Battery and DC System Protection Coordination (Very GOOD)

BATTERY & DC BACKUP
SYSTEM PROTECTION
COORDINATION
Haïssam Nasrat P.Eng.
8/28/2011 Primax Technologies Inc. 1

Protection Coordination “AGAIN”?
It’s been already well covered by many

studies and books...
Introduction
Very simple:
99% of all available literature and

standards are about AC applications.
Very few cover DC faults.
Introduction
In this presentation, We’ll focus on
Fault (short circuit) coordination
assuming that overload protection is much
easier to define and manage.
Challenge
Better understand the whole DC backup
system fault behaviour in order to get to a
conclusion for safe and reliable solution.
Introduction
In typical DC backup systems multiple sources
of energy are:
 connected in parallel
 simultaneously contributing into the fault
 Each has different time constant and
amplitude
Fault effect reflected on AC mains must be
taken in consideration.
Ex. 2 chargers, 1 or more batteries, inductive

loads, fully charged capacitors....
Rational
Once breaking current of each source is
defined, one has to refer to the country
standard to specify the required
components
IEC std ratings and requirements may
vary from CSA, UL, IEEE, NFPA...
Rule
Fuses, circuit breakers, switches, bus bars,
cables and other equipment need to
operate safely and reliably during fault:
Breakers and Fuses

Need to open SELECTIVELY
Cables, switches, bus bars...

Need to WITHSTAND the fault energy
Bottom line
For the purpose of this discussion we define
the following:
 Fault: refers to a very low impedance path
created when both polarity conductors are
shorted.
 Failure: refers to over-current: Ex. Failing
load, leakage in battery or DC source has lost
regulation
 As always, Ohm’s law applies: I = V /∑ Z
Z: individual component impedance including interconnecting
cable resistance.
Basics
During fault evolution:
System voltage decays gradually.
The decay rate is related to impedance
rate-of-change
of all parallel sources over the period of
time before that protection devices open.
This calculation is less accurate than the

initial fault current.
Steady state fault

At the occurrence of a fault, a badly coordinated protection
device may lead to:
 Device failure: Circuit breaker contacts may weld during
opening, so the fault is not interrupted
 Explosion: the device will explode due to the energy
available during the fault arcing.
 Fire: due to the arc ignition of material during the contact
opening
 Injury or death: Operators will be operating in unsafe
environment.
Note: Arc flash hazard level is directly proportional to the

duration of the arc fault.
Effects
To define minimum protection fault current
ratings, we need to evaluate the
contribution in the fault of each of the DC
components
Energy sources
Let’s looks first to typical DC backup
system layouts:
Typical layouts
Typical layout
Redundant layout
Redundant complex layout
Typical nuclear layout
Typical battery charger layout
Battery Charger output under fault
Contribution of different DC
components
Depending on the battery technology, plate
thickness and number, specific gravity (in
the case of Lead acid batteries) available
fault current may vary.
Check with battery manufacturers for the
exact fault current.
Time constant: consider ≈ 10ms
Battery
Typical 350AH battery fault current at its
terminals:
 VLA 0.33” thick Flat calcium plate battery with
1.215 SG: 3200A
Tubular VLA 0.35” thick plate battery with 1.215
SG: 3400A
 AGM VRLA : 4361A
 Gel VRLA: 3750A
 Ni-Cd Medium performance: 3200A
Battery example
 Capacitors are a source of large instantaneous
currents
 Consider time constant ≈ 10 ms
 Ex. 8 x 10,000uF-200VDC- ESR:20mΩ
with line impedance of 0.1Ω
Filter Capacitors
8 x 10,000uF-
200VDC
ESR:20mΩ
with line
impedance of
0.1Ω
C (uF) R(Ω) Vo RC(s) Vc Imax(A) Q (uC) I(A)

Vo . e(-t/RC) Vo/R CVo(e-t/RC)(Voe(-t/RC))/R
80 000 0,1 136 0,008 1360 10880000 1360
at t=0 1360 A
t=RC(s) 0,008 I at 1 RC 500 A
t=2 RC(s) 0,016 I at 2RC 184 A
Capacitor discharge case

