ASPEN

Breaker Rating
Version 12
Application Guide

Advanced Systems for Power Engineering, Inc.

Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide Contents • i

 NOTICE

ASPEN Breaker Rating Module is a proprietary computer program of Advanced Systems for Power Engineering, Inc.
(ASPEN).

The information in this document is subject to change without notice. ASPEN assumes no responsibility for any
errors that may appear in this document.

Copyright © 1988-2013 Advanced Systems for Power Engineering, Inc. All rights reserved.

HOW TO ORDER MORE MANUALS

This User's Manual may be duplicated by the Licensee for its own use. You can order a new copy by writing to the
address below. Please refer to document BM-UM-2009.

HOW TO REACH ASPEN

Mailing address: ASPEN

49 N. San Mateo Drive
San Mateo, CA 94401
U.S.A.

Telephone: (650)347-3997
Fax: (650)347-0233
eMail (English): [email protected]
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Web Site: www.aspeninc.com

Our office hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific time (GMT-8 in the winter, GMT-7 in the summer), Monday
through Friday.

______________________________________________________________________________________

ASPEN OneLiner™, ASPEN Breaker Rating Module™, ASPEN Power Flow™, ASPEN DistriView™,
PowerScript™, ASPEN Relay Database™, ASPEN Line Constants Program™, and ASPEN Line Database™
are trademarks of Advanced Systems for Power Engineering, Inc.

ii • Contents Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide

Contents
SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................................5
1.1 FEATURES ........................................................................................................................................................5
1.2 SAMPLE OUTPUT ............................................................................................................................................6
SECTION 2 TUTORIAL ......................................................................................................................................9
2.1 STARTING THE PROGRAM............................................................................................................................9
Start Up OneLiner and Open a Sample File: ........................................................................................................9
OPENING A BINARY DATA FILE......................................................................................................................10
2.3 QUICK TUTORIAL .........................................................................................................................................10
GETTING ONLINE HELP ..................................................................................................................................16
EXITING THE BREAKER RATING MODULE ..................................................................................................16
TO EXPLORE FURTHER ...................................................................................................................................16
SECTION 3 BREAKER CONNECTION MODEL .........................................................................................17
3.1 BREAKERS IN SEQUENCE-NETWORK MODELS.....................................................................................17
3.2 BREAKER CONNECTION MODEL ..............................................................................................................17
3.3 CONNECTION MODEL OF COMMONLY USED BREAKER CONNECTIONS........................................18
3.3.1 LINE BREAKER .........................................................................................................................................18
3.3.2 RING BUS ..................................................................................................................................................19
3.3.3 BREAKER AND A HALF ...........................................................................................................................19
3.3.4 TRANSFER BREAKER...............................................................................................................................20
3.3.5 BUS TIE......................................................................................................................................................20
3.3.6 GENERATOR BREAKER ...........................................................................................................................21
3.3.7 DISTRIBUTION BREAKER .......................................................................................................................21
SECTION 4 CHECKING ALGORITHM ........................................................................................................23
4.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................23
4.2 BREAKER SHORT CIRCUIT CURRENT ......................................................................................................23
4.3 X/R RATIO CALCULATION..........................................................................................................................24
4.4 ANSI/IEEE FAULT CURRENT MULTIPLIERS............................................................................................25
4.5 CHECKING TOTAL-CURRENT RATED BREAKERS.................................................................................26
4.6 CHECKING SYMMETRICALLY RATED BREAKERS ...............................................................................29
4.7 CHECKING IEC RATED BREAKERS ...........................................................................................................31
SECTION 5 OUTPUT FORMAT......................................................................................................................33
5.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................33
5.2 TEXT OUTPUT: TITLE PAGE........................................................................................................................33
5.3 TEXT OUTPUT: CHECKING REPORT .........................................................................................................34
5.4 TEXT OUTPUT: FAULT TABLE ...................................................................................................................35
5.5 TEXT OUTPUT: OPTIONAL BREAKER DATA TABLES ...........................................................................36
5.6 CSV OUTPUT ..................................................................................................................................................37
SECTION 6 BREAKER RATING COMPARISON........................................................................................39
6.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................39
6.2 STARTING THE PROGRAM..........................................................................................................................39
6.3 COMMAND REFERENCE..............................................................................................................................40
FILE MENU ........................................................................................................................................................41
COMPARE COMMAND................................................................................................................................................... 41
CLOSE COMMAND ......................................................................................................................................................... 43

Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide Contents • iii

 SELECT PRINTER COMMAND...................................................................................................................................... 44
PRINT REPORT FILE COMMAND ................................................................................................................................. 45
INDEX ........................................................................................................................................................................47

iv • Contents Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide

SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 FEATURES
The Breaker Rating Module is a productivity tool designed to streamline the otherwise tedious work of
checking the rating of circuit breakers against the short circuit currents they need to interrupt. The module
works with:
• Breakers that are rated under ANSI/IEEE standards, on a total- or symmetrical-current basis.
• Breakers that are rated under IEC standards.
In 2009, the Breaker Rating Module became a part of the main executable of ASPEN OneLiner version 11.
This change made possible the simulation of MOV-protected series capacitors and current-limited
generators in breaker-rating studies. Those users who have licensed the module will get from ASPEN a
special version of OneLiner that has a Check | Circuit Breaker Short Circuit Rating menu command for
rating breakers.
The breaker-rating logic simulates relevant faults to find the maximum short-circuit current that flows
through the breaker. The momentary and breaking currents of breakers are then calculated using
procedures recommended by either ANSI/IEEE or IEC. Finally, the program compares these currents to
the rated capabilities of the breakers and reports the findings.
The breaker-rating logic utilizes a breaker connection model that is designed to work with traditional
symmetrical-sequence networks where circuit breakers connections are not modeled explicitly. The
connection model associates each breaker with the bus, branches and generators that it protects. This model
has shown to be an accurate and easy-to-use method of describing the breaker scheme for the purpose of
breaking rating.
The commands for rating breakers have many options that enable each company to customize the checking
algorithm to the company policies and to the engineers’ interpretation of the standards.
The output of the check-breaker-rating command is a text report showing the highest fault current as a
percentage of the breaker rating. The report calls attention to those breakers that are operating at or near
their short circuit ratings and therefore warrant closer scrutiny by the engineers. Optionally the user can
select to create checking output in the CSV format.
The user can also use the companion Breaker Checking Comparison Program to quickly find and highlight
differences between two CSV-formatted breaker rating report files.
The Breaker Rating Module has been proven in over 60 utilities worldwide.

Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION • 5

1.2 SAMPLE OUTPUT
A sample output from the Check | Breaker Rating command is shown below:

-- ASPEN Breaker Rating Module (Tm) --

VERSION 11 SERIAL NO. 1002

DATE AND TIME: Mon Nov 25 04:16:58 2009

NAME OF THIS FILE: C:\0tmp\2.TXT

BASE MVA = 100.

BASE CASE HAS:

30 BUSES
6 GENERATORS
21 LOADS
0 SHUNTS
0 SWITCHED SHUNTS
35 LINES
4 2-W TRANSFORMERS
1 3-W TRANSFORMERS
1 PHASE SHIFTERS
1 SWITCHES
2 BREAKERS
2 MUTUAL GROUPS

FILE COMMENTS:
29-BUS TEST SYSTEM

PREFAULT VOLTAGE PROFILE: FLAT BUS VOLTAGES

GENERATOR IMPEDANCE: SUBTRANSIENT
IGNORE PHASE SHIFT [ ]
IGNORE LOADS [ ]
IGNORE TRANSMISSION LINE G+jB [ ]
ACTIVATE OUT-OF-SERVICE EQUIPMENT [ ]
CHECK 3PH FAULTS [X]
CHECK 1LN FAULTS [X]
USE 115% RATING OF SYMM. CURRENT BREAKERS [X]
USE 115% RATING OF TOTAL CURRENT BREAKERS [X]
SCALE CURRENT TO OPERATING KV [ ]
CONSIDER AC DECREMENT [ ]
USE K=1 FOR SYMM. CUR. BKR. 121.0KV AND ABOVE [ ]
USE K=1 FOR TOTAL CUR. BKR. 999.0KV AND ABOVE [ ]
IGNORE ALL RECLOSING SETTINGS [ ]
USE ANSI X/R IN COMPUTING CURRENT MULTIPLIER [X]
IN X-ONLY NETWORK WHEN X=0 USE X=0.0001P.U.
IN R-ONLY NETWORK WHEN R=0 COMPUTE R USING METHOD 2
WITH: RC= 0.0001P.U.

