Short-circuit current calculation: a comparison between methods of IEC and ANSI
Standards using dynamic simulation as reference
Albert0 Berizzi, Andrea Silvestri, Dario Zaninelli
Politecnico di Milano
Piazza Leonard0 da Vinci, 32
20133 Milano, ITALY
Abstract-An essential issue concerning short-circuit studies is
about how much precise should short-circuit calculations be.
Simplified procedures have been proposed since many years by
International Committees to provide reference methods for the
manual computation and for the use of rated, rather than
operating, equipment data. Recently, dynamic programs have
been used to accurately simulate short-circuit currents. Two
widely adopted international standards (ANSIAEEE
C37.010.1979 and IEC 909 Standards) are investigated in this
paper for comparing and pointing out the most significant
differences in methodologies, assumptions, computed currents
and results. An outline of the two standards is presented and a
detailed comparison is carried on. The procedures of the two
standards are applied to a test network proposed in the IEC
909 Standard. Results of calculations by the two standards are
compared using the results of a transient study performed by
the EMTP simulation program as a reference basis.
I. INTRODUCTION
Planning, design and operation of electrical power systems
require several studies to evaluate and assess performances,
reliability and safety of the system. Examples of these studies
are: load flow, fault and short-circuit, motor starting,
stability, protective device coordination, reliability analysis
[I]. Although there is a great interest in power system
operation (as the large number of works on hardware and
software tools to improve system operation can test$ [2]), it
is common experience that a poor electrical system design
can lead to serious consequences in the system safety and
operation. Problems cannot be solved and sometimes the
system situation cannot be improved by subsequent adoption
of control methodologies and devices. Bad system operation
may often be prevented by a correct planning and design. A
good system design based on a careful selection of voltages,
electrical system one-line diagram, on adequate sizing of
system equipment and on proper setting of protection
devices, is still a basic and unquestionable requirement.
Some of the mentioned studies need complex and detailed
models to represent the behaviour of the power system; other
studies can utilize less sophisticated approaches based on
simplified but valid analytic procedures. The kind and detail
of the analysis are strictly related to the stage of the project
under development.
0-7803-1462-~/93$03.0001993IEEE
1420
Stefan0 Massucco
University of Pavia
Via Abbiategrasso, 209
27 100 Pavia, ITALY
Not all the above mentioned calculations are required at
the preliminary stage of a project and also their accuracy can
be less strict at this point than at more advanced stages.
Short-circuit current studies are a typical example of this.
They are essential studies in system design as well as in
equipment sizing and selection. Their accuracy can be quite
Merent: they can be based on simulation, that must adopt
very detailed models representing the dynamic behaviour of
system components, or they can use simplified approaches by
a quasi-steady state representation of the system components.
Simplified procedures for short-circuit current calculation
have been proposed long since by International
Organizations [3],[4],[5],[6], [7],[81. The adoption of
dynamic simulation is relatively more recent and is related to
the availability of powerful computers and software tools,
which are successive to the development of standards,and to
the availability of a much larger set of data (the recent
document [91 provides information about power system
equipment).
The enormous development of computer hardware and
s o h a r e could have forced power system engineers to adopt
extensively dynamic simulation for short-circuit studies and
to set aside the use of simplified procedures offered by
standards. On the contrary, there is still a great interest in
short-circuit current calculation by international standards as
it can be deduced by the continuous process of revision and
consolidation they are subjected to (for instance, see [4],[7]
and [6],[8]). Moreover, this interest is confirmed by the
significant presence in the software market of many
programs that make use of the quasi-steady state
computational method proposed by international standards
[lo] and by recent works which compare standards and
procedures from different countries [11],[ 121.
The aim of the present paper is to give evidence of the
different approaches offered by dynamic and standard based
calculation of short-circuit currents and to remind the
specific fields of application and the limits of both.
Afterwards, it seemed worthwhile to compare the
methodologies offered by two important international
standards, namely the ANSYIEEE C37.010.1979 [ 5 ] and the
IEC 909 [ 6 ] , which is the recent result of a long revision
work. It is evident that the comparison between the IEC and
the ANSI/IEEE Standards is not immediate and needs some
considerations due to the differences in computed quantities.
The outlines of the two standards are reported in the
following Sec.II by pointing out the most significant
