POWER SYSTEM PROTECTION

LEARNER MODULE

ARC and synchronizing

Manual for Short course on overhead feeder Auto Re-close principles and practices:
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AUTO RECLOSE MODULE TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................... 2

2 CONDITIONS THAT PROHIBIT ARC .............................................................................................................. 3

3 GENERAL VARIABLE SELECTIONS............................................................................................................... 4

3.1 ARC INITIATION .............................................................................................................................................. 4
3.2 ARC PHASE SELECTION ................................................................................................................................... 4
3.3 ARC DELAY TIME SELECTION.......................................................................................................................... 5
3.4 ARC SYNCHRONISM CHECK SELECTION .......................................................................................................... 5
3.5 ARC REPETITION AND RECLAIM TIME SELECTION .......................................................................................... 6
4 BASIC DISTRIBUTION LINE ARC PHILOSOPHY ........................................................................................ 8
4.1 ARC INITIATION .............................................................................................................................................. 8
4.2 ARC PHASE SELECTION ................................................................................................................................... 8
4.3 ARC DELAY TIME SELECTION.......................................................................................................................... 8
4.4 ARC SYNCHRONISM CHECK SELECTION .......................................................................................................... 8
4.5 ARC REPETITION AND RECLAIM TIME SELECTION .......................................................................................... 8
5 BASIC TRANSMISSION LINE ARC PHILOSOPHY ..................................................................................... 10
5.1 ARC INITIATION ............................................................................................................................................ 10
5.2 ARC PHASE SELECTION ................................................................................................................................. 10
5.3 STANDARD DELAY TIME SELECTION FOR TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS ARC ..................................................... 11
5.4 STANDARD SYNCHRONISM CHECK SELECTION FOR TRANSMISSION ARC ...................................................... 12
5.5 ARC REPETITION AND RECLAIM TIME SELECTION ........................................................................................ 14
6 EXAMPLES OF EXCEPTIONS ......................................................................................................................... 15
6.1 ADDITIONAL ARC REPETITIONS .................................................................................................................... 15
6.2 3-PH-ARC-ONLY AT POWER STATIONS WITH FOUR-POLE GENERATORS ........................................................ 15
6.3 LOAD/GENERATION CENTRE CONNECTED VIA SINGLE EHV LINE ................................................................ 16
6.4 CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS FOR DELAYS BETWEEN VOLTAGE DEPRESSIONS ............................................... 16
6.5 ARC SELECTION OF DUAL CIRCUITS ............................................................................................................. 16
6.6 ARC SELECTIONS DURING STORMS AND FIRES .............................................................................................. 17
7 ARC SELECTIONS DURING WORK .............................................................................................................. 17
7.1 OUTAGE WORK .............................................................................................................................................. 17
7.2 LIVE LINE WORK............................................................................................................................................ 17
8 SHUNT REACTORS AND NEUTRAL REACTORS ....................................................................................... 17
8.1 WHY USE SHUNT REACTORS ON EHV SYSTEMS? ............................................................................................ 17
8.2 WHY USE SHUNT REACTORS ON EHV LINES? ................................................................................................. 18
8.3 WHY USE NEUTRAL REACTORS ON EHV LINES WITH SHUNT REACTORS? ...................................................... 18
8.4 EHV ARC PHILOSOPHY ADAPTATIONS TO CATER FOR REACTOR OUTAGES .................................................... 20
A TRS RECLOSER SPECIFIC (GE TLS SCHEME) .......................................................................................... 22
A.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................... 22
A.2 RECLOSER LOGIC ........................................................................................................................................... 22
A.3 SYNCHRONISM CHECK LOGIC ........................................................................................................................ 22

