DRAFT ONLY

Recloser
Introduction
Automatic Circuit Reclosers (ACR) have been around in one form or another for over
half a century. Studies of faults on overhead distribution lines have shown that most are
transient and can be cleared without interrupting customer supply. This is especially true
of areas that experience lightning activity or mix power lines with trees.
At its most basic a recloser will detect a fault and then open for a preprogrammed time
before closing automatically. This automatic close is referred to as an auto-reclose and
multiple open and close operations can be utilised to clear transient faults. If the fault is
transient and cleared when the line is de-energised the next auto-reclose will restore
supply. If the fault is permanent the recloser will eventually open and not attempt to
close until instructed by an operator. This state is referred to as recloser lockout;
manufacturers have standardised on a maximum of four protection trip operations
before lockout occurs.
Early reclosers simply detected a level of current, opened after a fixed time, closed and
repeated the sequence a programmable number of times. These devices were graded
by number of operations; ie downstream reclosers had fewer auto-reclose operations
than upstream reclosers. This method of grading subjects all the customers on the
affected feeder to outages, but only the first recloser upstream of the fault locks-out and
isolates downstream supply.
The next advance was the introduction of current dependent time to trip. Terminology
widely used to describe current dependent operating speed is IDMT (Inverse Definite
Minimum Time) curves. IDMT application in the first reclosers used electric and
hydraulic mechanisms to provide a variable period from detection of fault current to
opening the recloser. This time was inversely proportional to the magnitude of the fault
current and allowed devices in series to be graded on current through use of Current
Transformers (CT) with differing turns ratios. These reclosers also incorporated
mechanical means to provide a time multiplier to the curve, allowing better co-ordination
of series devices with differing operating characteristics.
Grading on current relies on downstream reclosers opening more quickly at a given fault
level than upstream reclosers. Only the recloser closest to the fault operates, upstream
supply is not interrupted at all. Hydraulic operating mechanisms are limited by a timecurrent characteristic governed by the operating mechanism and the inaccuracy of the
time to trip on any given fault current. This inhibits accurate grading resulting in
compromises having to be made in the accommodation of all fault conditions.
Subsequent generations of reclosers benefited from the introduction of electronic relays
to refine flexibility and accuracy of time to trip. The advent of microprocessor control has
led to the current generation of reclosers with increasingly sophisticated protection
capabilities.
Voltage detection has also become an integral part of distribution network protection as
technology advanced. Control logic employs voltage sensing to augment the current
sensing capability of reclosers. Traditional arrangements use external voltage
transformers but reliability is poor due to the difficulty of retaining impulse and potential
rise immunity in a non-integrated system. It also makes for a very crowded pole top.

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The parallel evolution of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and its
application in Distribution networks has led to the concept of Intelligent Electronic
Devices (IED) being discussed by Distribution Utilities around the world. The idea
evolved from papers and presentations discussing Distribution System Automation
(DSA) schemes and the associated infrastructure requirements.
In the context of a recloser, an IED is characterised by having the data logging and
processing power to be able to generate system information for subsequent analysis. It
must also be able to communicate with a central or distributed decision-maker to
facilitate system reconfiguration. Ideally the decision and reconfiguration is done
automatically with the view of minimising customer minutes lost. Investment in IEDs
has become increasingly attractive in the global climate of regulation being experienced
by the Electricity Supply Industry.
Future developments in information technology will see the IED play a huge role in
underpinning the flexible Distribution Networks required to meet market expectation.
Without these basic building blocks no DSA scheme can adapt, as new technology
becomes available.
Nu-lec Pole Mounted Reclosers
Nu-lec equipment has evolved through field experience and intensive R&D effort to
provide reliable operation in the harshest environments.
In excess of 6000 Nu-lec reclosers are in service in a total of 56 countries throughout
the world. Our reclosers are protecting medium voltage Distribution Networks from the
Mekong Delta region of Vietnam to the misty green hills of Ireland. They have been
integrated into basic and sophisticated control schemes from Tarawa, Main Island of the
Republic of Kiribati to downtown Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The same product is in service
in climates ranging from the Australian Outback in summer to the snow of Tianjin, China
in mid-winter.
Our success in these diverse parts of the world is through providing a realisation of the
IED concept.
Intelligent protection decisions are made by the Control and Protection Module (CAPM)
based on feedback from the Current Transformers (CTs) and Capacitive Voltage
Transformers (CVTs) built into each recloser. Information is relayed to a control system
using the in-built RS232 or V23 FSK communications. Support for industry standard
protocols such as Conitel, DNP3 and IEC-870 allow seamless integration into DSA and
SCADA.
A comprehensive event log provides a detailed record of every protection operation to
assist restoration crews in the fault-finding process. Comprehensive demand history is
logged to provide demand-profiling capabilities and allow Design Engineers to optimise
system performance. Duration of outages can be monitored and the information
retrieved for the calculation of Industry standard performance indices SAIDI and SAIFI.
Integrated design of the controller and switch ensures that the equipment will withstand
the extremes of electrical disturbance generated by fault and storm activity. Extremes in
climatic conditions are catered for in the use of non-corrosive materials and
ventilation/heating to suit the operating conditions.
Minimal maintenance is an integral design concept. Only the batteries need to be
replaced on a 3 to 5 year cycle, depending on operating conditions.

