Important considerations when design protection system.

1. Types of fault and abnormal Conditions to be protected

against
2. Quantities available for measurement
3. Types of protection available
4. Speed
5. Fault position discrimination
6. Dependability / reliability
7. Security / stability
8. Overlap of protections
9. Phase discrimination / selectivity
10. CTs and VTs ratio required
11. Auxiliary supplies
12. Back-up protection
13. Cost
14. Duplication of protection

Types of protection
A - Fuses
For LV Systems, Distribution Feeders and Transformers, VTs, Auxiliary
Supplies

B - Over current and earth fault

Widely used in All Power Systems
1. Non-Directional
2. Directional.
C - DIFFERENTIAL
For feeders, Bus-bars, Transformers, Generators etc
1. High Impedance
2. Low Impedance
3. Restricted E/F
4. Biased
5. Pilot Wire

D - Distance
For transmission and sub-transmission lines and distribution feeders, also used as
back-up protection for transformers and generators without signaling with signaling to
provide unit protection e.g.:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Time-stepped distance protection

Permissive underreach protection (PUP)
Permissive overreach protection (POP)
Unblocking overreach protection (UOP)
Blocking overreach protection (BOP)
Power swing blocking
Phase comparison for transmission lines
Directional comparison for transmission lines

E - Miscellaneous:
1. Under and over voltage
2. Under and over frequency
3. A special relay for generators, transformers, motors etc.
4. Control relays: auto-reclose, tap change control, etc.
5. tripping and auxiliary relays
Speed
Fast operation: minimizes damage and danger
Very fast operation: minimizes system instability discrimination and security can be
costly to achieve.
Examples:
1. differential protection
2. differential protection with digital signaling
3. distance protection with signaling
4. directional comparison with signaling
Fault position discrimination
Power system divided into protected zones must isolate only the faulty equipment or
section
Dependability / reliability
Protection must operate when required to Failure to operate can be extremely
damaging and disruptive Faults are rare. Protection must operate even after years of
inactivity Improved by use of:
1. Back-up Protection and
2. duplicate Protection
Security / Stability
Protection must not operate when not required to e.g. due to:
1. Load Switching

2. Faults on other parts of the system

3. Recoverable Power Swings

Overlap of protections
1. No blind spots
2. Where possible use overlapping CTs
Phase discrimination / selectivity
Correct indication of phases involved in the fault Important for Single Phase Tripping
and auto-Reclosing applications
Current and voltage transformers
These are an essential part of the Protection Scheme. They must be suitably specified
to meet the requirements of the protective relays.
1A and 5A secondary current ratings, Saturation of current transformers during heavy
fault conditions should not exceed the limits laid down by the relay manufacturer.
Current transformers for fast operating protections must allow for any offset in the
current waveform. Output rating under fault conditions must allow for maximum
transient offset. This is a function of the system X/Rratio.
Current Transformer Standards/Classes:
British Standards: 10P, 5P, X
IEC: 10P, SP, TPX, TPY, TPZ
American: C, T.
Location of CTs should, if possible, provide for overlap of protections. Correct
connection of CTs to the protection is important. In particular for directional, distance,
phase comparison and differential protections. VTs may be Electromagnetic or
Capacitor types. Busbar VTs: Special consideration needed when used for Line
Protection.
Auxiliary supplies
Required for:
1. Tripping circuit breakers
2. Closing circuit breakers
3. Protection and trip relays
AC. auxiliary supplies are only used on LV and MV systems.
DC. auxiliary supplies are more secure than ac supplies.
Separately fused supplies used for each protection.
Duplicate batteries are occasionally provided for extra security.
Modern protection relays need a continuous auxiliary supply.
During operation, they draw a large current which increases due to
operation of output elements.

Relays are given a rated auxiliary voltage and an operative auxiliary voltage range.
the rated value is marked on the relay. Refer to relay documentation for details of
operative range. it is important to make sure that the range of voltages which can
appear at the relay auxiliary supply terminals is within the operative range.
IEC recommended values (IEC 255-6):
Rated battery voltages:
12, 24, 48, 60, 11 0, 125, 220, 250, 440
Preferred operative range of relays:
80 to 10% of voltage rated
AC. component ripple in the dc supply:
<10% of voltage rated
COST
The cost of protection is equivalent to insurance policy against damage to plant, and
loss of supply and customer goodwill.
Acceptable cost is based on a balance of economics and technical factors. Cost of
protection should be balanced against the cost of potential hazards there is an
economic limit on what can be spent.
Minimum cost:
Must ensure that all faulty equipment is isolated by protection
Other factors:
1. Speed
2. Security/Stability
3. Sensitivity:
Degree of risk in allowing a low level fault to develop into a more severe
fault
4. Reliability
Total cost should take account of:
1. Relays, schemes and associated panels and panel wiring
2. Setting studies
3. Commissioning
4. CTs and VTs
5. Maintenance and repairs to relays
6. Damage repair if protection fails to operate
7. Lost revenue if protection operates unnecessarily
Distribution systems
1. Large number of switching and distribution points, transformers and feeders.
2. Economics often overrides technical issues

3.
4.
5.
6.

Protection may be the minimum consistent with - statutory safety regulations

Speed less important than on transmission systems
Back-up protection can be simple and is often inherent in the main protection.
Although important, the consequences of maloperation or failure to operate are
less
serious than for transmission systems.

Transmission systems
1. Emphasis is on technical considerations rather than economics
2. Economics cannot be ignored but is of secondary importance compared with
the need for highly reliable, fully discriminative high speed protection
3. Higher protection costs justifiable by high capital cost of power system
elements protected.
4. Risk of security of supply should be reduced to the lowest practical levels
5. High speed protection requires unit protection
6. Duplicate protections used to improve reliability
7. Single phase tripping and auto-reclose may be required to maintain system
stability