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LV Circuit Breakers Confronted With Harmonic PDF
LV Circuit Breakers Confronted With Harmonic PDF
LV circuit-breakers
confronted
with harmonic,
transient
and cyclic currents
Michel Collombet Bernard Lacroix
Other current quantities are defined in the IEC 364 installation standard as in the figure below.
tr (tLT)
IEC 947-2
tm (tST)
Ir Im I Icu
(ILT) (IST) (Iinst)
for a circuit-breaker IB i IZ i In = Ir
role of a circuit-breaker service sector, and in view of the cost Thermal-magnetic trip unit
of power failure in industry, it is vital to These trip units contain bimetal strips
The main role of a circuit-breaker is to
trip only when the risk is real. and an electromagnet coil, normally
protect the electrical installation, and
the conductors placed downstream, mounted in series with the circuit
against abnormal operating conditions requiring protection.
technology / organisation The higher the overload, the quicker
such as overloads and short-circuits. In
order to perform this function effecti- of an LV circuit-breaker the reaction of the bimetal strip. The
vely, the circuit-breaker’s trip unit must Circuit-breakers from 1 to 6300 A are coil reacts almost instantaneously to
take load development into account. extensively used in LV installations. high overcurrents according to the
The trip units for these circuit-breakers electromagnet principle.
This development is characterised by:
c increased harmonic «pollution» are produced using two technologies: Control unit
Development of power electronics and c thermal-magnetic trip units. Mainly These trip units contain sensors,
thus of non-linear loads (data used for domestic and industrial ranges processing and control electronics and
processing machines, rectifiers, with small ratings. On modular type an actuator (see fig. 2).
dimmers, choppers) and the progress devices the trip unit is built into the
made in load technology (discharge circuit-breaker.
lamps, fluorescent lamps,...) have c electronic control units. Formerly
increased the strength of harmonic reserved solely for high current rating circuit-breaker
currents in distribution power networks. circuit-breakers, there is a marked rating
c more frequent «transient» currents trend (see fig. 1) towards this type of
due to standard and new loads trip unit as it is a solution offering a high
generating high inrush currents: degree of flexibility and is becoming 100
v capacitors for compensation of the increasingly affordable.
cos ϕ (whose reference value has In point of fact, the use of digital
risen), LV/LV transformers, technologies and in particular use of
v but rectifiers with front end capacitors simple Application Specific Integrated 1000
are also becoming increasingly Circuits (ASIC) enables:
common (lamps with electronic starter,
c universal trip units to be produced
computers...).
providing greater setting facilities,
c loads controlled in «cycles».
c more data to be processed,
Ever increasing automation results in 10 000
c the communication required for
greater repetition of operations of loads 80 85 90 95 years
such as process motors, production installation control and monitoring to be
robots, heat regulation by wave trains... performed. fig. 1: development of control units.
This development is accompanied by a
demand for increased continuity of
service. Consequently: actuator
c to avoid undervoltage and improve
continuity of service, replacement
sources such as generator sets need to power supply
sensors
be installed. These sets have specific (current
features that the protection device has transformers)
to incorporate, for example a higher processing communication
source impedance which increases control
disturbances due to harmonic currents
and reduces the value of the fault
currents, thereby modifying the setting
value of the protection devices. L1 L2 L3 N
c to avoid untimely tripping to satisfy fig. 2: functional modules of a control unit.
safety and comfort requirements in the
1 2 3 4 5
primary I
correction comparison
A/D integration actuator
device with thresholds
secondary I secondary I corrected IRMS tripping
(analog) (digital) secondary I order
τ (time constant) t D
calculated I2rms
sampled I2 (corresponding to calculated θ) LT cable limit
long
1st order low - tripping time
curve
pass filter + order (if any)
2threshold
I (corresponding to max θ
of cable)
short
fig. 7: making the Long Time (LT) function. time
ST
TR IR
IIR
- Ir Irm Iinst Icu I
+
T = LTTC TM ILT IST
saturation normal over- short-circuit
zone load zone
IR - IIR TM zone
+ time delay
IIR
Ie (K Te) X2 TRIP
t x 20 ms
+ IIR TM fig. 9: electronic circuit-breaker tripping
IM - time delay curves.
