PE452

Power System Protection

Lecture 13: Distance Protection of
Transmission Lines
Dr. Ammar Arshad
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Electrical Engineering
Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering
Sciences and Technology
ammar.arshad@giki.edu.pk
 Draw backs of OC Protection
• OC relay is dependent on Fault current magnitude
• Fault current is a function of:
– Source Impedance
– Fault Type

Define the reach

of relay for
three faults????
1
Draw backs of OC Protection

• Need a protection that is independent of the fault

current magnitude 2
Distance Protection
• Reach of the relay is set from A – B
• Line is modelled as a R-L circuit

3
Distance Protection

4
Distance Protection

• Distance protection trip law

• Ratio of 𝑉𝑅 to 𝐼𝑅 is the apparent impedance seen by

the relay

• Under-impedance relay (Impedance relay)

• Using magnitudes, what does it mean?????

5
Distance Protection
• Characteristics of Impedance relay

6
Distance Protection
• Arc resistance

7
Trip law using universal torque equation

What is an operating and restraining torque??

8
Trip law using universal torque equation
• Assume 𝑘1 is greater than 𝑘2 :

• Simple impedance relay is an overcurrent relay

with voltage restraint
9
Balanced beam structure of Z-relay

What is the purpose of spring????

10
Performance of Z-Relay
Normal Load flow

Why impedance is high during normal load???

11
Performance of Z-Relay
Arc resistance impact

Relay will under reach

12
Performance of Z-Relay
Directional Property

Relay will operate

for both faults

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 Performance of Z-Relay
During Power Swings
• Rotor angle undergoes oscillations
• The frequency of oscillations is quite low????

Larger operating area of

The locus of the tip of relay ????
impedance passes through
the electrical center of the
transmission system

14
 Reactance relay
• Universal torque equation

• Set
– 𝑘1 positive (current will be there to provide the tripping torque)
– 𝑘2 zero
– 𝑘3 negative (cause directional torque to oppose tripping)

• Simplifying

• 𝑍𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑛 is the apparent impedance seen by relay 15

 Reactance relay
• MTA=90 &

• The trip law is:

Why straight line ???

If MTA not equal to 90??

16
Reactance relay
• During normal load
– Always operate for the normal load
– Need supervision from other relay if to be used for
transmission line protection

17
Reactance relay
• Arc resistance
– Reactance does not change with the arc resistance
– Application in fault locators

18
Reactance relay

• Directional Property
– Set for Line AB
– Operate for forward
fault till line length
– Also operate for all the
reverse faults
– Need directional relay
or mho relay

19
Reactance relay
• Power swings

How will it operate ?????

20
 Mho relay
• Universal torque equation

• Set
– 𝑘1 zero
– 𝑘2 negative (make the voltage provide restraining torque)
– 𝑘3 positive (make directional element produce tripping torque)

• Simplifying

• 𝑍𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑛 is the apparent impedance seen by relay

• 𝑍𝑛 is the ratio pf 𝑘3 and 𝑘2 21
Mho relay

What are 𝜽 and 𝝉 ???

What is diameter of the circle???
22
Mho relay
• Normal Load flow
– Outside the trip region

23
Mho relay
• Arc resistance

24
Mho relay

• Directional Property
– Directional relay can be
considered as mho relay
with infinite radius
– Voltage restraint makes
the radius finite
– Mho relay is the
directional relay with
voltage restraint

25
Mho relay
During power swing
• Smaller area than
impedance relay
• Large swings will
enter the circle
• Blinders to block the
power swing

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Comparison between distance relays

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 Distance Protection of Three-Phase line
Phase Faults

What voltages and

currents should be
fed
to the
distance relays???

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Distance Protection of Three-Phase line
• KVL

• But the sequence voltages are not readily available

• To get the relationship in terms of phase voltages
and currents:

29
Distance Protection of Three-Phase line
• Similarly

• What are the inputs for the measurement of 𝒁𝟏 ???

• Need 2 more units whose inputs are?????

• Known as phase fault units

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Distance Protection of Three-Phase line
Ground Faults

31
Distance Protection of Three-Phase line

K is the residual current compensation factor

So, three distance measuring units with inputs:

How many distance units are required for distance protection

of transmission lines????? 32
Protection of three phase line

Why OR gate???

33
Three stepped distance protection

Inaccuracies in distance relay reach (never 100%)

• Inaccuracies in CTs and PTs measurements
• Ambiguities in line parameters (never measured)
• Line parameters’ variation with atmospheric conditions
• DC offset in fault current
– Causes Overreach

34
Three stepped distance protection

Zone 1 : 80-90% of the line

Zone 2 : 100% of the line +50% of the adjoining line
Zone 3: 100% of the line +100% of the adjoining line
+ some portion of the next line 35
Three stepped distance protection
Zone 1
• Primary protection for 80-90% of the line
• Instantaneous protection

Zone 2
• Primary protection for the remaining 20% of the line
• Secondary protection for the 50% of the second line
– In the case of max. under reach it should be able to cover the
bus bar faults
– If more than 1 adjoining lines, the zone 2 should be up to
the 50% of the shortest of the two lines

36
Three stepped distance protection
• If the Zone 2 is set to be the 50% of the longest of
the 2 lines:
– Loss of selectivity
– Example fault between D1 and D2

37
Three stepped distance protection

Zone 3
• Full backup to the adjoining line (100%)
• Extended further into the system (vary length)
• Extended reach is to provide full back up to the
adjoining line in case of the maximum under reach
of the zone 3

38
Three stepped distance protection

Time delays

39
Three stepped distance protection
Trip Contact Configuration
• All the contacts are normally open
• 𝐹𝐷 detect the faults and closes
– 𝑍1 operates instantaneously
– Timers are initiated for the 𝑍1 and 𝑍2

40
Three stepped distance protection
Doubly fed line
• 60% line get the instantaneous protection
• 40% line get Zone 2 protection (Delayed)

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Example

• Set the zones of protecion

Zone 3 calculations????

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