Fast Bus Transfer Systems for

Critical Process Continuity

Amit Raje, Member,IEEE, Anil Raje, Jack McCall, Member, IEEE and Arvind Chaudhary, Senior
Member, IEEE

costs and delays associated with process restarts. A BTS also

Abstract— A Bus Transfer System (BTS) is designed to safeguards against potential safety hazards that relate to
provide process continuity to the loads attached to a motor bus sudden process interruptions.
while transferring the bus from one source to another. A Bus transfer is best appreciated by virtue of its automatic
successful bus transfer under contingent conditions provides
immense value and benefits to continuous process operations that
operation on the contingency of the old source currently
cannot afford an interruption of power supply to plant servicing the plant motor load, such that the old source gets
auxiliaries. This paper describes some real-world bus transfer disconnected from the motor bus, and the healthy alternate
requirements, implementations, and experiences in thermal available source gets connected to the motor bus. Such an
power plants and continuous process industry plants. The fast, action that avoids the loss of process continuity is extremely
in-phase, residual voltage, and momentary paralleling transfer desirable, provided it does not compromise the safety features
methods are described, compared, and evaluated. The spin-down
characteristics for different motor buses are analyzed, and the
of the entire system.
feasibility of the different transfer modes is deduced. Auto- Bus transfer has been employed in various power
initiation criterion for bus transfer is explored, using a generation and process industry scenarios using different
combination of bus undervoltage, underfrequency, and (df/dt) philosophies and methods. Considerable research and survey
characteristics. Different integrated system requirements, such as work has been done in the field in the past [1][2]. Traditionally,
monitoring of readiness conditions, breaker failure detection and bus transfer has been included in the switchgear package of a
corrective action logic, and online testing measures, are
typical medium voltage installation for power generation
discussed. The results of the resultant “hot” load trials and their
benefits to the system are explained and interpreted. The concept utilities and continuous process industries. However, its
of islanded transfer for grid-free operations of captive sphere of influence transcends the electrical systems of the
generation-load systems is discussed and elaborated. plant, because the efficacy of a BTS directly affects the
operations, revenue and short-term as well as long-term
Index Terms— Bus Transfer System (BTS), Automatic Bus performance parameters of the plant.
Transfer (ABT), Continuous Process, Fast, In-phase, Residual A bus transfer operation reflects on three vital parameters
Voltage, Islanding.
of the plant from the operation and maintenance (O&M) point
of view: the duration of open-circuit condition of the motor
I. INTRODUCTION
bus, the electrical and mechanical stress endured by the
A Bus Transfer System (BTS) is designed to provide
process continuity to the loads attached to a motor bus
while transferring the bus from one source to another. Such
motors and associated equipment during the bus transfer, and
the blocking of the BTS during a short circuit condition at the
motor bus. While the first parameter decides the speed with
systems find immense use and importance in several critical which power feed is restored for plant operations, the second
situations in continuous process industries (petrochemical and third parameters affect the safety and reliability aspects of
plants, chemical plants, semiconductor manufacturing plants, the plant. These considerations merit an in-depth
paper mills, textile mills, etc.) and fossil-fuel-fired as well as understanding and judicious implementation of such systems.
nuclear power generation stations. The BTS directly
contributes to saving revenue loss, avoiding large capital II. BUS TRANSFER CONFIGURATIONS
losses associated with material wastage on a break in process
A BTS is typically employed in several different switchgear
continuity, and avoiding large operation and maintenance
configurations. Two such popular configurations, the Main-
Tie and the Main-Tie-Main schemes, are detailed here.
Amit Raje is with Aartech Solonics Limited, E-2/57, Arera Colony,
Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, 462016 India (phone: 91-755-5276335; tel/fax: A. Main-Tie (2-Breaker Scheme)
91-755-2463593; e-mail: aartech@vsnl.com ).
Anil Raje is with Aartech Solonics Limited. (email: The 2-breaker scheme is employed to service a single motor
info@aartechsolonics.com) bus from two alternate sources. The normal source feeds the
Jack McCall is with the Protective Relays Group of Cooper Power motor bus through the Main breaker, while the alternate
Systems, S. Milwaukee, WI 53172 USA (email: jmccall@cooperpower.com).
Arvind Chaudhary is with the Protective Relays Group of Cooper Power source feeds the motor bus through the tie breaker.
Systems (email: achaudhary@cooperpower.com). A typical example is that of a thermal power plant, where
 SOURCE I SOURCE II
GTB EHV BUS STB

GT ST

ST I/C
UAT

GENERATOR I/C I I/C II

BTS BREAKER BTS BREAKER
UAT I/C
UNIT STATION
BOARD BOARD
BUS I BUS II
TIE-1 TIE-2 TIE
(NC) BREAKER
M M M M M M

Fig. 1. Thermal power plant: Main-Tie BTS configuration. Fig. 2. Process industry: Main-Tie-Main BTS configuration

