STUDY GUIDE

MODULE 6: Power System Protection

Circuit breaker is a switching device that interrupts the abnormal or fault current. It is a
mechanical device that disturbs the flow of high magnitude (fault) current and in additions
performs the function of a switch. The circuit breaker is mainly designed for closing or opening of
an electrical circuit, thus protects the electrical system from damage.

Electrical transducers are specifically transducers for converting the raw voltage and currents in
a power system into useful and meaningful electrical signals which can be used in and transmitted
about the measurement system.

Transducers are used to reduce abnormal current and voltage levels and transmit input signals to
the relays of a protection system. These transducers take the form of current and voltage (or
potential) transformers, also known as instrument transformers.

Relays are the primary protection as well as switching devices in most of the control processes or
equipment. All the relays respond to one or more electrical quantities like voltage or current such
that they open or close the contacts or circuits. A relay is a switching device as it works to isolate
or change the state of an electric circuit from one state to another.

Classification or the types of relays depend on the function for which they are used. Some of the
categories include:

• Protective
• Reclosing
• Regulating
• Auxiliary
• Monitoring relays

Protective relays continuously monitor these parameters: voltage, current, and power; and if these
parameters violate from set limits, they generate alarm or isolate that particular circuit. These types
of relays are used to protect equipment like motors, generators, and transformers, and so on.

Reclosing relays are used to connect various components and devices within the system network,
such as synchronizing process, and to restore the various devices soon after any electrical fault
vanishes, and then to connect transformers and feeders to line network. Regulating relays are the
switches that contacts, such that voltage boosts up, as in the case of tap changing transformers.
The majority of the relays used in protection systems are of the following five types:

1. magnitude relays
2. directional relays
3. ratio relays
4. differential relays
5. pilot relays.

Directional relay responds to faults either to the left or to the right of its location. Its operation
depends upon the direction (lead or lag) of the fault current with respect to a reference voltage.
The differential relay is one that operates when the vector difference of two or more similar
electrical quantities exceeds a pre-determined value.

This means for a differential relay, it should have:

(1) two or more similar electrical quantities

(2) these quantities should have phase displacement (normally approx. 180°), for the operation
of the relay.

Pilot relay provides a means of transmitting fault signals from a remote zone boundary to relays
at the terminals of a long transmission line.

Differential Protection - The differential protection scheme is considered to be suitable if it

satisfies the two conditions:

(i) The relays must not operate under normal load conditions and for through fault (external
fault) conditions
(ii) it must operate for severe enough internal fault conditions.

In fact, these are the tests that any good protection scheme must satisfy.