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Manual for Short course on overhead feeder Auto Re-close principles and practices:
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1 INTRODUCTION
This training module looks a little at the clearance of transient electrical faults on overhead
lines, though much greater emphasis is placed on the subsequent automatic restoration of
power flow after such faults have been cleared. Overhead lines are used mainly in Medium
Voltage (MV) Distribution Systems (1kVac – 20kVac), High Voltage (HV) Subtransmission
Systems (20kVac – 200kVac) and also Extra High Voltage (EHV) Transmission Systems
(200kVac – 1000kVac). (UHV>1MV).
The main reason for this is that overhead lines are much cheaper to construct and maintain
than cables. The biggest cost saving is achieved by the reduced amount of insulation
material used on an overhead line. On an overhead line the conductors are insulated from
ground potential at the tower structures by means of string insulators that are constructed of
glass discs or alternatively porcelain or silicon rubber insulators. Apart from that the
conductors are bare, and are otherwise insulated by the ambient air.
Air is capable of restoring itself naturally, provided that the source providing the fault current
is isolated. This gives another advantage that overhead lines enjoy compared to cables,
since cable insulation cannot restore naturally once punctured by an electrical fault. Due to
this advantage, the majority of faults (85-95%) on overhead lines are of a transient nature.
By definition, transient faults are cleared when the relevant circuit breakers are tripped and
do not recur when the line is re-energised.
Faults on cables are very rarely transient, since the damage caused by the fault puncturing
the cable insulation material raises a very high probability that it will fault again when re-
energised. For all practical purposes, a fault on a power cable is permanent. Thus,
overhead lines provide the advantage of transient faults. However, for this advantage to be
of benefit, Automatic Re-Closing (ARC) is employed, to re-energise the line as soon as the
fault has been cleared, so that power flow can be restored.
In a distribution network it means that the customer’s electrical supply is interrupted
temporarily for a short period, and then restored by means of ARC. In a transmission
network it means that the network power flow will be rerouted through other transmission
lines for a short period while the local (faulted) line is de-energised, and then the power flow
will be routed through the local line again as it is re-energised by means of ARC. This might
lead to temporary overload conditions on some transmission corridors, but since it is for a
short period, it rarely poses a risk to plant damage. It is also for this reason that overload and
overcurrent protection is normally not used on transmission lines.
ARC provides benefits for both the customer and the supplier. When a faulted line trips,
there is an increased source impedance to the customer which can result in a prolonged
voltage dip at the terminals of the customer’s equipment. ARC therefore improves the
customer’s quality of supply by reducing the duration and magnitude of voltage dips. ARC
also improves the security of supply for customers with multiple infeeds, and increases the
availability of supply for those with a single infeed by minimising the duration of the
disruptions. As far as the supplier is concerned, ARC enhances stability on the
interconnected system by reducing the connecting impedances between sources.
There are however several adverse conditions that prohibit ARC, or at least limit ARC to only
particular operating conditions. There are a few different selections that can be made for
ARC schemes, and this allows different basic philosophies for distribution systems and
transmission systems. Differences in philosophies are due to the different switching
equipment that is used and their respective capabilities, as well as different customer
requirements or supplier requirements. This training module will discuss the above ARC
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philosophies and explain particular settings for ARC schemes as well as special cases that
require deviations from the basic philosophies.
2 CONDITIONS THAT PROHIBIT ARC
When a fault is of a permanent nature no ARC should take place. Reclosing back onto a
fault could be catastrophic in certain circumstances. In most cases it is rather difficult (or
maybe impossible) to distinguish from measurements whether a fault is transient or
permanent, and since most faults are transient, ARC can be applied at all times based on the
stochastic probability that the fault would have been transient. However, cable faults are
almost without exception always permanent, so there is no ARC on a faulty cable.
Likewise, no ARC is to take place for busbar faults or transformer faults. Reclosure onto a
fault in a substation could cause equipment to explode or start a fire. Prevention of further
damage to the equipment in the substation is to be considered simultaneously with safety of
personnel that may be working in the substation yard.
Sometimes a line fault and a busbar fault can occur almost simultaneously. ARC should be
inhibited whenever a busbar fault is cleared, even if the feeder protection tripped for the line
fault first. That is to say that whenever a busbar trip is issued, that trip signal should also be
used to block any ARC relays on the circuits that it trips, and it should even block ARC relays
that have already been started.
No ARC is to take place for transformer faults, since a reclosure could ignite leaking
transformer oil. Similarly, ARC should not take place after faults on the transformers of Line-
bank-transformer feeders. The Line-bank-transformer differential protection should operate
for a transformer fault and transmit a signal for an ARC lockout at the feeder. For a carrier
transmit or a receive failure or a differential protection failure a reclosure could ignite leaking
transformer oil.
In addition, on Line-bank-transformer feeders it is not possible to clear a fault by means of 1-
phase tripping, since the magnetic coupling through the transformer core will sustain the
fault. This necessitates 3-ph ARC for all fault types on Line-bank-transformers, and thus the
transformer is de-energised and re-energised in short succession with every fault. The
increased cycle of the accompanying inrush currents may shorten the serviceable lifespan of
the transformer.
In general it is preferred that there should be no ARC at all on line bank transformer
schemes. Where system stability absolutely requires ARC, a Line-bank-transformer may be
selected the 3-ph ARC, provided that the transformer differential protection will inhibit ARC
when it operates.
During operating, a control centre might determine that there are adverse conditions (such as
widespread veldfires) that make many repeated (unsuccessful) ARC attempts (with their
accompanying voltage dips) undesirable. During such conditions the control centre might
override any ARC selections and switch ARC off on affected lines.
In the Chapter titled: Examples of Exceptions, there will be several more specific cases that
require ARC to be off or limited to certain modes. Each case has several conditions, so that
a general rule cannot be formulated, but each has to be evaluated on its own merit.

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3 GENERAL VARIABLE SELECTIONS

3.1 ARC INITIATION
The main impedance protection relays that operate to trip the breaker for a fault on the
protected line simultaneously initiate the auto reclosing circuitry. An ARCIS (Auto reclose
initiate selector) switch is incorporated in the dual main protection schemes to select which of
these main protections is permitted to initiate auto reclosing.
This ARCIS switch therefore has three positions:
 MAIN 1
 MAIN 2
 MAIN 1 AND MAIN 2
On single-and-three-phase tripping schemes, the auto-reclose relays require separate single-
and-three-phase reclose initiation signals.
On three-phase tripping schemes, only a single auto reclose initiation signal is required.
On all schemes, the option exists to select the back-up earth fault relay to initiate auto
reclosing. This will always be three-phase as this is a three-phase tripping relay.

3.2 ARC PHASE SELECTION

In the past protection schemes were designed to either permit either three-phase tripping and
reclosing only (mostly selected on HV applications) or single-and-three-phase tripping and
reclosing (mostly selected on EHV applications). Most modern schemes also allow an option
for single-phase tripping and reclosing only, which is occasionally selected on specific EHV
applications. Switches are incorporated in these schemes to select the allowable reclosing
modes.
On single-and-three-phase tripping schemes without a recloser, the ARCS (Auto reclose
selector) switch has four positions:
 1 PHASE
 3 PHASE
 1+3 PHASE
 OFF
The types of auto reclosing allowed are selected by the first three positions. In the OFF
position, manual closing of the circuit breaker is permitted, but not auto reclosing. On the
schemes without a recloser, manual closing capability is unaffected by the position of the
ARCS switch as manual closing is not performed via the auto reclose relays.
The most recent EHV feeder protection schemes incorporate a recloser (microprocessor) via
which all closing, including manual closing is performed. These schemes are always
designed as single-and-three-phase tripping schemes, and have a CMS (Close mode
selector) switch with five positions:
 1 POLE
 3 POLE
 1+3 POLE
 MANUAL
 OFF
The functions of the first three have been described previously. In the MANUAL position,
manual closing of the circuit breaker is permitted, but no auto reclosing is possible. In the
OFF position, no closing is possible at all.
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3.3 ARC DELAY TIME SELECTION
It is possible to select, via a switch on the panel; either fast or slow three-phase auto reclose.
This switch, the auto reclose speed selector (ARCSS), has two positions:
 FAST
 SLOW
On some older schemes this switch has three positions:
 FAST
 SLOW 1
 SLOW 2
Fast auto reclose is seldom used and only in special circumstances. If a single-phase trip
and reclose has occurred, a fast three-phase reclose should not be permitted for any
recurring fault within the reclaim time, irrespective of the ARCSS switch selection. A slow
three-phase reclose is always initiated for this circumstance.
The single-phase delay time setting at both ends of the line on schemes capable of single-
phase tripping and auto reclosing is normally set to 1.0 seconds. The setting range is limited
to 1.1 seconds on some older protection schemes.
The three-phase ARC delay time at the Dead-Line-Charging (DLC) end of a line is 3.0
seconds while it is 4.0 seconds at the Synchronising (SYNC) end of the line. However, if the
transmission line is between TWO Power Stations, the DLC ARC delay time is 25.0 seconds
and the SYNC ARC delay time is 30.0 seconds.
The delay time of the auto reclose relays is started by the reclose initiation command from
the protection relays. It is the time which elapses following the receipt of an initiation
command until the auto reclose relay issues a close command to the circuit breaker.
The delay time of the ARC relay is the time that the circuit breaker remains in the OPEN
position. The purpose of the delay time is to enable the arc to extinguish and the dielectric
strength of the air to recover. There are separate, independently settable delay timers for
single-and-three-phase auto reclosing.

