The fundamentals of protection relay co-ordination and

time/current grading principles

electrical-engineering-portal.com/protection-relay-co-ordination-time-current-grading

August 13, 2018

Protection / Transmission and Distribution

By Edvard Csanyi Aug, 13th 2018

The importance of overcurrent protection

Transmission and distribution systems are exposed to overcurrent flow into their elements. In
an electric power system, overcurrent or excess current is a situation where a larger than
intended electric current exists through a conductor, leading to excessive generation of heat,
and the risk of fire or damage to equipment.

The fundamentals of protection relay co-ordination and time/current grading principles (photo credit: JAL
International)

Possible causes for overcurrent include short circuits, excessive load, transformer inrush
current, motor starting, incorrect design, or a ground fault.

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Therefore, for normal system conditions, some tools such as demand – side management,
load shedding, and soft motor starting can be applied to avoid overloads.

In addition, distribution systems are equipped with protective relays that initiate action to
enable switching equipment to respond only to abnormal system conditions. The relay
is connected to the circuit to be protected via CTs and VTs according to the required
protection function.

In order for the relay to operate, it needs to be energized. This energy can be provided by
battery sets (mostly) or by the monitored circuit itself.

This article deals with co-ordination between protection relays in general and principles of
Time/Current grading used to achieve correct relay co-ordination.

1. Co-ordination procedure
Correct overcurrent relay application requires knowledge of the fault current that can flow in
each part of the network. Since large-scale tests are normally impracticable, system analysis
must be used.

The data required for a relay setting study are:

1. Single-line diagram of the power system involved, showing the type and rating of the
protection devices and their associated current transformers.
2. The impedances in ohms, per cent or per unit, of all power transformers, rotating
machine and feeder circuits.
3. The maximum and minimum values of short circuit currents that are expected to flow
through each protection device.
4. The maximum load current through protection devices.
5. The starting current requirements of motors and the starting and locked rotor/stalling
times of induction motors.
6. The transformer inrush, thermal withstand and damage characteristics.
7. Decrement curves showing the rate of decay of the fault current supplied by the
generators.
8. Performance curves of the current transformers.

The relay settings are first determined to give the shortest operating times at maximum
fault levels and then checked to see if operation will also be satisfactory at the minimum
fault current expected.

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It is always advisable to plot the curves of relays and other protection devices, such as
fuses, that are to operate in series, on a common scale. It is usually more convenient to
use a scale corresponding to the current expected at the lowest voltage base, or to use the
predominant voltage base.

The alternatives are a common MVA base or a separate current scale for each system
voltage.

The basic rules for correct relay co-ordination can generally be stated as follows:

RULE #1

Whenever possible, use relays with the same operating characteristic in series with each
other.

RULE #2

Make sure that the relay farthest from the source has current settings equal to or less than
the relays behind it, that is, that the primary current required to operate the relay in front is
always equal to or less than the primary current required to operate the relay behind it.

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2. Principles of Time/Current grading

Among the various possible methods used to achieve correct relay co-ordination are those
using either time or overcurrent, or a combination of both. The common aim of all three
methods is to give correct discrimination.

That is to say, each one must isolate only the faulty section of the power system network,
leaving the rest of the system undisturbed.

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2.1 Discrimination by Time

In this method, an appropriate time setting is given to each of the relays controlling the circuit
breakers in a power system to ensure that the breaker nearest to the fault opens first.

A simple radial distribution system is shown in Figure 1, to illustrate the principle.

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 Figure 1 – Radial system with time discrimination

Overcurrent protection is provided at B, C, D and E, that is, at the infeed end of each
section of the power system.

Each protection unit comprises a definite-time delay overcurrent relay in which the
operation of the current sensitive element simply initiates the time delay element. Provided
the setting of the current element is below the fault current value, this element plays no part
in the achievement of discrimination.

For this reason, the relay is sometimes described as an ‘independent definite-time delay
relay’, since its operating time is for practical purposes independent of the level
of overcurrent.

It is the time delay element, therefore, which provides the means of discrimination. The relay
at B is set at the shortest time delay possible to allow the fuse to blow for a fault at A on the
secondary side of the transformer. After the time delay has expired, the relay output contact
closes to trip the circuit breaker. The relay at C has a time delay setting equal to t1 seconds,
and similarly for the relays at D and E.

If a fault occurs at F, the relay at B will operate in t seconds and the subsequent operation
of the circuit breaker at B will clear the fault before the relays at C, D and E have time
to operate.

The time interval t1 between each relay time setting must be long enough to ensure that the
upstream relays do not operate before the circuit breaker at the fault location has tripped and
cleared the fault.

