3/27/23, 5:04 PM Accuracy Class Of Current Transformer - Electrical Volt

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Accuracy Class Of Current Transformer

Current transformers are used for measurement of electrical parameters like

ampere, power, and energy. CTs are also used for measuring the current at fault
condition, and tripping of the upstream breaker to avoid damage to the
electrical network. In perspective of protection of the electrical network, the
current transformer accuracy class is very important and it plays a vital role in
ensuring the security of the electrical network.

There are three types of current transformers.

Metering Class CT
Protection Class CT
Special Protection Class CT

Metering Class CT

The metering class CT is used for measurement of electrical parameters. The

key role of CT is that it should measure the current accurately without much
error. The accuracy class parameter is very important for metering CT. The
following specifications need to be checked for the metering class current
transformer.

Important Parameters of Metering Class CT

CT Ratio

Current transformation ratio(CTR) is defined as the ratio of the input current to

output current. Current transformer of 300/5 CTR means if the primary
current is 300 Amp, then the secondary current is 5 Amp.

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CT Burden
Burden of the current transformer is expressed in VA. The total total burden
should be taken into account when CT is used for measuring or protection
purpose. To calculate the total burden of the secondary circuit of the CT, the
total resistance of the secondary side of CT should be considered. The
secondary winding of CT is connected to the measuring equipment or
protection circuit through pilot wires. The total resistance of the secondary
circuit is the sum of CT secondary winding resistance, connecting wires
resistance and the resistance of the relay/meter.

Example

If relay resistance is 0.1 ohm, connecting wire resistance is 0.2 ohm,and

secondary winding resistance of CT is 0.1 ohm. The total resistance of the
secondary circuit is 0.1+0.2+0.1= 0.4 ohm. If the rated secondary current of the
CT is 5 Amp, then the secondary voltage is (Is*Rburden)= 0.4*5=2 volts. The
burden of the current transformer is =Is*Vs= 5*2= 10 VA

Rating Factor
Multiples of Rated Current to which the CT can maintain its accuracy is called
rating factor of CT. Typical rating factor is 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4. Example: 500/5A CT
with RF 2 CT will maintain it’s accuracy certification up to 1000A.

CT Class
The standard accuracy classes according IEC are class 0.2, 0.5, 1, 3 and 5. The
CT with accuracy class of0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1.0 accuracy class are used for
measurement of electric current.0.1 and 0.2 accuracy class CT are used in a
revenue metering application. 0.2 class metering CT means the CT functions
within the specified accuracy limit at 100 % and 120 % of the rated CT current,
and the accuracy limit error is 0.2 %. The CT operates in the linearity zone of
magnetization curve and it consumes very low magnetizing current. The 0.3

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3/27/23, 5:04 PM Accuracy Class Of Current Transformer - Electrical Volt

class CT reads 0.993 to 1.003 at 100% rated current, and at 10% current the CT
reads in the range of 0.994 to 1.006.

The core of metering CT gets saturated when the current above its rated current
flows through it. The current is limited within the device. This protects
connecting metering device from overloading in case of the fault current. The
salient features of metering CT are as follows.

High accuracy in smaller range

Less core material is required
Leads to lower saturation voltages

The metering CT has less core material compared to the core material of the
protection class CT. The metering CT specification is written in the form like
0.3 B 1.8. The first number is current transformer accuracy class, B stands for
metering class and 1.8 is the maximum burden that can be connected to the CT.

accuracy class according to IEEE/ANSI C57.13

0.2s and 0.5s class CT are used in revenue metering application. The 0.2 s and
0.5s class CT have ratio error of 0.2 % for current from 20 to 120% of the rated
current.

The ratio and phase angle error for measuring current transformer of 0.2s -0.5s
class are as given below.

Accuracy ±Percentage Current ±Phase Displacement at

Class (Ratio) Error at Percentage Percentage of Rated Current
of Rated Current Shown Shown Below
Below Minutes Centiradians
1 5 20 100 120 1 5 20 100 120 1 5 20 100 120

0.2S 0.75 0.35 0.2 0.2 0.2 30 15 10 10 10 0.9 0.45 0.3 0.3 0.3

0.5S 1.5 0.75 0.5 0.5 0.5 90 45 30 30 30 2.7 1.35 0.9 0.9 0.9

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3/27/23, 5:04 PM Accuracy Class Of Current Transformer - Electrical Volt

The ratio and phase angle error for measuring current transformer of 0.1 -1.0
class are as given below.