3.4 ARC SYNCHRONISM CHECK SELECTION

Synchronism check relays are fitted to all schemes at the EHV level and to some schemes
(usually as an option) at the HV level. Typically, a synchronism check should be performed if
a breaker has been open on all three phases for longer than a half-second.
Synchronism checks are performed to ensure conditions are favourable for closing,
particularly if the line has been out of service for a period of time long enough for
synchronism to have been lost between the source voltages at either end.
It is general practice when using slow three-phase auto reclose to dedicate one end of the
line for charging (DLC end) and the other end for a synchronism check (SYNC end). For
manual closing of the circuit breaker, it is possible to perform dead line/dead bus charging at
either end of the line irrespective of the selection chosen for three-phase auto reclose.
A synchronism check must automatically be performed if a live line/live bus condition for
reclosing exists. For schemes without a reclose relay this is achieved either by the
positioning of certain links located in the scheme wiring or by selecting:
 SLOW 1 or
 SLOW 2
on the ARCSS switch.

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The SYNC end should not perform dead line charging for a three-phase auto reclose. This
means that if the DLC end recloses onto a sustained fault and re-trips, the SYNC end should
not auto reclose since there is no line voltage with which to check synchronism.
Where all closing is executed via a reclose relay (e.g. Micromho, SLS, TLS, 7SA513, SEL321
and REL531 schemes), all closing options should be selected, namely DLDB, LLDB, DLLB,
and SYNC CK, so as not to limit the manual control capability. It therefore appears that there
are no dedicated charging or synchronising ends. However, on the TLS scheme it is possible
to dedicate both a “charging” and a “synchronising” end for slow 3 pole auto reclose by
selecting certain logic link positions within the impedance relay. At the end selected to be the
“synchronising” end, the impedance relay holds an inhibit reclosing signal onto the reclose
relay until healthy line voltage is detected. The other end which does not produce this inhibit
reclosing signal will therefore always charge the line. Similar settings exist for all
microprocessor schemes.
A synchronism check is only required following a three-phase trip. For a single-phase trip,
synchronism is maintained by the two remaining closed breaker phases. This means that
single-phase reclosing does not require a synchronism check before closing.
Once synchronising has been initiated on schemes without a reclose relay, it will stay in force
until either the breaker closes or it is cancelled. This can be done either via SCADA
(Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) instructions issued from a remote Control Center,
or via a push button on the protection panel.
Schemes with a reclose relay do not have a cancel push button, but do have a timer built in
to the reclose relay logic. If the timer expires (250 seconds) before allowed conditions for
auto reclose have been achieved, the reclose relay locks out. The reclose relay is reset from
this lock out condition when the next close pulse is issued.
Synchronism check relays require certain conditions to be met for a minimum time period
(typically 80ms as for the Siemens 7VK512) before closure is allowed. These conditions
include the relative and absolute magnitudes of the line and busbar voltages, the relative
angle between these two voltages, and the relative frequency differences between the two
voltages.
Following a single-phase trip, the open pole at both ends of the line is closed after 1 second
without any further checks. For a three-phase trip, the closing of the breaker at the charging
end after 3 seconds charges the line. 1 second later, i.e. after 4 seconds, the auto reclose
relay at the synchronising end issues a close pulse. Closing will occur once all conditions for
closing have been met for 2 seconds.

3.5 ARC REPETITION AND RECLAIM TIME SELECTION

The reclaim time is the time which elapses following the initiation of a close pulse by the ARC
relay until it returns to the reset state. The auto reclose relay resets and is ready for further
operation if the breaker remains closed for the duration of the reclaim time following an
automatic reclose. If the breaker re-trips during the reclaim time, lockout occurs to prevent
further automatic reclosing. However, if a second attempt is permitted within the reclaim time,
it is reset by the renewed reclose initiation signal and commences again with the next close
command.
The reclaim time is also started following a manual close. If the circuit breaker trips before the
reclaim time has elapsed, lockout occurs to prevent an automatic reclose.

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All tripping within the reclaim time following either an auto reclose or a manual close should
be three-phase. In the case of tripping after a manual close such tripping should lock out the
ARC relay so that further ARC does not take place.

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4 BASIC DISTRIBUTION LINE ARC PHILOSOPHY

4.1 ARC INITIATION
In Eskom Distribution there are a few feeders that have feeder IDMT earth fault protection
selected to ARC. This is as a result of high resistance faults caused by trees and not seen
by the impedance protection. Otherwise ARC is normally initiated by either an Impedance
protection trip or a Line Differential protection trip.

4.2 ARC PHASE SELECTION

All tripping on Eskom Distribution feeders is three-phase.

4.3 ARC DELAY TIME SELECTION

The first ARC attempt is usually between 300ms and 3s, and the second shot as follows:
 If there is SCADA on the breaker: 3min with lockout for sustained faults, otherwise:
 10min, with a third shot after 10min, lockout after third shot if fault is still there.
On reclosers there are two short delay times (300ms) after two fast trips (101, 103 or 105
tripping curves) and one long delay time (3 minutes) after a slow trip (standard IDMT curve).
After this there follows one more slow trip and lockout if the fault is still there.

4.4 ARC SYNCHRONISM CHECK SELECTION

No Synchronism check

4.5 ARC REPETITION AND RECLAIM TIME SELECTION

1. OFF selected. The table below indicates the ARC sequence for a sustained line fault.
FAULT TYPE 3  TRIP ARC L/O
1  FAULT X X
MULTI  FAULT X X

2. 3 POLE ONLY selected on 1 + 3 pole schemes or ON selected on 3 pole only schemes.

The table below indicates the ARC sequence for a sustained line fault.
FAULT 3  TRIP 3  ARC 3  TRIP 3  ARC 3  TRIP ARC L/O
TYPE
1 X X X X X X
FAULT
MULTI  X X X X X X
FAULT

A cycle will continue in sequence if a recurring fault occurs within the reclaim time. The
reclaim time is usually factory set to 15 seconds, however, if the ARC relay allows, Eskom
has decided on setting a reclaim time of 240 seconds or four minutes, to allow the circuit

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breaker components to restore and cool down. Once the reclaim time has elapsed, any fault
then occurring will cause the sequence to begin again.