motor buses from two alternate sources. Each source feeds a

the unit auxiliaries, such as boiler feed pumps, forced draft single motor bus through its main incoming breaker. A tie
and induced draft fans, cooling water pumps, etc., are supplied breaker is provided for coupling the two motor buses.
through unit boards. The configuration in Fig. 1 shows a A typical example is that of a process industry serviced
single unit board, although higher capacity units typically by two separate stations SOURCE I and SOURCE II off the
have two or more unit boards. grid. The SOURCE I transformer is connected through the I/C
The unit board can be fed from two sources. The Unit I incoming breaker to BUS I. Similarly, The SOURCE II
Auxiliary Transformer (UAT) (normal source) supplies transformer is connected through the I/C II incoming breaker
locally generated power to run the auxiliaries when the unit to BUS II. BUS I and BUS II are connected using the TIE
incoming breaker (UAT I/C) is closed. The station board breaker. There are several bus transfer scenarios depending
(alternate source) supplies power to the auxiliaries from the upon the choice of the normal supply to the motor buses.
grid when both tie breakers (TIE-1 and TIE-2) are closed, and 1) Normally closed TIE breaker: The entire motor bus
UAT I/C is open. comprising BUS I and BUS II is transferred between
During startup, the generator transformer breaker (GTB) is SOURCE I and SOURCE II.
open until the generator is synchronized with the grid. Until 2) Normally open TIE breaker: Each source supplies power
then, the station board supplies the unit board. After the to a single motor bus. In case of source failure, the motor bus
generator is synchronized, the unit board is transferred to the connected to the failed source is transferred to the source
UAT so that the unit feeds its own auxiliaries. Such a transfer through the TIE breaker.
is referred to as a Station-to-Unit transfer. There are several Since process continuity is the prime consideration in
prioritized and categorized unit tripping conditions such industrial plants, automatic transfers determined by different
as generator trip, load throw off, turbine trip, boiler trip etc., auto-initiation criteria for source contingencies as well as
under which it is required to automatically transfer the unit source equipment failure conditions are employed. Manual
board from the UAT to the station board. These transfers are transfers are commonly conducted during planned start-ups
referred to as Unit-to-Station transfers. Automatic transfers on and shutdowns. Typical breaker-failure logics safeguard the
unhealthy bus conditions determined by different auto- motor buses from a permanent paralleling position.
initiation criteria are also employed in order to constantly
provide a healthy supply to the motor bus. Manual transfers
are commonly conducted during planned start-ups and III. UNDERSTANDING THE BUS TRANSFER PROBLEM
shutdowns. The fundamental concept of the BTS can be understood
Typical breaker-failure logic safeguards the unit board using the illustration shown in Fig. 3. Consider a
from a permanent paralleling condition. TIE-2 is a normally configuration with a normal source connected to a motor bus
closed (NC) breaker, used as a backup measure to safeguard and an alternate source. The motor bus has a single induction
the unit from a dangerous generator back-feed condition, in motor connected to it. The impedance of the sources can be
case both TIE-1 and UAT I/C fail to open. considered to be quite small, compared to the motor
B. Main-Tie-Main (3 Breaker Scheme)
Fig. 2 shows a 3-breaker scheme employed to service two
impedance1. neither source for some duration, thus referred to as an open-
circuit condition.
NORMAL ALTERNATE 1) Spin Down Characteristics
SOURCE SOURCE In an open circuit condition, the deceleration coupled with
decaying trapped air-gap flux in the motor produces a
NORMAL ALTERNATE decaying voltage on the motor bus, whose frequency is also
SOURCE SOURCE
continuously dropping. As shown in Fig. 4, before the motor
BREAKER BREAKER
MOTOR BUS bus is disconnected from the normal source, the motor bus
voltage VBUS is identical to the normal source voltage
VNORMAL. On the disconnection of the normal source, the
M motor bus voltage instantaneously becomes the residual
voltage of the aggregate motor bus. For a single induction
motor case, this is same as the residual voltage of the motor
Fig. 3. A Simplified Bus Transfer Configuration VRESIDUAL. Due to the load torque angle, VRESIDUAL lags
VNORMAL prior to disconnection. In the open circuit
Then, the motor bus transfer can be sequenced in the condition, VRESIDUAL rotates in a spiral fashion, with
following two ways. decreasing magnitude and decaying phase as shown in Fig. 4.
A. Parallel Transfer The spin down characteristics depends on the following
factors:
Momentary paralleling is sequenced by first closing the
a) Normal source integrity: If the normal source is healthy
alternate source breaker followed by the opening of the
prior to the opening of the normal source breaker, the motor
normal source breaker. In this case, both the sources are
exhibits standard spin-down characteristics. However, in the
connected to the motor bus for some duration. Hence, this
event of a normal source fault prior to the transfer, (for
situation is referred to as momentary paralleling or hot
instance, a 3-phase normal source transformer fault), the
transfer.
motor fields get de-energized, which affects the subsequent
A fault occurring in the momentary paralleling situation
spin down characteristics.
results in a very serious situation. For example, a fault in the
b) Stored energy and motor load inertia: In an open circuit
normal source or its transformer will typically be designed to
condition, the energy stored in the motor fields continuously
trigger the transfer of the motor bus to the alternate source.
decays as it is utilized for spinning the motor shaft. The total
However, once paralleled, the alternate source will also feed
rotating inertia acts as a prime mover and delivers energy to
into the fault. Under most bus system designs, the interrupt