differences in methodologies, assumptions, computed
currents and results. The comparison between the standards
is carried out in Sec.III on the basis of results derived by
applying the procedures of the two standards to an electrical
test network proposed in the Appendix of the IEC 909
Standard. This test network consists of a large generator
connected to an external system by means of a step-up
transformer and supplying power to an internal network
including several motors at different voltage levels. The
network is quite interesting because it takes into
consideration balanced short-circuit faults near to generator
and in presence of motor contributions.
In order to present a more significant comparison, the
same electrical test network has been investigated by using a
recent version of the E m , a widely spread international
computer code for electrical transient analysis [13]. The
results of the transient analysis are in terms of current
waveforms versus time: after some elaborations, they are
used as a reference to compare the different values of short-
circuit currents computed as required by the ANSI/IF!EE and
the IEC Standards.
11. OUTLINES OF THE TWO STANDARDS
A . The IEC 909 Standard
The IEC 909 Standard [6] distinguishes between near-to-
generator and far-from-generator (and motor) short-circuits,
a commonly adopted practice in German technical literature
[14]. The short-circuit current is the sum of an ac
symmetrical component and of an aperiodic component .i,
Near-to-generator short-circuit current presents a
symmetrical component decaying with time, while far-from-
generator symmetrical component is constant.
In particular the IEC 909 Standard considers only the
following values of short-circuit currents:
I", rms initial symmetrical component;
ip peakvalue;
Ib symmetrical short-circuit breaking current at the
instant,,,t of contact separation of the first pole of
a switching device;
I,, asym rms asymmetrical short-circuit breaking current;
1, rms steady state short-circuit current.
Afterwards, reference is made to the case of three-phase
balanced short-circuit, because [6] applies only superficially
to unbalanced faults. Some details to unbalanced faults are
reported in the mentioned revision of the E C 909 Standard
181.
0 Computation of Illk The approach of the IEC 909 method
consists in an approximation of the superposition method. It
neglects the state prior to the faults and considers an
1421
equivalent voltage source cUn at the faulted bus. The results
are made d c i e n t l y accurate by using some corrective
factors. The voltage factor c assumes different values
according to the system rated voltage ( ~ inl low-voltage
systems 230 V/400 V, 50 Hz;~ 1 . 0 5in other low-voltage
systems; ~ 1 . in 1 medium and high-voltage systems): it is
used to set the most adequate voltage level that determines
the maximum short-circuit current. Another factor &
allows the calculation of the corrected value of the generator
impedance: ZGK=&&+jX",), where is a fictitious
value of resistance (generally higher than the actual value of
the stator resistance) assigned by the Standard as a function
of the subtransient reactance X", for different ranges of
voltage and rating of the generator. Analogously, other
specific corrective factors are proposed for power station
units, depending on whether generators and transformers are
to be considered separately or not. As for the other element
-
impedances such as external network, two or three winding
-
transformers, overhead lines and cables the Standard gives
appropriate formulae. Motors are modelled by their locked
rotor impedance.
I", is calculated as: I"k=cU,,/d3&, where Z, is the
equivalent impedance as seen from the faulted bus; Z,
includes rotating machines' impedances only if the fault is
near-to-generators (and motors).
Separated formulae for near-to or far-from-generator
short-circuitsare proposed to compute ),, 1, G I k , both
because of their inherent dependence 0 I k and ermore
because these characteristic values depend on the time
behaviour of the short-circuit current, influenced by possible
contributions of synchronous andlor induction machines.
The Standard also provides different approaches
-
according to network configuration radial or meshed and -
to fault location. For radial systems, the total short-circuit
-
current is computed in a simplified but more conservative
manner - as the algebraic sum (instead of vector sum) of all
contributions from the paths connected to the fault location;
otherwise, in the case of meshed networks, this is not
possible and a different procedure must take place.
0 Computation of ip. It is necessary to distinguish the cases
of radial or meshed network.
- In the case of radial network, i, is the sum of
contributions iPi from the i-th path converging to the fault
bus. Each ipi is computed as a function of I", as ipi=Kid21",,
where each coefficient K,depends (by a formula or a graph)
on the X/R ratio of the corresponding element.
- In the case of meshed network, as the behaviour of the
short-circuit current in each path depends on all network
branch parameters, the IEC 909 suggests three different
approximated methods (named A, B and C) to compute an
equivalent X/Rratio for the direct determination of i .
0 Computation of 1, In the case of short-circuit &-from-
generators and independently on the network structure, the
