Power System Protection

PROTECTIVE RELAYS

PREPARED BY-
MAHZUBA ISLAM(MI)
SR.LECTURER, EEE
 Watthour-meter structure
This structure gets its name from the fact that it is used in
watthour meters. The general arrangement of this type of
relay is shown in Fig. 21.8. It consists of a pivoted aluminium
disc arranged to rotate freely between the poles of two
electromagnets. The upper electromagnet carries two
windings ; the primary and the secondary. The primary
winding carries the relay current I1 while the secondary
winding is connected to the winding of the lower magnet.
The primary current induces e.m.f. in the secondary and so
circulates a current I2 in it. The flux φ2 Induced in the lower
magnet by the current in the secondary winding of the upper
magnet will lag behind φ1 by an angle α. The two fluxes φ1
and φ2 differing in phase by α will produce a driving torque
on the disc proportional to φ1φ2sin α. An important feature
of this type of relay is that its operation can be controlled by
opening or closing the secondary winding circuit. If this
circuit is opened, no flux can be set by the lower magnet
however great the value of current in the primary winding
may be and consequently no torque will be produced.
Therefore, the relay can be made inoperative by opening its
secondary winding circuit.
 Induction cup structure

Fig. aside shows the general arrangement of an induction

cup structure. It most closely resembles an induction
motor, except that the rotor iron is stationary, only The
moving element is a hollow cylindrical rotor which turns
on its axis. The rotating field the rotor conductor portion
being free to rotate. is produced by two pairs of coils
wound on four poles as shown. The rotating field induces
currents in the cup to provide the necessary driving torque.
If φ 1 and φ2 represent the fluxes produced by the
respective pairs of poles, then torque produced is
proportional to φ1 φ2 sin α where α is the phase difference
between the two fluxes. A control spring and the back stop
for closing of the contacts carried on an arm are attached to
the spindle of the cup to prevent the continuous rotation.
Induction cup structures are more efficient torque
producers than either the shaded-pole or the Watt-hour
meter structures. Therefore, this type of relay has very high
speed and may have an operating time less then 0·1 second.
 Relay Timing

An important characteristic of a relay is its time of operation. By ‘the time of

operation’ is meant length of the time from the instant when the actuating is
element energised to the instant when the relay contacts are closed.
Instantaneous relay:
An instantaneous relay is one in which no intentional time delay is provided.
In this case, the relay contacts are closed immediately after current in the
relay coil exceeds the minimum calibrated value. Fig. below shows an
instantaneous solenoid type of relay. Although there will be a short time
interval between the instant of pickup and the closing of relay contacts, no
intentional time delay has been added. The instantaneous relays have
operating time less than 0·1 second. The instantaneous relay is effective only
where the impedance between the relay and source is small compared to the
protected section impedance. The operating time of instantaneous relay is
sometimes expressed in cycles based on the power-system frequency
e.g. one-cycle would be 1/50 second in a 50-cycle system
Inverse-time relay: An inverse-time relay is one
in which the operating time is approximately
inversely proportional to the magnitude of the
actuating quantity. Fig. 21.11 shows the time current
characteristics of an inverse current relay. At values
of current less than pickup, the relay never operates.
At higher values, the time of operation of the relay
decreases steadily with the increase of current. The
inverse-time delay can be achieved by associating
mechanical accessories with relays.
(a) In an induction relay, the inverse-time delay can be achieved by positioning a permanent
magnet (known as a drag magnet) in such a way that relay disc cuts the flux between the poles
of the magnet. When the disc moves, currents set up in it produce a drag on the disc which
slows its motion.
(b) In other types of relays, the inverse time delay can be introduced by oil dashpot or a time
limit fuse. Fig. previously shows an inverse time solenoid relay using oil dashpot. The piston
in the oil dashpot attached to the moving plunger slows its upward motion. At a current value
just equal to the pickup, the plunger moves slowly and time delay is at a maximum. At higher
values of relay current, the delay time is shortened due to greater pull on the plunger.
The inverse-time characteristic can also be obtained by connecting a time-limit fuse in parallel
with the trip coil terminals as shown in previous fig, The shunt path formed by time-limit fuse
is of negligible impedance as compared with the relatively high impedance of the trip coil.
Therefore, so long as the fuse remains intact, it will divert practically the whole secondary
current of CT from the trip oil. When the secondary current exceeds the current carrying
capacity of the fuse, the fuse will blow and the whole current will pass through the trip coil,
thus opening the circuit breaker.
 Definite time lag relay

