IEC SHORT CIRCUIT ANALYSIS CONCEPTS & DATA REQUIRED

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ETAP provides two short-circuit calculation methods based on ANSI/IEEE and IEC
standards. You can select the calculation method from the Short-Circuit Study Case
Editor. This section describes the IEC standard method of calculation.

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Standard Compliance
ETAP short-circuit calculation per IEC standards fully complies with the latest IEC
documentation as listed below:
Standard
IEC 60056
IEC 600282-1
IEC 61363
IEC 600781
IEC 600909-1
IEC 600909-2
IEC 600947-1
IEC 600947-2

Title
High voltage alternating-current circuit-breakers
Fuses for voltages exceeding 1000 V ac
Electrical Installations of Ships and Mobile and Fixed Offshore
Units
Application guide for calculation of short-circuit currents in low
voltage radial systems
Short-circuit calculation in three-phase ac systems
Electrical equipment - data for short-circuit current calculations
in accordance with IEC 909
Low voltage switchgear and controlgear, Part 1: General rules
Low voltage switchgear and controlgear, Part 2: Circuitbreakers

These standards are for short-circuit calculation and equipment rating in ac systems
with nominal voltages up to 240 kV and operating at 50 Hz or 60 Hz. They cover
-

three-phase,
line-to-ground,
line-to-line, and
line-to-line-to-ground faults.

IEC 909 and the associated standards classify short-circuit currents according to their
magnitudes (maximum and minimum) and fault distances from the generator (far and
near). Maximum short-circuit currents determine equipment ratings, while minimum
currents dictate protective device settings. Near-to-generator and far-from-generator
classifications determine whether or not to model the ac component decay in the
calculation, respectively.
IEC 61363 Standard calculates the short-circuit current as a function of time and
displays its instantaneous values using the machines subtransient reactance and
time constants. This provides an accurate evaluation of the short-circuit current for
sizing protective devices and coordinating relays for isolated systems such as ships
and off-shore platforms.
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General Description of Calculation Methodology

In IEC short-circuit calculations, an equivalent voltage source at the fault location
replaces all voltage sources.
A voltage factor c is applied to adjust the value of the equivalent voltage source for
minimum and maximum current calculations.
All machines are represented by their internal impedances. Line capacitances and
static loads are neglected.
Transformer taps can be set at either the nominal position or at the tapped position,
and different schemes are available to correct transformer impedance and system
voltages if off-nominal tap setting exists.

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IEC SHORT CIRCUIT ANALYSIS CONCEPTS & DATA REQUIRED

System impedances are assumed to be balanced three-phase, and the method of
symmetrical components is used for unbalanced fault calculations.
Calculations consider electrical distance from the fault location to synchronous
generators.
For a far-from-generator fault, calculations assume that the steady-state value of the
short-circuit current is equal to the initial symmetrical short-circuit current.
Only the dc component decays to zero, whereas for a near-to-generator fault,
calculations count for both decaying ac and dc components. The equivalent R/X
ratios determine the rates of decay of both components, and different values are
recommended for generators and motors near the fault.
Calculations also differ for meshed and unmeshed networks.
The factor k, which is used to multiply the initial short-circuit current to get the peak
short-circuit current ip, is defined differently for different system configurations and the
methods selected to calculate the R/X ratios.
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Definition of Terms
IEC standards use the following definitions, which are relevant in the calculations and
outputs of PowerStation.
-

Initial Symmetrical Short-Circuit Current (I"k)

This is the rms value of the ac symmetrical component of an available shortcircuit current applicable at the instant of short-circuit if the impedance
remains at zero time value.

Peak Short-Circuit Current (ip)

This is the maximum possible instantaneous value of the available shortcircuit current.

Symmetrical Short-Circuit Breaking Current (Ib)

This is the rms value of an integral cycle of the symmetrical ac component of
the available short-circuit current at the instant of contact separation of the
first pole of a switching device.

Steady-State Short-Circuit Current (Ik)

This is the rms value of the short-circuit current which remains after the
decay of the transient phenomena.

Subtransient Voltage (E") of a Synchronous Machine

This is the rms value of the symmetrical internal voltage of a synchronous
machine which is active behind the subtransient reactance X"d at the
moment of short-circuit.

Far-From-Generator Short-Circuit
This is a short-circuit condition during which the magnitude of the
symmetrical ac component of available short-circuit current remains
essentially constant.

