CHAPTER SEVEN

BASIC DIFFERENTIAL PROTECTION

1.0

Introduction

1.1

Differential Protection is a form of protection whereby a relay operates

when the vector difference of two or more similar electrical quantities
exceeds a predetermined amount.

1.2

This relay is called a Differential Relay and may take on a variety of

forms depending upon the equipment being protected.

1.3

Almost any type of relay when connected in a certain way can be made
to operate as a Differential relay. In other words it is not so much as
the construction of the relay, but the manner in which the relay is
connected in a circuit that makes it a differential relay.

2.0

Basic Differential Relaying

2.1

The basic scheme of differential relaying is explained with reference to

the diagram below:-

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2.2

The protected equipment may be a length of a circuit or a winding of a

generator, or a portion of the bus etc. A C.T is connected at either end
of the protected equipment.

The secondaries of the C.Ts are

interconnected as shown with a relay which may be an over-current

relay.
2.3

Now suppose current flows through the protected equipment to an

external load or to a fault at X. If the two C.Ts have an identical ratio,
and are properly connected with respect to polarity, then the
secondary induced currents i1 and i2 will merely circulate between the
two C.Ts and no current flows through the relay.

2.4

However if an internal fault should develop in the protected equipment

or between the primaries of the two C.Ts then the currents I 1 and I2 will
be different.

The current I1 will be the sum of current I 2 and fault

current If. Accordingly the C.T secondary currents will be different and
the difference in the (i1-i2) flows through the relay causing the relay to
operate.
2.5

This relay which operates on the vector difference of the current

entering and leaving protected equipment is called a differential relay
and the scheme of protection as Differential Protection.

3.0

Types of Differential Protection or Relaying

There are two basic types of Differential Relaying namely:a) Current Differential Relaying
b) Voltage Differential Relaying

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3.1

Current Differential Relaying

This is also called the current balance method or circulating current
method of Differential Relaying.

The principle of this method has

already been described in paragraph 2.0 above. Most differential relay

applications are of the Current Differential Method and the method is
applied for the protection of Generators, Transformers, Motors and Bus
bars.
3.2

Voltage Differential Relaying

This is called voltage balance method or opposed voltage relaying.
The two C.Ts at either end of the protected equipment are cross
connected with the relay in series as shown below:

Let Z be the impedance of the relay coil.

Then voltage drop produced due to secondary current i1 in Z:
V1

i1 Z.

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Similarly the voltage drop

V2

i2 Z

When current i1 and i2 are equal the voltage drop V1 and V2 are equal
and opposed and the relay does not operate.
The relay operates when the vector difference in the voltage drop
exceeds the pick up value of the relay. Opposed voltage method of
Differential Relaying is generally employed for the protection of
transmission lines and feeders in A.C. wire Pilot Relaying.
4.0

Biased

Differential

Protection

or

Percentage

differential

Protection
4.1

This is the most extensively used form of differential protection. It is

essentially the same scheme as described in paragraph 2.0 above
except that restraining coils are introduced in the C.T secondary circuit
as shown below:-

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The differential current to operate this relay is a variable quantity

owning to the effect of the restraining coil. The differential current in
the operating coil is proportional to (I1 I2).
4.2

The development of the percentage differential relay was necessitated

to take care of the following:-

a) Although C.Ts of identical ratios are used, their performance during

through faults when the C.Ts are saturated cannot be ensured to be the
same.

The errors introduced may be different with the result an

operating current will flow.

Example:

I1

I2

i1

2100 x 5 (3
300
100

35 1.05

33.95 A

2100 x 5 + (6 x 2100 x 5)
300
100 300

i2

2100 A
x 2100 x 5)
300

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Difference in currents

35 + 2.1

37.1 A

i2

37.1

3.15 A

i1
33.95

This difference in current may be sufficient to cause operation in the

5A relay unless the pick up value is greater than 3.15 A.
It should also be noted that no two C.Ts however identical they may be
in so far as their secondary currents are concerned will give exactly the
same secondary current for the same primary current.

These

discrepancies may be traced to manufacturing variations and to

differences in secondary loading caused by unequal length of leads
between C.T and relay, unequal burden of meters and instruments
connected in one or both secondaries.
b) Another example of an on load tap changing Transformer is taken to
study the effects on the differential circuit.

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At normal tap of 330KV/132KV

Primary full load current

Primary C.T. Ratio

=
80 x 106 _____
3 x 330 x 103

140 A

140/1

C.T. secondary current of primary

i1

140 x 1_
140

1.0 A

Secondary full load current

Secondary C.T. Ratio

80 x 106 _____
3 x 132 x 103

350 A

350/1

C.T. secondary current of secondary

i2

350 x 1__
350

1.0A

Since i1 = i2 no current flows in the differential relay and therefore the

relay does not operate. Let us now assume that the primary incoming

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voltage is 310 KV and the OLTC gear is operated to raise the secondary
voltage to say 140 KV.

Then primary full load current

=

80 x 106 _____
3 x 310 x 103

149 A

C.T secondary current of primary i1

i1

149.00 x 1
140

1.06 A

Secondary full load current

=

80 x 106 _____
3 x 140 x 103

330 A

C.T secondary current of secondary

i2

330 x 1__
350

0.94 A

Now the difference in the currents between (i1 and i2)

=

(1.06 0.94) A

0.120 A

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This current of 0.120A flowing in a 1 A relay may cause operation of

the differential relay unless the pick up value of the relay is raised to
be beyond 0.120 Amps. It is also not practical to keep on raising the
pick up value
whenever a tap changing operation is carried out.
4.3

Thus to obviate all these practical difficulties, the percentage

differential relay was developed.

The current flowing through the

restraining coil or windings is called the Through Current and the

current flowing through the operating winding is called the Spill
Current.
4.4

This spill current necessary to operate the relay expressed as a

percentage of the through current is called the percentage bias.
% bias

4.5

Spill current for relay operation x 100

Through fault current causing it

Bias is provided on both the restraining windings by a plug setting

bridge in electromagnetic relays and in static relays by a rotary switch.
Bias settings are usually from 10% to 80% in multiples of 10% or 20%
to 80% in multiples of 20% or sometimes in multiples of 15%.

4.6

The number of turns on both the restraining windings are always the
same so that in effect it can be considered as one winding, with the
operating coil or winding connected at its mid point.
Let N be the turns in the restraining winding.
Then the restraining torque produced is:

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I1 N
2

(I1 + I2) N
2

I2 N
2

Or Restraining Torque is I1 + I2
2
4.7

The operating characteristic of such a relay is as shown below:

4.8

It can be seen that (I1 + I2)/2 is the average of the two currents I1 and
I2. Specifically the term through current is used to designate I 2 as it
is this current which flows in the circuit from one end to the other and
also causes the relay operation.

Hence the characteristic is also

plotted with I2 as abscissa instead of (I1 + I2)/2.

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4.9

The operating characteristic is a straight line indicating that the spill or

operating current is a fixed percentage of the through current. Hence
the name Percentage Differential

5.0

Application
Percentage Differential relays are almost always used as the primary
protection device for generators, transformers, motors and other costly
electrical apparatus in industry.

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