IIR
TM
+
t = STTC
-
I2ton IM
Development of loads and in particular Y1 = RMS value of the 50 Hz v if the peak factor is greater than 2
the increasing use of static converters, sinusoidal component (or fundamental), there is a risk of untimely tripping if the
means that the current encountered on ω = fundamental frequency, protection deduces Irms from Ipeak.
distribution power networks are no ϕ1 = fundamental phase shift Yn v if the peak factor is less than 2
longer perfect 50 Hz sinusoidal ones... (for n > 1) = RMS value of the order n there is a risk of overheating due to
far from it! harmonic component, failure of the protection devices to trip;
These currents have an adverse nω = pulsation of harmonic n, c heating.
influence on measurement, especially ϕn = phase shift of harmonic n. For a given load, with a nominal current
in normal operation for monitoring of In at 50 Hz, the RMS current in the
Ohm’s law conductors will be higher as it is
thermal effects: for fault currents in
excess of 10 In their effect is virtually In the presence of non-linear loads, multiplied by 1 + Di2 resulting in:
zero. Ohm’s law is applied only between v additional losses and thus
harmonic current and voltage of the overheating of transformers, cables and
same order «n» with an impedance generators,
theoretical review of value calculated for a pulsation equal v magnetic losses, heating and stray
harmonic currents to n times that of the fundamental: torque in rotating machines;
Un = Z(nω) x In. c circulation of high currents in the
Non linear and harmonic loads Deformation of the current waveform neutral in the presence of
Ohm’s law formulates a proportionality can be said to cause an equivalent order 3 harmonics and their multiples.
(linearity) between sinusoidal current deformation of voltage for each
and voltage at mains frequency. harmonic order, whose amplitude and Consequently thermal trip units must
Some loads (said to be non-linear) phase depend on the value of the take the RMS value into account to
deform the current sine wave and thus impedance for each harmonic protect conductors. Readers
also the voltage sine wave. frequency. There is no longer a simple particularly interested in harmonics are
This deformation is analysed using relationship between the RMS values of invited to read Cahier Technique n° 152.
Fourier’s serial decomposition which both waves considered globally.
reveals «harmonic» currents which are Distorted RMS current
superimposed on the initial sine wave harmonic current
(the fundamental) causing its Irms = I1 + I2 + I3 + In + ...
2 2 2 2 generators
deformation. which can also be expressed by the Rectifiers
(Fourier’s) harmonic decomposition different current total harmonic Three-phase Graëtz bridge type
All currents and voltages in electrical distortions hni: In/ I1: rectifiers create harmonic distortions.
power networks can be represented by This rectifier type which is relatively
the superimposition of a Irms = I1 1 + h2i2 + h3i2 + … + hni2 … widespread in all industrial devices due
DC component, a sinusoidal to its economic nature, is however a
component at mains frequency and a = I1 1 + Di2
source of disturbance for power
certain number of sinusoidal (harmonic) which reveals the current total networks.
components with a multiple frequency harmonic distortion Di. These rectifiers are used in a wide
of mains frequency. These quantities variety of industrial applications such as
Current peak factor
are formulated by Fourier’s variable speed drives, UPS and
for the fundamental,
development of the current or voltage computer power supplies. They are
function y(t): Peak I1: 2 I1 and the peak factor
also common in the service sector as a
is 2 .
result of the proliferation of switch
y(t) = Yo + Y1 2 sin (ωt − ϕ1) For the total distorted current, mode power supplies for office
n=∞ automation applications and fluorescent
+ ∑ Yn 2 sin (nωt − ϕn) peak I = K Irms = K . I1 1 + Di2
lamps with electronic ballast.
n=2
Harmonic effects The shape of the input current greatly
Yo = DC component amplitude, c effect of the peak factor: depends on the presence of a
= 6 %
- 100
Irms = 106 % of Ih1.
Imax/ V2 = 78 %.
This means that a control unit based on - 150
an RMS measurement using peak
current would measure an RMS value fig. 10: example 1: a rectifier.
of 78 instead of 106. The installation
would be underprotected in this case.
%
c example 2: (see fig. 11)
Input current of the three-phase rectifier 300
of a variable speed drive for
asynchronous motor.
Harmonic composition corresponding to 200
the current in figure 11 is (as a percen-
tage of fundamental amplitude and with
phase shift with respect to the latter):
h1 (50 Hz) = 100 % 100
h5 (250 Hz) = 85 % (180 %)
h7 (250 Hz) = 72 %
h11 (550 Hz) = 41 % (180 %) 20ms
h13 (650 Hz) = 27 % 0
h17 (750 Hz) = 8 % (180 %)
total harmonic distortion in this case:
- 100
D = h3 2 + h5 2 + h7 2 + … h15 2
= 58 %
Imax/ V2 = 203 %. - 200
This means that a control unit based
on an RMS measurement using the
peak current would measure an RMS
value of 203 instead of 158. The - 300
installation would be overprotected in fig. 11: example 2: a variable speed drive with variable frequency.
this case.
management of harmonic
currents by LV circuit-
breaker electronic control
units 0
The first electronic control units used 20 ms
an analog technology. This solution
consisted of implementing a simple RC
filter in the measuring circuit behind a
double wave rectifier. A technique
which satisfied needs relatively well as
long as harmonic phenomena remained
marginal.