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5 BASIC TRANSMISSION LINE ARC PHILOSOPHY

5.1 ARC INITIATION
On Transmission line the standard is that only Impedance protection trips or Line Differential
protection trips initiate ARC. Where Impedance protection trips are concerned, time delayed
impedance protection trips such as Zone 2 or Zone 3 normally does not initiate ARC. Instead
only instantaneous tripping (Zone 1 or Permissive Tripping) are marshalled to initiate ARC.
Only in very few selected cases are the Zone 2 time delayed trip also marshalled to initiate
ARC. Transmission normally does not allow IDMT E/F to initiate ARC.

5.2 ARC PHASE SELECTION

5.2.1 Benefits of single-phase trip and ARC
As approximately 85-95% of all overhead line faults are single-phase-to-ground, significant
benefits can be gained by employing single-phase tripping and reclosing. The quality of the
customer’s voltage supply is further improved as the remaining two phases lessens the
increase in his source impedance. The voltage supply to the Customer is also maintained on
all three-phases due to the inevitable star-delta connected transformer between the source
and the load. Single-phase auto reclosing also enhances system stability. Synchronism is
maintained as some synchronising power can be transmitted across the two healthy phases.
On some circuit breakers, all three-phases are operated simultaneously by a single
mechanism. Such circuit breakers are therefore capable of only three-phase tripping and
auto reclosing. On other circuit breakers, each pole is operated by a single mechanism.
These breakers are then capable of single-and-three-phase tripping and auto reclosing.
These breakers are usually found at voltage levels of 275kV and upward where system
stability is of concern.
Circuit breaker limitations are not the only factors that determine the type of auto reclosing
implemented. The protection scheme may have been designed to permit only three-phase
tripping and auto reclosing, or the protection relays used may not be capable of performing
single-phase selection to enable single-phase tripping.
NOTE:
If a breaker in the HV yard is capable of single-phase tripping, do not assume that single-
phase tripping is employed. The protection application may be such that, the tripping circuit is
wired so that all three-phases will trip for any fault. The ARCS (Auto reclose selection) switch
position should also be noted. For any single feeder, the ARCS switch at both ends shall be
selected for the same ARC trip sequence. For example, 1&3 phase both ends or only 3
phase both ends. It has happened where the ARCS switch selections at the respective ends
of a feeder are selected differently, and has resulted in an unnecessary ARC lockout
situation. This, at times, could have been avoided if the ARCS selection had been selected to
the same position, both ends.
Certain contingencies on the system may dictate which type of auto reclosing is
implemented, either permanently or at certain times, e.g. during the outage of another line.
5.2.2 Negative aspects of single-phase trip and ARC
Sometimes 1-ph tripping may lead to excessive negative phase sequence current and
voltage components on the system that may overheat transformer and generator cores.

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5.2.3 Standard Phase Selection for Transmission Systems ARC
The standard Transmission feeder ARC phase selection is determined by the “Protection
Setting Philosophy for Transmission and Sub-Transmission Grids”, and also the “ARC
Philosophy for Lines with Shunt Reactors”. A summary is given below, subject to reference
with the abovementioned Philosophies:
 Single OR Three Phase ARC, i.e. single shot (3-cycle)

5.3 STANDARD DELAY TIME SELECTION FOR TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS ARC

The standard Transmission feeder ARC delay time selection is determined by the “Protection
Setting Philosophy for Transmission and Sub-Transmission Grids”, and also the “ARC
Philosophy for Lines with Shunt Reactors”. A summary is given below, subject to reference
with the abovementioned Philosophies:
 1 second Dead Time for 1-phase ARC, without synchronising check
 3 second Dead Time for 3-phase ARC at Dead-Line-Charge end, with synchronising check
(just in case the other end never tripped)
 4 second Dead Time for 3-phase ARC at Synchronising end, with synchronising check
 The 3-phase ARC Dead Time for Transmission Lines between two Power Stations is
increased to 25s (DLC end) and 30s (Synchronising end)
Apart from these delays, the following timer settings also have to be considered important:
 Reclaim Timer:
Several ARC cycles in rapid sequence would definitely destroy a circuit-breaker. This
could happen during heavy storms or veld fires. Most circuit-breakers installed on the
Transmission network are capable of performing a full ARC cycle after which they require
3 minutes interval to restore their fault current interrupting capabilities before the next
ARC cycle can be attempted. To prevent multiple ARC cycles and comply with the circuit-
breaker specification ARC relays are equipped with reclaim timers. Reclaim time is the
time in which the ARC relay is blocked from initiation of a subsequent reclose sequence.
The Reclaim Timer should be set to 3 minutes.
Unfortunately the Reclaim Timer on phase 1 relays is fixed at about 15 seconds and is not
adjustable. In such cases setting sheets should indicate the deficiency and request an
investigation into possible modification to extend the reclaim time. The same limitation
also exists on phase 2 relays. The maximum setting available on GEC Micromho relay is
30 seconds and on the GE TLS relay is 2.75 minutes.
 Overall Timer:
Designs of ARC circuitry vary widely depending on era and manufacturer. Initiation of
ARC cycles on phase 1 schemes seal themselves in and ARC relays remain energised to
execute the closing cycle, even if for some reasons the cycle was not completed (lack of
synchronism, circuit-breaker not ready, etc). This result in closing of the circuit-breaker
whenever all conditions required for ARC are met. Sometimes these conditions might be
met only after a very long time, hours or even days, resulting in unexpected closing of
the circuit-breaker. To avoid such situations newer protection schemes, phase 2 and
onwards, are equipped with overall timers which will reset the ARC relays after a set time.
The Overall Timer should be set to 4 minutes.
 Close Pulse Timer:
To ensure adequate duration of the closing pulse sent to the circuit-breaker and to avoid
possible spurious closing as a result of e.g. DC instability, a close pulse timer is usually
included in the protection scheme. This timer has delays on both pick-up and drop-off and
they are both set to 700 milliseconds.
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5.4 STANDARD SYNCHRONISM CHECK SELECTION FOR TRANSMISSION ARC
On Transmission EHV lines all line end protection schemes are equipped with Synchronism
Check relays, and all Synchronism Check relays are enabled to supervise automatic and
manual closing of line circuit breakers. Just because one end is selected as the dead-line-
charge end does not dictate that the line will always be made alive from that end, and the
protection scheme must be designed with possible contingencies in mind. Should the line be
made alive from the “synch end”, the “DLC end” must also be able to detect out-of-phase,
out-of-frequency or out-of-voltage range conditions and prevent hazardous closing of circuit
breakers.
5.4.1 Standard Synchronism Check Relay Settings for Transmission Systems ARC
The standard Transmission feeder ARC phase selection is determined by the “Protection
Setting Philosophy for Transmission and Sub-Transmission Grids”. A summary is given
below, subject to reference with the abovementioned Philosophy:
Comparison is done between the following quantities of the busbar (running) voltage and the
line (incoming) voltage during synchronising:
 Magnitudes of both incoming and running voltages.
Both incoming and running voltages have to be above 60% of nominal voltage Vn.
On relays where a 60% setting is not available, the minimum voltage level setting must
be selected (usually 70%).
 Synchronising angle between incoming and running voltages.
The angle between the incoming and the running voltages must be less than 60, so a
setting of 60 is required. Relays that can not be set to 60 due to limited setting
range (e.g. phase 1 relays) must be set to the maximum available setting (usually
45).
 Slip frequency (frequency difference between incoming and running voltages).
Power Stations require that the closing slip frequency must not exceed 0.1 Hz for the
synchronisation of a generator, so a setting smaller than or equal to 0.1 Hz should be
selected.
5.4.2 Synchronising Timer Setting
Some relays do not measure slip frequency between running and incoming voltages. The
slip frequency is evaluated by means of time measurement in which the angle between both
voltages should remain between -δ and +δ of the synchronising angle value. This time can
be calculated from the required slip frequency as follows:
ts = (2δ / 360o) / fs where:
 δ = synchronising angle setting (degrees);
 ts = synchronising timer setting;
 fs = required slip frequency.