following holds: Ib=I'tk=I,. In the case of near-to-generator paper.
short-circuit it is necessary to distinguish between radial and The ANSI Standard allows a simplified calculation of
meshed networks: short-circuit currents by reducing the electric system to an
- radial networks: 1, can be expressed as the sum of equivalent network made by an ideal voltage source E
different Ibi contributions, where Ibi=piqi Illfi. The factor pi behind an equivalent reactance (both expressed in P.u.). The
can be determined by a formula or a graph as a function of voltage magnitude E is the highest typical operating voltage
the minimum contact parting time Inand of the ratio I",/I,, at the faulted bus and it represents the pre-fault voltage. In
where the considered values oft,,, are 0.02, 0.05, 0.1 and 2 many cases, when the operating voltage is unknown, the
0.25 s and where I, is the rated current of the machne nominal voltage is utilized.
related to the i-th branch; for extemal network supplies, By means of appropriate corrective factors, the ANSI
pi=l is adopted. The factor qi is set equal to 1 unless the Standard considers both the dc and the ac decay of the short
branch is an induction motor. In the latter case qi (11) is a circuit current. The dc decay is determined by the X / R ratio
function oft,,, and of rated power per pair of poles; of the equivalent impedance as seen from the fault point; the
- meshed networks: it can be assumed Ib=I''k, according to ac decay takes into account the behaviour of the system's
a conservative approximation of a more complicated rotating machines such as induction motors and synchronous
formula. generators. Concerning the ac decay, two possibilities are
Computation of 1, asym. It can be calculated as considered: rotating machines can be either near to or
remote from the fault location.
2 2 The ANSI Standard aim is to determine a symmetrical
Ib asym = ,/Ib -k l,,
rms current on the basis of which it is possible to choose a
This formula is also adopted, with different symbols, in [5]
circuit breaker rated on symmetrical current basis as stated
(Sec.5.1.3 and Appendix A4). The component i, must be
in ANSI C37.04-1979 [15] and ANSI C37.06-1987[16],
evaluated at the instant t,,,( as well as Ib), by the formula
although older breakers can still be selected on a total
,,i = &I; exp(-2 d t /~X ) (1) current basis [17]. The considered faults are both
where the value of the ratio X/R is computed differently symmetrical and non-symmetrical; the Standard pays
according to the radial or meshed network structure. particular attention to three-phase and line-to-ground faults.
- radial network: i,=CiDci Three types of duties are taken into consideration by the
where for each branch (1) applies with its proper X/R. ANSI C37.010-1979:
- meshed networks: iDc is directly computed using (l), a) first-cycle duty
where the equivalent raho X/R can be computed by using b) contact-parting duty
one of the methods B or C adopted by the standard to c) short-circuit current for time-delayed relaying devices.
calculate i,. No indication is given about the calculation of Each of the cited duties is calculated using a different
the single contributions iDci. network. The characteristics of these duties are described
Computation of 1,. Two different procedures are and commented with reference to the mentioned ANSI
considered for the cases of faults far-from or near-to- Standard.
generators. In the former 1, is assumed equal to 1"k; in the a) Firstcycle duty: it is the half-cycle rms current and it
latter many parameters atTecting the current behaviour must allows the evaluation of stresses during the first cycle after
be accounted for: magnetic circuits saturation, excitation the fault. To compute it, a first-cycle network must be built:
type and voltage ceiling, automatic voltage regulator, type of this requires to ignore the static loads' impedances, to use the
machine (turbogenerator or salient poles generator). branches' impedances and to correct the rotating machines'
The IEC 909 Standard furnishes two graphs for each type subtransient impedances with multiplicative factors which
of machne relating Ihax and 1- to the ratio I''kG/Ifi and, take into account their typical ac decay. Reactances instead
in the case of Ihax, to the direct axis synchronous reactance of impedances can be used. The rotating machines'
saturated value. multiplicative factors are collected into a table; in particular
induction motors are classified into three groups in
B. The ANSIIEEE C37.010-1979 Standard accordance with their rated power and number of poles. The
calculation of the first-cycle duty does not require any
The purpose of the ANSI/IEEE C37.010-1979 Standard consideration about local or remote short-circuit current
[5] - afterwards cited simply as ANSI Standard - is to allow sources.
a good sizing of medium and high-voltage breakers (rated on Once the equivalent reactance X is obtained, the first-
symmetrical current basis) installed at 1000 V and above; cycle duty can be evaluated as E/X (symmetrical, rms); this
the corresponding Standard for low voltage breaker is the symmetrical duty must be lower than the breaker closing and
ANSI/IEEE C37.013-1981, which is not considered in this latching capability and it does not take into account the dc
component decay; so it is possible to calculate the