FAULTS APPLIED TO ALL BUSES WITH BREAKER

WITH NOMINAL KV BETWEEN 0.00 AND 9999.00, INCLUSIVE

RATING THRESHOLD = 95.0%

PAGE 2

OUTPUT ALL CASES

OUT-OF-SERVICE EQUIPMENT:
NONE.
==================================================================================================================================
==================================================================================================================================
BREAKER RATING REPORT

___BREAKERS__________________DUTY(%)___DUTY(A)__BKR_CAPA(A)__MAX_SC_CASE_______________Isc(A)__ANSI_X/R__FLAG_

BUS 6 NEVADA 132.kV:

NV-CLY-REU
Interrupting 98.2 11696.9 11912.5 Flt#3 to Group1 7262.5 221.5 W1
Momentary 65.2 12461.2 19120.0 Flt#3 to Group1 7262.5 221.5

BUS 8 REUSENS 132.kV:

REUSENS
Interrupting 122.1 5980.8 4900.0 Flt#7 to Group1 4244.9 684.8 W1

FLAG: W1 - BREAKER SHORT CIRCUIT CURRENT DUTY EXCEEDS THE GIVEN THRESHOLD VALUE
W2 - BREAKER MOMENTARY CURRENT DUTY EXCEEDS THE GIVEN THRESHOLD VALUE
W3 - BREAKER OPERATING KV EXCEEDS ITS MAX DESIGNED KV

FOUND 2 BREAKERS WITH INTERRUPTING DUTY HIGHER THAN 95.0% OF RATED CAPABILITY
0 BREAKERS WITH MOMENTARY DUTY HIGHER THAN 95.0% OF RATED CAPABILITY
0 BREAKER(S) WITH OPERATING KV HIGHER THAN MAX DESIGNED KV

==================================================================================================================================

6 • SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide

==================================================================================================================================
FAULT TABLE:

FLT# DESCRIPTION

3. 3LG Bus fault on:

NEVADA 132. kV
with outage(s):
NEVADA 132. kV - CLAYTOR 132. kV 1L
7. 3LG Bus fault on:
REUSENS 132. kV

==================================================================================================================================
==================================================================================================================================
BREAKER CONNECTED EQUIPMENT LISTS:

BUS 6 NEVADA 132.kV:

NV-CLY-REU
Group1(T)= Branch: CLAYTOR 132. kV - NEVADA 132. kV 1 L
Group2(T)= Branch: NEVADA 132. kV - REUSENS 132. kV 1 L

BUS 8 REUSENS 132.kV:

REUSENS
Group1(T)= Gen.: 100.0MVA on REUSENS 132. kV
Group2(T)= NONE

==================================================================================================================================
==================================================================================================================================
BREAKER DATA:

___BREAKERS_________________RATING____MRATING__BASIS__ITRPT__PT1__PT2___OPKV___MXKV____K__RCLS____________COMMENT_________________
BUS 6 NEVADA 132.kV:
NV-CLY-REU 3000.0MVA 20000.0A TC 5.0 4.0 4.0 132.0 139.0 1.00 8.0 30.0 2+1/2 scheme

BUS 8 REUSENS 132.kV:

REUSENS 5000.0A - SC 3.0 4.0 4.0 132.0 145.0 1.00 5.0 Generator Breaker

==================================================================================================================================

The first part of the report is the title page. It lists information about the network being simulated and a number
of simulation and output options.
The second part of the report lists the checking results of the breakers that were studied. It contains the
following:
• Identification information, including the breaker name, the bus number, ID and kV. Breakers
connected to the same bus are grouped together in the listing.
• The breaker’s short-circuit duty and momentary duty in percent. 100% means that the current is equal
to the breaker’s rating.
• Computed interrupting capabilities of the breaker.
• Identification of fault that produces highest breaker current
• Fault current in Ampere.
• ANSI X/R Ratio of the fault
• Warning flags (W1, W2 or W3 at the extreme right) if fault current exceeds the threshold.
The third part of the report is a table that lists all the faults identified in part 2.
The breaker-connected equipment list and the breaker data table are the last two sections of the report.
Please See Section 5 for a detailed explanation of the output report format.

Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION • 7

SECTION 2 TUTORIAL

2.1 STARTING THE PROGRAM

Start Up OneLiner and Open a Sample File:
1. Start OneLiner.
On the Windows desktop, click on “Start”, then on “All Programs”. Look
for an icon labeled “OneLiner”.
Click on the ÓneLiner icon. You will see the Main Window of ASPEN
OneLiner when the program starts up.

You can also startup OneLiner from a command line, with in-line
commands, to execute a breaker rating study. Please see Section 8.7 of
the OneLiner on-line help for more information.

Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide SECTION 2 TUTORIAL • 9

OPENING A BINARY DATA FILE
An example 29-bus system is used for this tutorial. You will now open its binary data file.
1. Select the File | Open Binary Data File command.
The standard file-open dialog box will appear.
Use the controls in the standard file-open dialog box to open file
Sample30.olr in the folder c:\Program Files\ASPEN\1LPFv12
A one-line diagram will appear on the screen when the file is opened

2.3 QUICK TUTORIAL

This tutorial is designed to acquaint new users with the basic breaker-rating functions. We assume you have started
the program and opened the sample file SAMPLE30.olr (Section 2.2). If not, do so now. This tutorial will take
about 10 minutes to complete.
In this tutorial you will check the rating of two circuit breakers. One of the breakers on the 'REUSENS 132 kV' bus
protects the local generator. The other breaker is on the 'NEVADA 132 kV' bus protects two transmission lines and
a transformer. The required breaker data have already been entered into the sample file. You can view the breaker
data by double-clicking on the bus (of 'REUSENS 132 kV' or 'NEVADA 132 kV'), then click on the “Breaker Data”
tab. The breaker dialog boxes are shown below for ease of reference.
At bus 'REUSENS 132 kV' is a 3-cycle breaker rated under ANSI/IEEE standards on a symmetrical-current basis.

10 • SECTION 2 TUTORIAL Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide

This breaker has a rated short-circuit current of 10kA at the maximum design voltage of 145kV. The voltage-
range K factor is 1.0. This breaker is protecting generator unit #1 connected to this bus. Contact parting time is 4
cycles, and the breaker is set to operate two times before locking out in a fault with interval 5 seconds in
between.
At bus 'NEVADA 132 kV' is a 5-cycle breaker rated on a total-current basis under ANSI/IEEE standards. This
breaker short circuit rating is 3000 MVA at the maximum design voltage of 139 kV. The kV range factor K is
equal to 1.0. The rated momentary current is 20 kA. The breaker is set to operate three times with the intervals
of 8 and 30 seconds. The breaker is used in a bus tie scheme to connect two transmission lines on one side, and
a transformer on the other. Note the transformer is in protected equipment group 1, and the two transmission
lines are in group 2. It is also noteworthy that in group 2, the breaker must interrupt the total current flowing
through the two transmission lines.

You will now instruct the program to check the interrupting capabilities of the two breakers.
1. Select the Check | Circuit Breaker Rating command.
A dialog box will appear asking you to specify the checking parameters.

Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide SECTION 2 TUTORIAL • 11

 The default options direct the program to check all breakers within the
data file using ANSI/IEEE standards.
The program will flag the breakers whose adjusted fault currents are
above 80% of the rating.
The program will list the results for all the breakers, regardless of their
duty. The report will appear in the TTY Window. It will include a
detailed fault simulation result table, a breaker-data table and a
connected-equipment list.
Click on the radio button “All Cases” under “Report” to output all
cases, whether or not the breaker rating is exceeded.
Leave the rest of the settings within the 'Breaker Rating ' dialog box at their
default values.
3. View Checking Policies.
Press the Options… button to view the checking options.
The following dialog box will appear.

