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Fault Location in Capacitor Banks – How to Identify Faulty Units

Quickly and Restore the Bank to Service

S. SAMINENI, C. LABUSCHAGNE, S. CHASE, J. HAWAZ

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
USA

SUMMARY
Capacitor banks are critical substation assets that play a vital role in providing reactive power support,
thereby increasing the power system capacity. Capacitor banks are constructed as single-wye, double-
wye, or H-bridge configurations and can be grounded or ungrounded. Capacitor banks consist of a
number of single-phase capacitor units connected in series and parallel to achieve the desired voltage
and VAR rating. Similarly, each capacitor unit consists of a number of individual capacitor elements
connected in series and parallel. The capacitor units can be externally or internally fused, fuseless, or
unfused. Although modern capacitor units are more reliable than earlier units, faults within the units
and elements still occur. When the element overvoltages resulting from these unit or element failures
become too high, the capacitor bank needs to be taken out of service and the faulty units must be
replaced.
It is important that capacitor bank outage time be as short as possible. Normally, the majority of the
outage time is spent locating the faulty unit. Identifying the faulty unit in a capacitor bank helps return
the bank to service in a minimum amount of time. If the bank is externally fused, then the unit with the
blown fuse is usually the faulty unit, making identification obvious. If the bank is internally fused,
fuseless, or unfused, then fault location is very difficult because there is no visual indication of the
faulted unit. This results in an extended outage of the capacitor bank. Although it is not possible to
identify the faulty unit in an internally fused, fuseless, or unfused bank, identifying the faulted phase
and section helps minimize the outage time.
This paper analyzes various capacitor bank configurations and proposes a method to help locate the
faulty units for each configuration. The paper also provides results that verify the proposed methods
using a power system simulator.

KEYWORDS
Capacitor Bank Protection, Fault Location, Capacitor Unit

satish_samineni@selinc.com
1. INTRODUCTION
Capacitor banks are critical substation assets that play a vital role in providing reactive power support,
thereby increasing the power system capacity [1]. Capacitor banks consist of a number of series- and
parallel-connected single-phase capacitor units. The number of capacitor units in a bank depends on
the voltage and VAR ratings of both the bank and the capacitor units. Each capacitor unit consists of a
number of series- and parallel-connected capacitor elements. The capacitor units can be fused (external
or internal) or fuseless. Capacitor unit or element failures result in an overvoltage condition for the
remaining elements, and if the overvoltage is beyond the long-term withstand value of the element, a
protective relay operates to take the bank out of service. For an externally fused bank, the faulty unit is
the one with the blown fuse, but for internally fused or fuseless banks, there is no visual indication of
the faulty unit. So the majority of the bank outage time is spent in locating the faulty units. Although
identifying the faulty unit is not possible for internally fused or fuseless banks, identifying the phase
and section of the capacitor bank with the faulty unit or element reduces the fault location time
significantly, allowing the bank to be returned to service quickly.
2. FAULT LOCATION TECHNIQUE
Unbalance protection provides primary protection against unit or element failures in capacitor banks.
Phase voltage unbalance, neutral voltage unbalance, phase current unbalance, and neutral current
unbalance are the four commonly used unbalance protection schemes [2]. The choice of protection
scheme depends on various factors such as bank configuration, availability of instrument transformers,
sensitivity requirements, and so on. The unbalance protection scheme uses one or more of the
measured quantities from the instrument transformers to calculate the unbalance quantity. The
unbalance quantity magnitude is then compared to an alarm and trip threshold for unbalance protection.
The unbalance quantity magnitude indicates the number of failed elements or units within the bank.
The proposed fault location technique uses the phase angle of the unbalance quantity and compares it
with a reference phase angle to identify the phase and section of the bank that has the faulty unit [3]
[4]. The fault location technique is supervised with an alarm or trip condition from unbalance
protection for security. If the bank is protected with the phase voltage or phase current unbalance
protection scheme, then phase voltage (bus) or phase current (bank) is used as the reference phasor. If
the bank is protected with the neutral voltage or neutral current unbalance protection scheme, then
positive-sequence bus voltage or positive-sequence bank current is used as the reference phasor. The
unbalance phase angle is referenced to the reference phase angle. The referenced unbalance phase
angle is then checked to determine if it is in Sector 1 (0° ± 15°), Sector 2 (180° ± 15°), Sector 3
(–120° ± 15°), Sector 4 (60° ± 15°), Sector 5 (120° ± 15°), or Sector 6 (–60° ± 15°), as shown in
Fig. 1. The sectors are formed by a ±15-degree blinder that is applied for security to exclude
unbalances not resulting from capacitor failures, such as instrument transformer errors. Depending on
the type of unbalance protection scheme, the unbalance phasor can be in any of the six sectors and
gives unique fault location information. The fault location information can be included as part of the
relay event report and can be used by the utility crew. The fault location technique is embedded as part
of the unbalance protection, and hence, it is an economical solution.