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IEC SHORT CIRCUIT ANALYSIS CONCEPTS & DATA REQUIRED

Near-To-Generator Short-Circuit
This is a short-circuit condition to which at least one synchronous machine
contributes a prospective initial short-circuit current which is more than twice
the generators rated current, or a short-circuit condition to which
synchronous and asynchronous motors contribute more than 5% of the initial
symmetrical short-circuit current ( I"k) without motors.

Subtransient Reactance (X"d) of a Synchronous Machine

This is the effective reactance at the moment of short-circuit. For the
calculation of short-circuit currents, the saturated value of (X"d) is taken.
According to IEC Standard 909, the synchronous motor impedance used in
IEC short-circuit calculations is calculated in the same way as the
synchronous generator.
ZK = KG (R + Xd")
KG = (kVn + C max) / (kVn 1 + Xd sinr)
ZK = KG(R+X"d)
kVn
cmax
kVr 1+x"d sinr
KG =
Where kVn and kVr are the nominal voltage of the terminal bus and the motor
rated kV respectively, Cmax is determined based on motor rated voltage, xd"
is machine subtransient reactance (per unit in motor base), and jr is the
machine rated power factor angle.

Minimum Time Delay (Tmin) of a Circuit Breaker

This is the shortest time between the beginning of the short-circuit current
and the first contact separation of one pole of the switching device.
Note that the time delay (Tmin) is the sum of the shortest possible operating
time of an instantaneous relay and the shortest opening time of a circuit
breaker. Minimum time delay does not include the adjustable time delays of
tripping devices.

Voltage Factor c
This is the factor used to adjust the value of the equivalent voltage source for
minimum and maximum current calculations according to the following table:
Nominal Voltage Un

High Voltage :- > 35 kV to 230 kV

Medium Voltage :- > 1 kV to 35
kV
Other Voltage :- < 1000 V

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Voltage Factor c
For
Maximum For
Minimum
Short-Circuit
Short-Circuit
Current
Current
Calculation
Calculation cmin
cmax
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1.0
1.1
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1.05

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IEC SHORT CIRCUIT ANALYSIS CONCEPTS & DATA REQUIRED

5.0

Calculation Methods
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Initial Symmetrical Short-Circuit Current Calculation

Initial symmetrical short-circuit current (I"k) is calculated using the following
formula:
Ik = c Un / 3 Zk
where Zk is the equivalent impedance at the fault location.

Peak Short-Circuit Current Calculation

Peak short-circuit current (Ip) is calculated using the following formula:
i p = 2 k Ik
where k is a function of the system R/X ratio at the fault location.
IEC standards provide three methods for calculating the k factor:

Method A - Uniform ratio R/X. The value of the k factor is determined

from taking the smallest ratio of R/X of all the branches of the
network. Only branches that contain a total of 80 percent of the
current at the nominal voltage corresponding to the short-circuit
location are included. Branches may be a series combination of
several elements.

Method B - R/X ratio at the short-circuit location. The value of the k

factor is determined by multiplying the k factor by a safety factor of
1.15, which covers inaccuracies caused after obtaining the R/X ratio
from a network reduction with complex impedances.

Method C - Equivalent frequency. The value of the k factor is

calculated using a frequency-altered R/X. R/X is calculated at a
lower frequency and then multiplied by a frequency-dependent
multiplying factor.

Symmetrical Short-Circuit Breaking Current Calculation

For a far-from-generator fault, the symmetrical short-circuit breaking current
(Ib) is equal to the initial symmetrical short-circuit current.
Ib = I k
For near-to-generator fault, (Ib) is obtained by combining contributions from
each individual machine. (Ib) for different types of machines are calculated
using the following formula:
I b = I k for synchronous machines
I b = q I k for asynchronous machines
where and q are factors that account for ac decay. They are functions of
the ratio of the minimum time delay and the ratio of the machines initial shortcircuit current to its rated current, as well as real power per pair of poles of
asynchronous machines.

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IEC SHORT CIRCUIT ANALYSIS CONCEPTS & DATA REQUIRED

IEC standards allow you to include or exclude ac decay effect from
asynchronous machines in the calculation.
-

DC Component of Short-Circuit Current Calculation

The dc component of the short-circuit current for the minimum delay time of a
protective device, is calculated based on initial symmetrical short-circuit
current and system X/R ratio:
I dc = I k [ 2 x EXP { (- 2..f.t min) / ( X/R ) } ]
where f is the system frequency, tmin is the minimum delay time of the
protective device under concern, and X/R is the system value at the faulted
bus.

Asymmetrical Short-Circuit Breaking Current Calculation

The asymmetrical short-circuit breaking current for comparison with circuit
breaker rating, is calculated as the rms value of symmetrical and dc
components of the short circuit current. For fuses, it is the sum of
asymmetrical currents from all first level contribution branches.