12 • SECTION 2 TUTORIAL Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide

 The program will check breakers using both 3-phase and single-line-to-
ground faults.
The program will use ANSI X/R ratio in calculating breaking duty.
When checking symmetrical-current rated breakers with single-line-to-
ground faults, the program will use a higher interrupting rating that can
be as much as 15% higher than that for 3-phase faults.
The program will apply scaling factor to breaker current to account for
the difference in the breaker’s operating kV and the nominal kV of the
breaker bus.
The program will force the kV range factor, K, to be 1 for all breakers
whose maximum design voltage is 121 kV or higher. Setting K to 1
means that the breaker’s interrupting capabilities will not be adjusted for
different operating kVs.
The program will treat all short circuit sources as ‘remote’. That mean no
ac decay will be considered when calculating breaker’s interrupting duty,
regardless of the Non-ac-decay ratio specified for the breakers.
The program will leave all out-of-service equipment in the network as
they are.
The program will not ignore reclosing information, and therefore will
derate reclosing breakers when appropriate.
Leave the options at their default values. Press Cancel to close the
Options dialog box.
Press OK in the Check | Circuit Breaker Rating dialog box.

Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide SECTION 2 TUTORIAL • 13

 When the program is done with simulating the faults and outputting the
results, the TTY Window will appear with the results.

14 • SECTION 2 TUTORIAL Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide

 Use the scroll bars to browse through the contents of the title page.
You will see the following output for the two breakers.

Use the scroll bars to locate the computed breaker duties.

The result for the breaker 1E82A at Nevada 132 kV that protects two
transmission lines and a transformer is listed first in this report. The
adjusted maximum short-circuit current duty of this breaker is found to
be 61.4% of its calculated interrupting capability. The maximum current
is found in fault #2, a 3-phase fault on transformer side of the breaker.
The momentary current duty is found to be 59.4% of breaker’s calculated
momentary current capability. This was found in fault #2.
The result for the generator breaker is listed next. For this breaker, the
program automatically checks its rating against the short-circuit current
for a fault on the generator side and a fault on the system side. The
maximum short circuit current duty of this breaker is found to be 40.7%
of the breaker’s calculated interrupting capability. The maximum current
is found in case #3, a 3-phase fault on generator side of the breaker.
Please see Section 4 for a detailed explanation of the checking algorithm
and Section 5 for a detailed explanation of the output.
5. Select the File | Close Window command to close the TTY Window.

Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide SECTION 2 TUTORIAL • 15

GETTING ONLINE HELP
We can use one of the three ways to get online help:
1. Get help through the Table of Contents.
Click on the Help | OneLiner Contents command or the Help | Breaker
Rating Application Guide command.
The Help Window will appear. Listed in the client area are the topics of
the on-line help file.
Click on one of the topics to page to the sub-index or the detailed
explanations.
2. Get help on a specific command.
Click on the top menu to bring down the list of menu commands.
Use the up or down arrow keys on your keyboard to highlight the
menu item of interest. Then press <F1> key.
3. Click on the “Help” button in any dialog box.
The Help Window will appear showing the help topic of the
corresponding command.

EXITING THE BREAKER RATING MODULE

This ends the quick tutorial. The remaining instructions will take you back to the Windows desktop.
1. Select the File | Exit command.
OneLiner will close. You will be back on the Windows desktop.

TO EXPLORE FURTHER
This tutorial covered only a small subset of the commands for rating circuit breaker. You can find a detailed
description of the breaker connection model and checking algorithms in Sections 3 and 4 of this manual.

16 • SECTION 2 TUTORIAL Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide

SECTION 3 BREAKER CONNECTION MODEL

3.1 BREAKERS IN SEQUENCE-NETWORK MODELS

The benefit of computerized breaker-rating studies has been recognized for many years. What is not well known
about breaker rating is the inherent difficulty in rating breakers using the sequence-network model that is
commonly used for short-circuit studies.
The difficulty arises from the absence of breakers in sequence-network models. The drawing below illustrates
this point. On the left side is the actual circuit configuration in which four circuit breakers connect together at in
a ring-bus scheme. On the right side is the corresponding sequence-network model. Note that there are no
breakers in this model at all. The challenge in this example is to find a way to rate the four breakers correctly
using the network model on the right-hand side. It should be noted that the ring-bus scheme is only one of many
common breaker configurations found in utility networks. Many of these are more complex in topology.
LineD LineA

BK01 LineD
LineA

BK04 BK02 LineC

LineB

BK03
LineC LineB

A simplified solution to this problem is to check breaker using full bus fault current, which is considered the
highest current at the bus. This approach to breaker rating can lead to overly conservative findings because most
breakers are connected to interrupt line or transformer current which can be much lower than total bus fault
current.
The connection model utilized in the breaker-rating program is more flexible and universal than the simplified
method above and at the same time it’s also easy to apply.

3.2 BREAKER CONNECTION MODEL

For each circuit breaker, the user is asked to specify up to two separate groups of equipment that are protected
by the breaker. The protected equipment must be elements of the sequence-network model, such as buses,
generators, capacitors, transmission lines, and transformers located at the breaker bus. As a rule, user must
include in the groups all equipment that may become de-energized when the breaker contacts open.

Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide SECTION 3 BREAKER CONNECTION MODEL • 17

Users can also include in each group additional branch outages that describe the network connections at the
moment the breaker opens to clear fault on protected equipment in the group. The program will make the
outages part of faults that are simulated to determine maximum breaker short circuit current in the group.
Each protected equipment groups has separate breaker contact parting time and reclosing settings.
The connection model includes a flag that tells the breaker-rating program how to calculate the short-circuit
current that circuit breaker interrupt. User is asked to specify for each of the two protected equipment groups
whether the breaker will be checked with the “Max current in group” or the “Total group current”. When “Max
current” is selected the program checks breaker interrupting capabilities against the highest short circuit current
among equipment in the group. With “Total group current” flag the program uses the vector sum of all the
device currents in the group.
The connection model allows the program to determine what faults need to be simulated to calculate the breaker
interrupting duty. Examples of breaker schemes and methods for modeling them are shown in the next section.

3.3 CONNECTION MODEL OF COMMONLY USED

BREAKER CONNECTIONS
3.3.1 LINE BREAKER
The line breaker is a simple, but important, example. An illustration of a line breaker is shown below. The
connection model is as follows:
Bus 1

LineA

Connection model:
Group 1: Members: Line A; Method: Group current or Max device current
Group 2: Empty.

The program automatically simulates following faults whenever the breaker protects a branch:
1) A fault at bus 1. The breaker current in this case is simply the short-circuit current that flows
through the line at the bus 1 end. (Note: When a group contains just one piece of equipment, the
the maximum device current is the same as the group current)
2) A close-in fault in front of the breaker. The program does not actually perform this simulation
because it can deduce the needed breaker current using the previous fault solution. The breaker
current in this case is simply the short-circuit current that flows through the breaker to the fault.
3) A fault at Bus 1 with all branches at the bus except LineA outaged. The breaker current in this
case is simply the short-circuit current that flows through the line at the bus 1 end.
4) A close-in fault with the remote end open. In practice, this is computed as the total fault current if
a fault at bus 1with the lineA outaged.
The breaker’s ratings are compared to the maximum of the breaker fault current in these 4 cases. We will refer
to this as the “maximum branch current” from now on.

18 • SECTION 3 BREAKER CONNECTION MODEL Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide

3.3.2 RING BUS
The ring bus is a commonly used breaker configuration. For the breaker BK01, we use the following connection
model:
LineD LineA

BK01 .

BK04 BK02

BK03
LineC LineB

Connection model:
Group 1: Members: LineA; Method: Group current or Max device current.
Group 2: Members: LineD; Method: Group current or Max device current.

Note: To model this configuration you can also include both LineA and LineD in Group 1 and set method to
“Max. Device Current” and leave Group 2 empty. However if you use this model you will not be able to specify
different contact parting time settings for fault clearing on these lines.
The program compares the breaker rating to the higher of the two currents:
• Maximum branch current for LineA
• Maximum branch current for LineD
The connection model for the other breakers in the ring-bus scheme is the same, except for the obvious
difference in the set of protected lines.