Technological progress and in
particular ASIC type solutions
integrating a large number of
components, made rapid, ultra-fine fig. 12: fluorescent lighting.
signal sampling possible. Current use
I
cyclic current loads
Intermittent operation of a motor or a
load causes rapid heating particularly if
the energising currents are high.
Supply cables, like loads, undergo the
same current stresses but not
necessarily the same heating (different
thermal time constants). Some loads
have specific protection.
The overcurrent value that can be
withstood by a cable depends on initial
heating and on the cooling period
elapsing between two consecutive
overcurrents.
Thus a cable can be sized for the
energy it conveys if the cycle is less 0 0.005 0.01 0.015 0.02 0.025 0.03 0.035 0.04 0.045 0.05 t(s)
than its thermal time constant.
Using the thermal equation model of a
cable, cyclic heating of a cable can be I
represented by a curve of the type filter 1 trip unit
shown in figure 17.
This is the case for example of welding filter 2 ST threshold
machines, static switches with wave fig 16: persitent fault.
trains or motors with cyclic starting.
Imax
Irms
IminST Iinst I
fig. 18: Long and Short Time settings for
strong, short or meak, long cyclic loads
fig. 17: cyclic heating of a conductor with continous load plus cyclic load. (steady state).
electronic circuit-breaker Not only does this solve the problem of In addition this technology provides
inrush and cyclic currents, but it is a greater reliability and immunity
settings definite advantage when implementing (electromagnetic compatibility) than
Confronted with distorted, inconsistant time discrimination. discrete technologies.
currents, electronic control units It also allows a transformer, cable or
simplify the task of installation A host of functions
generator to be protected using the
designers and operators, by their ability Besides the functions for protecting live
same device (see figure 19 for an
to take real RMS currents into account, conductors against overcurrents and
example).
by managing overcurrents and by the short-circuits, other functions are or
flexibility and range of their settings. can be integrated, for example:
the advantages of digital c ground fault protection (GFP): this
Harmonic currents
function is often requested for
Precise consideration of the effects of technology for installations in the USA,
harmonic currents means that no dependability c load monitoring by calculating Irms/
special settings (linked to these
Digital technology with extensive use of ILT which informs the user of the load
currents) are required in the control
ASICs, makes it possible to perform a level of the feeder in question,
unit.
host of measuring, protection, control/ c actual short-circuit current,
The possibility of knowing the RMS
monitoring and communication c number of operations (useful for
current value in real time by electronic
measurement enables fine adjustment functions. maintenance management).
of Ir if required. Moreover, digital
technology allows this information to be
easily transmitted to an ammeter (local t generator thermal cable thermal
or remote mode) or to a bargraph. limit limit
Transient currents
The possibility offered by electronics to
distinguish transients from fault
currents provides increased cable
protection and avoids untimely tripping.
Cyclic currents
Adjustment of current Ir for precise
conductor sizing is completely
compatible with an installation
presenting normal overloads by using
the short and long delay protection
settings.
Tripping curves
One of the advantages of electronic
circuit-breakers is that they provide
«universal» protection. With the same
control unit, all operator needs can be protection setting protection setting
taken into consideration thanks to the generator tLT cable tLT
flexibility and wide range of the (mini notch) (maxi notch)
settings.
Electronics allow settings to be made in IR = In IZ 3 Ir I
an extensive range for both time delay fig. 19: long time tripping curves of an electronic circuit-breaker protecting a cable or generator.
and thresholds.
fig. 20: table showing EMC tests as in appendix F of standard IEC 947-2.
LV circuit-breakers u 250 A, with allows improved monitoring of cable ments, states, etc... by Bus, to have
electronic control units, are perfectly temperature evolution particularly for access to remote setting and naturally
suited to the various constraints loads with cyclic operation, to be remote controlled. Present-day
encountered in installations. c the short time protection settings circuit-breakers have thus become
The current calculation power of the ensure better management of ener- intelligent sensors/actuators which, as
ASICs are responsible for considerable gising currents than magnetic trip units, part of Electrical Power Management
progress: thus: c the wide range of the various settings (EPM), play a large role in simplifying
c despite the increase in harmonic allows adaptation with cables of varying operation of power networks and in
currents, long time protection takes the cross-sections and with generators. increasing continuity of service.
real RMS value into consideration, In addition to these protection One regret however... electronics are
c the thermal memory, more effective functions, digital electronics enable the still too expensive to be used in circuit-
than indirectly heated bimetal strips, circuit-breaker to transmit measure- breakers below 250 A ratings.
6. bibliography