In this type of relay, there is a definite time elapse

between the instant of pickup and the closing of relay
contacts. This particular time setting is independent of
the amount of current through the relay coil ; being the
same for all values of current in excess of the pickup
value. It may be worthwhile to mention here that
practically all inverse-time relays are also provided
with definite minimum time feature in order that the
relay may never become instantaneous in its action for
very long overloads.
 Important Terms

(i) Pick-up current: It is the minimum current in the relay coil at which the relay starts to
operate. So long as the current in the relay is less than the pick-up value, the relay does not
operate and the breaker controlled by it remains in the closed position. However, when the
relay coil current is equal to or greater than the pickup value, the relay operates to energize
the trip coil which opens the circuit breaker.
(ii) Current setting: It is often desirable to adjust the pick-up current to any required
value. This is known as current setting and is usually achieved by the use of tapping on the
relay operating coil. The taps are brought out to a plug bridge as shown in Fig. below, the
plug bridge permits to alter the number of turns on the relay coil. This changes the torque on
the disc and hence the time of operation of the relay.
∴ Pick-up current = Rated secondary current of C.T. ×Current setting
(iii) Plug-setting multiplier (P.S.M.): It is the ratio of fault current in relay coil to the
pick-up current i.e.

(iv) Time-setting multiplier: A relay is generally provided with control to adjust the time
of operation. This adjustment is known as time-setting multiplier.
Time/P.S.M. Curve:
Fig. below shows the curve between time of operation and
plug setting multiplier of a typical relay.
The horizontal scale is marked in terms of plug-setting
multiplier and represents the number of times the relay
current is in excess of the current setting. The vertical scale
is marked in terms of the time required for relay operation.
If the P.S.M. is 10, then the time of operation (from the
curve) is 3 seconds. The actual time of operation is obtained
by multiplying this time by the time-setting multiplier.
It is evident from the Fig. that for lower values of
overcurrent, time of operation varies inversely with the
current but as the current approaches 20 times full-load
value, the operating time of relay tends to become constant.
This feature is necessary in order to ensure discrimination
on very heavy fault currents flowing through sound feeders.
 Calculation of Relay Operating Time

In order to calculate the actual relay operating time, the following things must be known :
(a) Time/P.S.M. curve
(b) Current setting
(c) Time setting
(d) Fault current
(e) Current transformer ratio.

The procedure for calculating the actual relay operating time is as follows :
(i) Convert the fault current into the relay coil current by using the current transformer
ratio.
(ii) Express the relay current as a multiple of current setting i.e. calculate the P.S.M.
(iii) From the Time/P.S.M. curve of the relay, read off the time of operation for the
calculated P.S.M.
(iv) Determine the actual time of operation by multiplying the above time of the relay by
time setting multiplier in use.
 Functional Relay Types