1422
asymmetrical duty (rms) by multiplying E/X by the factor
1.6; moreover, ifE/X is multiplied by 2.7, one can evaluate
the peak value of the first-cycle short-circuit current. The
factors 1.6 and 2.7 are not empirically determined: their
meaning is described in [18] and they can be derived
respectively from the formulae:
S- = ,/I + 2 exp(-4 Z J ~/RX ) (2)
S+ = &[I + exp(-2njt~/ X I ] (3)
where f is the frequency, X and R are the equivalent
reactance and resistance of the first-cycle network. Actually,
factors 1.6 and 2.7 are derived respectively from (2) and (3)
by adopting m 2 5 . Nevertheless, due to the common
exponential shape of (2) and (3), the value of X/R which
determines the previously mentioned factors is indicated in
[18] equal to 15: this value is clearly established by the
ANSI Standard as regard to the different procedures for
computing the contact-parhng duty (seethe next point b).
The Standard recommends to use two different networks
to evaluate X and R, one with only reactances and the other
with only resistances: this procedure is more conservative
than the one consisting in the calculation of the complex
impedance, for which X and R would be the immaginary and
the real part respectively.
b) Contact-parting duty: it is the rms current at the parting
of the breaker poles. In the Standard, only breakers with
minimum contact-parting time in the interval 1.5-4 cycles
are considered. An interrupting network has to be built,
composed by the pre-fault voltage source and by an
equivalent impedance. This equivalent impedance (or
reactance X, as permitted by the Standard) is calculated as in
the previous point a: the multiplicative factors of rotating
machine subtransient reactances are different, because the ac
decay at minimum contact-parting time is larger than during
the first cycle.
The ANSI Standard provides two procedures to select the
proper breaker: the most simple possibility, when X/R is
unknown, is to select as adequate a breaker with symmetrical
capability larger than 1.25 Em.Otherwise, it is necessary to
analyse the ratio X/R and the knowledge of the system
resistances is necessary. If X/Ris lower than 15, the breaker
symmetrical capability can be selected as 2ElX; on the
contrary, a more detailed procedure (named "with
adjustment for ac and dc decrement") comes into play and it
will be considered subsequently.
Following this method, once E/X is calculated, it is
possible to select the breaker by using a proper corrective
factor (cited here as F) which depends on the actual X/R
ratio: the rated symmetrical capability of the breaker must be
larger than F.E/X; the so selected interrupting device is
adequate as for the total (asymmetrical) short-circuit current
too.
Two set of w e s (the meaning of which is described in
1423
[18]) are available in the Sec.5.3.2 of the Standard [5] for
evaluating the factor F: a local curve and a remote one. The
former, which refers to faults fed predominantly from near
generators, takes into account both the ac and the dc decay
and it is only empirically known [191. The latter w e is
related to faults far from generators and considers only the
dc decay: in this case F can be analitically expressed as a
function of X/R. When both local and remote sources are
present, it is not easy to decide which curve is needed. The
more conservative procedure consists in applying the higher
factor, i.e. the one related to the remote curve. In [20] an
interpolation technique is applied to single contributions to
the fault; a different multiplying factor is applied to each
contribution.
c) Short-circuit currents for timedelayed relaying devices:
it is necessary to evaluate this current in case of application
of timedelay relays beyond six cycles. The short-circuit
current is calculated as E/X where the corresponding
network must be built only with generators as well as with
passive elements such as lines and transformers, and
omitting motor contribution, which can be considered
vanished. Generators are represented by their transient
reactances or by a larger reactance that takes into account
the ac decay; moreover, the dc component is supposed to be
zero. Consequently, this current can be compared with Ik of
the IEC 909.
111. SHORT-CIRCUIT CALCULATION AND COMPARISON OF
RESULTS
A. Test network
The test network adopted for comparing the two standards
is proposed in the Appendix A3 of the IEC 909 Standard
and reported in fig.1. It consists of a power station unit
connected to a 220 kV system. The auxiliary transformer AT
is of the three-winding type and feeds two auxiliary busbars
B and C at the nominal voltage of 10 kV. Fig.1 indicates the
principal characteristics of all equipment. The data of the
transformer and of the external supply system are the same
as in [6], while the data of the generator and of the motors
(handled as groups of motors) are specified in [21] also-
those unnecessary for the use of the standards but essential
for the dynamic simulation. Balanced short-circuit current
faults at F1, F2 and F3 (see fig.l) are taken into
consideration. Concerning the dynamic simulation, the
steady-state condition preceding the fault is assumed to
correspond to the functioning of motors at nominal slip,
while the generator has a load angle which assures the
delivery of the nominal power at the nominal power factor;
besides, the effect of the automatic voltage regulators is not
accounted for, because it influences the phenomenon only
after about 200 ms.