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All the features inherent in the design of Nulec Pole Mounted Reclosers ensure that the
logic, control and communications circuits of the CAPM are able to carry out their prime
function clearing a fault and restoring customer supply as quickly as possible.
Where do you need a recloser?
Nu-lec reclosers are utilised in over head networks where any of the following apply
1. High lightning activity, exposed OH supply lines
2. Fuses protecting downstream spur lines
3. Large concentration of customers on a spur or junction feeder
4. Radial Feeders
5. Open Ring or meshed network systems
6. Remote site, difficult access
7. Bush fire prone areas, exposed lines
8. Co-generation interchange sites

1. High Lightning activity

An electrical storm can generate extremely large faults with enormous potential for
damage. A fast tripping time reduces equipment risk and danger to public safety.
Time between initiation and clearing of a fault can be achieved from 75ms utilising
an instantaneous element.
Use of instantaneous operation can allow fuse saving strategies to be employed to
prevent fuses on an upstream spur or transformer from blowing. This strategy is
generally only successful with large fuses, repeated near - misses can eventually
cause smaller fuses to fail under load.
2. Downstream fuses.
Alternately, a fuse burning strategy can be adopted; this allows a downstream fuse
to clear a fault without the recloser operating. Most successful in rural area with fuse
protected three phase spurs. An instantaneous multiplier with a minimum time can
be selected as a modifying element to an IDMT curve to also provide fast operation
to clear high faults generated by lightning activity.
3. Large concentrations of customers
Using reclosers on feeder junctions or spurs allows the smallest possible area to be
left without HV supply. A fault causes the first upstream recloser to operate to isolate
the faulted segment. Re-arrangement of normally open points together with SCADA
capability allows system reconfiguration to restore supply to the largest number of
customers as quickly as possible, reducing customer minutes lost.
4. Radial Feeders
Long radial feeders require multiple protective devices to provide over-lapping zones
of protection. This is achieved through co-ordination of multiple reclosers in series to

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minimise the possibility of low level faults not being seen by the nearest upstream
device.
5. Open Ring Systems
Open ring or meshed networks can benefit enormously from Nu-lecs Loop
Automation scheme. This utilises voltage sensing on all six bushings to allow a
network to be automatically reconfigured in response to a fault on any segment. The
scheme acts to minimise loss of supply to the shortest possible network segment
while restoring supply to all unaffected segments. The scheme will also automatically
reconfigure the system when normal operating conditions are detected if the AutoRestore feature is used.
Loop Automation requires no communications between devices since the network
itself is used as the communications medium. Once the appropriate recloser has
cleared a fault the CAPMs determine which section is faulted based on Source and
Load side bushing status. Reclosers have different responses depending on whether
they are designated a Feeder, Midpoint or Tie recloser and act to automatically
restore supply to all unfaulted segments.
6. Remote Site, difficult access
Remotely controlled reclosers allow fast switching and network re-configuration to
minimise customer minutes lost. Where travelling times are significant this can
provide immediate benefits in customer satisfaction and reduced call out rates.
Nu-lec reclosers can be remotely controlled very cost effectively using our Windows
Switchgear Operating System (WSOS). Telephone landlines, or digital / analog
mobile phone networks provide a medium for cost effective initial remote control
where no SCADA capability is available. The call back features of the CAPM and
optional WSOS capability allows pre-programmed messages to be sent by email,
text message or pre-recorded voice message to alert duty officers of a problem.
Dialing the recloser and using DTMF tones to affect a remote close provides limited
control. If this is unsuccessful the operator can upload the full event log by going online with WSOS using his laptop and a modem.
WSOS can also be used over a VHF or UHF radio network.
7. Bush fire prone areas
Bush fires are a great danger in many parts of the world. Studies in Australia have
determined that in order to minimise risk of a fire the primary protection must
operate in less than one second.
Nu-lec reclosers are able to be closely co-ordinated to allow the maximum number
of protection devices in series without exceeding this 1-second rule. Some
authorities set all their reclosers to only operate once to lockout during periods of
high fire danger, relying on current co-ordination to correctly isolate the fault.
Remote control is then used to quickly restore supply once the fault has been
located and cleared. The recloser that operated to clear the fault does not have to
be attended by field personnel.
Unlike an oil filled recloser, SF6 and solid epoxy reclosers will not create a fire
hazard in the unlikely event of an internal arc fault failure.
8. Co-generation interchange sites
Co-generation plants can use a recloser at the interchange site. Our Synch Check
functions allows connection of separate supplies once they are synchronised and

