Everyday Modern Protective Relay

Engineering Applications Review of

Interesting Electric Power Utility
Events, Challenges, & Concerns
Brian Clowe CenterPoint Energy
Houston, TX
If you forget everything else


Not just specific lessons learned, but
troubleshooting tactics and real world uses of
analytic tools


Promote discussion between peers in any
protective relay industry
Additional Topics in the Paper
Firmware Revision Management, Methods
Directional Comparison Blocking EM/IED
Circuit Breaker Failure
Initialization Signaling Trip Signal Monitor vs
Separate Circuits
Protection of Multiple Circuit Breakers in One IED



Power System Background Harmonics

CNP has installed Dynamic VAR delivery
systems
From experience, on-site background
harmonic voltage levels are useful for DVAR
equipment rating
Electronic Metering Device up to 51
st

harmonic
CCVT/CCPD
Inductive/Wound
PT
Swept Frequency Response Analysis
Normally utilized for transformer
characterization and damage assessment,
SFRA equipment is based on vector network
analysis equipment
Generates a sweep of frequencies and makes
a measurement of the response
PT is accurate at 60Hz expected a flat
response up to limit
Three devices were tested
80,500V primary voltage rating
Two multi-ratio secondary windings
67V or 115V output

20LOG10(80,500/115) 57dB
20LOG10(80,500/67) 62dB


Narrowing in on the band of interest, the
trend of the response upward to a resonance
at around 2600Hz is more pronounced.
As the trend began at 400Hz, the data also
became less consistent and an increase in
deviation resulted at 400-600Hz.
Percent error from 60Hz for the 115V
secondary were:
+/- 5% error from 20-400Hz
+12% -8% error from 400-600Hz

Event
The ERCOT requirements for UFLS consists of
three blocks of frequencies, each requiring a
percentage of total load to be shed as the
measured frequency of the transmission
system line voltage dips below the threshold
Diagram of System Area
Large motors coasting down not only created the slow decaying of voltage magnitude
over time, but also a ramping down of the frequency
Relay setting change
TRIP = (Freq < [59.3Hz]) AND NOT(Freq <
[50Hz])

Measured frequency below 50Hz is not
considered a recoverable system wide under-
frequency event

50Hz blocking element was implemented
system wide
Custom Relay Operation Curves
CNP makes use of custom protection curves to
mimic existing device curves during
coordination

Curve data is entered at discrete multiples of
pickup

IED must approximate a curve between data
points


Automatic Reclosing Initiation
An issue was discovered during field testing

IED had a stringent reclose initiate timing
requirement

The built-in automatic reclosing logic is monitoring
the status of the breaker to be reclosed



When the reclose is not initiated within 30ms
of the breaker changing status, the reclosing is
locked out
This is not user configurable performance
characteristic

Multiple scenario testing programs were
helpful in discovering
Event

Negative Sequence
Directionality
- Seq > 0 Seq




Setting 50FP/50RP is the threshold for the current level
detector that enables forward/reverse decisions for both the
negative- and zero-sequence voltage-polarized directional
elements. If the magnitude of 3I2 or 3I0 is greater than
50FP/50RP, the corresponding directional element can
process a forward/reverse decision.

This calculation, being non-directional, is not
limited to a mutually exclusive result and both
50QF and 50QR may be active at the same
time. Tradeoffs for increasing the setting value
include:
Improved security during faults with abnormally
high negative sequence where 32Q is not
expected to operate
Reduced sensitivity during faults with abnormally
low negative sequence where 32Q is expected to
operate


Compare setting a2
with |I2|/|I1|

Similar tradeoffs to
50FP/50RP + Security for
faults with significant I1

a2 compensates for highly
unbalanced systems.
Unbalance is typical in
systems that have many
untransposed lines. This
factor also helps prevent
misoperation during current
transformer saturation.

If the relay measures the apparent negative-sequence
impedance (z2) less/greater than Z2F/Z2R, the relay declares
the unbalanced fault to be forward/reverse.

One snapshot in time
The IED does not directly
compare z2 to the threshold
setting values of Z2F & Z2R.
An additional calculation is made
to create a threshold value that
adjusts based on measured V2 &
I2 values.
The effect of the equations is to
widen the difference between
the threshold values as a fault
moves away from the impedance
origin. Conversely, as a fault
moves closer to the impedance
origin, the spread between the
thresholds is reduced.


0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
1.6
1.8
2
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Z2F setting
Z2R setting
z2
Z2FTH
Z2RTH
Cycles