3.3.3 BREAKER AND A HALF

The breaker-and-a-half configuration is shown below. There are two different connection models for the
breakers in this scheme. One is for breakers in the middle (BK02 and BK05), with a line on each side. The other
is for the rest of the breakers, which are connected to a line on one side, and the bus on the other.

BK01 BK04
LineA LineC

BK02 BK05
LineB LineD

BK03 BK06

For the middle breaker BK02, the connection model is:

Group 1: Members: LineA; Method: Group current or Max device current.
Group 2: Members: LineB; Method: Group current or Max device current.

The program will check the middle breaker with exactly the same faults as in the ring-bus example.
For the breaker BK01, in addition to protecting the adjacent line, we must consider the possibility that it may
have to interrupt the total bus fault current. The connection model is therefore:
Group 1: Member: LineA; Method: Group current or Max device current.
Group 2: Member: Bus; Method: Group current or Max device current.

Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide SECTION 3 BREAKER CONNECTION MODEL • 19

In this case, the program compares the breaker ratings to the higher of these currents:
• Maximum branch current for LineA.
• Total bus fault current.

3.3.4 TRANSFER BREAKER

The transfer-breaker configuration is shown below:

BK01

BK02 BK03 BK04

LineA LineB LineC

Breaker BK01 is normally open. When one of the other breakers is taken out of service, BK01 is used (in
conjunction with some of the switches shown) to bypass the out-of-service breaker. Clearly, the transfer breaker
BK01 must be rated as high as the breakers that it bypasses. The connection model is therefore:
Group 1: Members: LineA, LineB, LineC; Method: Max device current.
Group 2: Empty.

The program computes these currents compute for this connection model:
• Maximum branch current for LineA
• Maximum branch current for LineB
• Maximum branch current for LineC
The program compares the ratings of the transfer breaker to the highest of these currents.
The other breakers in this scheme are modeled the same way as the line-breaker example.

3.3.5 BUS TIE

A bus-tie configuration is shown below. Bus-tie breaker BK01 connects two bus bars, each with two lines
connected. This breaker, therefore, must be rated using the sum of the line currents on each bus bar.
Bus Section 2

BK01
Bus Section 1

BK02 BK03 BK04 BK05

LineA LineB LineC LineD

We formulate the connection model as follows:

Group 1: Members: LineA, LineB; Method: Group current.
Group 2: Members: LineC, LineD; Method: Group current.

20 • SECTION 3 BREAKER CONNECTION MODEL Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide

The currents computed for this connection model are the following:
• Sum of LineA and LineB currents in a bus fault. This is the breaker current in a fault on bus section 2.
• Bus fault current, with LineA and LineB outaged. This is the breaker current in a fault on bus section 1 after
opening of breakers BK02 and BK03.
• Sum of line LineC and LineD currents. This is the breaker current in a fault on bus section 1.
• Bus fault current, with LineC and LineD outaged. This is the breaker current in a fault on bus section 2 after
opening of breakers BK04 and BK05.

3.3.6 GENERATOR BREAKER

A generator-breaker configuration is shown below. The generator model in OneLiner allows multiple units in
each generator. When a generating unit is specified as a protected equipment in the connection model, the
breaker-rating program automatically considers the case when the breaker has to interrupt a fault on the system
side and the cases when the breaker has to interrupt a fault on the generating-unit side.
GenUnit A GenUnit B

BK01 BK02

The connection model for a generator breaker is:

Group 1: Member: GenUnitA; Method: Group current or Max device current.
Group 2: Empty.

In practice, the program simulates a single fault at the generator bus and compares the breaker rating to the
higher of these two currents: the total fault current less the contribution from the generating unit; and the fault
current from the generating unit.

3.3.7 DISTRIBUTION BREAKER

The distribution breaker configuration is shown below. This is an interesting case because the breaker protects a
distribution feeder that is not represented in the sequence network.

Bus1 12.8 kV

BK01
Distribution system
not explicitly modeled

We can still check this breaker by the following connection model:

Group 1: Member: Bus1; Method: Group current or Max device current.
Group 2: Empty.

Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide SECTION 3 BREAKER CONNECTION MODEL • 21

SECTION 4 CHECKING ALGORITHM

4.1 INTRODUCTION
This section describes the methods for checking the breaker rating for
• Breakers that ANSI/IEEE rated, based on a total-current basis (Section 4.5)
• Breakers that ANSI/IEEE rated, based on a symmetrical-current basis (Section 4.6)
• Breakers that are IEC rated (Section 4.7)

4.2 BREAKER SHORT CIRCUIT CURRENT

To determine the highest short circuit current Isc for each breaker, the program simulates a series of faults
around every breaker that is being checked. The simulations include 3-phase, single-line-to-ground faults
and line-to-line faults as specified by the user. To check breakers that protect lines or transformers,
additional simulations are carried out with outage of neighbor branches.
If the breaker’s protected equipment includes a bus or a generator, a bus fault is performed. Isc is the higher
of the following two currents:
1. The generator contribution to the fault
2. The total fault current for bus fault less the generator contribution.
If the breaker protects one or more branches and it must interrupt the “Max device current” the program
first computes the maximum branch current for each of the branches, which is defined as the highest of the
following currents:
1. The branch current contribution to the fault at the near end bus of each branch.
2. The branch current in a close-in fault, which is computed as the total fault current for bus fault less the branch
current.
3. The fault current for fault on the bus with all the neighboring branches at the bus taken out of service. This
simulates the case when the breaker is the last one to open to clear fault at the bus.
4. The branch current in a close-in fault with the remote end opened. This is simulated as a fault at the near end
bus with the branch taken out of service.
Isc is the highest among all maximum branch currents calculated for each breaker.

Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide SECTION 4 CHECKING ALGORITHM • 23

If the breaker protects one or more branches and it must interrupt “Group current”, Isc is the highest of the
following currents:
1. The group contribution to a fault on the breaker bus. This is computed as the algebraic sum of currents from
the branches in the group to a fault at the breaker bus.
2. The short circuit current flowing to the group in a close-in fault. This is computed as the bus fault current less
the sum of currents in the branches in the group that are connected to the breaker bus.
3. The bus fault current with all branches at the bus taken out of service at once except the ones belonging to the
group. This simulates the case when the breaker is the last one to open to clear a fault on the bus.
4. The short circuit current flowing into the group in a close-in fault on the branches after their remote ends have
been opened. This is computed as the bus fault current with all the branches in the group taken out of service
at once.
User may also apply an optional scaling factor Fsc to the calculated Isc to account for unique operating condition
at the breaker location. Fsc can be computed from breaker operating kV parameter using one of the two
following methods:
1. Fsc = operating kV / bus nominal kV
2. Fsc = operating kV / bus pre-fault kV

4.3 X/R RATIO CALCULATION

The X/R ratio of the network at breaker location directly determines the rate of ac and dc decay of the short
circuit current that flows through the breaker. Therefore calculating X/R is an important step in determining
breaker interrupting and momentary duty. The Breaker Rating module allows user to select different methods of
computing the X/R:
ANSI method: ANSI/IEEE standards recommend that the X/R ratio be computed as the ratio of Thevenin
equivalents obtained separately from X-only and R-only networks. The method for simulating the faults and
computing the ANSI X/R ratio is described in the OneLiner User’s Manual and will not repeated here.
IEC equivalent frequency method: The Thevenin equivalent impedance Zc of the system as seen from the fault bus
is calculated assuming a frequency fc. The X/R ratio is then determined according to equation:

X/R = Xc/Rc * f/fc (4.1)

Where:
Rc is the real part of Zc
Xc is the imaginary part of Zc
f is the system nominal frequency.

Separate equivalent frequency can be specified for calculating peak short circuit current and breaking short
circuit current.
Complex Thevenin impedance method: The X/R is computed as ratio between the imaginary and the real part of
the complex Thevenin equivalent impedance of the system as seen from the faulted bus.