Fig. 1. Fault Location Technique Based on Phase Angle Between Unbalance Phasor and Reference Phasor

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The fault location technique is affected by the fusing method of the bank (i.e., whether it is fused or
fuseless). The fault location technique is not affected by the inherent bank unbalance as long as the
unbalance protection compensates for it [2]. The bank operators are advised to save the fault location
information before resetting the unbalance alarm, or the relay compensating for the inherent unbalance
will forget the preexisting failure and its location.
A power system was modeled using a power system simulator and was used to validate the fault
location techniques for various capacitor bank configurations.
3. PHASE VOLTAGE UNBALANCE PROTECTION APPLIED TO SINGLE-WYE
BANKS
Fig. 2 shows a single-wye-connected grounded capacitor bank with a potential transformer (PT) at the
tap point. This configuration uses a phase voltage unbalance protection scheme. The tap point can be
at the midpoint or at a low voltage capacitor just above the wye connection. The faulty unit can be in
any of the six locations in this bank, as shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 2. Banks Using Tapped PT-Based Phase Voltage Unbalance Protection

The protection uses tapped voltage (VTAP) and bus voltage (VBUS) measurements to calculate the
phase voltage unbalance phasor [5]. The unbalance protection is per phase, so the phase (A, B, or C) of
the bank with the faulty unit is the phase for which the unbalance protection has operated (i.e., the
phase voltage unbalance magnitude is above the alarm or trip threshold). To further identify the
section (top or bottom from the tapped point) of the phase, the unbalance phase angle is compared to
the reference phase angle (bus voltage).
For a fused bank, if the unbalance angle is in Sector 1 of Fig. 1, then the faulty unit is in the top section
from the tap point. If the unbalance angle is in Sector 2, then the faulty unit is in the bottom section
from the tap point. If the bank is fuseless, then the section identification is opposite. This fault location
technique reduces the investigation time by up to 83.3 percent (one out of six possible fault locations).
This method is most efficient if the tap is at the midpoint.
To verify the fault location technique, an internally fused capacitor bank rated 88 kV and
27.43 MVAR was modeled in the simulator. Each phase of the bank has eight groups connected in
series. There are four groups in the top section and four in the bottom section. Each group consists of
four units connected in parallel. Each capacitor unit consists of three groups connected in series. Each
group consists of 12 elements connected in parallel. The capacitor units are rated at 6.7 kV and
318 kVAR. An internal fault is simulated by shorting four elements in a unit in Phase A and the top
section of the bank. The fault is cleared, resulting in an unbalance voltage magnitude of 0.3 V
secondary and an unbalance angle close to 0 degrees (i.e., in Sector 1). The relay is set to alarm above
0.2 V after a time delay. Fig. 3 shows that the relay correctly asserts ALARM A, PHASE A, and
TOP A, indicating the faulty unit is in Phase A and the top section.

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 Fig. 3. Fault Location in Bank Using Phase Voltage Unbalance Protection (Top Section, Phase A)

4. NEUTRAL VOLTAGE UNBALANCE PROTECTION APPLIED TO SINGLE-

WYE BANKS
Fig. 4 shows a single-wye-connected ungrounded capacitor bank with a neutral PT. This configuration
uses a neutral voltage unbalance protection scheme. The faulty unit can be in any of three locations, as
shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 4. Ungrounded Single-Wye Bank Using Neutral Voltage Unbalance Protection

The unbalance protection uses the neutral voltage (VNG) and bus voltage (VBUS) measurements to
calculate the neutral voltage unbalance phasor [5]. The unbalance phasor is not per phase, so the phase
that has the faulty unit or element cannot be determined based on the unbalance protection operation.
However, by comparing the unbalance phase angle with the reference phase angle (of the positive-
sequence bus voltage), we can identify the phase that has the faulty unit.
For a fuseless bank, if the unbalance angle is in Sector 1, then the faulty unit is in Phase A. If it is in
Sector 3, then the faulty unit is in Phase B. If it is in Sector 5, then the faulty unit is in Phase C. For a
fused bank, if the unbalance angle is in Sector 2, 4, or 6, then the faulty unit is in Phase A, B, or C,
respectively. This fault location technique reduces investigation time by up to 66.6 percent (one out of
three possible fault locations).
To verify the fault location technique, a 230 kV and 108.53 MVAR fuseless capacitor bank was
modeled in the simulator. Each phase of the bank has eight strings connected in parallel. Each string
consists of eight units connected in series. Each capacitor unit consists of a single string of eight
elements in series. The capacitor units are rated at 17.8 kV and 650 kVAR. An internal fault is
simulated by shorting two elements in a unit in Phase C of the healthy bank. The fault results in an
unbalance voltage magnitude of 0.24 V secondary and an angle close to 120 degrees (i.e., in Sector 5).
The relay is set to alarm above 0.2 V after a time delay. Fig. 5 shows the relay correctly asserts
ALARM and PHASE C, indicating the faulty unit is in Phase C.