the motor bus load and results in a deceleration of the rotating
ratings for the normal and alternate source circuit breakers and
mass. Thus, a high moment of inertia shaft will take longer to
the short-term withstand ratings of the normal and alternate
spin down than a shaft with lower moment of inertia. Typical
source power transformers will be violated. Similarly, a motor
high-inertia loads include fans (conventional thermal plants),
winding fault occurring at the time of transfer will be fed by
reactor coolant pumps (nuclear plants), etc. Low-Inertia loads
both the sources. Thus, the alternate source might be exposed
include compressors, centrifugal pumps (nuclear and
to a short circuit during momentary paralleling2.
combined cycle plants), high-inertia fans attached to high-
If there is a phase difference between the alternate source
voltage buses (thermal plants), etc.
and the normal source at the time of the closing of the
alternate source breaker, the paralleling will result in a power NORMAL SOURCE
surge through the bus system which could damage the bus VOLTAGE PHASOR
system components. Thus, it is necessary to monitor the phase (VNORMAL)
difference between the motor bus and the alternate source MOTOR BUS
before closing the alternate source breaker. A comparative VOLTAGE PHASOR
analysis highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of (VBUS)
parallel transfer is given in Table I.
VOLTAGE COLLAPSE AND
B. Open Circuit Transfer PHASE DECAY
Open circuit transfer is sequenced by first opening the CHARACTERISTICS
normal source breaker followed by the closing of the alternate
Fig. 4. Spin-down characteristics of an open circuit motor bus.
source breaker. In this case, the motor bus is connected to
The spin-down characteristics of the motor bus determine
1
(The source impedance could be significant in comparison to the motor the nature of open circuit bus transfer method feasible for the
impedance if there are two or three step-down transformers between the given system. The analysis of these characteristics is therefore
source and the motor bus). This uncommon condition is not analyzed in this
an important component of a successful implementation of a
paper.
2
Parallel transfer must be blocked when a short circuit occurs either at the BTS.
motor bus or at the sources.
 a) Simulation and modeling: The spin-down characteristics These problems motivate the use of appropriate, safe and
for a given system can be evaluated using modeling and reliable bus transfer techniques. A general requirement may
simulation tools [3][4][5]. The combined effect of a motor bus therefore be defined as follows.
consisting of different motors can be studied in this manner. It
C. Typical Feature Requirements
is important that the motor model matches the actual response
of the motor under a dynamic decaying flux, subnormal A BTS typically has the following feature requirements [4]:
frequency condition. However, such modeling may become 1) Process Requirements
impractical, due to the lack of relevant motor data available a) Continuity of electrical service to the loads such that
from the plant and/or motor manufacturers. operation of the mechanical process system is not
b) Event Recording: A practical, hands-on approach to the disturbed.
characterization of the spin-down is the observation and b) Load-shedding should not be required to allow the
analysis of an actual spin-down of the motor bus under typical auxiliary system to reaccelerate.
loading conditions. While this gives the required data 2) Electrical Requirements
a) Loads should not slow down to the point that large
unambiguously, it is very difficult to obtain such data
and sustained transient currents are required for
specifically for bus transfer studies, since the tripping of the
motors to reaccelerate.
motor bus is essentially a plant trip, which is obviously
b) Excessive transient torques that overstress the motor
undesirable in any continuously operating plant. Thus,
windings, rotor, shaft, and driven equipment should
specific arrangements have to be made to record such data
be avoided.
during planned/unplanned shutdowns or during the
c) The BTS should be blocked to operate under a short
maintenance period.
circuit condition at the motor bus. For a source short
2) Re-energization
The re-energization of an open circuit motor bus, by means circuit condition, parallel bus transfer must be
of closing the alternate source circuit breaker, is perhaps the blocked. However, an open circuit of the faulted
most critical task for an open circuit bus transfer. Several source bus transfer can be allowed under this
factors need to be considered to avoid potentially damaging condition.
transient effects, such as abnormally high inrush currents and d) There should be no adverse effects on the protection
shaft torques. The factors that relate to these damaging system.
transient effects are; 3) System Requirements
a) The required controls should be simple to increase
a) The motor bus residual voltage magnitude.
overall reliability.
b) The phase angle between the motor bus residual
b) The BTS should automatically operate on
voltage and the alternate source voltage.
contingency detected by external or internal
c) The phase relationship between the oscillating shaft
protective elements. The protective elements should
torque and transient electrical air gap torque, all at the
provide fast contingency detection, yet be immune to
time of re-energization.
non-contingency system transients.
Consider the worst-case situation, where the alternate
c) The BTS should detect any breaker operation failure
source voltage VALTERNATE is in phase opposition with VBUS
during bus transfer and take intelligent corrective
and that VBUS voltage magnitude has not reduced significantly
action to best meet above process and electrical
after the motor bus was disconnected from the normal source.
requirements.
The effect of closing the alternate source breaker at this point
will be like applying twice the nominal rated voltage to the
IV. BUS TRANSFER METHODS
motor. Upon reconnection, the starting inrush current could be
