University of the Witwatersrand

School of Electrical and Information Engineering

ELEN5008A – Power Systems Laboratory

SELECTION OF SETTINGS FOR TWO IDMT RELAYS

AND CONFIRMING THE BEHAVOUR OF THE
TWO IDMT RELAYS USING A
REAL TIME DIGITAL SIMULATOR (RTDS)
1. Safety Issues

You are working with dangerous voltages and currents – all connections must be made under
the supervision of the demonstrator. Also all equipment must be earthed.

2. Introduction

Two Inverse Definite Minimum Time (IDMT) relays are connected upstream and
downstream of a 132 kV/11 kV 20 MVA transformer on a radial feeder as shown below.

This circuit is already entered into RSCAD and all the connections between the RTDS and
the IDMT relays have already been made.

The students will only need to make minor adjustments to the parameters of the simulation
model under the guidance of the demonstrator.

You are required to specify suitable CT ratios and determine and enter suitable Current
Multiplier and Time Multiplier settings into the two IDMT relays for the case of a balanced
three-phase fault at the position below (use the normal inverse curves – Appendix I). The
downstream relay must operate in 0,5 second and the upstream relay must operate in 1,0
second if the downstream relay fails to operate for the balanced three-phase fault at the
position below.

Use Sbase = 20 MVA

Other loads 20 MVA Other loads

132 kV/11 kV
(impedance: 6%, 8%, 10%) (10 MW, 15 MW, 20 MW)
(purely resistive)
CTs CB CTs CB
× × Load

IDMT relay IDMT relay

18  Fault
(3ph, ph-ph, ph-g)
132 kV bus 11 kV bus
(Fault level: 200 MVA, 400 MVA - purely inductive)

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Other faults (phase-phase and phase-ground) will also be simulated to compare the operating
speeds of the two relays with those for a balanced three-phase fault.

Each student will be given a particular combination of supply fault level, transformer
impedance and load MW (will affect the choice of CTs).

3. Requirements for the report to be submitted

Students are required to upload individual laboratory reports to the ulwazi ELEN5008A
drop box by the deadline of 12:00 on the 12th June, 2023.

Name your file: StudentNumber_RTDSLab.pdf

The report must describe the approach used to specify suitable CT ratios and the approach
used to determine the relay settings and how the RTDS was used to confirm that the settings
met the specifications. The report must also interpret the measured waveforms.

The report must comply with the requirements of the School ‘Blue Book’.

Appendix A – Schematic of the RTDS

On Host PC (e.g. user's laptop)
In RTDS rack
Enter model
of power system
using GUI of DRAFT

Compilation
on PC
.exe files that run
on RTDS rack

Prepare Runtime interface

I/O PB5 PB5 GTWIF Runtime interface

Bi-directional, batch mode on PC
communications
.exe files run on multiple processors (does not have to be fast)
(in real-time)
Real-time I/O GTWIF Gigabit Transceiver Workstation InterFace card
PB5 Processor Board version 5

Appendix B – Sub-programs of RSCAD used with the RTDS

RSCAD

File manager
FILEMAN
(+ sub-program manager)

DRAFT RUNTIME TLINE CABLE MULTIPLOT

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Appendix C – Determination of the scaling factor for the D/A converters of the RTDS

GTAO D/A card gain setting

(actually the value of S x) Omicron I/V amplifier gain
5 V output
Simulation current for which 25 A output Actual current applied to
Simulation current of 1 A
the output of the D/A 5 V input relay has magnitude 1 A
converter is 5 V (= S x)
Omicron CMS 156

To satisfy the above (product of both gains is unity) GTAO D/A card gain setting is S x = 25 A

Appendix D – Simplified hardware description of the IDMT relay (SPAJ 140 C/4D29)

Omicron CMS 156

1 2 3 N

63 1 23 4 56 7 8 9 25 26 27 61 62 65 66
5A
1A

5A
1A

5A
1A

5A
1A

230 V/50 Hz
Mains input

TRIP

A
µP TRIP
D

SPAJ 140 C/4D29

The phase current outputs from the CMS 156 voltage-to-current converters are connected to
terminals 1+3, 4+6 and 7+9 (the 1 A inputs are used).

The residual current output from the CMS 156 voltage-to-current converters is connected to
terminals 25+27 (the 1 A input is used).

The two TRIP dry contacts are connected to the two least significant bits (two far left pairs of
banana plug sockets) of the Digital I/O Panel at the front of the RTDS (internal 1 kΩ pull-up
resistors to internal 5 V supply make the TRIP digital input signals read by the RTDS active
low).

