DIFFERENTIAL PROTECTION OF TRANSFORMER

USING ARDUINO

PROJECT PHASE – 1 (15EEP78)

P R O J E C T G U ID E: S U B M I T TED B Y:
MR. JAGADEESH M S H I VAY YA (4KV16EE016)
BE, M. TECH MOHAMMED SHAFIQ A S (4KV16EE010)
A S S O C I AT E P R O F E S S O R MAHAMMAD MUNEER N B (4KV16EE009)
D E P T. O F E & C E N G G

K.V.G COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, SULLIA

 ABSTRACT

• Transformers are the important parts of the power system. This necessitates development of better
protection device for Transformers.
• Differential relay technique is the main protection scheme employed in the protection of the large Power
Transformers. Presently in the Electric Powerplants, Substations and Industries, differential protection is
done using Electro-mechanical type relays.
• In this project, differential protection is done using Arduino. The Arduino is programmed to work as a
differential relay in a quite efficient and advanced manner.
• Provision of programming and simplified relaying circuitry makes it more superior to the
electromechanical differential relay mechanism, which lacks flexibility.
• The parameters of the Transformer are continuously monitored by the Arduino. If they fail to lie within
the prescribed limit, then trip signal is sent to the circuit breakers and Transformer is disconnected.
Hence the Transformer is protected from abnormalities occurring in the power system.
 INTRODUCTION

• One of the most important pieces of equipment in power systems is the Power
Transformer. It is widely used in different sizes, types, and connections based on the
requirement.
• The continuity of its operation is of vital importance in maintaining the reliability of
power supply. Any unscheduled repair work, especially replacement of a faulty
transformer, is very expensive and time consuming. Thus, proper protection systems must
be designed and employed for Transformers in order to protect them from faults and
abnormal conditions.
• The protection system can be divided into 2 types, i.e. Main protection and Backup
protection. Here we are focusing on the main protection. For Power Transformers, main
protection is provided by Differential relay.
The Differential Relay works on Merz-Price differential protection principle. There
will be Current Transformers for each phase on both primary and secondary sides of the
Transformer. The Relay will measure the difference between current phasors for each
phase of primary and secondary sides. If the difference is more than the allowable value,
the Relay will send trip signals to the Circuit Breakers and Transformer will be isolated
from the system.

This protection system requires a Differential Relay, six Current Transformers and
two 3-pole Circuit Breakers. It can protect the Transformer from severe faults such as
internal short circuits, internal ground faults and inter-turn short circuits.

 In this project instead of Electromechanical Differential Relay, an Arduino is used.

Arduino can be easily programmed to compare the current measured and take necessary
action based on the difference between the currents. The operation speed, sensitivity,
accuracy will be better than Electromechanical Relays. This will pave the way into
usage of Numerical Relays.
 PROBLEM STATEMENT

The Power Transformers having ratings above 5MVA must be protected using differential
protection scheme. Electromechanical type Differential Relays are widely used for this purpose.
The use of any Electromechanical Relay will have following demerits,
Periodic calibration, maintenance and testing
High burden on the Current Transformers necessitates use of higher capacity Current
Transformers
Limited speed of operation due to mechanical inertia of the moving parts
Multifunction feature is unavailable
Reduction in the quality of performance due to ageing
Short lifespan compared to Static and Numerical relays due to wear and tear of mechanical parts
This relaying system has some major disadvantages such as,

If any Transformer winding (primary or secondary) is in Delta connection, the

secondary of the Current Transformers on that side should be in Star connection and
vice versa. This connection is to correct the phase shift between primary and
secondary currents.

If secondary of CTs are in Delta connection, Earth fault relays cannot be
connected. Hence the CTs should have separate secondary cores for differential and
earth fault protection.

In order to obtain the required Transformation ratio, an Interposing Current

Transformer (ICT) is used for each phase of either primary or secondary side.