24 • SECTION 4 CHECKING ALGORITHM Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide

4.4 ANSI/IEEE FAULT CURRENT MULTIPLIERS
To take into account the asymmetrical nature of fault current, ANSI/IEEE standard C37-010-1999
recommends applying a multiplying factor to fault currents calculated using the symmetrical sequence
network model. There are two separate sets of multipliers: one that includes effects of dc decrements only
and one that includes effects of both ac and dc decrements. The standard provides two sets of printed
curves to lookup multiplier value given X/R ratio at the fault bus, breaker interrupting time and contact
parting time.
The Breaker Rating program utilizes equation (4.2) for calculating multiplying factor f1 that takes into
account the effects of dc decrements. This equation yields the results identical to those obtained from the
corresponding ANSI/IEEE curves (Figure 4.1):

⎛ −
4πt ⎞
⎜ 1 + 2e X /R ⎟
f1 = max⎜1.0, ⎟ (4.2)
⎜ S ⎟
⎝ ⎠
where
t – Circuit breaker contact parting time in cycles
S – Asymmetry factor. S always equals 1 for breaker rated on total current basis. For breakers rated on
symmetrical current basis S assumes following values dependent on breaker interrupting time:

Breaker Interrupting time (cycle) Ratio S

8 1.0
5 1.1
3 1.2
2 1.3

Figure 4.1. Three phase and line to ground fault multiplying factors that include
effects of dc decrement only.

Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide SECTION 4 CHECKING ALGORITHM • 25

The software uses ANSI/IEEE curve sets in figure 4.2and 4.3 to determine multiplying factor f2 that
includes effects of both ac and dc decrements.

Figure 4.2. Three-phase fault multiplying factors that include

effects of ac and dc decrement

Figure 4.3. Line-to-ground fault multiplying factors that include

effects of ac and dc decrement

4.5 CHECKING TOTAL-CURRENT RATED BREAKERS

ANSI/IEEE rated circuit breakers built before the year 1965 were rated on a total current basis. OneLiner
asks for the following parameters when you create a breaker of this type:
• Name (for identification purposes)
• Interrupting time.
• Contact parting time.
• Rated MVA at the maximum design kV.

26 • SECTION 4 CHECKING ALGORITHM Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide

• Maximum design kV.
• Operating kV.
• kV range factor.
• Momentary current rating.
• Reclosing information, and a flag to block breaker from being derated.
• Equipment being protected by the breaker: line(s), bus or generator.
Current Rating
Because the breaker rating is given in MVA, the program has to compute the short-circuit current
interrupting capability Irc at the breaker’s operating kV. The assumption is that the rated MVA is constants
between the Vmax/K and Vmax, where Vmax is the maximum design kV, and K is the voltage-range
factor. The relationship between the current rating and the breaker’s operating kV is shown graphically in
Figure 4.4.

Figure 4.4. The current rating of a breaker as a function of its operating voltage.

Though not required by the standards, the program gives the user the option of forcing K to be 1 when the
maximum design kV is higher than a certain kV threshold. When K is 1, the interrupting capability is
computed at the maximum design kV, and it is assumed to be constant regardless of the breaker’s operating
voltage.
Reclosing
If the breaker’s reclosing duty cycle is different from the standard cycle of CO + 15s + CO, then its ratings
must be reduced by a derating factor. This factor, D, in percent, is computed as follow.
D = d1(n-2) + d1(15-t1)/15 + d1(15-t2)/15 … (4.3)
Where:
d1 – The interrupting capability reduction factor in percent. This factor is a function of the breaker’s
interrupting capability (See figure 4.5)
n – The total number of contact openings.
t1 – The first reclosing interval less than 15 seconds.
t2 – The second reclosing interval less than 15 seconds, etc.
If the flag “Do not derate this breaker” is set, then D is set to zero by the program.

Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide SECTION 4 CHECKING ALGORITHM • 27

If D is greater than zero, the breaker’s interrupting capability Irc and rated momentary current Im are
adjusted as follows:
I’rc = Irc *(1-D/100) (4.4)
I’m = Im *(1-D/100) (4.5)

Figure 4.5. Interrupting capability reduction factors for reclosing service.

Checking the Breaker Rating

The program computes an adjusted short circuit current as:
Iadj = Isc *( f1*NACD + f2*(1-NACD)) (4.6)
Where:
NACD - Non-ac-decay ratio of the breaker, defined as the ratio of the breaker current from remote sources
to the total breaker current.
It then compares this current to the breaker’s derated interrupting capability I’rc computed in the last step.
The breaker’s interrupting duty is computed as a ratio:
dr = (Iadj/I’rc) * 100% (4.7)
For each breaker this computation is carried out for various fault currents described in Section 4.2. The
program shows the breaker’s highest interrupting duty, drmax, in the checking report. The program issues a
warning if this value is greater than the threshold entered by the user.
Momentary Current Rating
The rated momentary current is a user-entered parameter. The program compares the derated momentary
rating I’m to the short circuit current Isc times a momentary multiplying factor km. More precisely, the
breaker’s momentary current duty in percent is given by:
dm = ( (km*Isc)/I’m ) * 100% (4.8)
where:
2π
−
km = 1 + 2e X /R
(4.9)

For each breaker this computation is carried out for various fault currents described in Section 4.2. The
program shows the breaker’s highest momentary current duty, dmmax, in the checking report. The program
issues a warning if this value is greater than the threshold entered by the user.

28 • SECTION 4 CHECKING ALGORITHM Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide

4.6 CHECKING SYMMETRICALLY RATED BREAKERS
Starting in the year 1965, ANSI/IEEE-rated circuit breakers are rated on a symmetrical current basis. There
are two possible ways to check these breakers:
1. Convert the symmetrical current rating to an equivalent total current rating, and use the method of
Section 4.5 to check the rating.
2. Use the checking method designed specifically for the symmetrical current rated breakers, as described
in the ANSI/IEEE standards.
The Breaker Checking Module employs the second approach. Users who prefer the first method must
convert the current rating to an equivalent MVA rating manually and enter “Total Current Rated” as the
rating method when they enter the breaker data in OneLiner.
OneLiner asks for the following parameters when you create a breaker that is rated on a symmetrical-
current basis:
• Name (for identification purposes)
• Interrupting time
• Contact parting time
• Rated short current amps at the maximum design kV
• Rated short momentary (close and latching) amps at the maximum design kV
• Maximum design kV.
• Operating kV.
• KV range factor.
• Reclosing information, and a flag to block breaker from being derated.
• Equipment being protected by the breaker: line(s), bus or generator.
Current Rating
The rated short circuit current, Irs is a user-entered parameter.
The program makes no adjustment to the rating whenever the voltage range factor K is equal to 1. In other
words, the rated symmetrical interrupting capacity, Irc, is set equal to the rated short circuit current. The
ANSI/IEEE standards stipulate that K must be 1 when the maximum design voltage is 121 kV or higher.
The program gives the user the option to force K=1 for a kV threshold other than 121kV.
When the K is higher than 1, the program adjusts the rated short-circuit currents based on the maximum
design voltage Vmax, the operating voltage Vop and the voltage-range factor, K, as follows:
For 3-phase fault:
Irc = Irs * min { (Vmax/Vop ), K } (4.10)
For single line-to-ground faults, the rated symmetrical interrupting capacity is given by the lesser of these
two quantities: (1.15 * Irc) and (K * Irs).
Reclosing
If the breaker recloses with a non-standard duty cycle, the symmetrical interrupting capacity rating is
reduced by a derating factor D. This factor is computed the same way as the method described in Section
4.3. If D is greater than zero, the breaker’s symmetrical interrupting capability Irc is adjusted as follows:
I’rc = Irc*(1-D/100) (4.11)

Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide SECTION 4 CHECKING ALGORITHM • 29

Checking Breaker Interrupting Rating
The program computes an adjusted short circuit current as:
Iadj = Isc *( f1*NACD + f2*(1-NACD)) (4.12)
It then compares this current to the derated symmetrical interrupting capacity rating I’rc computed in the
last step. The breaker’s interrupting duty is computed as a ratio:
dr = (Iadj/I’rc) * 100% (4.13)
For each breaker this computation is carried out for various fault currents as described in Section 4.2. The
program shows the breaker’s highest interrupting duty, drmax, in the checking report. The program issues a
warning if this value is greater than the threshold entered by the user.
Checking Close-and-Latch Rating
The breaker close-and-latch rating Im is an user-entered parameter. When this value is not available,
1.6*Irs is used as default. The adjusted rating calculated as:
I’m = Im * min { (Vmax/Vop ), K } (4.14)
The program compares the close-and-latch rating I’m to the short circuit current Isc times a momentary
multiplying factor km using equations (4.8) and (4.9).
For each breaker this computation is carried out for various fault currents described in Section 4.2. The
program shows the breaker’s highest close-and-latch duty, dmmax, in the checking report. The program
issues a warning if this value is greater than the threshold entered by the user.

