16/09/2014

EE 3043 – Power Systems III

Power System Protection

Generator and Transformer Protection
by
Dr. Lidula N. Widangama Arachchige
Department of Electrical Engineering
University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka

Outline

• Generator and Transformer Protection

– Generator faults
– Principles of generator protection
– Transformer faults
– Principles of transformer protection

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Generator Faults

• Internal Faults
– Phase and /or ground faults in the stator
– Ground faults in the rotor (field winding)
• Abnormal Operating Conditions.
– Loss of field
– Overload
– Overvoltage
– Under and over frequency
– Unbalanced operation e.g. single phasing
– Loss of prime mover
– Loss of synchronization (out of step)
– Subsynchronous oscillation

Generator Protection

• Major Considerations
– importance of the generator
– technical characteristics
→power
→voltage
→ earthing arrangement
– economic considerations

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Generator Protection Schemes

• Small Generators
– For small generators, typically up to 5MVA, it is considered
necessary to have:
→protection against internal faults
→back-up protection for external faults using overcurrent relays
with voltage restraint
→reverse-power protection
→earth-fault protection, using an overcurrent relay
→protection against overloads by means of thermal relays

Small Generators

• 32 reverse-power
relay
• 40 relay for field
excitation
• 46 negative-sequence
current relay
• 49 thermal relay
• 51 time-delay
overcurrent relay
• 52 circuit breaker
• 86 lockout relay
• 87 differential relay

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Generator Protection Schemes

• Large Generators
– For large generators over 5MVA, the protection should normally
comprise of:
→differential protection to cover internal faults
→earth-fault protection using high impedance relays
→back-up protection by means of distance or overcurrent protection
with voltage restraint
→reverse-power protection
→ negative-phase sequence protection
→protection against loss of excitation
→protection against overload using thermal relays
→out of step
→unintentional energisation (50/27)
→stator earth protection (59N and 27N)
→over/under frequency
→over/under voltage
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Large Generators
• 21 distance relay
• 24 volts/hertz
• 27 undervoltage relay
• 32 reverse-power relay
• 40 relay for field excitation
• 41 field circuit breaker
• 46 negative-sequence current relay
• 49 thermal relay
• 50 instantaneous overcurrent relay
• 51 time-delay overcurrent relay
• 52 circuit breaker
• 59 overvoltage relay
• 60 voltage or current balance relay
• 64 earth protection relay
• 78 out-of-step relay
• 81 frequency relay
• 86 lockout relay
• 87 differential relay
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Generator Stator O/C Relay

Negative Sequence O/C Relay for Unbalanced

Generator Stator Current

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Generator Stator Ground Fault Protection

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Differential Relaying for Y Connected Generator

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Transformer Protection

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Transformer Faults

• Insulation Failures
• Overloading
• Winding to earth short circuits
• Short circuits between turns
• Oil Contamination
• Lightning and Switching Surges

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Transformer Protection

• Major Considerations
– power
– voltage
– vector group
– importance of the unit within a particular system

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Transformer Protection

• The protection of these units should include

– overcurrent protection for both windings
– over-pressure protection (e.g. Buchholz surge)
– thermal protection

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Transformer
Protection
• 26 thermal device
• 49 thermal relay
• 50 instantaneous overcurrent relay
• 51 time-delay overcurrent relay
• 52 circuit breaker
• 63 pressure relay, for flow or level
of liquid or gases (Buchholz Relay)
• 86 lockout relay
• 87 differential relay

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Transformer Differential Protection

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Buchholz Relay

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Buchholz Relay
• Used as a protective device sensitive to the effects of dielectric failure
inside oil-filled power transformers

• Overloading can cause decomposition of the insulating oil

– Gas accumulates in the top of the relay and forces the oil level down
– A float switch in the relay is used to initiate an alarm signal

• If an arc forms,
– gas accumulation is rapid, and oil flows rapidly into the conservator.
– This flow of oil operates a switch attached to a vane located in the path of the
moving oil.
– This switch operates a circuit breaker to isolate the apparatus

• Buchholz relays have a test port to allow the accumulated gas to be

withdrawn for testing.
– gas found in the relay → indicates some internal fault such as overheating
or arcing
– air found in the relay → indicates low oil level or a leak

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