Cost of Doubly Cored Current Transformer and Interposing Current Transformer

 LITERATURE SURVEY

1. “Differential Current Protection of Transformer using Arduino with Voice Alert”, by Sarfaraz
Nawaz Syed, S. Radhika, M.N. Sandhya Rani. International Journal of Innovations in Engineering and
Technology (IJIET), Vol. 6, Issue 2, December 2015.
Transformers are the important parts in the power system. So, development of better protection device
for Transformers is essential. Differential relay technique can be employed to protect the Transformers.
In this paper we have used differential relay mechanism with Arduino. By programming in the
Arduino the protection of transformers can be done. Programming is quite efficient than differential
relay mechanism, so it is better to use Arduino instead of differential relay. The working of
transformer is verified by Arduino every time. It senses the condition of transformer each and every
second. If it finds any error, then it sends commands to the circuit breakers to trip the main power
transformer. So it is the efficient and best method to protect the transformers under abnormal
conditions.
2. “Microcontroller based Power Transformer Protection System”, by Ochieng’ Allan Omondi. Final year project,
University of Nairobi, April 2015.
The main intention of this project is to design a microcontroller based system that can be used in power transformer
protection. The system checks the operating parameters of the transformer i.e. current and reports the quantity that is flowing
through the transformer. The system is designed such that it is able to detect currents above the normal operating level and
isolate the power transformer from the distribution line. This isolation process is to ensure that the transformer is safe from
any excess current levels that can make it to overheat thus get damaged. It gives a solution to the need to reduce cost of
maintenance and ensure that supply of electricity to consumers is not interrupted for long periods taken while repairing or
replacing destroyed transformers.

A current sensor ACS712x series has been used in this project as the interfacing instrument between the power transformer
and the PIC16F690 microcontroller. The PIC16F690 controls all operations that the device does. A relay and a contactor have
been used as the switching gears to isolate the transformer from the power system in case a fault occurs. A monochrome LCD
has been used to show system current readings and indicate cases of over-current fault. To warn an operator of a fault
occurrence, LEDs and a piezoelectric buzzer have been used. All these peripheral devices depend on the microcontroller to
make them operate or otherwise. Some of the tools used in this project include MPLAB - programming software used to write
the program for the microcontroller used in this project. Proteus- simulation software has also been used to test whether the
design works appropriately before its implementation on hardware. Pickit3- has been used to load program into the
microcontroller using MPLAB.
3. “Digital Differential Current Protection Scheme of Transformer Using an Arduino UNO Microcontroller”, Emmanuel Ighodalo
Okhuleigbe, Joseph Ailenokhuoria Ogbekhiule (2019). International Journal on Data Science and Technology.
doi:10.11648/j.ijdst.20190501.15.
Transformers are the key equipment in electrical power transmission. So the use of transformer protection in electric power systems is very
crucial and critical as they are required for efficient transportation of electricity to consumers for long term. This paper is concerned with the
differential current protection scheme of transformer using a differential relay technique with Arduino Uno microcontroller as a differential
relay responsible for comparing the differential current values and sends trip signal to the relay (acting as circuit breaker) to open the circuit
when there is fault in the protected zone as a result of imbalance in the differential current values. The system is efficient in transformer
protection, gives better isolation, has accurate fault detection and quick response time to clearing faults.

4. “Differential Protection of Transformer using Arduino with GSM and Voice Circuit”, by Manisha Nikwade. International Journal of
Electronics, Electrical and Computational System (IJEECS), ISSN 2348-117X, Volume 6, Issue 10, October 2017.
Transformers are the important equipment’s in the power system. Therefore, the continuity of its operation is very necessary. So, better
protection scheme should develop for transformers. Differential protection technique can be employed to protect the transformers. in this
paper, we have used differential relay mechanism with GSM module and voice announcement circuit. The GSM and voice circuit is
synchronized with Arduino microcontroller. Arduino microcontroller is very high speed and cost effective device with fine accuracy. By
programming in the Arduino the protection of transformers can be done. Programming is quite efficient and easy than 8051 microprocessor
used in differential relay mechanism, so it is better to use Arduino place of 8051 Microcontroller. the simulation results successfully justified
this proposed system in Proteus software also.
 METHODOLOGY
 Now-a-days the Numerical relays are the new trend in protection systems. They have good accuracy, sensitivity,
flexibility and multi-function feature. A single relay can give different operating characteristics. Their response and
speed of operation are far superior compared to other relays. But these are not economical for small substations
where such advanced features are not necessary.

 For such small substations simple Arduino based relays can be used. They can perform similar to Numerical relays
with only necessary features. This will reduce the Initial cost of the relay and also less skilled laborers can
understand operation of this relay. The Arduino is very user-friendly and cheap compared to other microprocessors
and microcontrollers.