-δ +δ

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5.4.3 Standard Dead Line Charge End Selection for Transmission Systems ARC
The standard Transmission feeder ARC Dead Line Charge End selection is determined by
the “Protection Setting Philosophy for Transmission and Sub-Transmission Grids”, and also
the “ARC Philosophy for Lines with Shunt Reactors”. A summary is given below, subject to
reference with the abovementioned Philosophies:
The selection of dead line charging end of the line is driven by three requirements:
 The dead line charging end should provide sufficient fault current for the relays to operate
reliably.
 The dead line charging should not result in excessive voltage depression.
 The dead line charging should not be selected at the power stations.
The dead line charging end is normally selected in line with the Table below based on the
fault level (FL) at the connected substations A and B. The fault level has to be calculated with
the line A-B taken out of service to simulate the fault current that will be measured by the
relay.

Substation A: Substation FL<10kA Substation FL>10kA Power Station

Substation B:
Substation FL<10kA Substation with Substation A Substation B
higher Fault Level
Substation FL>10kA Substation B Substation with Substation B
lower Fault Level
Power Station Substation A Substation A Power station with
lower Fault Level

Table: Selection of Dead Line Charging end of the line

Before selecting the DLC end the design of ARC circuits on both ends of the line must be
checked. Some very old protection panels are not equipped with synchronising facilities.
Such line end must be selected as the DLC end.
For a substation having only two lines fed from different sources, no synchronism check is
possible if a fault occurs on the one line during an outage on the other. One available option
is:
 Select one end to be a dedicated synchronising end. If the other line is out at the time,
the breaker at the synchronising end will have to be closed in manually (possibly via
supervisory)
On a radial feeder (a section of network which has only one station as the source of supply),
perform a dead line charge from the source end, even if it is a power station. At the remote
end, a live line/dead busbar close must be allowed, but still with a longer delay time than the
charging end. For a parallel line radial feeder, force a synchronism check at the remote end
of the lines. This ensures that, for a sustained fault on one line with the parallel line in
service, reclosure at the remote end onto the sustained fault will not be possible. However, if
the parallel line is out of service, manual closing of the remote breaker is necessary to
restore the line to service.
For cases of only marginally different fault levels, charge North – South.

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If only one end has synchronising facilities available, charge from the other end
irrespectively. This will at least enable a synchronism check to be performed at the end
where the facility is installed.

5.5 ARC REPETITION AND RECLAIM TIME SELECTION

3. 1 + 3 POLE selected – not possible on 3 pole only schemes. The table below indicates
the ARC sequence for a sustained line fault.
FAULT 1  TRIP 1  ARC 3  TRIP 3  ARC 3  TRIP ARC L/O
TYPE
1 X X X X X X
FAULT
MULTI  X X X X
FAULT

4. OFF selected. The table below indicates the ARC sequence for a sustained line fault.
FAULT TYPE 3  TRIP ARC L/O
1  FAULT X X
MULTI  FAULT X X

5. 3 POLE ONLY selected on 1 + 3 pole schemes or ON selected on 3 pole only schemes.

The table below indicates the ARC sequence for a sustained line fault.
FAULT TYPE 3  TRIP 3  ARC 3  TRIP ARC L/O
1  FAULT X X X X
MULTI  X X X X
FAULT

6. 1 POLE ONLY selected – not possible on 3 pole only schemes. The table below
indicates the ARC sequence for a sustained line fault.
FAULT TYPE 1  TRIP 1  ARC 3  TRIP ARC L/O
1  FAULT X X X X
MULTI  X X
FAULT

A cycle will continue in sequence if a recurring fault occurs within the reclaim time. The
reclaim time is usually factory set to 15 seconds, however, if the ARC relay allows, Eskom
has decided on setting a reclaim time of 240 seconds or four minutes, to allow the circuit
breaker components to restore and cool down. Once the reclaim time has elapsed, any fault
then occurring will cause the sequence to begin again.

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6 EXAMPLES OF EXCEPTIONS
6.1 ADDITIONAL ARC REPETITIONS
On several power flow corridors a transmission grid’s network configuration may require that
additional ARC attempts should be made, to increase the probability of successful load
resumption. Some are due to voltage stability conditions, and others are due to unfirm
supply conditions. In these cases the ARC selection is made to 5-cycle ARC, which will
attempt one extra 3-ph-ARC after an unsuccessful 1-ph-ARC attempt.

