Unbalance relaying

9.3.3.1 External capacitor unit fusing

When a fuse blows in a capacitor bank, an increase in the fundamental frequency voltage occurs on the
remaining capacitor units in that series group. An unbalance detection scheme is employed to monitor
such
conditions and to take action as required. This schemeusually includes two levels of action (see IEEE Std
C37.99-2000):
a) Promptly trip the capacitor bank switching device for
1) A level of unbalance that indicates a fault in the capacitor bank,
2) Overvoltage on good capacitor units greater than 110%, or
3) Excessive voltage on capacitor elements or fuses.
This setting should be as fast as possible and coordinated with the maximum fuse clearing time.
The trip time delay is frequently as short as 0.1 s. Longer delay is sometimes required for protection
systems affected by systemline to ground faults.
b) Alarm for low level of unbalance. Overvoltage on good capacitor units is less than 110%. The delay
is usually 4 s or greater.
9.3.3.2 Internal capacitor element fusing
When a fuse operates, a voltage increase occurs across the remaining elements in that series group of
elements inside the capacitor unit and to a lower magnitude also across the capacitor units in parallel
with
the capacitor containing the operated fuse.
An unbalance detection scheme is employed to monitor such conditions and to take action as required.
This
scheme may include the following levels of action:
a) Promptly trip the capacitor bank switching device for
1) A level of unbalance that indicates a fault in the capacitor bank,
2) Overvoltage on good capacitor units greater than 110%, or
3) More than the maximum allowable number of internal fuses blown (provided by the
manufacturer of the capacitor units).
This setting should be as fast as possible and coordinated with the maximum fuse clearing time.
The trip time delay is frequently as short as 0.1 s. Protection systems affected by system line to
ground faults are generally not good practice with internally fused capacitors.
Note that before tripping, the voltage on the healthy elements in parallel with failed elements
following operations may be of the order of 150% of normal. This group of elements is expected to
withstand normal switching without cascading failures. The acceptable value may be affected by
the capacitor bank design, system application, and the capability of the capacitor unit. See the
capacitor unit manufacturer for the acceptable value.
b) Alarm for low level of unbalance. The alarm set point is typically halfway between the unbalance
signal associated with the trip level and the unbalance signal associated with all the fuses being
intact. The delay is usually 4 s or greater.
9.3.3.3 Fuseless capacitor bank protection
Each individual capacitor unit consists of many elements connected in series and parallel within the
capacitor unit to give the proper voltage and kvar rating. If one of these capacitor elements fails, the
capacitor bank may normallystay in service.
Since there are many individual elements in series between phase and neutral, there is very little
increase in
the voltage on the remaining elements in that string. Therefore, the failure of an individual element
does not
usually lead to the failure of additional elements in that string.
An unbalance protection scheme may include the following levels of action:
a) Promptly trip the capacitor bankswitching device for a level of unbalance, which indicates that
1) There is a fault in the capacitor bank,
2) The voltage on the remaining elements exceeds 110% of rated voltage, or
3) The number of series sections that make up one capacitor have shorted (consult the
manufacturer for this information). (Tripping the capacitor bank upon the equivalent of one shorted
capacitor unit will also trip the capacitor bank for a capacitor unit terminal-to-case
insulation fault, which could result in case rupture.)
Use the lower of the two values, item 2) or item 3) for tripping.
This setting should be as fast as possible. The trip time delay is frequently as short as 0.1 s.
b) Alarm for low level of unbalance. Overvoltage on good capacitor units is less than 110%. The delay
is usually 4 s or greater. An alarm from the unbalance protection on the capacitor bank can provide
indication of the failure of one or two individual elements, to allow the affected capacitor units to
be replaced at a convenient time.