HandsOnRelaySchool

TransformerProtectionOpenLecture

OpenLecture
TransformerDifferentialProtection
Introduction:
Transformerdifferentialprotectionschemesare
ubiquitoustoalmostanypowersystem.
Whilethebasicpremiseoftransformerdifferential
protectionisstraightforward,numerousfeaturesare
employedtocompensateforchallengespresentedby
thetransformerapplication.

ChallengestoUnderstandingTransformer
DifferentialProtection
CurrentMismatchCausedbytheTransformationRatio
andDifferingCTRatios
CurrentMismatchCausedbyDifferingCTRatios
DeltaWyeTransformationofCurrents
ZeroSequenceElimination
LTCInducedMismatch,CTSaturation,CTRemanence,
andCTTolerance
InrushPhenomenaandHarmonicContentAvailability
OverExcitationPhenomena
SwitchOntoFaultconcerns

ChallengestoUnderstandingTransformer
DifferentialProtection
CurrentMismatchCausedbythe
TransformationRatioandDifferingCTRatios
CurrentMismatchCausedbyDifferingCTRatios
DeltaWyeTransformationofCurrents
ZeroSequenceElimination
LTCInducedMismatch,CTSaturation,CTRemanence,
andCTTolerance
InrushPhenomenaandHarmonicContentAvailability
OverExcitationPhenomena
SwitchOntoFaultconcerns

CurrentMismatchCausedbytheTransformationRatioand
DifferingCTRatios
KirchhoffsCurrentLaw:Atanynode,thesumofcurrents
flowingintothatnodeisequaltothesumofcurrentsflowingout
ofthatnode(fig1).
I1 + I2 + I3 = 0
I1

Node

I3

I2

CurrentMismatchCausedbytheTransformationRatioand
DifferingCTRatios
BecauseofthetransformationratioandprobableCTratio
mismatch,transformerwindingcurrentscannotbedirectly
compared,buttheMVAoneachsidecanbecompared.
MVA1 + MVA2 + MVA3 = 0

I1 + I2 + I3 = 0
I1

Node

I2

MVA1

Transformer

I3
MVA3

MVA2

CurrentMismatchCausedbytheTransformationRatioand
DifferingCTRatios

Tocalculatethesecondarycurrentequaltooneperunit,the
followingcalculationsareusedoneachsideofthetransformer:

ForwyeconnectedCTs:

FordeltaconnectedCTs:

WindingTap

WindingTap

TransformerVA
VL L CTR * 3

TransformerVA
3
VL L CTR * 3

CurrentMismatchCausedbytheTransformationRatioand
DifferingCTRatios
Duringtesting,thedesiredstartingcurrentvaluesisdetermined
bymultiplyingthedesiredperunitcurrentbythetaptofindthe
equivalentsecondarycurrentforeachside.
PU Desired WindingTap I Test

Toconvertameasuredtripcurrenttoaperunitcurrent,divide
thecurrentbythetapforthatwinding.
PU measured

I measured
WindingTap

ChallengestoUnderstandingTransformer
DifferentialProtection
CurrentMismatchCausedtheTransformationRatio
andbyDifferingCTRatios

DeltaWyeTransformationofCurrents
ZeroSequenceElimination
LTCInducedMismatch,CTSaturation,CTRemanence,
andCTTolerance
InrushPhenomenaandHarmonicContentAvailability
OverExcitationPhenomena
SwitchOntoFaultconcerns

DeltaWyeTransformationofCurrents
Transformersfrequentlyemploy
DeltaWyeconnections.Not
onlydotheseconnections
introducea30degreephase
shift,buttheyalsochangethe
makeupofthecurrents
measuredbytheCTs.For
differentialschemes,the
current cannotbedirectly
comparedtocurrent .

IA IB

I B IC

IC I A

DeltaWyeTransformationofCurrents
IA IB

Primary
Winding
A

Forelectromechanicaldifferential
relaysliketheHU,BDD,andCA,
thesolutionfordeltawye
transformersistosimplyconnect
theWinding2CTsecondary
circuitsinadeltatomatchthe
primarymainwindings.

Secondary
Winding a

I B IC

WB

Wb

IC I A

WC

Wc

Differential A

Differential B

Differential C

DeltaWyeTransformationofCurrents
AngularDisplacementConventions:
ANSIYY, @0;Y ,Y@X1lagsH1by30
ANSImakeslifeeasy

Eurodesignationsuse30 incrementsofLAGfromtheX1bushingto
theH1bushings

Dy11=X1lagsH1by11*30=330
or,H1leadsX1by30

Thinkofaclock eachhouris30degrees
0
11

1
2

10
9

3
8

4
7

Dy1 = X1 lags H1 by 1*30 = 30, or

H1 leads X1 by 30 (ANSI std.)