• Construction:
• The Three phase Transformer used in this project is actually a bank of 3 Single phase Transformers each having
2KVA rating. The primary windings of the Transformer are connected in Delta while the secondary windings are
connected in Star. The Current Sensors are connected in series with both primary and secondary windings. The
output of these sensors are connected to the Analog I/O pins of the Arduino. Also there are Relays on both primary
and secondary side sandwiched between Current Sensor and Transformer. The Relays are connected to the Digital
I/O pins of the Arduino. An LCD, Buzzer and two LEDs are also connected to the Digital I/O pins of the Arduino.
A three phase delta connected load (Incandescent lamps) will be connected on the secondary side of the
Transformer.
 BLOCK DIAGRAM

Current Sensor Relay Relay Current Sensor

L
3 Phase 3 Phase O
Supply Current Sensor Relay Transformer Relay Current Sensor A
D

Current Sensor Relay Relay Current Sensor

Arduino
Board

LCD LED Buzzer

Working:
Under normal condition, the Arduino will be monitoring the difference between primary and secondary currents of the
Transformer. This difference should be zero. But the difference will be large if Transformer ratio, winding connection, no load
current and phase difference is not taken into consideration. While programming the Arduino, these constraints should be
considered and necessary calculation should be made. After these calculations, the currents on the primary and secondary side
which are to be compared should be equal. There may be small difference due to the connections, wire resistance, etc. The
Arduino should not consider these difference as a result of fault. Therefore, a limit should be set for the difference in currents
and the relay should trip only if the difference exceeds this limit. The green LED will be glowing under normal condition
indicating that the Transformer is ON. The LCD will display the rms value of primary and secondary currents.
When fault occurs inside the Transformer or anywhere in between the Current sensors of primary and secondary side,
the difference in currents will increase beyond the limit. The Arduino will send trip signal to the relays and circuit will opened.
The red LED will be glowing indicating that Transformer is OFF. The Buzzer will give annunciation. The LED will display
'Transformer Internal Fault' and fault investigation process can be carried out.
Demonstration of faults:
1. Short Circuit faults: Line to line fault and line to ground faults cannot be demonstrated by directly short circuiting. A
resistance must be used to limit the fault current to a desired level.
2. Open Circuit faults: Such faults rarely occur inside the Transformers. This can be demonstrated by adding a switch in series
with any one of the phase and opening that switch.
 MAJOR COMPONENTS

Sl. No. Components Description Quantity

1 Transformer Single phase, 2KVA, 240/120V 3
2 Arduino Mega 2560 5V, 54 Digital and 16 Analog pins 1

3 AC Current Sensor 5A, 1000:1 ratio 6

4 Relay 5V, 5A 6
5 LCD with i2c adapter 5V, 16*2 Characters 1
 PROJECT PROGRESS

• Estimation of load current and power consumption at normal condition using

Multisim software.
• Measuring load current by direct loading. Theoritical and practical values did not
match because no load current was not considered in calculation.
• Open circuit test on transformer to measure no load current.
• Calculation of resistance to be included while shorting.
• Theoritical and practical value didn’t match due to error in no load current.
• The error in no load current value measurement is because the secondary voltage
actually gives 56% of primary voltage instead of 50%.
• Because of the cost and large heating, high power bulbs are to be used instead of
resistances.
• Purchasing of major components such as Arduino, Current sensors, relays and LCD
• Testing of components to ensure proper operation
• Basic programming
• Comparing current sensor output with analog ammeter reading
• Circuit design
• Preparing connection board for the circuit
 PROJECT SCHEDULE

Sl. Task Date

No.
1 g
2
3
4
5
6
7
 EXPECTED RESULT

 High accuracy
 Fast and efficient operation compared to the Electromechanical relay.
 Drastic reduction in the initial cost because no need of using the expensive Doubly Cored Current
Transformers and Interposing Current Transformers.
 The complex and tedious connections required to eliminate the phase difference and CT ratio errors are
eliminated. Simple connection circuit compared to the Electromechanical relays.
 The power consumption is very less, hence low capacity Current Transformers can be used.
 It is a fit and forget system since almost no maintenance is required.
 Overall cost of the relay and connections is comparatively low.
 REFERECES:
 “Differential Current Protection of Transformer using Arduino with Voice Alert”, by Sarfaraz Nawaz Syed, S.
Radhika, M.N. Sandhya Rani. International Journal of Innovations in Engineering and Technology (IJIET), Vol. 6, Issue 2,
December 2015.
 “Microcontroller based Power Transformer Protection System”, by Ochieng’ Allan Omondi. Final year project,
University of Nairobi, April 2015.
 “Digital Differential Current Protection Scheme of Transformer Using an Arduino UNO Microcontroller”, Emmanuel
Ighodalo Okhuleigbe, Joseph Ailenokhuoria Ogbekhiule (2019). International Journal on Data Science and Technology.
 “Differential Protection of Transformer using Arduino with GSM and Voice Circuit”, by Manisha Nikwade.
International Journal of Electronics, Electrical and Computational System (IJEECS), ISSN 2348-117X, Volume 6, Issue 10,
October 2017.
 www.electrical4u.com
 http://circuitglobe.com
 www.quora.com
THANK YOU