2 times the normal starting current of the motor, which is The choice of the transfer method plays a critical role in the
about 6 to 10 times the rated full-load current under the amount of stress the electrical system may be subjected to
transient conditions and 9 to 15 times the rated full load during the transfer. The methods differ in the processing,
current under the subtransient conditions. Since the force to sequencing, and timing related to the closing of the alternate
which the motor is subjected is proportional to the square of source breaker and the opening of the normal source breaker.
the current, the situation can be extremely damaging. Such The nature of the system dynamic conditions and the nature of
forces could loosen the stator coils, loosen the rotor bars of the motor loads connected to the motor bus determine the
the induction motors, twist a shaft, or even rip the machine choice of an optimal bus transfer method. The fast transfer
from its base plate [6]. The cumulative abnormal magnetic method, in-phase transfer method, and the residual voltage
stresses and/or mechanical shock, in the motor windings and transfer method are all open-circuit transfers.
to the shaft and couplings, could ultimately lead to premature A. Parallel Transfer Method
motor failure due to fatigue. Analysis of re-energization
In this bus transfer method, the alternate source breaker is
effects require detailed shaft-motor driven load analysis using
closed, followed by the opening of the normal source breaker.
Electro-Magnetic Transients Program (EMTP) as prescribed
Thus, during the period of transfer, both the sources are
by the NEMA MG-1 1987 standard [7].
effectively paralleled. Parallel transfer is generally used for motor bus dead times of 5 to 10 cycles can usually be
start-up and planned shutdowns. obtained.
It is recommended that the closing of the new source A fast transfer is usually supervised by a sync-check
breaker be preceded by a sync-check, which ascertains between the alternate source and the motor bus. The sync-
whether the phase difference between the motor bus and the check is achieved by comparing the phase difference between
alternate source voltages is within limits. By blocking a the alternate source voltage VALTERNATE and the motor bus
transfer when the phase difference exceeds predefined limits, voltage VBUS to a predefined limit, typically between 20 and
potentially damaging situations can be avoided. 35 degrees. Using further processing, it is also possible to
This method is not recommended for all transfer situations, estimate the phase difference at the time of alternate source
because it may violate the interrupting ratings for the normal breaker closure in the sequential fast transfer method. This
and alternate source circuit breakers and the short-term phase difference can be used for a more accurate sync-check
withstand ratings of the normal and alternate source power in situations with faster dynamics. In several implementations,
transformers. However, its popularity stems from its ease of the ANSI C50.41 – 1982 [8][9] criteria that specifies a
application and operator understanding and the delivery of maximum of 1.33 p.u. V/Hz across the alternate source
continuous power to the motor bus. breaker before closing is also used to supervise the fast
transfer.
TABLE I The fast transfer method has the following advantages.
PARALLEL TRANSFER – COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS a) The speed of transfer minimizes the interruption of
power source to the motor bus.
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES b) It is a safe, and reliable, as well as economic, method
i) Continuous power to i) During parallel operation, to maintain operation of the motors.
motor bus during the increase in available fault c) Paralleling of the normal and alternate sources is
transfer permits orderly current to the motor bus caused avoided.
shutdown of units by by the stronger parallel sources
eliminating bumps, requires either equipment with C. In-Phase Transfer Method
avoiding motor much higher fault duty ratings The In-Phase transfer method was first suggested by C.C.
contactor dropouts and or minimized parallel time. Young and J. Dunki-Jacobs [10]. This method comes into use
motor overstress. ii) Will not work when steady in those cases in which the fast-transfer criteria fails, thus
ii) Ease of state differences of voltage blocking the closing of the alternate source breaker. This leads
application and magnitude and/or phase are too to a longer open circuit duration. The spin-down
operator understanding. large to allow safe transfer characteristics of the motor bus are important in determining
iii) Cannot be used to transfer the choice of this motor bus transfer method.
when the source to the motor The failure of a fast transfer can happen due to a variety of
bus is lost due to an electrical reasons, such as:
fault or abnormal condition. a) Alternate source and normal source are not
synchronized or lost synchronization due to system
B. Fast Transfer Method
conditions, such as the loss of a tie or a transmission
The fast transfer method aims to minimize the open circuit line trip.
duration of the motor bus, after the normal source breaker is b) On disconnection of the normal source, the motor bus
opened. This minimizes the decay in the motor bus voltage voltage phasor differs from the alternate source by a
and phase, before the alternate source breaker is closed. There significant angle. This situation might arise even if the
are two different kinds of fast transfer methods: normal and alternate sources are synchronized and
1) Simultaneous Fast Transfer: depend on the motor bus residual voltage
In this method, the control signals for opening the normal characteristics in an open circuit condition.
source breaker and closing the alternate source breaker are As described earlier, the motor bus voltage phasor spirals
given simultaneously. Typically a breaker closing time is clockwise with respect to the healthy source voltage phasor, as
longer than the opening time. Thus, the motor bus is in an it spins down in the open circuit condition. Thus, in the event