DeltaWyeTransformationofCurrents
Therearealsoseveraltransformerrelaymanufacturerconventionscommonly
usedfordefiningthetransformerconnections.Thefollowingareexamplesfor
ABCrotationexceptwherenoted:
SEL387Method:Inthisconventioneachwindingisgivenanumber011,
whichcorrespondstothenumberof30degreeleading angleincrements.
Beckwith3311CustomMethod:Inthisconventioneachwindingisgivena
number011,whichcorrespondstothenumberof30degreelaggingangle
incrementsrelativeofahypotheticalwyewinding.
GET60Method:Inthisconventioneachwindingisgivenananglewhich
correspondstothelagging anglerelativetothedesignatedreference
winding.

DeltaWyeTransformationofCurrents
Sowhatdoesallthismeanwhiletesting?
Hereisalistofcommonrelays,commonconnections,andtestangles(assumingset
topositiveangleslead):

W1

W2

IEC

Y
DAB
Y
DAC
Y
DAC
DAB
DAC
DAB

Y
Y
DAB
Y
DAC
DAC
DAB
DAB
DAC

Yy0
Dy1
Yd11
Dy11
Yd1
Dd0
Dd0
Dd10
Dd2

BeckwithCustom
W1
W2
0
0
11
1
0
11
1
0
0
1
1
1
11
11
1
11
11
1

SEL

GE(Ref
W1)
W1
Yy0
Dy30
Yd330
Dy330
YD30
Dd0
Dd0
Dd300
Dd60

12
1
12
11
12
11
1
11
1

W2
12
12
1
12
11
11
1
1
11

W1A
0
30
0
30
0
30
30
30
30

TestAngles(ABCRotation)
W1B
W1C
W2A
W2B
120
120
180
60
90
150
180
60
120
120
150
30
150
90
180
60
120
120
150
30
150
90
150
30
90
150
150
30
150
90
150
30
90
150
150
30

W2C
60
60
90
60
90
90
90
90
90

ChallengestoUnderstandingTransformer
DifferentialProtection
CurrentMismatchCausedtheTransformationRatio
andbyDifferingCTRatios
DeltaWyeTransformationofCurrents

ZeroSequenceElimination
LTCInducedMismatch,CTSaturation,CTRemanence,
andCTTolerance
InrushPhenomenaandHarmonicContentAvailability
OverExcitationPhenomena
SwitchOntoFaultconcerns

ZeroSequenceElimination
Inallwyeconnectedwindings,thegroundprovidesawayforcurrent
toenterthedifferentialzonewithoutbeingmeasuredbyaphase
differentialCT.Thiscanunbalancethedifferentialduringexternal
phasetoneutralfaults.Ifthedifferentialprotectionistoresist
improperlytrippingforexternalfaults,thiscurrenthastobe
removedfromdifferentialcalculations.
IA IB

I B IC

IC I A

ZeroSequenceElimination
ThefirstremovalmethodistosimplyconnecttheCTsecondarycircuitin
delta.Thisstraightforwardmethodisusedinelectromechanicalandinsome
digitalrelayretrofitdifferentialapplications.

IA IB

Primary
Winding
A

Secondary
Winding a

I B IC

WB

Wb

IC I A

WC

Wc

Differential A

Differential B

Differential C

ZeroSequenceElimination
IndigitalapplicationswithwyeconnectedCTsecondarycircuits,theground
currenthastoberemovednumerically.Thisisdonebyeitherconvertingthe
currentstodeltaquantitiesorbydirectlysubtractingcalculatedzerosequence
currentfromthedifferentialquantity.

ChallengestoUnderstandingTransformer
DifferentialProtection
CurrentMismatchCausedtheTransformationRatio
andbyDifferingCTRatios
DeltaWyeTransformationofCurrents
ZeroSequenceElimination

LTCInducedMismatch,CTSaturation,CT
Remanence,andCTTolerance
InrushPhenomenaandHarmonicContentAvailability
OverExcitationPhenomena
SwitchOntoFaultconcerns

LTCInducedMismatch,CTSaturation,CT
Remanence,andCTTolerance

TheXaxisistheRestraintCurrentis
themeasureofcurrentinthe
transformer.Differentialrelay
sensitivityisinverselyproportionalto
restraintcurrent.Relay
manufacturersuseavarietyof
calculationslikethemaximumofthe
windingcurrentsortheaverageof
thecurrents.
TheYaxisistheDifferential/Operate
currentisthesumofallwinding
currentsafteramplitudeandangle
compensation.