30 • SECTION 4 CHECKING ALGORITHM Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide

4.7 CHECKING IEC RATED BREAKERS
OneLiner asks for the following parameters when you create a breaker that is rated using IEC standard:
• Name (for identification purposes).
• Contact parting time.
• Rated breaking current.
• Rated percentage dc component.
• Rated making current.
• Maximum design kV.
• Operating kV.
• Equipment being protected by the breaker: line(s), bus or generator.
Current Ratings
The rated rms value of ac component of short circuit breaking current, Ibr, rated percentage dc component,
%dc and rated peak making current Ipr are user-entered parameters. The current ratings are not adjusted
when the breakers are being used at the voltage level lower than the breaker maximum design kV.
Total asymmetrical breaking current capability of the breaker is calculated as:

I abr = I br (1 + %dc 2 ) (4.17)

Checking the Breaker Breaking Current Rating
The breaker current at the short circuit location consists of a symmetrical current Isc and a dc current Idc at
the contact parting time. When the entire short circuit current comes from far-from generators, the
symmetrical current equals the initial short circuit current calculated from the symmetrical sequence
network model. When there is contribution to the short circuit from near-to generators and motors IEC
standards recommend applying a multiplying factor μ to each generator current in order to account for the
decay of the symmetrical current.
Isc = μIsc-gen
The factor μ depends on the minimum contact parting time delay and the ratio between the generator fault
current and its rated current.
However in a meshed network the standard allows for μ=1, which generally will result in a calculated
current that is larger than the real symmetrical short-circuit breaking current. The breaker rating software
always utilizes μ=1 in the breaker rating calculation because it gives a conservative result.
The dc current is calculated according to equation:
−2πft
I dc = 2 I sc e X / R (4.18)

where
f is the system nominal frequency in Hz.
t is the contact parting time in seconds.
X/R is the system X/R ratio at the fault bus as described in section 4.3.
The program computes total asymmetrical breaking current as:

I b = I sc2 + I dc2 (4.19)

Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide SECTION 4 CHECKING ALGORITHM • 31

It then compares this the peak current to the rated total asymmetrical breaking capacity Iabr. The breaker’s
breaking duty is computed as a ratio:
dr = (Ib/Iabr) * 100% (4.20)
For each breaker this computation is carried out for various fault currents as described in Section 4.2. The
program shows the breaker’s highest breaking duty, drmax, in the checking report. The program issues a
warning if this value is greater than the threshold entered by the user.
Checking the Breaker Making Current Rating
The program computes peak short circuit current as:

I p = κ 2 I sc (4.21)

with the factor κ calculated by the expression

κ = 1.02 + 0.98e −3 R / X (4.22)

The X/R at the faulted bus is calculated as described in section 4.3
It then compares this current to the peak making capacity Ipr. The breaker’s peak making duty is computed
as a ratio:
dp = (Ip/Ipr) * 100% (4.23)
For each breaker this computation is carried out for various fault currents as described in Section 4.2. The
program shows the breaker’s highest ac making duty, dpmax, in the checking report. The program issues a
warning if this value is greater than the threshold entered by the user.

32 • SECTION 4 CHECKING ALGORITHM Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide

SECTION 5 OUTPUT FORMAT

5.1 INTRODUCTION
The Breaker Rating Module generates reports showing the breaker duty, i.e., the breaker current as a percentage
of their ratings. The report calls attention to those breakers that are operating at or near their short circuit ratings
and therefore warrants closer scrutiny by the protection engineers.
The program produces reports in two different formats: the text format and the comma-delimited (csv) format.
The text output file is formatted for easy reading. The CSV format is designed for efficient processing by
computer programs. The text output format is described in sections 5.2-5.5. The CSV output format is described
in section 5.6.

5.2 TEXT OUTPUT: TITLE PAGE

The first part of the report is the title page. It contains the following information:
• Name of the input and output files
• System MVA
• System statistics
• File comments
• Checking options
• Output criteria
• Listing of out-of-service equipment

-- ASPEN Breaker Rating Module (Tm) --

VERSION 11.1

DATE AND TIME: Fri Apr 16 16:59:22 2009

INPUT FILE NAME: C:\ASPEN01\IEEE30.OLR

NAME OF THIS FILE: C:\ASPEN03\1.txt

BASE MVA = 100

BASE CASE HAS:

30 BUSES
6 GENERATORS
21 LOADS
0 SHUNTS
0 SWITCHED SHUNTS
35 LINES
4 2-W TRANSFORMERS
1 3-W TRANSFORMERS
1 PHASE SHIFTERS
1 SWITCHES
2 BREAKERS
2 MUTUAL GROUPS

Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide SECTION 5 OUTPUT FORMAT • 33

FILE COMMENTS:
29-BUS TEST SYSTEM

PREFAULT VOLTAGE PROFILE: FLAT BUS VOLTAGES. PREFAULT V=1 P.U.

GENERATOR IMPEDANCE: SUBTRANSIENT
BREAKERS CHECKED: ANSI/IEEE RATED
IGNORE PHASE SHIFT [ ]
IGNORE LOADS [X]
IGNORE TRANSMISSION LINE G+jB [X]
IGNORE SHUNTS WITH + SEQUENCE IMPEDANCE [X]
ACTIVATE OUT-OF-SERVICE EQUIPMENT [ ]
CHECK 3PH FAULTS [X]
CHECK 2LN FAULTS [ ]
CHECK 1LN FAULTS [X]
USE 115% RATING OF SYMM. CURRENT BREAKERS [X]
USE 115% RATING OF TOTAL CURRENT BREAKERS [ ]
CHECK LL FAULTS [ ]
TREAT ALL SOURCES AS "REMOTE" [X]
SCALE CURRENT TO OPERATING KV [X]
USE K=1 FOR SYMM. CUR. BKR. 121.0KV AND ABOVE [X]
USE K=1 FOR TOTAL CUR. BKR. 121.0KV AND ABOVE [X]
IGNORE ALL RECLOSING SETTINGS [ ]
USE ANSI X/R IN COMPUTING CURRENT MULTIPLIER [X]
IN X-ONLY NETWORK WHEN X=0 USE X=0.0001P.U.
IN R-ONLY NETWORK WHEN R=0 COMPUTE R USING METHOD 1
WITH: RC= 0.0001P.U., X/R =80 FOR GENERATORS; =40 FOR XFORMERS; =10 FOR OTHERS

FAULTS APPLIED TO ALL BUSES WITH BREAKERS

WITH NOMINAL KV BETWEEN 0.00 AND 9999.00, INCLUSIVE

RATING THRESHOLD = 80.0%

OUTPUT ALL CASES

OUT-OF-SERVICE EQUIPMENT:
GENTR on 11 ROANOKE 13.8kV
2-W XFMR 28 ARIZONA 132.kV - 27 ARKANSAS 33.kV 1T

5.3 TEXT OUTPUT: CHECKING REPORT

The checking report follows the title page. The report lists fault simulation and checking results breaker by
breaker, in alphabetical order of the associated bus name. If the user selected the “Report all cases” option, every
breaker in the system will be listed in the report. Otherwise the report contains only result for over-duty
breakers. For breakers rated on total current basis, the report contains rating result for both interrupting and
momentary duty. For breaker rated on symmetrical current basis no momentary duty is shown.
The output quantities for breakers rated using ANSI/IEEE standards are explained in the following example:

BREAKERS Bus and breaker identifiers

1 Bus number, name and nominal kV.
2 Breaker ID
DUTY(%) Maximum short circuit interrupting duty, dmax or dmax (in percent)
DUTY(A) Maximum short circuit interrupting current, Iadj or km*Iadj (A)
BKR.CAPA(A) Breaker’s derated interrupting capability, I’rc (A).