open circuit condition during the transfer. For typical breaker that the fast transfer is not possible, the alternate source
timings, the motor bus dead time might be as low as one or breaker closing signal can be timed such that it closes when
two cycles. the phase difference between the motor bus voltage phasor
2) Sequential Fast Transfer: and the alternate source voltage phasor is very small. This will
In this method, the control signals for closing the alternate reduce the motor stresses on reconnection since the alternate
source breaker is given only after the opening of the normal source is being applied to the motor bus in-phase, and, in
source breaker is ascertained. In some cases, an early contact certain situations, such a transfer can be smoother than a fast
which indicates that a breaker is in the process of opening is transfer as well.
utilized. Depending on the breaker opening/closing times, For instance, consider the situation in Fig. 5. At time t = T0,
 overcurrent trip of the alternate source breaker.
φ( T0+Tcl) = φ( T0) + Tcl . φ’(T0) + (1/2)T2cl . φ’’(T0)
ALTERNATE SOURCE V. BUS TRANSFER INITIATION
VOLTAGE PHASOR The need of a bus transfer can be motivated by a variety of
t = T0 + Tcl (VALTERNATE) reasons. Thus, the means of initiating a bus transfer can be
φ( T0) further classified as manual, protective, or auto transfer.
A. Manual Transfer
MOTOR BUS
VOLTAGE PHASOR Manual transfer is used for planned transfers during startup,
t = T0 (VBUS) shutdown, or certain kinds of maintenance activities of the
plant. The actuating mechanisms may be either local or remote
Fig. 5. Phasor plot of an In-Phase transfer.
using SCADA systems over a communication link. The
combination of backup transfer method(s) (eg. Fast-In Phase-
Residual Voltage) is also required to be manually selected
the motor bus voltage phasor has a phase difference of φ(t=T0)
before actuation.
with respect to the alternate source breaker. Moreover, assume
that the first derivative φ’(t=T0) and second derivative φ’’(t= B. Protective Transfer
T0) of this phase difference are also available. Assuming that The protective transfer(s) are initiated automatically on the
the closing command for the alternate source breaker is given pickup of different protective relay elements input to the BTS.
at t= T0, the limited form of the Taylor’s expansion can be For instance, a Main-Tie configuration BTS in a thermal
used to estimate the phase difference between the motor bus power plant has Class A (generator trip, load throw-off) and
voltage phasor and the alternate source voltage phasor at the Class B (turbine and boiler trips) inputs, which actuate
time of alternate source breaker closure. immediate changeover of the unit board from the UAT to the
If the phase difference between the motor bus voltage station board. Since Class B trips actually cause unit tripping
phasor and the alternate source voltage phasor at (t= T0+ when the reverse power relay operates, corresponding bus
Tclosing) is estimated to be within predefined limits, then the in- transfer can also be suitably coordinated. Similarly, a Main-
phase transfer method gives the closing command to the Tie-Main configuration BTS in a continuous process industry
alternate source breaker. has incoming source transformer trip and transmission line
Load shedding of the motor bus may be required for in- trip condition logic inputs for protective transfers.
phase transfer, depending on the characteristics of the motors
connected to the motor bus. A detailed analysis of the C. Auto Transfer
behavior of the motor bus in the open circuit condition is Modern microprocessor-based protection systems offer the
required to ascertain the use of such load shedding. However, digital processing capabilities required to do continuous
the main advantage of the in-phase transfer method is the intelligent system monitoring in real-time. Auto transfer
ability to safely transfer the motor bus to the alternate source initiation logic use these processing capabilities on the bus PT
even if the fast transfer is blocked, without necessarily having voltage inputs in order to determine the healthiness of the bus.
to shed load. In many situations, this may also justify the Thus, auto transfer initiation criteria are established based on
addition of suitable loads such as synchronous generators, undervoltage, overvoltage, underfrequency, overfrequency,
high-inertia flywheels, and voltage supporting capacitor banks (df/dt) limits, etc. or many combinations thereof. The ultimate
to assure smooth in-phase motor bus transfers. choice of the auto-initiation criteria is determined by the speed
and reliability of its response to detect contingencies and its
D. Residual Voltage Transfer Method immunity to non-contingency system transients.
The residual voltage transfer method is the slowest transfer
of the motor bus to the alternate source. The motor bus is VI. BTS INTEGRATED REQUIREMENTS
allowed to remain in the open circuit condition, until the
A complete and integrated BTS solution also needs to meet
motor bus voltage magnitude decays to acceptable levels,
certain key requirements.
usually 20 – 25% of its rated voltage. The alternate source
breaker is then connected to the motor bus, regardless of the A. Monitoring BTS Readiness Conditions
phase difference between the alternate source voltage phasor Since the BTS performs system critical activities, it is
and the motor bus voltage phasor. Thus, the worst case typically recommended to continuously monitor the status of
voltage that could be applied to the motors would have an certain system conditions as a precondition to ascertaining its
acceptable upper limit. readiness to conduct bus transfer. These usually include:
Planned load shedding is quite commonly used before residual 1. Breaker Status (52a, 52b consistency)
voltage transfer. For instance, the large motor loads that 2. Valid System Breaker Configuration State
slowed down significantly during the open circuit condition 3. Breaker in Service Condition (75S)
will draw large currents upon the transfer of the motor bus to 4. PT Fuse Failure Condition (98X)
