents are called negative sequence currents"), is used to detect the phase imbalance
within the generator during unbalanced fault conditions. A differential scheme could be used between
the three phases to detect excessive variations in current caused by uneven loading.

The unbalanced magnetic forces within the generator due to these currents will also cause excessive
vibration. This may result in bearing wear/damage and reduced machine life, and may result in a high
vibration trip"".

Causes of phase imbalance include unequal load distribution, grid faults and windings faults.

Load forward power Protection

Low forward power protection is often used as an interlocking function to enable opening of the main
circuit breaker for non-urgent trips – e.g. for a stator earth fault on a high-impedance earthed
generator, or when a normal shutdown of a set is taking place. This is to minimize the risk of plant over-
speeding when the electrical load is removed from a high-speed cylindrical rotor generator. The rotor of
this type of generator is highly stressed mechanically and cannot tolerate much over-speed. While the
governor should control over-speed conditions, it is not good practice to open the main circuit breaker
simultaneously with tripping of the prime mover for non-urgent trips. For a steam turbine, for example,
there is a risk of over-speeding due to energy storage in the trapped steam, after steam valve tripping,
or in the event that the steam valve do not fully close for some reason. For urgent trip conditions, such
as stator differential protection operation, the risk involved in simultaneous prime mover and generator
breaker tripping must be accepted.

Reverse power Protection

Reverse power protection is applied to prevent damage to mechanical plant items in the event of failure
of the prime mover. When the prime movers fails then the A.C generator begin acting like a
synchronous motor it draws power from the grid to remain in synchronism with the grid that is, the
device changing from a producer of electrical power to a consumer of it. Following a reactor trip to step
back to a very low power level. It is beneficial to enter the motoring mode of turbine generator
operation However; this is not a desirable mode of operation for standby or emergency generators.
They are not designed to operate this manner and can be seriously damaged if power is allowed to flow
in the wrong direction.

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 Figure: Reverse Power Protection Scheme

A means of indicating when the transition from exporter to importer of power occurs is provided by a
device known as a reverse power relay. As its name suggests, it is triggered by power flowing in a
direction opposite to that which is normally desired. This can be used for generator protection, as is the
case with standby generators, or as a permissive alarm/interlock for turbine generator motoring Figure
shows a typical arrangement of a reverse power protection circuit employing both a CT and a voltage
transformer (VT) to power the relay, and hence, protect the generator. The relay will operate when any
negative power flow is detected.

Under frequency Protection

The governor fitted to the prime mover normally provides protection against over-frequency. Under-
frequency may occur as a result of overload of generators operating on an isolated system, or a serious
fault on the power system that results in a deficit of generation compared to load. This may occur if a
grid system suffers a major fault on transmission lines linking two parts of the system, and the system
then splits into two. It is likely that one part will have an excess of generation over load, and the other
will have a corresponding deficit. Frequency will fall fairly rapidly in the latter part, and the normal
response is load shedding, either by load shedding relays or operator action. However, prime movers
may have to be protected against excessively low frequency by tripping of the generators concerned.
With some prime movers, operation in narrow frequency bands that lie close to normal running speed
(either above or below) may only be permitted for short periods, together with cumulative lifetime
duration of operation in such frequency bands. While connected to a stable grid, the grid frequency and
voltage are usually constant If the system frequency drops excessively. it indicates that there has been a
significant increase in load. This could lead to a serious problem in the grid, and it is of little use to
supply a grid that may be about to collapse. In this case, the generator would be separated from the
grid. The grid (or at least portions of it) may well collapse. The system can slowly rebuild (with system
generators ready to restore power) to proper, Pre-collapse operating conditions; As mentioned above, if
a generator connected to the grid has sufficient excitation applied below synchronous speed (since grid
frequency has dropped) for it to produce rated voltage, the excitation level is actually higher than that
required at synchronous speed.

A specialized volts/hertz relay compares voltage level and frequency and will trip the generator if preset
volts/hertz levels are exceeded.