Steady-State Short-Circuit Current Calculation

Steady-state short-circuit current (Ik) is a combination of contributions from
synchronous generators. (Ik) for each synchronous generator is calculated
using the following formula:
I k max = max I rG
I k min = min I rG
where is a function of a generators excitation voltage, ratio between its
initial symmetrical short-circuit current and rated current, and other generator
parameters, and IrG is the generators rated current.
The maximum steady-state current reflects maximum modeling inaccuracies.
This value is used to determine minimum device ratings. The minimum
steady-state current reflects minimum modeling inaccuracies. This value is
used for relay coordination purposes in preventing the occurrence of
nuisance trips and loading deviations.

6.0

Comparison of Device Rating and Short-Circuit Duty

In the Three-Phase Device Duty calculation, PowerStation compares the
protective device rating against bus short-current duty for the devices that are
checked as complying with IEC standard and also have device rating
entered. In case the short-circuit duty is greater than the device duty,
PowerStation will flag the device as underrated in both one-line diagram and
output reports. The following table lists the device ratings and short-circuit
duties used for the comparison for MV CB, LV CB, and fuses:

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IEC SHORT CIRCUIT ANALYSIS CONCEPTS & DATA REQUIRED

Device Type
MV CB Making

Device Capability
SC Current Duty
Making
ip
AC Breaking
Ib,symm
Ib,asymm *
Ib, asymm
Idc *
LV CB
Making
Ip
AC Breaking
Ib,symm
Ib,asymm *
Ib, asymm
Idc *
Fuse
Breaking
Ib,symm
Ib,asymm *
Ib,asymm
Comparison of Device Rating and Short-Current Duty
*Device capability calculated by PowerStation.
7.0

Transient Short-Circuit Calculation

In additional to device duty calculations, PowerStation also provides transient shortcircuit calculation per IEC standard 61363-1. The transient short-circuit calculation
presents fault current waveforms as a function of time, considering a number of
factors that affect short-circuit current variations at different time after the fault. These
factors include synchronous machine subtransient reactance, transient reactance,
reactance, subtransient time constant, transient time constant, and dc time constant.
It also considers decay of short-circuit contributions from induction motors. This
detailed modeling provides an accurate evaluation of the short-circuit current for
sizing protective devices and coordinating relays for isolated systems such as ships
and off-shore platforms. The calculation can be conducted on both radial and looped
system with one or multiply sources.
As calculation results, PowerStation provides short-circuit current as function of time
up to 0.1 second at 0.001 second time increment. It also presents short-circuit current
as function of cycles up to 1 cycle at 0.1 cycle increment. Along with the
instantaneous current values, PowerStation also furnish calculated AC component,
DC component, as well as top envelope of the current waveform. In the summary
page, it also provides the subtransient, transient, and steady-state fault current for
each bus.

8.0

Calculation of IEC Device Capability

As Shown in the above table, some of the dvice capability values are calculated by
PowerStation based on capability provided by users and default parameters given in
IEC standards.

MV CB The asymmetrical breaking and dc current ratings for MV CB are

calculated as follows,
Ib, asymm = Ib, symm [ 1 + 2 x EXP { (- 4..f.t min) / ( X/R ) } ]
I dc = Ib, symm [ 2 x EXP { (- 2..f.t min) / ( X/R ) } ]
Where f is the system frequency, tmin is the minimum delay time, and
Ib,symm is the AC breaking current provided by the user.
Following IEC Standard 56, Figure 9, X/R is calculated based on a testing PF
of 7% at 50Hz.

LV CB The asymmetrical breaking current rating for LV CB is calculated as

follows:

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IEC SHORT CIRCUIT ANALYSIS CONCEPTS & DATA REQUIRED

Ib, asymm = Ib, symm [ 1 + 2 x EXP { (- 4..f.t min) / ( X/R ) } ]

Where f is the system frequency, tmin is the minimum delay time, and
Ib,symm is the breaking current provided by the user. X/R is calculated based
on a testing PF given in IEC Standard 947-2, Table XI.

Fuse The asymmetrical breaking current rating for fuse is calculated as

follows:
Ib, asymm = Ib, symm [ 1 + 2 x EXP { (- 4..f.t min) / ( X/R ) } ]
Where f is the system frequency, tmin is assumed to be a half cycle, and
Ib,symm is the breaking current provided by the user. X/R is calculated based
on the default testing PFof 15 %.

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