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 Fig. 5. Fault Location in Bank Using Neutral Voltage Unbalance Protection (Phase C)

5. PHASE CURRENT UNBALANCE PROTECTION APPLIED TO H-BRIDGE

BANKS
Fig. 6 shows an H-bridge-connected grounded capacitor bank with a current transformer (CT) in each
bridge. This configuration uses a phase current unbalance protection scheme. The faulty unit can be in
any of 12 locations with reference to the bridge CT, as shown in Fig. 6.

Fig. 6. H-Bridge Bank Using Phase Current Unbalance Protection

The unbalance protection uses the bridge current (IHA, IHB, and IHC) and the bank current (ICAPA,
ICAPB, and ICAPC) measurements to calculate the phase current unbalance phasor [5]. The
protection is per phase, so the phase (A, B, or C) of the bank with the faulty unit is the phase for which
the unbalance protection has operated (i.e., the unbalance magnitude is above the alarm or trip
threshold). To further identify the section of the phase that has the faulty unit, the unbalance phase
angle is compared to the reference phase angle (of the bank current).
For a fuseless bank, if the unbalance angle is in Sector 1, then the faulty unit is in the top left or bottom
right section. If it is in Sector 2, then the faulty unit is in either the top right or bottom left section. If
the bank is fused, then the section identification is opposite. This fault location technique reduces the
investigation time by up to 83.33 percent (2 out of 12 possible fault locations).
To verify the fault location technique, a fuseless capacitor bank rated 345 kV and 130.9 MVAR was
modeled in the simulator. Each phase of the bank has eight strings. Each leg of the H-bridge consists
of two strings connected in parallel. Each string consists of 11 units connected in series. Each
capacitor unit consists of a single string of six elements in series. The capacitor unit is rated at 9.96 kV
and 600 kVAR. An internal fault is simulated by shorting five elements in a unit in Phase A and the
top left section of the healthy bank. The fault results in an unbalance current magnitude of 2.2 A
secondary and an angle close to 0 degrees (i.e., in Sector 1). The relay is set to alarm (60ALARMA)
above 20 mA and after a time delay. Fig. 7 shows the relay correctly asserts 60ALARMA and
LTRBA, indicating the faulty unit is in Phase A and in the top left or bottom right section.

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 Fig. 7. Fault Location in H-Bridge Bank Using Phase Current Unbalance Protection (Top Left or
Bottom Right Section, Phase A)

6. DUAL UNBALANCE PROTECTION APPLIED TO H-BRIDGE BANKS

The reliability of the capacitor bank protection can be improved by using multiple unbalance
protection schemes at the same time. In the case of an H-bridge bank, if a PT is provided at the tap
point along with the bridge CTs, then both phase voltage and phase current unbalance protection can
be applied at the same time. This scheme provides protection reliability, but most importantly, it can
identify faulty units in all 12 fault locations, as shown in Fig. 6.
Phase current unbalance-based fault location can identify if the fault is in either the top left or bottom
right sections and the top right or bottom left sections. Also, the phase voltage unbalance protection
based on the voltage from the tap point can identify if the fault is in the top or bottom sections.
Combining the location information from these two fault location techniques, we can identify faulty
units in any of the 12 fault locations in an H-bridge bank. This fault location technique reduces
investigation time by up to 91.6 percent (1 out of 12 possible fault locations) for an H-bridge-
connected grounded or ungrounded bank that uses phase current and phase voltage unbalance
protection. An internal fault is simulated by shorting five elements in a unit in Phase A and in the top
left section of the bank. The fault results in an unbalance voltage magnitude of 1.25 V secondary and
an angle close to 180 degrees (i.e., in Sector 2). The relay is set to alarm (87ALARMA) above 0.25 V
after a time delay. Fig. 8 shows the relay correctly asserts 60ALARMA, 87ALARMA, LEFTA, and
TOPA, indicating the faulty unit is in Phase A and the top left section.

