Power Engineering 2 Part 1

Power System Protection

Sem. 2, 2011

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Power Engineering 2 Part 1: Power System Protection by Dr Peter Graszkiewicz

1. Introduction
Physical Effects of Fault Currents
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. High temperatures may be reached by elements conducting excessive currents. This may cause deterioration, melting and burning of the electrical insulation, and melting of conductors. Large magnetic forces act on conductors with large currents. As a result, distortion and breakage of the mechanical structure of electrical equipment may take place. High conductor temperatures and arcs due to damaged insulation may result in fires that cause destruction of equipment, buildings and surroundings. During fault conditions, elevated levels of electrical potential may exist on surfaces that are at the earth potential during normal operation. The voltage in parts of the power system may be reduced. Stability of the power system may be at risk.

Rising temperature of conductors

Melting insulation/ conductors

Burning insulation/fire spreading

Fault
Large (magnetic) forces on conductors Damaged insulation Arcs Damage/destruction Damage/destruction of of equipment/buildings equipment/buildings /surroundings /surroundings

Excessive current

Voltage supplied to Voltage supplied to users reduced. users reduced. Power system Power system stability at risk. stability at risk.

Elevated potentials on earthed surfaces

1.

3.

Safety Safety hazard hazard

2.
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Power Engineering 2 Part 1: Power System Protection by Dr Peter Graszkiewicz

Objectives of Power System Protection:

(refer to graph on the previous slide)

1.

To minimise the damage and repair cost resulting from power system faults.

Achieved by using circuit breakers and fuses to stop (break) fault currents.

2.

To reduce safety hazards associated with fault conditions. Achieved by using circuit breakers and other switchgear to isolate the faulty circuits from the rest of the power system.

3.

To ensure continuity of normal supply to as many users as possible.

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Power Engineering 2 Part 1: Power System Protection by Dr Peter Graszkiewicz

Basic Components of Power System Protection

1.

Fuses. Fuses break the fault current once and require manual replacement. The time of fuse operation cannot be controlled. Circuit breakers. Circuit breakers can break fault currents repeatedly and are also used as switching and isolating devices. The instant of operation is determined by an internal tripping system, or an external tripping device: a protection relay. Protection relays. Relays monitor currents and voltages at a given point of the power system. If they detect a faulty condition or receive an external command, they trip the circuit breakers to which they are connected. The faulty conditions that relays are designed to detect include fault currents, overload currents, under/overvoltage, phase sequence, thermal overload, etc. Voltage transformers and current transformers. These measurement transformers are connected to protection relays and produce isolated signals representing the actual currents and voltages in the power system. Reserve power sources (batteries and UPS units). Circuit breaker tripping circuits and electronic relays require a power source that is independent from the power system being protected.
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Power Engineering 2 Part 1: Power System Protection by Dr Peter Graszkiewicz

2.

3.

4.

5.

2. Circuit Breakers 2.1 Principle and Characteristics

Main cct terminals Opening spring (compressed when c/b closed) C/b closing mechanism Main contacts in interrupting medium

Circuit breakers are mechanical switching devices whose main purpose is to break fault currents. In addition to the protective function, the circuit breakers are also applied for normal operation switching of power system components. For maintenance or repair of electrical equipment and transmission lines, the circuit breakers, together with other switching devices will ensure personnel safety.

c/b open position Auxiliary contacts

Latch and trip coil

Circuit breaker

Tripping circuit supply (battery)

Signals representing the state of the power system (currents, voltages, states of other relays)

Processor

Protective relay

Principle of a circuit breaker tripped by a protective relay

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Power Engineering 2 Part 1: Power System Protection by Dr Peter Graszkiewicz

2.2 Types of Circuit Breakers by Interrupting Medium

Air at atmospheric pressure

Arc chute

Force acting on arc

Contact in air
i i i i i

. . . . .

Arc

i Current keeps changing direction

Principle of an air circuit breaker

Arc is pushed into the arc chute by the magnetic force, where it is chopped into sections, cooled and made easier to extinguish at a current zero-crossing. Air circuit breakers are widely used in 415-V power distribution systems.

Air circuit breaker (690 V, 800 A, 50 kA)

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Power Engineering 2 Part 1: Power System Protection by Dr Peter Graszkiewicz

SF6 gas

Sulphur-hexafluoride
SF6

Puffer volume

CylinderPiston (fixed position) High voltage terminal

Fixed contact

SF6

High voltage terminalc C/B terminals 1 phase C/B closed Nozzle

SF6

SF6

Operating insulator Tank

Moving Arc contact

Gas compressed between retracting cylinder and piston

SF6 SF6

SF6 SF6

Cylinder and contact retract

C/B operates

Principle of a gas circuit breaker (puffer system)

The arc established in the nozzle is elongated and cooled by a blast of compressed gas. As a result, the arc is extinguished when the current reaches zero. Sulphur-hexafluoride (SF6) is used as an interrupting and insulating medium. 7
Power Engineering 2 Part 1: Power System Protection by Dr Peter Graszkiewicz

Current transformer

Rated continuous current: 3000 A Rated voltage: 245 kV Interrupting capability: 40 kA Spring-hydraulic mechanism

Rated continuous current: 4000 A Rated voltage: 800kV Interrupting capability: 63 kA Three serially connected, 2-cycle puffer interrupters Spring-hydraulic mechanism

SF6 circuit-breakers (dead tank design)

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Power Engineering 2 Part 1: Power System Protection by Dr Peter Graszkiewicz

145 kV

420 kV (two interrupters per pole)

SF6 circuit-breakers (live tank design)

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Power Engineering 2 Part 1: Power System Protection by Dr Peter Graszkiewicz

Vacuum
Vacuum bottle

Vacuum

Fixed contact

Moving contact

Bellows

To operating mechanism

Principle of a vacuum circuit breaker

Current cannot flow in ideal vacuum. In practice, an arc can burn in the vaporised material of the contacts. Maximum ratings are about 30 kV, 4kA, 50 kA.

Oil Compressed air

were typical insulating and extinguishing media in the older designs. Nowadays, they have been almost entirely replaced by SF6 gas. 10
Power Engineering 2 Part 1: Power System Protection by Dr Peter Graszkiewicz

2.3 Moulded-case Circuit Breakers (MCCB) and Miniature Circuit Breakers (MCB)
For low-voltage distribution systems (Max. ratings about 1 kV, 1.5 kA). Air at atmospheric pressure is the interrupting medium. Compact and economic design. Hand-operated (remote control mechanisms possible on bigger units) Protection mechanisms are an integral part of the c/b. The most common ones are: -magnetic trip. -thermal trip. Magnetic trip: The fault current passing through a coil of one or two turns actuates the trip mechanism. Thermal trip: In small circuit breakers, a bimetallic strip is deflected by the heat generated by the current flowing through it directly, or through a heating element wrapped around it. After a delay, which is inversely proportional to current, the device trips the circuit breaker. Electronic protection: In bigger units, the trip functions are provided by an electronic system.
Power Engineering 2 Part 1: Power System Protection by Dr Peter Graszkiewicz

MCCB (630 V, 250 A, 100 kA)

MCB (400 V, 100 A, 6 kA)

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Max Min Time

Instantaneous electromagnetic (magnetic) trip

electromagnetic trip setting

Current dependent-delayed trip (thermal overload trip)

In rated current of the circuit breaker

Current as a multiple of the rated current

Typical tripping characteristic of a moulded-case circuit breaker (MCCB) Both parts of the characteristic (thermal and electromagnetic) are adjustable in a certain range.
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Power Engineering 2 Part 1: Power System Protection by Dr Peter Graszkiewicz