Unit transformer T:
Sr~=250MVA
U , T H V / U , T L V = ~ ~1*12%)/21
O~V kV
Ukr = 15% ; PkiT = 520 kW
Generator G:
S,c=250 MVA
U,G=21 kV
x;i=17%
cos ( 4 , ~=0.78
Auxiliary busbar E, U. =10 kV
F3f7
Fig.1. High and medium voltage test network with faults near-to-generatorand motors. Network used for comparison of results: faults at F1, F2, F3
B. Basisfor the comparison of the two standards
The ANSI Standard is not directly addressed to the
calculation of short-circuit currents but its aim is to choose
as well as possible the circuit breaker; the IEC 909 is not
particularly oriented to breaker sizing, but rather to the
calculation of short-circuit currents; the dynamic simulation
gives the current waveform, independently from the
engineering application of this information. So, as the goal
of this paper is to compare the ANSI and IEC Standards and
the dynamic simulation, considerations about breaker sizing
are left out (while they are treated in detail in [22]) and
attention is focused on the calculation methodologies of the
two standards which are analysed accurately, to define
common quantities comparable also with those evaluated by
means of computer dynamic simulation.
0 A first comparison between the characteristic values of
the short-circuit current considers the initial symmetrical
current. The I", in the IEC 909 can be related to the term
E/X of the ANSI Standard, where E corresponds to cU,
Tii;l
3-
Auxiliary transformer AT
&TAB = S,TAC= &TBC = 2 5 MVA
UTA 21 kV ; U,TE= Ufic = 10.5 kV
UkrAE=uk,AC=7% :UkrBC =13%
pkrTA6=PkrTAC = 59 k W ; PkrTBc =114 kW
Auxiliary busbar C, U, =10 kV
(P.u.) of the IEC 909 Standard and X is the reactance of the
first-cycle network.
The IEC 909 calculates the peak short-circuit current i,.
The ANSI Standard does not directly consider t h s quantity,
but allows to calculate it by multiplying the Same term E/X
by 2.7.
0 Concerning the instant of the contact parting, the IEC
909 allows the calculation of the symmetrical component I,,
and only in one of the examples in the Appendix it shows
the value of the asymmetrical component 1, as,,,; the ANSI
Standard considers only the breaker symmetrical duty.
The term corresponding to 1, can be evaluated in the ANSI
Standard as E/X, where X is the equivalent reactance of the
interrupting network (see I1 B, b). Although the ANSI
Standard does not consider the asymmetrical short-circuit
current at the minimum contact parting time, it is possible to
evaluate it by the following logical process. Once the breaker
is chosen, its asymmetrical capability is univocally
determined from its symmetrical rating supposing X/R=15;
the asymmetrical short-circuit current is assumed equal to
1424
the breaker asymmetrical capability and comparable to
'b asym.
C. Comments and results
Tab.1 shows the characteristic values of the short-circuit
current at the fault points for the IEC 909, the ANSI
Standard, and the dynamic simulation carried out by means
of the EMTP simulation program [13]. The table refers
respectively to the faults F1, F2 and F3 (fig.1) and the
symmetrical and asymmetrical breaking currents are
evaluated at fm=O. 1 s (5 cycles).