the alternate source. Such a situation can trigger an 5. PT Cubicle in Service Position (75S)
 6. In Circuit Monitoring of Breaker Trip/Close Circuits ability of modern microprocessor-based protection relay
7. Breaker Over-Current Condition (86A) platforms to provide monitoring facilities such as event
8. New Source Voltage / Frequency Healthiness recording, oscillography, and step-by-step replay, along with
the basic protection and control functions, has been utilized to
B. Breaker Failure Detection and Corrective Action
a large extent for the same.
A breaker may fail to operate due to electrical and/or
mechanical reasons during a bus transfer. This may result in A. Thermal Power Plant
dead bus/permanent paralleling, depending upon the failure of A bus transfer system is desirable for thermal power plants
closing of new source breaker or opening of old source because it transfers all the critical auxiliaries to the healthy
breaker respectively. Such a situation may be detected from station source on the occurrence of a unit trip. Thus the unit
the monitoring of the breaker NO/NC status inputs (52a, 52b) can be restored quickly, reducing its overall down time. This
and/or the current flowing in the old source breaker and the faster recovery saves substantial losses in revenue as well as
new source breaker. provides vital power generation and/or reserves in an
In the event of a permanent paralleling condition, the expeditious manner.
recently closed new source breaker is tripped. If this breaker The motor bus for the thermal power station auxiliaries are
fails to open as well, further upstream breakers may be sent primarily characterized by the presence of large high-inertia
tripping commands. Such an extreme event was experienced fan loads such as forced draft and induced draft fans, and low
by the author (2) in 1982 and resulted in a dangerous inertia pump loads such as boiler feed pump, cooling water
generation backfeed condition for a 210 MW thermal power pump, etc.
generation unit with a Main-Tie BTS configuration. This The spin-down characteristics in Fig. 6 were obtained by
consideration needs to be taken into account before deciding tripping a lightly loaded unit board during normal unit
on the type of switchgear for backup measures. In this operations at a 210 MW unit. It may be observed from Fig. 6
situation, the station tie is preferred to be a breaker rather than and Fig. 7 that, due to the high inertia characteristics of the
an isolator, along with incorporation of corresponding control motor bus, the bus voltage and phase difference decayed
logic to trip the station tie breaker if both the UAT incoming gradually. The motor bus took 240 ms for the bus voltage to
and TIE breaker do not open on their respective tripping drop to 80% of its rated voltage and 146 ms to be more than
commands. 20 degrees out of synchronism with respect to its normal
In the event of a dead bus condition (failure to close of new source before tripping. Thus, a fast transfer can be deemed
source breaker), the bus exhibits spin- down characteristics as suitable for a safe and smooth bus transfer operation with no
discussed earlier. Correspondingly, depending on the interruption to the unit auxiliaries.
detection time for the dead bus condition, it may be possible A simultaneous fast transfer of the unit board is shown in
to reclose the old source breaker (provided it is healthy) in the Fig. 8. The dead bus time for the unit board was less than a
fast/in-phase/residual voltage mode. The in-phase mode is cycle, which resulted in a safe and fast bus transfer with
most likely in this situation, since the phase drift would minimal loss of synchronism before re-energization.
normally be expected to be significant before new source
B. Continuous Process Industry Auxiliaries
breaker closure failure is detected. A successful closing of the
old source breaker using the in-phase method can keep the bus A bus transfer system is desirable for those continuous
energized. This can help increase the operator confidence for process industries with at least two alternate independent
opting for safer open circuit condition-based fast transfers sources of instantaneous demand power where each plant trip
even for manual/planned bus transfers, wherein parallel results in substantial loss of material, production, and O&M.
transfers were used earlier. The motor bus for continuous process industries cannot be
singularly characterized, since each process demands different
C. Online Testing sets of motor configurations. However, typical installations
The online testing of the BTS enables the operator to consist of varying proportions of medium voltage (MV) and
periodically ascertain if all the functions of the BTS are low voltage (LV) induction motor loads, compressor loads,
operating healthily. It is also possible to operate, monitor, and pump loads, agitators, etc. Very often significant amounts of
consequently report the operation of the respective breaker capacitor banks are connected to the bus for reactive power
tripping and closing contacts, after the insertion of a high support as per utility power factor requirements. These
resistance in series to these contacts during this test mode. capacitor banks provide support to the bus voltage during the
This fictitious bus transfer gives the operator the highest spin-down of the motor bus.
degree of confidence, before actuating a planned manual bus The spin-down characteristics in Fig. 9 were obtained from
transfer under the existing system conditions. live bus transfer trials under full-load conditions at a
continuously operating PVC resin plant. The plant has two
VII. IMPLEMENTATION AND EXPERIENCES incoming 220 kV lines from different substations. The plant is
The data, observations, and analysis described in this paper susceptible to trips due to electrical faults, which are
were obtained by live bus transfer operations [11][12]. The accentuated by the hilly topography and humid and rainy
climactic conditions in the region. hours. This feature is especially pertinent during grid failure
The 10.7 MW load consisted of significant amount of low- conditions and their recovery/restoration. During this system,