Fig. 8. Fault Location in H-Bridge Bank Using Phase Voltage and Phase Current Unbalance Protection
(Top Left Section, Phase A)

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7. PHASE CURRENT UNBALANCE PROTECTION APPLIED TO SINGLE- OR
DOUBLE-WYE BANKS
Fig. 9 shows a single-wye grounded bank with a CT in each phase. The unbalance protection and fault
location technique are the same as for the H-bridge bank, but there are no top or bottom sections. The
faulty element or unit can be in any of six locations with respect to the phase CT, as shown in Fig. 9.
This fault location technique reduces investigation time by up to 83.3 percent (one out of six possible
fault locations).

Fig. 9. Single-Wye Bank Using Phase Current Unbalance Protection

8. NEUTRAL CURRENT UNBALANCE PROTECTION APPLIED TO DOUBLE-

WYE BANKS
Fig. 10 shows a double-wye-connected ungrounded capacitor bank with a CT in the common neutral.
This configuration uses a neutral current unbalance protection scheme. The faulty unit can be in any of
six locations with respect to the neutral CT, as shown in Fig. 10.

Fig. 10. Double-Wye Bank Using Neutral Current Unbalance Protection

The unbalance protection uses neutral current (IN) and bank current (ICAPA, ICAPB, and ICAPC)
measurements to calculate the neutral current unbalance phasor [5]. The unbalance phasor is not per
phase, so the phase that has the faulty unit or element cannot be determined based on the unbalance
protection operation. However, by comparing the unbalance phase angle with the reference phase
angle (of the positive-sequence bank current), we can identify the phase and section that has the faulty
unit.
For a fuseless bank, if the unbalance angle is in Sector 1, then the faulty unit is in Phase A and in the
left section of the bank. If it is in Sector 2, then the faulty unit is in Phase A and in the right section of
the bank. Similar logic applies to Phase B and Phase C. If the bank is fused, then the section
identification is the opposite. This fault location technique reduces investigation time by up to
83.3 percent (one out of six possible fault locations).
To verify the fault location technique, an internally fused capacitor bank rated 33 kV and 9.54 MVAR
was modeled in the simulator. Each phase of the bank consists of two units connected in series. Each
capacitor unit consists of five series groups with each series group consisting of 15 elements connected
in parallel. The capacitor unit is rated at 10.987 kV and 705 kVAR. An internal fault is simulated by
shorting two elements in a unit in Phase B and the left section of the healthy bank. The fault is cleared
(fuse blows), resulting in an unbalance current magnitude of 24 mA secondary and an angle close to
60 degrees. The relay is set to alarm (60ALARM) above 20 mA and after a time delay. Fig. 11 shows
the relay correctly asserts 60ALARM, PHASE B, and LEFT, indicating the faulty unit is in Phase B in
the left section.
Fig. 11 also shows that the bank has some inherent unbalance (there is neutral current before the
internal fault), which was compensated for by the unbalance protective relay. This demonstrates that
the fault location technique is not affected by the inherent unbalance as long as the inherent unbalance
is compensated for.

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 Fig. 11. Fault Location in Bank Using Neutral Current Unbalance Protection (Left Section, Phase B)

9. CONCLUSION
The phase angle of the unbalance quantity from the unbalance protection provides important
information about the location of failed units in the bank. This paper proposes a fault location
technique that can be applied to various capacitor bank configurations using different unbalance
protection schemes and fusing methods. The fault location technique can reduce the investigation time
between 66 and 92 percent, depending on the bank configuration. The fault location technique is
embedded as part of the unbalance protection, making it an economical solution. The fault location
technique is not affected by the inherent bank unbalance as long as the unbalance protection
compensates for it. The fault location technique helps in providing advance alarms for planned
maintenance. It can be used to detect element failures in an externally fused bank before the fuse
operates and therefore provide fuse savings and safety from possible case rupture. Using multiple
unbalance protection schemes helps to improve the reliability of protection and fault location.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
[1] R. Natarajan, Power System Capacitors. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2005.
[2] IEEE Standard C37.99-2012, IEEE Guide for the Protection of Shunt Capacitor Banks.
[3] S. Samineni, C. Labuschagne, and J. Pope, “Principles of Shunt Capacitor Bank Application and
Protection,” proceedings of the 36th Annual Western Protective Relay Conference, Spokane,
WA, October 2009.
[4] S. Samineni and C. Labuschagne, “Apparatus and Method for Identifying a Faulted Phase in a
Shunt Capacitor Bank,” U.S. Patent 8 575 941, Nov. 5, 2013.
[5] J. Schaefer, S. Samineni, C. Labuschagne, S. Chase, and D. Hawaz, “Minimizing Capacitor
Bank Outage Time Through Fault Location,” proceedings of the 40th Annual Western
Protective Relay Conference,
Spokane, WA, October 2013.