The main disadvantage of this method of discrimination is that the longest fault
clearance time occurs for faults in the section closest to the power source,
where the fault level (MVA) is highest.

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2.2 Discrimination by Current

Discrimination by current relies on the fact that the fault current varies with the position of the
fault because of the difference in impedance values between the source and the fault.

Hence, typically, the relays controlling the various circuit breakers are set to operate at
suitably tapered values of current such that only the relay nearest to the fault trips its
breaker.

Figure 2 illustrates the method.

Figure 2 – Radial system with current discrimination

For a fault at F1, the system short-circuit current is given by:

I = 6350 / (ZS + ZL1) A

where:

ZS = source impedance = 112 / 250 = 0.485 Ω

ZL1 = cable impedance between C and B = 0.24 Ω

Hence,

I = 6350 / 0.725 = 8800 A

So, a relay controlling the circuit breaker at C and set to operate at a fault current of 8800A
would in theory protect the whole of the cable section between C and B.

Points affecting this method

However, there are two important practical points that affect this method of co-
ordination:

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Point #1 – It is not practical to distinguish between a fault at F1 and a fault at F2, since the
distance between these points may be only a few metres, corresponding to a change in fault
current of approximately 0.1%.

Point #2 – In practice, there would be variations in the source fault level, typically from
250MVA to 130MVA.

At this lower fault level the fault current would not exceed 6800A, even for a cable fault
close to C. A relay set at 8800A would not protect any part of the cable section
concerned.

Discrimination by current is therefore not a practical proposition for correct grading between
the circuit breakers at C and B. However, the problem changes appreciably when there is
significant impedance between the two circuit breakers concerned.

Consider the grading required between the circuit breakers at C and A in Figure 2. Assuming
a fault at F4, the short-circuit current is given by:

I = 6350 / (ZS + ZL1 + ZL2 + ZT)

where:

ZS = source impedance = 112 / 250 = 0.485 Ω

ZL1 = cable impedance between C and B = 0.24 Ω
ZL2 = cable impedance between B and 4MVA transformer = 0.04 Ω
ZT = transformer impedance = 0.07 × (112/4) = 2.12 Ω

Hence,

I = 6350 / 2.885 = 2200 A

For this reason, a relay controlling the circuit breaker at B and set to operate at a current of
2200A plus a safety margin would not operate for a fault at F4 and would thus discriminate
with the relay at A.

Assuming a safety margin of 20% to allow for relay errors and a further 10% for
variations in the system impedance values, it is reasonable to choose a relay setting of
1.3 x 2200A, that is, 2860A, for the relay at B.

Now, assuming a fault at F3, at the end of the 11kV cable feeding the 4MVA transformer, the
short-circuit current is given by:

I = 6350 / (ZS + ZL1 + ZL2)

Thus, assuming a 250MVA source fault level:

I = 6350 / (0.485 + 0.24 + 0.04) = 8300A

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Alternatively, assuming a source fault level of 130MVA:
I = 6350 / (0.93 + 0.214 + 0.04) = 5250A

For either value of source level, the relay at B would operate correctly for faults
anywhere on the 11kV cable feeding the transformer.

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2.3 Discrimination by both Time and Current

Each of the two methods described above has a fundamental disadvantage. In the case of
discrimination by time alone, the disadvantage is due to the fact that the more severe faults
are cleared in the longest operating time.

On the other hand, discrimination by current can be applied only where there
is appreciable impedance between the two circuit breakers concerned.

It is because of the limitations imposed by the independent use of either time or current co-
ordination that the inverse time overcurrent relay characteristic has evolved.

With this characteristic, the time of operation is inversely proportional to the fault current level
and the actual characteristic is a function of both ‘time’ and ‘current’ settings.

Figure 3 shows the characteristics of two relays given different current/time settings.

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 Figure 3 – Relay characteristics for different settings

For a large variation in fault current between the two ends of the feeder, faster operating
times can be achieved by the relays nearest to the source, where the fault level is
the highest.

So, by using both functions the disadvantages of grading by time or current

alone are overcome!

Variations of current/time tripping characteristics of IDMT relays will be discussed in some of

the coming technical articles.

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References //

Network Protection & Automation Guide by Alstom Grid

The Basics Of Overcurrent Protection – Seminar Paper by Genc Baruti

Edvard Csanyi

Electrical engineer, programmer and founder of EEP. Highly specialized for design of LV/MV
switchgears and LV high power busbar trunking (<6300A) in power substations, commercial
buildings and industry facilities. Professional in AutoCAD programming.

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