6.2 3-PH-ARC-ONLY AT POWER STATIONS WITH FOUR-POLE GENERATORS

Four-pole generators are much more vulnerable to torsional vibration at sub- and super-
synchronous frequencies than Two-pole generators. This is due to the larger diameter of a
Four-pole rotor than that of a Two-pole rotor, which then has a larger inertia that makes a
Four-pole rotor “dynamically” more flexible than a Two-pole rotor. As a result Four-pole
generators have more sub- and super- synchronous torsional modes of vibration, with the
fundamental mode being relatively low (often less than 10 Hz). In addition turbine blade
stages in the low pressure turbines of Four-pole generators are more flexible, thus placing
their fundamental bending natural frequencies close to twice the system frequency.
Electrical frequencies of twice the system frequency are induced during faults and during
unbalanced load conditions. There are two mechanisms that cause this. The first is the
difference in frequency between positive phase sequence currents (+50Hz) and negative
phase sequence currents (-50Hz) which gives a result of twice the system frequency
{(+50Hz) – (-50Hz) = (+100Hz)}. The second mechanism is the second harmonic that is
generated by the unbalanced magnetisation of three-phase transformer and reactor cores
due to unbalanced system voltages, whether it is due to one voltage that is higher or lower.
These two mechanisms may vary in their contribution depending on the system state (faulted
or single-phase-open), and also depending on the system conditions.
The consequences of sustained higher frequency inputs, such as those at twice the grid
frequency from unbalanced conditions/faults in the grid can be catastrophic to a Four-pole
generator. This is because enormous unbalance loads that can occur if several of the heavy
low pressure turbine blades separate from the rotor can result in very high lateral vibration
which could result in loss of rotor support from the bearings and subsequent destruction of
the entire turbine and generator train.
This above information was obtained from the EPRI report: “Steam Turbine-Generator
Torsional Vibration Interaction with the Electrical Network”; Tutorial; 1011679; Final Report,
November 2005; EPRI.
It is clear that single-phase ARC will cause both current and voltage unbalances, due to the
change in source impedance for a single-phase. It will therefore produce both negative
phase sequence currents and second harmonics in magnetic cores, and thus it will pose a
risk to any Four-pole generator in close vicinity. Therefore, any transmission lines directly
connected to a Power Station with Four-pole generators are prohibited from performing
single-phase ARC.
If a Four-pole generator is located at least one substation further away from a line under 1-
Ph-ARC, the amount of negative phase sequence and second harmonic that will reach it will
be divided by the number of feeders and transformers connected to the substation directly
connected to the line under 1-ph-ARC. Therefore, any lines that are not directly connected to
a Power Station with Four-pole generators are allowed to perform single-phase ARC.
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6.3 LOAD/GENERATION CENTRE CONNECTED VIA SINGLE EHV LINE
If a load centre or generation centre is connected to a transmission grid by means of only one
EHV transmission line, then it is unsafe for any large (>1MW) electric machine if the
transmission line performs three-phase ARC.
The ARC delay time leads to frequency lag/lead and phase lag/lead by motors/generators
respectively, which may cause severe mechanical damage to any motor/generator upon re-
closing the transmission line.
The delay required between disconnecting and reconnecting the transmission line is
determined by the mechanisms to extinguish the fault arc. Even the minimum delay required
to ensure fault extinction (+/- 500ms) is too long for electric motors to maintain synchronism
with the transmission grid, and the amount of frequency lag/lead and phase lag/lead is
directly proportional to the ARC delay time.
Even a parallel HV subtransmission line is unable to maintain the synchronism in most cases,
since the load capacity of such a line is too small. Although the rate of frequency and phase
change is lower, the ARC delay time is still too long to ensure safe reconnection of
motors/generators.
Thus the only ARC selection that is appropriate for such a condition is 1-phase ARC only. If
3-phase tripping is necessary, then ARC should not be attempted, but instead the
transmission line should be reconnected manually after a suitable waiting period.
The same may be applicable on a smaller scale (HV instead of EHV) as well.

6.4 CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS FOR DELAYS BETWEEN VOLTAGE DEPRESSIONS

Some customers may operate large variable speed motor drives that are very sensitive to
voltage depressions caused by line faults. As a result, they may experience that their
process is interrupted when too many voltage depressions occur in short succession. Of
course this depends on the severity and the duration of the voltage depressions as well.
However, most line faults on lines directly connected to customer substations will cause
voltage depressions between 70% and 90%, and will be cleared between 50ms and 150ms
later. The only other factor that the utility can control is how quick it will ARC and possibly
cause a second voltage depression.
Most customers will specify their equipment to be able to ride through a single voltage
depression, after which it will require some time to establish a steady state operating
condition again. If another voltage depression occurs before the machine has established its
steady state operating condition again, it may not be able to ride through the second voltage
depression. The customer may request for the 1-ph-ARC Delay time to be increased,
however, this will require re-coordinating all Backup-Earth-Fault relays on the substations
connected to such a line, as the increased duration of load unbalance through the neutral
might trip Backup-Earth-Fault relays. Alternatively the customer may request for 3-ph-ARC-
only with longer delay times, to allow machinery to re-establish steady state operating
conditions.

6.5 ARC SELECTION OF DUAL CIRCUITS

When two three-phase transmission (or distribution) lines are suspended from the same
towers, so that they are in close proximity, they influence each other through mutual inductive
and capacitive coupling. As a result, if one of them develops a fault and it’s protection
performs a single-phase trip and ARC, the mutual inductive and capacitive coupling from the
other five conductors together will raise a very high probability that the electromagnetic force
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on that isolated conductor will be maintained, as well as the fault current sustaining the fault
arc. Therefore, by the time that the circuit breakers ARC, the fault is still there and the ARC
attempt is unsuccessful. While normal probabilities promote 1-ph-ARC, the probabilities of
unsuccessful ARC raised by common tower circuits make 1-ph-ARC ineffective, and
therefore 3-ph-ARC-only is the only option on both such lines.

6.6 ARC SELECTIONS DURING STORMS AND FIRES

When heavy lightning storms approach the area through which a transmission line is routed,
and it is possible to switch ARC off and on by means of supervisory control, that is advisable
to do. The same is true for when veld fires or cane fires are reported to be close to
transmission lines.

7 ARC SELECTIONS DURING WORK

“Work” for the purpose of the following discussions would include any cleaning, maintenance,
repair, building or construction work carried out on transmission or distribution lines.

