Stability and Sensitivity Test of a High

Impedance Busbar

Engr. Irfanullah Mazari

NG-CSD, KSA
Busbar Protection:
There are different types of Busbar.

1. Single Busbar single Circuit Breaker arrangement

2. Double Busbar single Circuit Breakar arrangement
3. Double Busbar double Circuit Breakar arrangement
4. Ring Busbar arrangement.
5. One and half breaker arrangement.

Each type of busbar has an advantages and disadvantages, but the main purpose of the busbar is same,
which is to increase the reliability of power system. In Busbar protection we need to protect our Busbar
from any kind of fault. As we know that there are various feeders connected to the busbar. Each feeder
has a separate circuit breaker. We can protect our busbar by High Impendence and by Low Impedance,
both protections works on Kirchoff’s current law, which states that, total current entering an electrical
node is exactly equal to total current leaving the node. Hence, total current entering into a bus section
is equal to total current leaving the bus section.

The principle of differential busbar protection is very simple. Here, secondary’s of CTs are connected
parallel. That means, S1 terminals of all CTs connected together and forms a bus wire. Similarly
S2 terminals of all CTs connected together to form another bus wire. A tripping relay is connected across
these two bus wires.

Here, in the figure above we assume that at normal condition feed, A, B, C, D, E and F carries current IA,
IB, IC, ID, IE and IF. Now, according to Kirchoff’s current law,

So, it is clear that under normal condition there is no current flows through the busbar
protection tripping relay. This relay is generally referred as Relay 87.
Now, say fault is occurred at any of the feeders, outside the protected zone.

In that case, the faulty current will pass through primary of the CT of that feeder. This fault current is
contributed by all other feeders connected to the bus. So, contributed part of fault current flows
through the corresponding CT of respective feeder. Hence at that faulty condition, if we apply KCL at
node K, we will still get, iR = 0.That means, at external faulty condition, there is no current flows
through relay 87.

Now consider a situation when fault is occurred on the bus itself.

At this condition, also the faulty current is contributed by all feeders connected to the bus. Hence, at
this condition, sum of all contributed fault current is equal to total faulty current. Now, at faulty path
there is no CT. (in external fault, both fault current and contributed current to the fault by different
feeder get CT in their path of flowing).The sum of all secondary currents is no longer zero. It is equal to
secondary equivalent of faulty current. Now, if we apply KCL at the nodes, we will get a non zero value
of iR. So at this condition current starts flowing through 87 relay and it makes trip the circuit breaker
corresponding to all the feeders connected to this section of the busbar. As all the incoming and
outgoing feeders, connected to this section of bus are tripped, the bus becomes dead. This differential
busbar protection scheme is also referred as current differential protection of busbar.

Testing Procedure:
For example we have double busbar single circuit breaker arrangement. Our connection will be as
shown in below fig. We can also inject through Earth switch, the only changes we will do, in testing kit
we will connect one cable to feeder and another cable to the grounding. And in another feeder we will
close only earthing switch. But then we have to make sure that there is no any other earthing switch
closed in the busbar, otherwise current will be divided.
As we have many feeders are connected to the Busbar and our busbar arrangement is High Impedance,
so in High Impedance bus CT’s are loop together and finally will go to the Relay panel as shown in fig.

In above circuit diagram, there is a CT Supervision Relay also, If the CT Suprervsion relay operated, there
it will short the CT circuit as current need shortest path, so no current will go to the relay.

If all CT star point is one direction, there will be current only upto first terminals of the circuit after that
the summation will be zero, as explained above, note down all the readings.
 CURRENT
Relay
INJECTED REFERENCE FEEDERR: FEEDER UNDER TEST: Measurement in TS
PHASE

Measurement
(400 A)
Current Current Current
Sec. X26B X34B TS87
(A) (A) (A)
Current
L1 X 1 X 1 X 21 0 0
L2 X 3 X 3 X 23 0 0
L3 x 5 X 5 x 25 0 0

Then, in sensitivity case, reverse the CT polarity by temporary jumper in secondary side in any feeder,
start the testing kit, now we will get the current readings double after the summation. Note down all the
readings.

CURRENT
Relay
INJECTED REFERENCE FEEDERR: FEEDER UNDER TEST: Measurement in TS
PHASE

Measurement
(400 A)
Current Current Current
Sec. X26B X34B TS87
(A) (A) (A)
Current
L1 X 1 X 1 X 21 2x 2x
L2 X 3 X 3 X 23 2x 2x
L3 x 5 X 5 x 25 2x 2x

Finally Remove the Temporary jumper and make the polarity normal as it was in stable condition.
Repeat the same for Yellow and Blue phase, once finish all phases shift to other feeder and do the same
for all remaining feeders as explained.