34 • SECTION 5 OUTPUT FORMAT Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide

MAX SC.CASE Identifier of the short circuit case that results in breaker’s maximum short circuit current. The
identifier consists of 4 parts:
I1 Fault table number: sequential number of the fault simulation case. This number identifies
the fault in the fault description table that always follows the Breaker Checking Result table
in the output report.
I2 Flow direction of the maximum short circuit current: ‘To’: signifies a current from bus to a
close-in fault on the protected equipment; ‘From”: signifies a current from protected
equipment to a fault on the bus.
I3 Identifier of breaker’s protected equipment group involved in the case.
I4 Group index number of the device involved in the case. This number is printed only when
the breaker is set to be checked using “Max device current” method.
Isc(A) Fault currents for applied faults, Isc
ANSI X/R ANSI X/R ratio of the applied faults
FLAG Warning flags:
W1 The breaker’s interrupting duty exceeds the given threshold value.
W2 The breaker’s momentary current duty exceeds the given threshold value.
W3 The breaker’s operating kV exceeds maximum designed kV.
W4 Protected equipment list contains equipment that do not locate at breaker's bus or are out-
of-service. This type of breaker connection model is very unusual. Most of the time, this is
caused by data entry error.
W5 Breaker’s contact parting time setting is a non-standard value that is outside the range
provided in IEEE fault multiplier curves (Figures 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3).
W6 Breaker location has questionable x/r ratio, which is either negative of higher than 150.
W7 Protected equipment list is empty or contains no in-service element.
The output quantities for breakers rated using IEC standards are shown in the following example:

The items listed in the result are similar to the case of IEEE rated breakers, except for Ik, the symmetrical short
circuit current for the fault.

5.4 TEXT OUTPUT: FAULT TABLE

Fault summary table contains total fault current and the X/R ratio in each fault identified in the checking report.
When the X/R ratio is computed using the IEC equivalent frequency method, two values are printed for each
fault. They are marked: (b) for breaking current; and (p) one for peak current.

Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide SECTION 5 OUTPUT FORMAT • 35

==================================================================================================================================
FAULT SUMMARY TABLE:

__FLT#___FLT_CONN___FLT_AMPS___ANSI_X/R__

1. 3LG 8211.7 9.8

2. 1LG 7912.4 14.6
3. 3LG 8004.3 9.9
4. 1LG 7682.9 14.8
5. 3LG 638.2 3.7
6. 1LG 588.0 3.5
7. 3LG 6271.9 7.4
8. 1LG 5953.5 11.4

Fault table contains description of all short circuit cases identified in the checking report. The cases are listed in
the table in ascending order of case number:
==================================================================================================================================
FAULT TABLE:
FLT# DESCRIPTION
3. 3LG Bus fault on:
NEVADA 132. kV
with outage(s):
NEVADA 132. kV - CLAYTOR 132. kV 1L
7. 3LG Bus fault on:
REUSENS 132. kV

5.5 TEXT OUTPUT: OPTIONAL BREAKER DATA

TABLES
The user can choose to include in the report two tables with data of the checked breakers: the connected
equipment list and breaker data table. These tables are explained in the examples below.
BREAKER CONNECTED EQUIPMENT LISTS:
BUS 6 NEVADA 132.kV:
NV-CLY-REU
Group1(T)= Branch: CLAYTOR 132. kV - NEVADA 132. kV 1 L
Group2(T)= Branch: NEVADA 132. kV - REUSENS 132. kV 1 L
BUS 8 REUSENS 132.kV:
REUSENS
Group1(M)= Gen. Unit 1 on REUSENS 132. kV
Gen. Unit 2 on REUSENS 132. kV
Group2(T)= NONE

NOTE: A single letter code in parenthesis that follows protected equipment group identifier shows group
checking method setting: T- Total group current; M- Maximum current. If a piece of equipment in the list is out-
of-service it’s identifier will have a * printed in front.
BREAKER DATA:

___BREAKERS_________________RATING____MRATING__BASIS__ITRPT__PT1__PT2___OPKV___MXKV___K__RCLS____________COMMENT__________________

BUS 6 NEVADA 132.kV:

NV-CLY-REU 3000.0MVA 20000.0A TC 5.0 4.0 4.0 132.0 139.0 1.0 8.0 30.0 2+1/2 scheme

BUS 8 REUSENS 132.kV:

REUSENS 5000.0A - SC 3.0 4.0 4.0 132.0 145.0 1.0 5.0 Generator Breaker

NOTE:
RATING Breaker rated interrupting capability.
M.RATING Breaker rated momentary capability.
BASIS Rating basis: TC- Total current; SC- Symmetrical current
ITRPT Interrupting time
PT1, PT2 Contact parting time setting for each group
OPKV Operating kV
K kV range factor
RCLS Reclosing intervals
COMMENT Comments

36 • SECTION 5 OUTPUT FORMAT Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide

5.6 CSV OUTPUT
The CSV output is formatted for efficient processing by computer. It is not designed for human readability. The
CSV file consists of data records, one on each row. Commas separate the data fields in each record. String fields
are enclosed in double quotes.
The CSV output is organized in several sections. Each section contains a heading row, one or more data rows,
and a separator line. The first section contains the program version, the date and time stamp, plus all the
checking options selected by the user. The second section contains the checking results. The rest of CSV file
contains optional output that the user selected to print.
The first section contains only two rows. The first row is the column heading. The second row has the following
data: (Note: The information in this section is the same as that in Section 5.2. See Section 5.2 for additional
explanation.)

CSV File Section I headings:

DATE_TIME Report date and time
VERSION Program version number
BASE_MVA System base MVA
PREFAULT Pre-fault voltage profile in use
GEN_Z Generator impedance in use.
PHASE_SHIFT Consider phase shift: YES or NO.
LOAD Consider load: YES or NO.
LINE_G+JB Consider line G+jB: YES or NO.
SHUNT_R+JX Consider shunt with positive sequence impedance: YES or NO.
ALL_ACTIVE Make all out-of-service equipment active: YES or NO.
CHECK3PH Check 3PH faults: YES or NO.
CHECK1LG Check 1LG faults: YES or NO.
115SYMMCUR Use 115% rating to check symmetrical current-rated breakers in 1LG fault: YES
or NO.
115TOTALCUR Use 115% rating to check total current-rated breakers in 1LG faults: YES or NO.
SCALEISC Scale Isc to operating kV
SMALLX Reactance (p.u.) to be used in X-only network when X=0
XR1 Typical X/R ratio for generators when calculating R in X-only network when X=0
XR2 Same as XR1, except for transformers
XR3 Same as XR1, except for equipment other than generators and transformers.
SMALLR Resistance (p.u.) to be used in R-only network when R = 0
RMETHOD Method of computing R in R-only network when R = 0: 1, 2 or 3
FORCEK1_S Use K=1 for symmetrical current rated breakers with max design kV greater than
KVCUTOFF: YES or NO.
KVCUTOFF_S Cutoff kV level above which K=1 (Symmetrical current rated breakers).
Default is 121.
FORCEK1_T Use K=1 for total current rated breakers with max design kV greater than
KVCUTOFF: YES or NO.
KVCUTOFF_T Cutoff kV level above which K=1 (Total current rated breakers).
Default is 121.
THRESHOLD Percent duty reporting threshold
IGNORE_RECLOSING Ignore reclosing settings: YES or NO
CHECK2LG Check 2LG faults: YES or NO.
CHECKLL Check LL faults: YES or NO.
CHECK_BKR Check circuit breakers: YES or NO.
CHECK_FUSE Must be NO.

Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide SECTION 5 OUTPUT FORMAT • 37

USE_FLATV_PU Set default breaker operating kV equal to flat pre-fault voltage profile pu: YES or
NO
XFMR_G_JB Consider transformer line connected shunts: YES or NO.
REMOTESOURCE Treat all sources as “remote”
SCALE_ISC Scale Isc to the operating kV

The second section contains the checking results. Each row in this section contains checking result for a breaker,
with following fields: (Note: The information in this section is the same as that in Section 5.3. See Section 5.3
for additional explanation.)