7.1 OUTAGE WORK

During an outage on a transmission or distribution line, it is normally not necessary to make
any changes to ARC selections. However, in the case of a double circuit structure (two
circuits supported on the same structure but situated on opposite sides of the centre of the
structure); if work is carried out on the one circuit, it will be opened, isolated and earthed.
Even so, inductive and capacitive induction from the other circuit will pose a danger to the
workers on the dead circuit. In this case the remaining live circuit must be selected OFF
ARC.

7.2 LIVE LINE WORK

During Live Line Work on a Transmission line that line must be selected OFF ARC.

8 SHUNT REACTORS AND NEUTRAL REACTORS

8.1 WHY USE SHUNT REACTORS ON EHV SYSTEMS?
8.1.1 The Ferranti Effect
On EHV systems there are often very long transmission lines, and these lines are subject to
the Ferranti effect. Long transmission lines draw substantial quantities of charging current. If
such lines are open circuited or very lightly loaded at the receiving end, the voltage at the
receiving end may become greater than the voltage at the sending end, and this is known as
the Ferranti Effect.
The Ferranti Effect is caused by the capacitive charging current that develops a voltage drop
across the line inductance. When this voltage drop across the line inductance is in phase
with the sending end voltages, they add up to increase the receiving end voltage. Therefore
both capacitance and inductance are needed for this phenomenon. The capacitance (and
charging current) is negligible in a short line but significant in a medium line and appreciable
in a long line. Therefore this phenomenon occurs in medium and long lines, and is most
pronounced in very long EHV transmission lines.

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Note: The same phenomenon also occurs very severely in underground cables, but since
ARC is not practiced on underground cables, a discussion of Ferranti Effect on underground
cables is not needed here.
8.1.2 How Shunt Reactors Help
To put it in different other words, the Ferranti Effect is caused by an excess of reactive power
which is produced by the capacitive charging of the transmission line while it is loaded below
its surge impedance loading margin. At EHV level shunt reactors are used to regulate
reactive power balance of a power system by compensating for the excess reactive power
produced by transmission lines. Reactors are normally disconnected during periods of heavy
load and are re-connected during periods of low load.

8.2 WHY USE SHUNT REACTORS ON EHV LINES?

If only for the power system reactive power balanceit would be sufficient to place shunt
reactors on busbars in a substation, between long EHV transmission lines. However, when a
transmission line is made alive, it cannot be done from both ends. It has to be closed on one
end first (the sending end), so that SYNC Check can be performed on the other end (the
receiving end).
On a very long EHV transmission line (longer than 300 km), the Ferranti Effect may lead to
voltages that exceed the safe operating insulation coordination (air gap spacing) of the EHV
terminal equipment (gantry, surge arrestors, line traps, VTs, CTs etc.) that are permanently
connected to the line end. This may cause flashovers and/or damage to that equipment, and
is dangerous for personnel in or around the EHV yard.
To prevent the above risks, most EHV transmission lines that are longer than 200 km are
equipped with shunt reactors directly connected to the transmission line, on the line side of
the terminal equipment (except for surge arrestors). Sometimes these line reactors are
equipped with their own circuit breakers, but their protection schemes are set up to keep
them in service when the transmission line is dead, and even during fault conditions on the
transmission line. In this way the shunt reactor (which can now be called a “Line Reactor”) is
always ready to counter the Ferranti effect, even during ARC delay times.

8.3 WHY USE NEUTRAL REACTORS ON EHV LINES WITH SHUNT REACTORS?
First, let us consider a transmission line without a shunt reactor, and let it trip single phase for
an earth fault from one phase to ground. As can be seen, there is no significant path for the
fault current to flow along once the circuit breakers at the two ends have opened. The only
problem that might occur is unacceptable high voltages at an open end if the other end
closes before it. This would especially be a problem if one end tripped three phase while the
other end tripped single phase.

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Figure 8.3.1: Single phase tripping transmission line without shunt reactor
However, let us assume this is a 300km long line, and to solve the Ferranti Effect, we have to
add a shunt reactor. Let us consider what happens during a single phase trip.

Figure 8.3.2: Single phase tripping transmission line with shunt reactor
Now it can be seen that even while the circuit breakers for the faulted phase are open, there
is still a clear route for fault current to flow along. All that is needed is some capacitive
(and/or inductive) coupling from the other two live phase conductors, and there will be
sufficient EMF to support the fault current indefinitely. On a 300km transmission line, the
mutual capacitive and inductive coupling between the phases are enormous, and we can
expect that once the faulted phase circuit breakers ARC, the fault will still be there, and the
protection will have to issue a second trip. After this trip the protection will not allow a second
ARC attempt, and our hopes to restore the power system quickly and automatically will be
dashed to pieces.
So in order to stop the current flow along this earth path, we insert a high impedance neutral
reactor. The impedance value of this neutral reactor is carefully selected so that it will be
high enough to reduce the fault current significantly, and thereby cause it to break
spontaneously during a zero-crossing (thanks to AC).

Xnr
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Figure 8.3.3: Single phase tripping transmission line with shunt reactor, and tuned neutral
reactor that causes fault current to be disrupted during a zero-crossing
Unfortunately, this additional impedance between the reactor neutral and earth also raises
the standing voltage that is superimposed on the isolated (supposedly “Dead”) conductor
through capacitive coupling.
In fact, without a line reactor, there is also a voltage superimposed on the isolated conductor,
although the forces that support that voltage are then quite weak. With the line reactor
directly earthed, this voltage is much reduced, but when a neutral reactor is put between the
main reactor neutral and earth, the voltage on the isolated conductor is increased by a large
factor again. Particularly for this case the neutral reactor actually provides a strong
connection through which that voltage can be supported.
Due to this voltage on the “Dead” conductor, there is always a compromise that must be
reached when the neutral reactor impedance is designed. On the one end, there is the
probability that the secondary arc will never clear. As the neutral reactor impedance is made
larger and larger, this probability reduces. On the other end, there is the probability that a
new secondary arc will be ignited by the recovery voltage over the weakened air insulation.
This probability increases with the impedance of the specified neutral reactor. Figure 8.3.4
illustrates this compromise of probabilities graphically, where the thick red graph indicates the
probability of Auto-Re-Close failure. The optimal selection for the neutral reactor impedance
is where this graph reaches a minimum.