(i) Induction type over current relays

(ii) Induction type reverse power relays
(iii) Distance relays
(iv) Differential relays
(v) Translay scheme
Induction Type Overcurrent Relay (non-directional)
Constructional details: Fig. shows the important constructional details of a typical non-
directional induction type overcurrent relay. It consists of a metallic (aluminum) disc which is
free to rotate in between the poles of two electromagnets. The upper electromagnet has a
primary and a secondary winding. The primary is connected to the secondary of a C.T. in the line
to be protected and is tapped at intervals. The tappings are connected to a plug-setting bridge by
which the number of active turns on the relay operating coil can be varied, thereby giving the
desired current setting. The secondary winding is energized by induction from primary and is
connected in series with the winding on the lower magnet. The controlling torque is provided by
a spiral spring. The spindle of the disc carries a moving contact which bridges two fixed contacts
(connected to trip circuit) when the disc rotates through a pre-set angle. This angle can be
adjusted to any value between 0o and 360o. By adjusting this angle, the travel of the moving
contact can be adjusted and hence the relay can be given any desired time setting.
Operation: The driving torque on the aluminum disc is set up due to the induction principle.
This torque is opposed by the restraining torque provided by the spring. Under normal
operating conditions, restraining torque is greater than the driving torque produced by the
relay coil current. Therefore, the aluminum disc remains stationary. However, if the current in
the protected circuit exceeds the pre-set value, the driving torque becomes greater than the
restraining torque. Consequently, the disc rotates and the moving contact bridges the fixed
contacts when the disc has rotated through a pre-set angle. The trip circuit operates the circuit
breaker which isolates the faulty section.
Induction Type Directional Power Relay
Constructional details: Fig. below shows the essential parts of a typical induction type directional
power relay. It consists of an aluminum disc which is free to rotate In between the poles of two
electromagnets. The upper electromagnet carries a winding (called potential coil) on the central limb which
is connected through a potential transformer (P.T.) to the circuit voltage source. The lower electromagnet
has a separate winding (called current coil) connected to the secondary of C.T. in the line to be protected.
The current coil is provided with a number of tappings connected to the plug setting bridge (not shown for
clarity). This permits to have any desired current setting. The restraining torque is provided by a spiral
spring. The spindle of the disc carries a moving contact which bridges two fixed contacts when the disc has
rotated through a pre-set angle. By adjusting this angle, the travel of the moving disc can be adjusted and
hence any desired time-setting can be given to the relay.
Operation: The flux φ1 due to current in the potential coil will be nearly 90º lagging behind the applied
voltage V. The flux φ2 due to current coil will be nearly in phase with the operating current I. The
interaction of fluxes φ1 and φ2 with the eddy currents induced in the disc produces a driving torque given
by :
T ∝ φ1 φ2 sin α [See Art. 21.5]
Since φ1 ∝ V, φ2 ∝ I and α = 90 − θ
∴ T ∝ V I sin (90 − θ)
∝ V I cos θ
∝ power in the circuit
It is clear that the direction of driving torque on the disc depends upon the direction of power flow in the
circuit to which the relay is associated. When the power in the circuit flows in the normal direction, the
driving torque and the restraining torque (due to spring) help each other to turn away the moving contact
from the fixed contacts. Consequently, the relay remains inoperative. However, the reversal of current in
the circuit reverses the direction of driving torque on the disc. When the reversed driving torque is large
enough, the disc rotates in the reverse direction and the moving contact closes the trip circuit. This causes
the operation of the circuit breaker which disconnects the faulty section.
Induction Type Directional Overcurrent Relay
The directional power relay discussed above is unsuitable for use as a directional
protective relay under short-circuit conditions. When a short-circuit occurs, the
system voltage falls to a low value and there may be *insufficient torque developed
in the relay to cause its operation. This difficulty is overcome in the directional over
current relay which is designed to be almost independent of system voltage and
power factor.

Constructional details: Fig. shows the constructional details of a typical

induction type directional overcurrent relay. It consists of two relay elements
mounted on a common case viz.
(i)directional element and
(ii) non-directional element.

(i) Directional element: It is essentially a directional power relay which

operates when power flows in a specific direction. The potential coil of this
element is connected through a potential transformer (P.T.) to the system
voltage.
(ii) Non-directional element. It is an overcurrent element similar in all respects
to a non-directional overcurrent relay.
Operation:
Under normal operating conditions, power flows in the normal direction in the
circuit protected by the relay. Therefore, directional power relay (upper element)
does not operate, thereby keeping the overcurrent element (lower element) un-
energised. However, when a short-circuit occurs, there is a tendency for the current
or power to flow in the reverse direction. Should this happen, the disc of the *upper
element rotates to bridge the fixed contacts 1 and 2. This completes the circuit for
overcurrent element. The disc of this element rotates and the moving contact
attached to it closes the trip circuit. This operates the circuit breaker which isolates
the faulty section.

The two relay elements are so arranged that final tripping of the current controlled
by them is not made till the following conditions are satisfied :
(i) current flows in a direction such as to operate the directional element.
(ii) current in the reverse direction exceeds the pre-set value.
(iii) excessive current persists for a period corresponding to the time setting of
overcurrent element.