Referring to Tab.1, it is possible to make the following
comments.
- The IEC 909 and the ANSI Standard give results that are
overestimated with respect to dynamic simulation, clearly in
favour of a safety margin. In general, this overestimation is
less marked in the ANSI Standard: its results are closer than
the IEC 909 to those obtained by the dynamic simulation.
- The IEC 909 does not indicate how to calculate Ib asp in
this example, while it is possible to deduce it by the
procedure used in the ANSI Standard, obtaining values in
agreement with the dynamic simulation.
-
- In case of fault F1, the IEC 909 differently from the
-
ANSI does not take into account the contribution of
TABLE I
CHARACTERISTICVALUES (IN kA)OFTHE SHORT-CIRCUITCURRENTAT PI, FZ AND
F3 (SEE FIG.1): COMPARISONBETWEEN ANSI. IEC STANDARoSAND DYNAMIC
SIMULATION. THE CHARACTERISTICVALUES ARE REPRESENTED W l l l i THE
SYMBOLSUSEDIN THE IEC909 (SEE SEC.IIA).THE PEAK VALUE F O R T H E h S I IS
CALCULAmD B m WlTH THE EXACT VALUE OF X/R AND MULTIPLYING THE FIRST
CYCLE E/X BY 2.7 ON THE BRACKETS)
Fault location I ANSI IEC I EMTP
I",=2 1.04 Yk=22.73 1",=22.03
motors. Dynarmc simulation confirms this approach. In fact,
the corresponding contribution (expressed as the current in
the primary of the three-winding transformer) has, for
example, a peak value of 0.46 kA which is negligible. Even
using the ANSI Standard but neglecting the contribution of
motors, we obtained for example a peak value of 54.12 kA,
very close to the one referred in Tab.I(54.49 U).
- Concerning the calculation of $, by the ANSI Standard, it
is possible to note that, using the c d c i e n t derived by the
actual X/R instead of the coefficient 2.7, its determination in
the case of F1 and F3 is closer than in the case of F2 to the
one by EMTP. In fact, in the cases Fl and F3 the ratio WR
is lower than 25 (about equal to 18 and 24, respectively)
while in F2 it is greater than 25 (about equal to 60).
- In the case of fault F3 it is possible to note a difference
on the value of I, determined by the two standards compared
with the dynamic simulation. This is due both to the beating
of the symmetrical component of the short-circuit current (a
typical dynamic phenomenon, which is clearly shown in
fig.2) and to the overestimation by the standards of motor
contributions to the fault (see Tab.11 and the corresponding
comments).
As concems the calculation of the contributions to the
fault current, it is important to note that the ANSI Standard
seems not explicitly to consider this possibility.
Nevertheless, it is possible to imagine the calculation of
these contributions considering the reactance of the
corresponding network branches and attributing to them the
relevant E K .
Tab.11 reports the contributions to the fault F3 current
from the three-winding transformer AT (secondary B side),
from the group of motors M1-M7 and from the motors M+T
15-20, feeding the fault through their transformers. As
shown in Tab.11, the proposed method to determine the fault
current contributions with the ANSI Standard gives results
in accordance to the IEC Standard and both the standard

