Advanced Power System

Protection
Lecture 1
By
Dr. Gul Rukh

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Introduction

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Why do we need Protection?
Electrical apparatus used may be enclosed (e.g., motors) or placed in
open (e.g., transmission lines). All such equipment undergo
abnormalities in their life time due to various reasons.
For example,
• A worn out bearing may cause overloading of a motor.
• A tree falling or touching an overhead line may cause a fault.
• A lightning strike (classified as an act of God!) can cause insulation
failure.

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Why do we need Protection?
• Pollution may result in degradation in performance of insulators which
may lead to breakdown.
• Under frequency or over frequency of a generator may result in
mechanical damage to it's turbine requiring tripping of an alternator.
• Even otherwise, low frequency operation will reduce the life of a
turbine and hence it should be avoided.

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Basic Requirements of Protection

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Basic Requirements of Protection

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Basic Requirements of Protection

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Fuse
Fuse is the self-destructing component, which carries the currents in a
power circuit continuously and sacrifices itself by blowing under
abnormal conditions.
These are normally independent or stand-alone protective components
in an electrical system unlike a circuit breaker, which necessarily
requires the support of external components.
As the name indicates the fuse can be replaced or ‘rewired’ once it fails.
Fusible wire used to be contained in an asbestos tube to prevent
splashing of volatile metal.
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Fuse
The fuses blow in case the currents flowing through them last for more
than its withstand time.

This property limits the use of fuses in circuits where the inrush
currents are quite high and flow for considerable time like motors, etc.,
which draw more than six times their full load current for a short time
ranging from milliseconds to few seconds depending on the capacity.

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Fuse
Hence, it is not possible to use fuses as overload protection in such circuits, since it
may be necessary to select higher-rated fuse to withstand inrush currents.
Accordingly, the fuses are mostly used as short-circuit protection rather than as
overload protection in such circuits. Typical values of resistance in fuses:

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HRC Fuse

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HRC Fuse

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HRC Fuse

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Elements of Protection

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Elements of Protection

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Elements of Protection

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Elements of Protection

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Instrument Transformers
• Measurement of voltage and current requires voltmeters and ammeters
respectively.
• In power system high voltages (order of kV) and currents (order of
kA) are experienced, which are difficult to measure directly, except if
we have high voltage and high current measuring devices.
• However, such voltmeters and ammeters are difficult to fabricate.
Measurement of quantities such as voltages and currents are essential
in power system operation.

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Instrument Transformers
• Therefore facilitation to measure voltage and current using
conventional low voltage and low current measuring instruments is
utilized by incorporating instrument transformers, which are classified
as voltage or potential transformers and current transformers.
• The voltage transformer is designated as VT or PT whereas the current
transformer is designated as CT, which drops the voltage to order of
few hundred or less and current of few amperes.
• The voltage transformers and current transformers continuously
measure the voltage and current of an electrical system and are
responsible to give feedback signals to the relays to enable them to
detect abnormal conditions
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Instrument Transformers
The main tasks of instrument transformers are:
1. To transform currents or voltages from usually a high value to a
value easy to handle for relays and instruments.
2. To insulate the relays, metering and instruments from the primary
high-voltage system.
3. To provide possibilities of standardizing the relays and instruments,
etc. to a few rated currents and voltages.

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Instrument Transformers
• Instrument transformers are special versions of transformers in respect
of measurement of current and voltages.
• The theories for instrument transformers are the same as those for
transformers in general.
• The transformation ratio is simply the ratio of high current to low
current side for CT and ratio of High voltage side to low voltage side
for VT.
• Thus a 100:5 CT has a transformation ratio of 100/5 = 20 and
100kV/100 volts VT ratio is 1000.

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Relay
• A relay is electromechanical or electronic device that has a set of
normally open contacts, which closes under pre-set current, higher
than the normal system current called the pick-up current.
• Suitable current setting for relay is determined through experience
from the current-time characteristics provided by the manufacturer.
• Relays are low current devices therefore the operating current is few
amperes of the transformed line current.

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Relay
• The transformation is accomplished by instrument transformers of
suitable ratio.
• Relay in power system protection are actuators that initiate the
switching operation of circuit breaker.
• Two important elements are incorporated with relays; directional and
differential.

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Circuit Breakers
• Circuit breakers are automatic switches used to interrupt fault current
when actuated by relays.
• Circuit breakers are normally closed switches that carries the normal
system current and interrupt fault current by opening of its contacts by
initiation of trip coil whose circuit with an auxiliary source (usually a
battery) is closed by contacts of relay.
• Circuit breakers are robust devices that are in continuous service when
system is energized.

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Circuit Breakers
• When commanded to open, the circuit breaker contacts draws an arc
that is to be interrupted with a suitable mechanism.
• The circuit breaker classification is determined from the system
voltage it is used with and the type of dielectric used for interrupting
the arc.

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Assignment No 1 (Due Date 3rd October)
A power station consists of three generators, each rated at 10MVA
having reactance of 10%. The generators are connected to a common
bus bar energized at 13.8kV. A transmission line is connected via a
8MVA, 13.8kV/66kV transformer having a reactance of 6%. Determine
the rating of circuit breaker for LV and HV side of the line.

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Thankyou

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