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prevents closing onto unsynchronised supplies. Under and over frequency tripping
allow load to be progressively shed and restored without operator intervention.
Together in the one package these features provide a vital protection device for cogeneration facilities. Nu-lec remote control capabilities facilitate full automation
where available.
Recloser Protection
Reclosers are used to protect power lines, transformers and other Distribution
equipment from being exposed to damaging levels of current. They also detect downed
power lines to reduce risk to the public.
This is achieved through monitoring three-phase current and voltage to detect a fault
situation.

Phase protection generates a trip operation if the current on any phase exceeds a
pre-programmed limit known as the Phase Trip Current.

The vector sum of the current in each of the three phases is monitored by the
CAPM. If the resultant is in excess of the Earth Trip Current, Earth Fault protection
will operate.

In radial systems with a floating neutral, a feeder earth fault generates a flow of earth
current towards the common bus on any unfaulted feeders connected to it.
Directional Blocking allows reliable Earth Fault protection to be implemented by only
operating when the direction of the perceived fault current is away from the bus.

Automatic Protection Group Selection (APGS) determines and activates a preprogrammed protection group based on direction of Power Flow in an open ring or
meshed network.

Loss of Phase (LOP) protection will detect loss of one or two phases and operate to
protect downstream customers with three phase loads.

Under and Over Frequency protection allow progressive load shedding by in-series
reclosers without operator intervention. The restoration facility allows progressive
automatic restoration of each segment when normal supply frequency is maintained.

Grading Series Reclosers on Current

To achieve current co-ordination on series reclosers the operating time of each recloser
must be faster than any upstream device and slower than any downstream device. A
safe margin between operating times of successive devices must be maintained for all
fault levels on the segment of network being protected. For Nu-lec devices in series a
200 ms interval between devices is the minimum safe grading margin.
Nu-lec reclosers provide Protection Engineers with a high degree of flexibility in catering
for alternate network configurations. Up to 10 protection groups can be stored within the
CAPMs non-volatile memory and each group has independently programmable
protection characteristics.
Pre-programmed IDMT curves or definite time to trip can be utilised for Phase and Earth
Overcurrent protection. Provision of curves to IEC and IEEE standards allows close
grading with Substation protection relays. Custom curves provide a means to grade with
hydraulically operated reclosers. For those impossible-to-grade scenarios upto five user
configurable curves can be stored in the CAPM. The curves are constructed using

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WSOS and allow characteristics to be tailored to the exact requirements of any

application.
The IDMT curves are augmented by a wide range of curve modifying options, these
include:
Insert figures from appropriate section of CAPM4 manual

Inrush Multiplier caters for system inrush currents (eg transformer magnetising
current) without compromising steady state protection.

Instantaneous Multiplier lightning generated power frequency follow through and

bolted faults (ie minimal fault impedance) are both characterised by high fault
currents. An instantaneous multiplier allows very fast tripping to reduce system
exposure to damaging levels of fault current.

Threshold Multiplier can be applied to phase or earth protection to prevent a trip

operation before a pre-programmed threshold is exceeded. A pickup event is logged
on detection of current in excess of the Trip Current even if the threshold is not
exceeded. The logged peak current and duration provide advance warning of
system load encroaching on protection levels.

Maximum time to trip All phase and earth IDMT curves can be pre-set for
maximum time from pickup to trip.

