Introduction Protection
Introduction Protection
CB
CT
Trip coil
PT Relay coil
tripping on the relays. A relay is said to be secure if it does not trip when it is not expected to trip. It is the degree of certainty that the relay will not operate incorrectly:
3 Sensitivity:
The protective system must have ability to detect the smallest possible fault current. The smaller the current that it can detect, the more sensitive it is. One way to improve sensitivity is to determine characteristic signature of a fault. It is unique to the fault type and it does not occur in the normal operation. For example, earth faults involve zero sequence current. This provide a very sensitive method to detect earth faults. Once, this signature is seen, abnormality is rightly classified and hence appropriate action is initialized.
4. Selectivity
It refers to the overall design of protective strategy wherein only those protective devices closest to a fault will operate to remove the faulty component. This implies a grading of protective device threshold, timing or operating characteristics to obtain the desired selective operation. A relay should not confuse some peculiarities of an apparatus with a fault. For example, transformer when energized can draw up to 20 times rated current (inrush current) which can confuse, both over current and transformer differential protection. Typically, inrush currents are characterized by large second harmonic content.
This discriminant is used to inhibit relay operation during inrush, there by, improving selectivity in transformer protection. Also, a relay should be smart enough, not just to identify a fault but also be able to decide whether fault is in its jurisdiction or not. For example, a relay for a feeder should be able to discriminate a fault on its own feeder from faults on adjacent feeders. This implies that it should detect first existence of fault in its vicinity in the system and then take a decision whether it is in its jurisdiction.
5.Dependability:
A relay is said to be dependable if it trips only when it is expected to trip. This happens either when the fault is in it's primary jurisdiction or when it is called upon to provide the back-up protection. However, false tripping of relays or tripping for faults that is either not within its jurisdiction, or within its purview, compromises system operation. Power system may get unnecessarily stressed or else there can be loss of service. Dependability is the degree of certainty that the relay will operate correctly:
Zone of Protection
A relay's zone of protection is a region defined by relay's jurisdiction. It is shown by demarcating the boundary. This demarcation for differential protection is quite crisp and is defined by CT's location. On the other hand, such boundaries for overcurrent and distance relays are not very crisp. It is essential that primary zones of protection should always overlap to ascertain that no position of the system ever remains unprotected. This overlap also accounts for faults in the circuit breakers. To provide this overlap additional CTs are required
Classification of Relay
1. According to the function in the protection scheme.
(a) Main Relay: Responds to when any change in the actuating quantity . (b) Auxiliary Relay: Controlled by other relay to perform some auxiliary function such as introduction of a delay, increasing number of contacts, passing a signal from one relay to another, energizing a signal or an alarm etc. (c) Signal relays: They function to register the operation of some relay by flag indication, simultaneously it can also actuate an audible alarm circuit.
(2) According to their construction and principle of operation: (a) Electromagnetic Attraction type: Operation depends
on the movement of an armature under the influence of attractive force due to magnetic field set up by current flowing through relay winding. (b) Electromagnetic Induction type: operation depends on the movement of a metallic disc or cylinder free to rotate by the interaction of induced eddy currents and the alternating magnetic field producing them.
(c) Thermal Relays: Movement depends upon the action of heat produced by the current flowing through the element of the relay. (d) Gas Operated Relays: It operates when a specified amount of gas has accumulated. (e) Static Relays: Semiconductor devices such as diodes, transistors, ICs etc. are used. (f) Microprocessor based Relays: These relays are built on the central processing unit like computers and variety of functions can be achieved by mathematical calculations based on algorithms.