inertia HV compressor load, along with other HV and LV the grid/station board and the unit board sources are
pump, fan, agitator, and motor loads. An 8 MVAR capacitor asynchronous with respect to each other.
bank was connected to the bus for power factor compensation. In the instance of a contingency of a turbine trip during
It was observed that while the capacitor banks supported the such operations, or a planned load transfer of the unit board to
bus voltage very well during the spin-down, the low-inertia the station, the islanded transfer can use the IN PHASE mode
load resulted in a brisk fall in bus frequency. The bus to trip the incoming breaker coming from the unit auxiliary
underwent an entire slip cycle with respect to its alternate transformer and send an advanced closing command to the
healthy source within 21 cycles. Due to this rapid loss of station tie breaker, so that it closes at the zero-crossing
synchronism coupled with a sustained bus voltage, both fast instance of the slip between the grid and the unit board. It is
transfer as well as in-phase transfer were deemed suitable. worthwhile to note here that such a transfer is not possible
Unlike the thermal power plant scenario where a using the fast method of transfer, as it is not recommended to
contingency was relayed to the BTS, the BTS was required to perform a fast transfer between two non-synchronous sources
self-detect the onset of supply contingency. Amongst several or equivalent.
available criteria such as undervoltage, underfrequency, and Thus, the real advantage of the turbines now capable of
df/dt, the instantaneous df/dt criterion was deemed suitable as islanded house load operations, can be most advantageously
the fastest indicator of contingency and required about 3-4 used with such an islanded transfer operation capability.
cycles for detecting supply contingency. For purposes of the
B. Co-Generation Plant
live trial, the tripping of the 220 kV incoming breakers of the
plant was done to induce the contingency. Consider the case of a plant with a co-generation unit that
A simultaneous fast transfer of this motor bus is shown in prefers to operate in isolation from the grid, using its co-
Fig. 10. The total dead bus time of about 7 cycles includes generation unit for economy, reliability, or regulation
about 4 cycles for the detection of supply contingency and considerations. While the incentive for a co-generation unit to
about 3 cycles for the closing of the alternate source breaker. tie to the grid is to earn from the export of power, it is very
The bus drifted by 60 degrees at a very high rate of difficult to isolate the plant from the grid in the event of a grid
approximately 10 degrees per cycle before re-energization. contingency. Thus a grid failure, which may be frequent,
The bus transfer was successful in maintaining the process automatically results in loss of expensive plant processes.
continuity of the plant. Alternately, consider the case of islanded operation of a
An in-phase transfer of the motor bus is shown in Fig. 11. plant with islanded transfer capability, wherein the co-
The in-phase transfer sent an advanced closing command to generation unit feeds all the plant auxiliaries. Thus the grid
the breaker such that the breaker closed when the rapidly may not be in sync with the co-generation, with independent
dying bus was in near-synchronism with the alternate source frequency and voltages, resulting in continuous slip cycles
with 21 cycles of dead bus time before re-energization. The between the two. In the instance of a considerably infrequent
bus transfer was successful in maintaining the process contingency of the co-generation unit, the islanded transfer
continuity of the plant. uses the in-phase mode to trip the incoming breaker coming
It is worthwhile to mention here that traditional motor from the co-generation unit and send an advanced closing
protection does not take into account such possibilities of command to the grid incoming breaker so that it closes at the
simultaneous re-acceleration of the motors after a short zero-crossing instance of the slip between the grid and the
amount of spin-down, as achieved by high-speed motor bus dying combined plant bus.
transfer. Thus the IStall setting, which permits high currents Thus the grid can serve only as a backup measure while
into the motor only during startup, may trip the motor on re- reliable operations of the plant and its power situations are
energization. Hence the IStall setting and/or corresponding significantly within the controls of the plant operation.
delay of the motor protection relays may need to be increased
to accommodate high-speed bus transfers, without actually
compromising on the inherent protection of the motors. IX. CONCLUSIONS
The use of a high-speed bus transfer system is very effective
VIII. ISLANDED TRANSFER and beneficial to mitigate the problems related to the loss of
An islanded transfer has the capability to transfer between process continuity in continuous process plants. The
two asynchronous sources, such as the co-generation unit and availability of an alternative source of supply can be best
the grid or an islanded turbine operation, while maintaining utilized if a high-speed bus transfer system is used to transfer
process continuity. the motor bus from the normal source of supply to the
alternative source, in the event of a contingency of the normal
A. Islanded Turbine Operation at House load source. This can provide enormous savings in revenue, plant
In the case of an islanded turbine operation, modern load factor and O&M expenditure in the short term, while
turbines are able to sustain operations at house load for a few reducing motor maintenance in the long term. Live trials have
proven the high-speed bus transfer technology and its has been shown to be beneficial for islanded turbine
significant benefits in both utility power plants as well as operations under house load conditions and for reliable grid-
continuous process industries. An islanded transfer operation free operations of plants co-generation utilities.