LTCInducedMismatch,CTSaturation,CT
Remanence,andCTTolerance

TheMinimumPickupregionisusedbetween
zeroandapproximately0.5perunitrestraint
current.ItprovidessecurityagainstCT
remanenceandaccuracyerrorsandisusuallyset
between0.3and0.5pu.
TheSlope1 regionisusedbetweentheminimum
pickupregionandtheslope2breakpoint.Slope
1providessecurityagainstfalsetrippingdueto
CTaccuracy.ClassCCTaccuracyis+/10%,
therefore20%shouldbetheabsoluteminimum
settingwithgreaterthan30%preferred.ForLTC
applications,another+/10%isadded.
TheSlope2 regionisusedabovetheslope2
breakpoint,whichisnormallysetat2pu.Slope2
providessecurityagainstfalsetrippingduring
throughfaulteventswhereCTsaturationislikely.
Above2pucurrent,asignificantDCcurrent
componentwillbepresentandtherefore
saturationislikely.Slope2isnormallysetat60
80%.

ChallengestoUnderstandingTransformer
DifferentialProtection
CurrentMismatchCausedtheTransformationRatioandby
DifferingCTRatios
DeltaWyeTransformationofCurrents
ZeroSequenceElimination
LTCInducedMismatch,CTSaturation,CTRemanence,and
CTTolerance

InrushPhenomenaandHarmonicContent
Availability
OverExcitationPhenomena
SwitchOntoFaultconcerns

InrushPhenomenaandHarmonicContentAvailability
Whenatransformerisenergized,astepchangeinmagnetizingvoltageoccurs.
Thisstepchangeinmagnetizingvoltageresultsinoverfluxingthetransformer
core,causingmagnetizingcurrentsofupto10pu.

InrushPhenomenaandHarmonicContentAvailability
Duringinrush,transformersalsogeneratesignificantamountsofeven
harmonics.Theseevenharmonicscanbeusedtopreventundesired
differentialrelayoperationbyrestrainingthedifferentialiftheeven
harmoniccontentisaboveapresetlevel.

ChallengestoUnderstandingTransformer
DifferentialProtection
CurrentMismatchCausedtheTransformationRatio
andbyDifferingCTRatios
DeltaWyeTransformationofCurrents
ZeroSequenceElimination
LTCInducedMismatch,CTSaturation,CTRemanence,
andCTTolerance
InrushPhenomenaandHarmonicContentAvailability

OverExcitationPhenomena
SwitchOntoFaultconcerns

OverExcitationPhenomena
Overexcitationoccurswheneverthetransformervoltageistoohighforthe
frequency. Overexcitationisexpressedasapercentage:

100

Transformersarenormallyratedforatleast105%overexcitation.Levelsabovethis
candamagethetransformer.

OverExcitationPhenomena
Aspercentoverexcitationincreases,magnetizingcurrentwillincrease.Without
appropriatelogic,thiscanleadmisoperationofthedifferentialschemeaheadof
dedicatedV/Hzrelays.

OverExcitationPhenomena
Thisadditionalmagnetizingcurrentisrichin5th harmoniccurrent.
Thisplotshowsthesamefaultrecordfilteredfor5th harmoniccontent.

OverExcitationPhenomena

Moderndigitalrelayshavelogic
thatincreasesthedifferential
elementsminimumpickupsetting
ifsignificant5th harmoniccurrent
isdetected

ChallengestoUnderstandingTransformer
DifferentialProtection
CurrentMismatchCausedtheTransformationRatio
andbyDifferingCTRatios
DeltaWyeTransformationofCurrents
ZeroSequenceElimination
LTCInducedMismatch,CTSaturation,CTRemanence,
andCTTolerance
InrushPhenomenaandHarmonicContentAvailability
OverExcitationPhenomena

SwitchOntoFaultconcerns

SwitchOntoFaultconcerns

Ifatransformerexperiencesaninternalfaulton
energization,theharmonicrestraintfeatureona
restraineddifferentialcoulddelaytripping.
Thereforerelayscommonlyemployasecondary,
unrestraineddifferentialelement.Ofcoursethis
elementmustbesetabovethemaximum
expectedinrushcurrent,normally812pu.

SwitchOntoFaultconcerns
InGEBDDandorWestinghouseHUtypes,an
instantaneousovercurrentunitinserieswiththe
differentialprovidesthisfeature.
Indigitalrelays,aseparatesetpointisprovided.To
testtheseelements,parallelcurrentchannelsas
necessaryandapplycurrentstoonesideofthe
differential.

UnderstandingTransformer
DifferentialProtection

J.ScottCooper
MantaTestSystems,Inc.
2013MassachusettsAve.NE
SaintPetersburg,FL33703
scottc@mantatest.com