P(arc not cleared in 1 second) P(arc re-established)

Z(neutral reactor)

Figure 8.3.4: Graphic Illustration of Neutral Reactor specification compromise

8.4 EHV ARC PHILOSOPHY ADAPTATIONS TO CATER FOR REACTOR OUTAGES

The standard Transmission feeder ARC phase selection is influenced by the “ARC
Philosophy for Lines with Shunt Reactors”. A summary is given below, subject to reference
with the abovementioned Philosophy:
Single phase ARC is unsuitable for transmission lines longer than 300km. Above this length, the
inter-phase capacitance tends to maintain the fault arc albeit at a very much lower current. Line
connected reactors usually make the situation worse unless there is a specially designed neutral
reactor between the star point of the main reactor and earth. In this case single phase ARC can be
successful on lines longer than 300 km.
Where ARC is important on a transmission line, and the line has a line connected reactor, there are
three issues regarding the type of ARC selection.
 The first issue is whether synchronism or the supply is maintained following 3φ trip.

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 The second issue is the voltage rise after one end of the line is reclosed
 The third issue is whether 1φ ARC can be successfully employed. In general 3φ ARC is more
likely to be successful than 1φ ARC.
Regarding the first issue, 1φ ARC allows power transfer along the faulted line due to two unfaulted
phases remaining in service. This is especially important for single line radial supplies. It can be
expected that for this condition a carefully chosen neutral reactor between the main reactor star point
and earth will be provided.
Regarding the second issue, this is a problem when reclosing a long line from a weak source. This is
likely to be a problem if the line has a reactor, which has been switched out to increase power transfer
but which is required to be switched in for energising the line. In this instance it is preferable to have
the line off ARC and reclose manually having first switched in the line reactor.
Regarding the third issue, it is important that the secondary arc current (the current that may flow
after the line breakers had opened due to the inter-phase capacitance) is small and extinguishes.
Furthermore the induced voltage, the voltage on the faulted phase after the faulted phase has been
opened and the arc has extinguished, must be small enough not to allow the arc to re-establish. This
induced voltage is due to the capacitive coupling between the dead and live phases and phase to
ground. A line reactor can change the effective inter-phase capacitance as well as the effective
capacitance to ground or it can only change the capacitance to ground. In the latter case the positive
and the zero sequence impedance of the reactor are the same.
It should be noted that a reactor with a common magnetic circuit for all phases has different positive
and zero sequence impedances and increases the secondary arc current as it effectively increases
the inter-phase capacitance. A line reactor with a neutral reactor also has different positive and zero
sequence impedances. However in this case, carefully chosen impedance for the neutral reactor can
reduce the effect of the inter-phase capacitance and hence reduce both the secondary arc current
and the induced voltage. This situation improves the chances of a successful 1φ trip and ARC.
The ARC philosophy can be stated as follows:-
Critical lines with line connected reactors that increase the chance of successful 1φ ARC
 With all line reactors in service the following trip and ARC cycle shall apply:- 1φ trip and ARC
followed by 3φ trip and ARC followed by 3φ trip and lock out.
 With one neutral reactor out of service, the following ARC cycle shall apply:- 3φ trip and ARC
followed by 3φ trip and lock out.
 If the line is longer than 300 kms, then 1φ trip and ARC shall only be considered if the line has
one main reactor with a neutral reactor between it’s star point and earth.
Non critical lines with line connected reactors that decrease the chance of successful ARC
 The following trip and ARC cycle shall apply:- 3φ trip and ARC followed by 3φ trip and lock
out.
 With the line connected reactor out of service and if the line length is less than 300 kms, 1φ
ARC followed by 3φ ARC followed by trip and lock out can be considered. This should only be
necessary in an emergency.

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A TRS RECLOSER SPECIFIC (GE TLS SCHEME)

A.1 INTRODUCTION
The TRS relay contains the synchronism check function used on the TLS and SLS
schemes. Although the relay is capable of doing synch check for fast and slow auto
reclosing as well as manual closing, Eskom does not require synch check for fast 3-pole
auto-reclosure. All the functions of the TRS relay must be explained in order to understand
how the relay operates and how to set it. This text describes the synch check function of
the TRS relay from a practical and conceptual viewpoint.

A.2 RECLOSER LOGIC

The TRS recloser provides for several different programs that are selected by the status of
input contact converters. With these programs the recloser can perform one and two shot
auto-reclosing, one and three-phase reclosing and high speed or time delayed auto-
reclosing or combinations of the above. With the aid of internal link settings in the TRS
relay, the relay programmes can be further refined to suit the particular application.
Eskom only requires the recloser to perform a synch check for 3-pole slow auto-
reclosures. Single-phase and fast 3-pole auto-reclosure is done without synch check.

A.3 SYNCHRONISM CHECK LOGIC

The synch check in the TRS relay is performed by the combination of several functions:
Refer to the drawings (Figure 1 - Page 12 and Figure 2 – Page 13)
 Angle detector
The angle detector checks if the angle between the busbar and line voltages is greater
than a set value and produces a pulse output in this case.
 High set slip detector
The high set slip detector determines if the slip frequency between the line and busbar
voltages is greater than a set value, in which case it will produce a block-reclosing signal.
The high set slip detector uses the output from the Angle detector, if there was no output
from the angle detector for a set (high set slip) time, then the angle was in limits for long
enough and the block reclosing signal is reset.
 Low set slip detector
The low set slip detector measures the time it takes for the angle between the line and
busbar voltages to change by 90 degrees. If this time is greater than a set value then the
low set slip detector will produce a reclose-blocking signal.
 Delay time Td
The delay time timer will start when the line or bus voltage drops below a set point. If the
voltage remains low for the set time of the delay time timer, the output of the timer will
produce a reclose-blocking signal if the output from the low set slip detector is present.
The synch check function combines the functions set out above and produces an overall
reclose blocking signal if the line and busbar voltages are out of synchronism. In Eskom
schemes 3 pole fast reclosing is done without synch check. Therefore the low set slip and
the angle requirements must be met for all synch check operations. (3 pole slow and
manual closing). The setting of the delay time timer is therefore irrelevant. (Set to a
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minimum) The setting of the high set slip, together with the angle setting will produce an
effective time that the voltages must meet the angle requirement.
Ths = 2   / Fhs  360
Ths = Time in seconds that voltages must be within angle requirement .
Fhs = High set slip setting in Hertz.

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