F1 ip=54.49(56.80) ip=56.64 ip=51.71 40. I I I I I I

I
I,=20.99 I,=22.57 Ib=20.30 [kAl

I, =,,,,=2 1.30 - I, =,,,,=20.47 20.

I

I",=75.83 I"y81.42 I",=7 1.62

F2 i,=208.94 (204.69) ip=217.36 i,=201.65

0.
1,=74.35 I,=74.43 1,=60.23

I, =,,,,=87.50 - I, =,,,,=87.80
-20.

-40. I I I I I I I
1,=25.98 1,=23.68 I,=17.75 ,005 .1 .2 Is1 .3

I, ss,,,,=28.06 - Ibar,,,,=21.63
Fig.2. Symmetrical short-circuit current in the case of fault F3.

1425
 TABLE I1 IV. CONCLUSIONS
CON-rrUBUIlONSOF THE CHARACEUSTIC VALUES OFTHE FAULT
F3 CURRENT
FROM THE AUXILIARY
TRANSFORMER OF MV MUTORS
(AT). FROM THE GROUP The present work performed a comparison between two of
(MI..M7)AND FROM THE GROUP
OFTRANSFORMERS-MOTORS
(M+T,I5..ZO) the most significant international standards for short-circuit
calculation: the IEC 909 Standard and the ANSVEEEE
C37.010-1979. Although the methodologies of the two
standards are both based on a steady-state approximation of
18.27 18.17 17.55 the short-circuit phenomenon, they are quite different. The
ANSI Standard is more oriented to breaker selection, while
I", X(Ml..M7) 9.13 10.00 7.82 the IEC Standard gives general guidelines for short-circuit
I", C(M+T,15..20) 2.35 2.63 1.55 current computation: consequently the comparative analysis
was not so evident and some detailed considerations had to
48.40 51.39 49.40 be done in performing the comparison. A set of short-circuit
24.19 24.77 10.87
currents, directly extracted from the standards or obtainable
after some elaborations, were determined as values useful
6.22 5.03 3.41 for the comparison. A detailed dynamic analysis performed
by using a well known program for electromagnetic
'bAT 18.22 18,17 16.97
simulation was used as reference for the comparison between
Ib C(Ml..M7) 6.09 4.82 1.15 the two standards. This latter analysis is expected to provide
a more accurate evaluation of the short-circuit currents
Ib qM+T,15..20) 1.66 0.69 0 because of its inherent superiority in modelling the physical
phenomenon.
The comparison between the two standards carried out in
procedures overestimate fault currents with respect to the this paper shows that the IEC 909 is somewhat more
dynamic simulation results. ponderous than the ANSI Standard. Hypotheses and
This overestimation is higher for motor contributions, as assumptions are more numerous and more detailed in the
above mentioned, due to the fact that the dynamic simulation IEC 909 than in the ANSI Standard. In the former standard
takes into account the electric and mechanical transient more information and more formulae about the possibility of
behaviour of the motors. Only this simulation can reveal that neglecting motor contributions are presented, as well as the
basis for determining whether short-circuit is to be
during the short-circuit transient the motors near to the fault
considered near or far-from-generators. The ANSI Standard
point behave as generators (the torque changes its sign) but
presents more empirical but as much efficient solutions. The
the motors far from the fault point still operate as motors. results of calculations, in fact, confirm that both the
Fig.3, depicting the transient of the MV motor torques in the standards gives satisfactory approximations of the short-
case of fault F3, is a significant example of this. circuit currents whch are, mostly, on the safety side.
Sometimes the better accuracy offered by dynamic analysis
T CkNml becomes a must, such as in case of short-circuit currents that
4 /I exibit a large asymmetrical component, or when more
detailed information about actual rotating machine
contributions are needed, or when evaluation of voltage
regulator effects on fault currents is required. Nevertheless
the traditional short-circuit analysis based on the standards'
methodologies is still very important. The adoption of the
standards (and of adequately validated computer programs
based on their methodologies) should be encouraged if an
unique reference for comparing different designs is needed,
particularly at the beginning of a project development, or if
there is lack of data and of their accuracy for transient
" -
-5x ,m 1.0
analysis.
Although the EMTP simulation program used in this
t Cmrl paper is widely adopted, there is still no evidence of the
existence of a uniquely recognized international dynamic
Fig3. Torques (T) ofmotors Ml..M7 and M8..M14respectively in case of program which can be used as a reference, in the same way
fault F3. as the international standars are.

1426
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