CSV File Section II headings:

BUS_NO Breaker bus number
BUS Breaker bus name and nominal kV
BREAKERS Breaker name
RATINGTYPE Breaker rating type: S for symmetrical current rated; T for total current rated
DUTY_P Interrupting duty in percent
DUTY_A Interrupting current in amps
BKR_CAPA Calculated interrupting capacity in amps
M_DUTY_P Momentary duty for total-current rated breakers and close-and-latch duty for
symmetrical-current rated breakers in percent
M_DUTY_A Momentary duty for total-current rated breakers and close-and-latch duty for
symmetrical-current rated breakers in amps
M_BKR_CAPA Calculated momentary capacity of total current rated breakers and close-and-latch
capacity for symmetrical current rated breakers in amps
MAX_SC_CASE Fault with maximum short circuit interrupting current
ISC Breaker short circuit current in amps
ANSI_X/R ANSI X/R ratio
FLAG Rating flag, interrupting duty
FLAG_M Rating flag, momentary (close-and-latch) duty
3LG_AMPS Maximum 3LG fault current at breaker bus
3LG_X/R ANSI X/R ratio in 3LG fault at breaker bus
2LG_AMPS Maximum 2LG fault current at breaker bus
2LG_X/R ANSI X/R ratio in 2LG fault at breaker bus
1LG_AMPS Maximum 1LG fault current at breaker bus
1LG_X/R ANSI X/R ratio in 1LG fault at breaker bus
LL_AMPS Maximum LL fault current at breaker bus
LL_X/R ANSI X/R ratio in LL fault at breaker bus

38 • SECTION 5 OUTPUT FORMAT Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide

SECTION 6 BREAKER RATING COMPARISON

6.1 INTRODUCTION
The Breaker Rating Comparison Utility is designed to compare two breaker-rating cases and report on the
differences between them. One common application of this program is to examine the effect of generation
expansion on the short-circuit duty of circuit breakers. The comparison program allows a quick comparison of
breaker checking reports generated by the Breaker Rating Module for the cases before and after the new
generation is modeled.

6.2 STARTING THE PROGRAM

Start Up the Breaker Rating Comparison Utility from Window Desktop:

1. Double click on the Breaker Rating Comparison icon found inside

ASPEN OneLiner v11 program group on the Windows Start | All Programs
menu.
You will see the Main Window when the program starts up.
Start Up the Breaker Rating Comparison Utility from Command Line:
1. Click on Windows Start button and select Run. Enter command line as
follows:
c:\ASPENBK04\bkrdiff.exe –A FileA.csv –B FileB.csv –R Output.rep

Where:
The program is assumed to be in ASPENBK04 directory
FileA.csv: First checking report file name
FileB.csv: Second checking report file name
Output.rep: comparison report file name.
The program will starts up, read the input files, perform comparison,
write the report and terminate. There will be no user interaction involved
in this mode.

Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide SECTION 6 BREAKER RATING COMPARISON • 39

6.3 COMMAND REFERENCE
The commands in the Main Window of the Breaker Rating Comparison Program are described in this section.

40 • SECTION 6 BREAKER RATING COMPARISON Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide

Breaker Rating Comparison Program
FILE MENU
COMPARE COMMAND
This command lets you compare two CSV output files generated by the Breaker Rating Module.
SPECIFY INPUT FILES:
1. Select the File | Compare command.
A dialog box will appear asking you to specify the name for input data
File A. The input file must be a CVS format file generated by the breaker
rating program. The default file extension is .CSV.
Use the controls in the standard file dialog box to specify the name of
the first input data file, 'File A', and click OK.
The dialog box for input File A will be replaced by a similar dialog box
for input data File B.
Use the controls in the standard file dialog box to specify the name of
the second input data file, 'File B', and click OK.
Note: the order in which you select the input file is important when you
want to include in the comparison report those breaker whose duty
increase by certain amount between the two cases.
The dialog box will disappear and another dialog box will appear
allowing you to enter the comparison options.

SELECT COMPARISON OPTIONS:

2. Select the comparison options.
Select corresponding check box to report on:
• Breakers with rated interrupting capability lower than bus total
bus fault current
• Breaker with percentage short circuit interrupting duty greater
than specified threshold.
• Breakers whose percentage short circuit duty increased more
than the specified amount between case A and case B.
• Skip detailed difference report on individuation breakers.

Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide SECTION 6 BREAKER RATING COMPARISON • 41

 3. Click OK. Then specify the difference and change file names.
A dialog box will appear asking you for the file name of the difference
report. The default extension for the report file is .REP.
Use the controls in the standard file dialog box to specify the name of the
difference report and click OK.
4. Click OK.
The dialog boxes for the difference report file name will disappear.
Another dialog box will appear reporting on the program's progress.

42 • SECTION 6 BREAKER RATING COMPARISON Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide

Breaker Rating Comparison Program
FILE MENU
CLOSE COMMAND
This command closes the input files and reset the comparison engine so that you can start a new comparison
case.
Note: to start a new case, you can also just simply select File | Compare command and select a new set of input
files.

Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide SECTION 6 BREAKER RATING COMPARISON • 43

Breaker Rating Comparison Program
FILE MENU
SELECT PRINTER COMMAND
The program always prints your output files on the "current printer". The current printer is the printer you
installed in Windows. If you installed more than one printer, this command lets you change the current printer
temporarily within Differ. You can also use this command to change the printer's settings, such as the paper size
and orientation (portrait or landscape).
Note: This command only changes the current printer temporarily; you can change the current printer
permanently using the Control Panel that comes with Windows. See Microsoft Windows User's Guide for
information on the Control Pane

44 • SECTION 6 BREAKER RATING COMPARISON Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide

Breaker Rating Comparison Program
FILE MENU
PRINT REPORT FILE COMMAND
This command lets you print the last difference report.
Note: This menu item is dimmed and cannot be activated if no difference report has been generated.

Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide SECTION 6 BREAKER RATING COMPARISON • 45

 F
Fault Current Multiplying Factor Curves 25
Fault Simulation 23
Features Summary 5

Index Flag 35

G
Generator Breaker 21
Group Current 24
branch outages 24

H
Help 16
A
AC And DC Decrements 26 I
IEC Breakers
B checking algorithm 31
Interrupting Duty 28
Breaker And A Half Scheme 19
Breaker Connection Model
breaker and a half example 19 M
bus tie example 20 Maximum Branch Current 23
distribution breaker example 21 Maximum device current 23
generator breaker example 21 Maximum Device Current 18
line breaker example 18 branch outages 23
overview 17 Momentary Duty 28
ring bus example 19
transfer breaker example 20
Breaker Dialog Box 10 N
Breaker Rating Comparison Utility 39 NACD See Non-AC Decay Ratio
Bus Tie Breaker 20 Non-AC Decay Ratio 28

C O
Checking Algorithm 23 On-Line Help 16
IEC 31
symmetrical-current rated breakers 29
P
total current rated breakers 26
Command Line Printer
Breaker Rating Comparison Utility 39 select 44
Compare Results From 2 Cases 41
CSV Output Format 33, 37
R

D Reclosing Derating 27, 29

Report
DC Decrements Only 25 ANSI X/R 35
Distribustion Breaker 21 checking report 34
Duty derated interrupting capability 34
interrupting 28, 30 duty % 34
momentary 28 duty Amps 34
fault table 36
Isc 35

Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide Index • 47

 max XC case 35
optional tables 36
print command 45
sample 6
title page 33
Ring Bus Breakers 19

S
Sample Report 6
Symbol * In Output 36
Symmetrical Current Rated Breakers
checking algorithm 29

T
Total Current Rated Breakers
checking algorithm 26
Total Group Current 18
Transfer Breaker 20
Tutorial 10

W
Warning Flag 35

X
X/R Ratio
ANSI method 24
complex Thevenin impedance method 24
IEC equivalent frequency method 24

48 • Index Breaker Rating v12 Application Guide