Accuracy ±Percentage Current ±Phase Displacement at Percentage of Rated

Class (Ratio) Error at Current Shown Below
Percentage of Rated
Current Shown Below Minutes Centiradians

5 20 100 120 5 20 100 120 5 20 100 120

0.1 0.4 0.2 0.1 0.1 15 8 5 5 0.45 0.24 0.15 0.15

0.2 0.75 0.35 0.2 0.2 30 15 10 10 0.9 0.45 0.30 0.30

0.5 1.50 1.75 0.5 0.5 90 45 30 30 2.7 1.35 0.9 0.9

1.0 3.0 1.5 1.0 1.0 180 90 60 60 5.4 2.7 1.8 1.8

Protection Class CT

Protection class CT is connected to the protection relay that gives tripping

command to circuit breaker at the time of fault condition. The protection class
CT has following features.

CT required to perform in fault current

Moderate accuracy over a wider range
More core material is needed

At the time of fault the primary current of CT increases abnormally high and
the core can get magnetized above its rated capacity and whatever fault current
flowing in the circuit can’t be reflected in the secondary side of the CT. This
phenomenon is known as the saturation of CT. If CT gets saturated at the time
of the fault, the protection relay will not operate.

Therefore it is very important to ensure that the protection relay must operate
at the time of fault. The protection class CT is designed to take care of fault
current. To ensure this, the Protection CT requires an Accuracy Limit Factor
(ALF). Accuracy Limit Factor (ALF) is the multiple of rated current up to which
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CT will operate, complying with accuracy class requirement.

According to IEEE C57.13-2008, C200 CT has following specifications.

C 200
Here 200 is the Secondary terminal voltage which the CT must maintain within
the C Rating.
C Rating:
– Less than 3% ratio error at rated current
– Less than 10% ratio error at 20 times rated current
– Standard burden 200V/ (5A x 20) = 2Ω
Example:

5P10 class CT
If the primary current is 10 times to the rated primary current of the CT, the CT
will function perfectly, within the accuracy limit of 5 %. A 5P20 CT has an
Accuracy limit of 5% at 20 times rated current (Accuracy Limit Factor). The
accuracy class of current transformer of this CT at rated current is 1%.

Marking on CT

The accuracy class of current transformer is written after the rated VA of the CT
E.g
10VA5P10
15VA10P10
30VA5P20

Protection Special(PS) class CT

PS class CT is used for differential protection of generator, motor and transformer.

The manufacturer requires the following parameters for the design of the CT.

accuracy class of CT
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Related Posts on Current Transformer

Knee Point Voltage of CT
Burden of CT
Difference between 0.2 and 0.2S class Metering CT
5P20 Class Protection CT
Accuracy Limit Factor(ALF) of CT
Instrument Safety Factor(ISF) ofCT
Magnetization Curve of CT
PS Class CT Specifications & its applications
CT Ratio Calculator

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Electrical, Machines, Transformer
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Magnetization Curve of CT
Breaking Current Capacity Of circuit Breaker

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6 thoughts on “Accuracy Class Of Current Transformer”

Medved
June 6, 2020 at 4:23 pm

Thanks for the post. It helped me understand what the accuracy

class of a CT is and why it is used.

Reply

Unknown
November 23, 2020 at 12:05 pm

well done,i am happy to read it. I appreciate your website

Reply

Noble Chishiba
October 15, 2021 at 7:48 pm

Thanks for the valued information. I have learnt greatly from this
vital information

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3/27/23, 5:04 PM Accuracy Class Of Current Transformer - Electrical Volt

Reply

Hilal
February 11, 2022 at 3:40 pm

U r writing technically sound Contents. Power engineers can

understand a lot from ur work…
Hats off to ur team and keep going….

Reply

sdv4299
February 11, 2022 at 7:20 pm

Thanks a lot

Reply

Vineet Shekhar
November 15, 2022 at 3:31 pm

Nice content and elaboration sir

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Reply

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