Fig. 6. Unit board spin down characteristics in a thermal power plant

Fig. 7. Phase drift of a unit board during spin down.

Fig. 8. Fast transfer of a unit board in a thermal power plant.

 Fig. 9. Spin down characteristics of a low inertia bus in a process industry.

Fig. 10. Fast transfer of a low inertia bus in a process industry after auto-initiation using instantaneous df/dt criterion.

Fig. 11. In-phase transfer of a low inertia bus in a process industry after auto-initiation using instantaneous df/dt criterion.
 Anil Raje is currently the Chairman and Managing
Director of Aartech Solonics Limited (Bhopal,
X. REFERENCES
Madhya Pradesh, India). He received the B.E. in
[1] D. L. Hornak and D. W. Zipse, “Automated Bus Transfer Control for Electrical Engineering from M.A.C.T. (Maulana
Critical Industrial Processes,” IEEE Transactions on Industry Azad College of Technology, now known as
Applications, Vol. 27, No. 5, September/October 1991, pp 862-871. M.A.N.I.T. Maulana Azad National Institute of
[2] R. D. Pettigrew and P. Powell, “Motor Bus Transfer – A Report Technology) ; Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, ’62-
Prepared by the Motor Bus Transfer Working Group of the Power ’66). He started his career with the switchgear
System Relaying Committee,” IEEE Transfactions on Power Delivery, division of Larsen & Toubro (Bombay,
Vol. 8, No. 4, October 1993, pp 1747-1758. Maharashtra, India). In 1971 he initiated his
[3] R. H. Daugherty, “Analysis of Transient Electrical Torques and Shaft entrepreneurial career with the launching of Controls and Schematics for the
Torques in Induction Motors as a Result of Power Supply Disturbances,” manufacture of LT switchgear and Motor Control Centres (MCCs). In 1988,
IEEE Transactions on Power Apparatus and Systems, 101: 2826-2836, he founded Aartech Solonics Limited for the manufacturing of application
August 1982. engineered controlgear equipments and system solutions. Herein, he pioneered
[4] W. G. Bloethe and A. A. Bavishi, “Assessment of the dynamic behavior the design, development and implementation of the first generation Fast Bus
of auxiliary loads during bus transfer,” Proceedings of the American Transfer Systems for thermal power stations and process industries; now
Power Conference, Published by Illinois Institute of Technology, widely used in India. Currently, his main interests and activities are driven
Chicago, IL, USA. vol 56, pt 2, 1994, pp 1273-1278 towards converting techno-entrepreneurship ideas and concepts to practically
[5] S. C. Srivastava, K. N. Srivastava and G. N. Murty, “Transient Residual implementable products and services for a wide range of industrial
Voltage Analysis during Isolated Operation of a group of Induction applications.
Motor Loads,” Electric Machines and Power Systems, vol 22 no 2
March-April 1994, pp 289-309. Jack McCall (S’80 M'84) is currently the Director
[6] S. S. Mulukutla and E. M. Gulachenski, “A Critical Survey of for Cooper Power Systems’ Protective Relay
considerations in maintaining process continuity during voltage dips Group, located in South Milwaukee, WI. He has an
while protecting motors with reclosing and bus-transfer practices,” IEEE MS in Electric Power Engineering from Rensselaer
Transactions on Power Systems, Vol. 7, No. 3, August 1992, pp 1299- Polytechnic Institute and a BSEE from Gannon
1305 University. Previous positions within Cooper
[7] NEMA MG-1 Motors and Generators, National Electrical include Marketing Manager for Cooper’s Power
Manufacturers Association, Washington, D.C., 1987. Capacitor Group and Power Systems Engineer for
[8] ANSI C50.41, Polyphase Induction Motors for Power Generating Cooper’s Systems Engineering Group. He is a
Stations, New York: American National Standards Institute, 1982 Member of the IEEE Power Engineering Society
[9] NEMA MG-1 Motors and Generators, National Electrical. and has authored numerous papers on transients,
Manufacturers Association, Washington, D.C., 1982 harmonics, and capacitor applications in power systems.
[10] C. C. Young and J. Dunki-Jacobs, “The Concept of In-Phase Transfer
Applied to Industrial Systems Serving Essential Service Motors,” AIEE Arvind Chaudhary (S’83, M’85, SM’94) received
Transactions, vol. 79, January 1961, pp. 508-518. the B.S.E.E. degree from the Indian Institute of
[11] A. Raje, A. A. Raje and A. Chaudhary, “High Speed Motor Bus Science, Bangalore, India, the M.S.E.E. degree from
Transfer,” 3rd International R&D Conference on Sustainable North Carolina State University, Raleigh, and the
Development of Water and Energy Resources, Central Board of Ph.D. degree with a concentration in electric power
Irrigation and Power (CBIP),Jabalpur, India, Feb 2000, pp 57-64 engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and
[12] A. Raje, A. A. Raje and A. Chaudhary, “High Speed Motor Bus Transfer State University, Blacksburg. He is a Staff Engineer
Experiences,”,SWICON-2000, 5th International Conference on with the Protective Relays Group, Cooper Power
Switchgear and Controlgear, IEEMA, India, Nov 2000, pp 25-34. Systems, South Milwaukee, WI. He is responsible
[13] A. Raje, A. A. Raje, J. McCall, A. Chaudhary, “Bus Transfer Systems – for relay applications for the Cooper line of relays
Requirements, Implementation and Experiences”, IEEE PPIC and relay settings for power system equipment. He is
Conference, Toronto, Canada, June 2002. the recipient of the 2000 IEEE PES Chicago Chapter Outstanding Engineer
[14] A. Raje, A. A. Raje, J. McCall, A. Chaudhary, “Bus Transfer Systems – Award. He is a member of the Substation Subcommittee of the IEEE Power
Requirements, Implementation and Experiences”, IEEE Transactions on System Relaying Committee. Also, he is a member of the Technical
Industry Applications, Feb 2003. Committee of the International Power Systems Transients Conferences 1999,
2001, and 2003. His previous experience has included Sargent & Lundy
XI. BIOGRAPHIES consulting engineers (1991-1998) and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, India
(1979-1983).

Amit Raje (S’95, M’97) is currently heading the

R&D operations of Aartech Solonics Limited
(Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India). He received the
B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from the Indian
Institute of Technology (IIT), (Mumbai, Maharashtra,
India, ’91-’95), the M.S.E.E. degree from the
University of Minnesota, (Minneapolis, MN, USA,
’95-’96). He has worked as a Senior Engineer with
Open Systems International (Plymouth, MN, USA)
during ’96-’97 in the field of Energy Management
Systems. Since 1997, he has worked on the research,
development, testing, engineering and commissioning of Fast Bus Transfer
Systems for the utility and process industries. He is a professional IEEE
member and has authored several international conference technical papers in
the past. His other field of work is related to development of tamper proof
microprocessor based energy meters, load limiting devices, power quality
observers, and has applied for several patents in this regard. His research
interests are related to the development of innovative, embedded and
integrated power system solutions for consumers, utilities and industries.