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Appendix E – Flow chart for changing the settings of the IDMT relay (SPAJ 140 C)

MAIN MENU SUBMENU SETTING MODE

(panel LEDs show position within main menu) (to view existing settings) (to change setting value)

STEP 0,5s PROGRAM 1s PROGRAM 5s

STEP 0,5s PROGRAM 5s
STEP 1s (repeat until
return)

Normal status, display off

First measurement value

STEP 0,5s STEP 0,5s

Last measurement value
to increment
STEP 1s value

Actual setting value 1 1 Main setting value (set 1) 1 0 0 0

PROGRAM 1s
Actual setting value 2 2 Main setting value (set 2) Select digit/decimal point position

Store new value by pressing STEP

and PROGRAM simultaneously
- when the value is ready and the
whole display is blinking
Stored values

RESET Press RESET to reset TRIP LED on front panel (bottom right) after a trip event
STEP Press STEP to step through menu items or increment setting values

PROGRAM Press PROGRAM to change menu levels (e.g. to enter SETTING MODE )

Current settings are in

- per unit of the nominal current value, In (1 A if using 1A inputs)(typical range 0,5 - 2,5 or 0,1 - 0,8 (Io))

Time settings are in

- seconds for the definite time characteristic (typical range 0,05 s - 300 s)
- time multiplier, k, for the IDMT characteristic (typical range 0,05 - 1,0)

The student will be given considerable assistance by the demonstrator.

The full manual for the ABB SPAJ 140 C relay (for students requiring detailed instruction) is
easily found on the internet.

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Appendix F – Feeder modelled in DRAFT sub-program of RSCAD (this model is subject to
change)

Appendix G – Interface to allow interaction with the real-time simulation using the
RUNTIME sub-program of RSCAD (this interface is subject to change)

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Appendix H – Front panel of the ABB SPAJ 140 C IDMT relay

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Appendix I – Normal inverse curves for the SPAJ 140 C IDMT relay (y-axis is the operating
time (in seconds) and the x-axis is the ratio of the Ifault (primary side of the CT) to the I>
(primary side of the CT) in pu)

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In is the nominal input current of the relay (in the laboratory you are using the 1 A nominal
input current terminal of the relay where the relay also has another terminal for a 5 A nominal
input current) – so In is 1 A – assumes you are using a current transformer with a nominal
secondary current of 1 A (e.g. current transformer with a 200 A nominal primary current and
a 1 A nominal secondary current – known as a 200:1 current transformer).

In is multiplied by the Current Multiplier to give what the relay interprets as its new In
(referenced to the primary side of the current transformer the relay refers to this as I>). All
primary-side fault currents, I, are then referenced to this I> and expressed in pu (I/I>)

I> is obtained from the current rating of the equipment being protected (e.g. transformer) or
the current rating multiplied by some factor (e.g. 1.2) to allow for (short-term) overloading of
the equipment.

For example: The transformer winding in series with the current transformer has a rated
current of 135 A. You include the multiplier of 1.2 to give 162 A (the relay needs to interpret
this as the value of I>). You are using a CT with a ratio 200:1 so the secondary current will
be 162÷200 = 0.81. The Current Multiplier will then need to convert the relay nominal input
current of 1 A to a nominal input current of 0.81 A – a Current Multiplier equal to 0.81 (this
needs to be manually entered into the relay – one of the relay settings)

The Time Multiplier setting, k, is determined as below.

The value of the (three-phase) fault current, I, can be calculated from the impedances in the
network – thereafter the value of I/I> is calculated.

From the above calculated I/I> and for the required time to trip, the Time Multiplier curve
that passes through this point or an interpolated Time Multiplier curve that passes through
this point gives the Time Multiplier setting, k.

Once the above Time Multiplier and Current Multiplier settings have been correctly entered
into the relay, the simulation is run and the RTDS generates the value of the (three-phase)
fault current, I, the relay itself calculates the value of I/I> from the Current Multiplier setting
and then will trip after a time determined by the Time Multiplier setting (see above curves).

Or (alternative to curves above):

0.14
Operating time = 0.02
 Time multiplier (k )
 I Fault ( primary side of CT ) 
  −1
 Current multiplier  I n (relay input )  CT ratio 
0.14
Or Operating time = 0.02
 Time multiplier (k )
 I Fault ( primary side of CT ) 
  −1
 I  ( primary side of CT ) 

10 May 2023
Professor JM Van Coller

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