Additional Time series reclosers can be easily graded by applying using the same
Trip Current, IDMT curve and time multiplier. This is achieved by applying an
Additional time that is longer on each upstream device.

Minimum Time each individual curve can have a minimum time to trip applied. This
allows downstream devices with slower instantaneous tripping times to be catered
for.

Earth Faults down to 1A can be cleared using Sensitive Earth Fault (SEF) protection to
provide a definite time to trip. The number of SEF operations to lockout can be
programmed independently of the number of Phase and Earth overcurrent operations to
lockout. Frequencies above 60 Hz are filtered to prevent tripping in response to system
harmonics.
A Cold Load Multiplier can be applied to automatically cater for Loss of Load Diversity
during a prolonged outage. The CAPM automatically adjusts its Cold Load Multiplier
(CLM) depending on the duration of the outage. Once supply is restored the multiplier is
reduced at a pre-programmed rate. No operator invention is required so even
downstream reclosers will automatically cater for there own loss of diversity inrush
levels.
Sequence Advance capability allows the CAPM to be programmed to increment its
operation counter if a fault is seen to be cleared by downstream protection. This
prevents a slow 2nd operation by a downstream protection element from causing an
operation on the fast 1st operation of the upstream recloser.
Grading Reclosers on Voltage
Loss of Phase protection will detect a single downed conductor in a three-phase
system. Series devices are graded with upstream operation faster than downstream
operation so the recloser nearest to the fault locks out.

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Under and Over frequency load shedding requires series devices to progressively
reduce load until the system stabilises and correct frequency is maintained. Upstream
series devices have a longer operating time than downstream devices. The restoration
facility provides the ability to automatically restore load, one segment at a time in a preprogrammed sequence. Upstream devices have shorter restore times than downstream
devices.
Tripping Sequence
Feeders with different electrical characteristics required different protection strategies.
Distribution Utilities worldwide have developed there own strategies to suit there
particular system conditions. Independent configuration of the time to trip for each
protection operation allows the utilities preferred protection strategy to be implemented.
Studies at an Australian Electricity Supply Utility, Great Southern Energy, have identified
the main causes of transient faults in their rural networks and this provides a useful
example to illustrate selection of an optimum tripping sequence.
The main sources of transient faults were determined to be:

lightning induced power follow through

Birds flying into power lines

Trees or branches falling on lines

Great Southern Energy has developed an optimum tripping sequence for protecting
their long rural feeders based on the probable causes of any given fault.
1. The fault is first assumed to be lightning related. A fast IDMT curve with a small time
multiplier (eg 0.05x) and an instantaneous element is used to ensure short exposure
to the initial fault current.
2. This operation is followed by a very short reclose time (eg 0.5 sec) to limit the effects
on electronic equipment such as PCs, VCRs, microwave ovens, etc.
3. If the fault is not cleared on the subsequent auto-reclose a slow IDMT curve with a
long operating time allows tree or animal induced faults on rural spur lines to be
cleared by upstream fuses.
4. The reclose time that follows is long (eg 5 sec) to allow the bird or branch to fall clear
of the line if it is on the feeder or did not cause fuse operation.
5. If the fault is still present after the auto-reclose it is assumed to be permanent and a
fast IDMT curve minimises exposure to fault currents.
6. A Cold Load multiplier is utilised to provide protection from increased levels of load
caused by loss of diversity over time.
7. Sequence Advance is used to allow grading of series reclosers with a fast first trip
operation and a slow second trip operation.
The financial cost of faults
The same study by Great Southern Energy also determined contributing factors in the
costs associated with line faults.
Factors that were determined to influence costs are:

Line Length

Faults per km temporary and permanent

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Outages per km

Restoration Times

Of these it is the restoration time and outages per km that can be reduced through
effective use of reclosers.
Remotely operated reclosers allow faults to be quickly detected, and the fault
information to be analysed. This reduces the time involved in generating switching
sheets and dispatching line crews. Distances in rural Australia can be great and
remotely controlled reclosers significantly reduce patrol and switching times. Coupled
with the fault information provided by the event log or transmitted back to the control
center the improvements in restoration time are substantial.
The study determined that for a representative rural feeder, initial outlay of $100,000 on
recloser protection would save around $120,000 annually. It was concluded that the
reclosers would eventually add $1,000,000 to shareholder value. This was based on
existing practice of extensive use of fuses for rural feeder protection and the assumption
that 80% of all faults are temporary and would be cleared by recloser operation.

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