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Pole slipping Protection (out of step protection)
A generator may pole-slip, or fall out of synchronism with the power system for a number of reasons.
The principal causes are prolonged clearance of a heavy fault on the power system, when the generator
is operating at a high load angle close to the stability limit, or partial or complete loss of excitation.
Weak transmission links between the generator and the bulk of the power system aggravate the
situation. It can also occur with embedded generators running in parallel with a strong Utility network if
the time for a fault clearance on the Utility network slow, perhaps because only IDMT relays are
provided. Pole slipping is characterized by large and rapid oscillations in active and reactive power.
Rapid disconnection of the generator from the network is required to ensure that damage to the
generator is avoided and that loads supplied by the network are not affected for very long. Protection
can be provided using several methods. The choice of method will depend on the probability of pole
slipping occurring and on the consequences should it occur.

1. protection using reverse power element

2. protection using under impedance element

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Switchgear (6.6 KV) Protection
In an electrical power system, switchgear is the combination of electrical disconnect switches, fuses or
circuit breakers used to control protect and isolate electrical equipments. Switchgears are both for
energizing and de energizing the equipments for allowing work to be done and fault to be cleared
downstream. This type of equipment is directly linked to the reliability of electrical supply. Control and
protection is the main motto behind use of switchgear arrangement. The switchgear consists of various
panels:

 Incomer Panel
 BUS PT
 LINE PT
 Feeder Panel
 Bus Coupler
 Tie Breaker
Incomer Panel: This Panel has the incoming supply for the switchgear bus. Control and protection
for the incomer are available on this panel along with the Circuit breaker.
Feeder Panel: The feeder panel is divided into three cubes. The top cube is the control and
protection cube that consists of relays and other controls. The middle cube is the Circuit breaker
cube and the lowest cube is the cable cube or outgoing cube which contains the outgoing cables for
required feeder. Feeders in power generating station are motors for various purpose and
transformers.
BUS PT: This PT is used for measuring voltage of the switchgear bus. Relays like No voltage relay,
under voltage relay are mounted on it.
LINE PT: This PT is used for measuring voltage of the incoming supply to switchgear.
Bus Coupler: It is a CB used for coupling two switchgear busses without need of synchronizing.
Tie Breaker: It is a CB used for coupling two switchgear busses with need of synchronizing or with no
voltage bus.

Protection of the Switchgear involves generally of the following:

 Bus bar Protection:
Switchgear busses are protected using differential protection schemes, No voltage (<20%) and
under voltage (<80%) Protection and Frame Leakage Protection. The protection against no
voltage and under voltage is provided with the No voltage relay and under voltage relay.
Differential and frame leakage protection schemes are drawn below. At Trombay Generating
Station differential scheme is not used in switchgear instead we use Over current LBB
protection.

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 Circuit Breaker protection:
Circuit breakers are supervised for faults in it with use of supervision relays. The protection is
provided against:
1. Loss of SF6 for Gas CB
2. Pole discrepancy
3. CB auxiliary supply fail
4. CB Lockout

 Feeder Protection
o Motor Protection:
It includes all or some of the following protection as per the requirement for feeder:
1. Over Load Protection (Thermal relays)
2. Over current Protection (Fuses)
3. Single phasing Protection
4. Locked Rotor Protection
5. Reverse operation Protection

o Transformer (<2MVA) Protection:

It includes the following protection details of which have been mentioned in
transformer protection section.
1. OTI
2. WTI
3. Buchholz relay
4. Pressure release device (PRD)

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 CONCLUSION

The protection schemes that is used for the protection of transformer, generator
and HT switchgear with essential auxiliary equipments that is used for the healthy
operation of the power plant is studied in detail. Along with it working of thermal
power plant was also understood.

It is utmost priority to maintain the reliability and redundancy in the protection

system so that the damages to critical parts of power plant are avoided. Different
types of protective schemes are employed for detection of different types of
faults. Many times same protective schemes are repeated in two groups for main
protection as well as for backup protection also. Different types of relays are used
for this purpose in which the signals are fed through the current transformer CT
and potential transformer PT or capacitive voltage transformer CVT.

Protection schemes and CT connections were understood for Station Transformer

at unit 8 and Generator with Generator Transformer at unit 5 of Trombay
generating station.

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