Magnitude of faults depends mainly on:
 AC mains impedance
 Power transformer impedance
 Inductive filter design
 Other series components
As a rule of thumb take 15-20 times the full current rating

time constant ≈ 25ms
Ex. 500A battery charger with a 3.5% Z transformer
impedance may deliver up to
10 000A during a short circuit until its own protection gets
into action to interrupt.
Charger/rectifier
Main concern is DC motors:
They operate switchgear, turbine lube pumps
During deceleration, motors act as a generators
contributing in the short circuit.
- Consider that all motors are connected and running at

the time of the fault
- Typical motor armature has large L/R time constant ≈

20-60ms  lower di/dt  longer time to clear
protection
- Rule of thumb: Use 4 times of running FLA
Inductive loads
 It’s not bad to have high fault availability from the
source to efficiently perform selective clearance.
 So if the protection fuse or breaker has larger I2t than

what the source can provide, then this protection
cannot clear its load fault.
 Ex. Switchmode power supplies provide fast current

limiting and current foldback feature leading to a
challenge in clearing faults.
Note
Fuse or circuit breaker?
Both provide over-current, short circuit

protection, selective coordination and arc
flash protection.
Breakers can provide remote monitoring,

adjustability, reset and control.
Semiconductor fuses for ex. can provide sub-
cycle fault protection and long term overload
capacity
Protection
Fuses Circuit Breakers
DC Interrupting KA ++ -
Flexibility (optional features) + +++++
Adjustable - +++
Resettable - ++++
Reliability (maintenance) ++ -
Arc flash protection + ++++
delay trip must be at minimum
Fuse or circuit breaker?

Fuse data
Fuse
block
data
Fuse coordination curves
Circuit Breaker Data
Circuit Breaker Data
At first, one
can think
that
protection is
perfect:
250A CB is
HKD400 fed from
HJD250 400A main
CB!!
Case:
DC protection
coordination
Breakers coordination
3500ASC
Total Fault at X:
2x3500A
+
2x7250A
7250ASC 7250ASC =
21500A
+ inductive
HJD250 HKD400 HKD400
22kADC breakers
X
To
Inverter
Case
Soft start
If fault occurs during the soft start period of the rectifiers, available currents can
be limited to lower value and chargers might shut down.
Inherent current limit

Depending on the fault evolution over time, rectifiers may or may not limit their
output current during faults
Ground Leakage alarms

in a floating DC system, this alarm will alert user for 1st polarity ground leakage
which may not cause operation failure although it can be a safety hazard. A 2nd
polarity ground leakage may cause high impedance fault through the ground.
Connection cables
Interconnecting cable impedance reduces the fault current. This depends on their
material, cross section and length. In general, battery interconnecting cable
voltage drop is accounted in the short circuit capabilities of the batteries.
Ex. 4/0-259 strands copper cable has a DC resistance of 0.15 Ω /km.
Other protection considerations

 IEEE 946: Recommended Practice for the Design of DC Auxiliary Power
Systems for Generating Stations
 IEEE 1375: Guide for the Protection of Stationary Battery Systems
 IEEE 1584 empirical equations are used to calculate arc-flash levels
 ANSI/IEEE C37.40 (1993), "Standard Service Conditions and Definitions for
High-Voltage Fuses, Distribution Enclosed Single-Pole Air Switches, Fuse
Disconnecting Switches, and Accessories"
 IEC 60909: Short-circuit currents in three-phase-a.c. systems
 IEC 60947: Low-voltage switchgear and control gear
 IEC 60127 family: requirements applicable to fuses
 UL 489 and CSA 22.2-5-09 Harmonized Standards: Molded-Case Circuit
Breakers, Molded-Case Switches and Circuit-Breaker Enclosures
Few applicable standards

During faults, DC system components
response will be non linear, resulting into
complicated behaviour.
Consequently, “rule of thumb” and past
experience might be needed to define
breaking currents.
Conclusion
However,
in special or large applications,
Rules of thumb might lead to
overestimated values affecting the size
and cost of the installation.
So, in this case, more accurate

assumptions and calculations must be
made.
Conclusion
Take all precautions to properly define your
equipment protection and selectivity:
ASK FOR
 Breaking capacity of protection device
Fault capabilities of all connected energy
sources
Require professionals with relevant

experience and background to help
Conclusion
QUESTIONS?

Thank you !

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BATTERY & DC BACKUP

8/28/2011 Primax Technologies Inc. 1

It’s been already well covered by many

99% of all available literature and

Ex. 2 chargers, 1 or more batteries, inductive

Breakers and Fuses

Cables, switches, bus bars...

This calculation is less accurate than the

Steady state fault

Note: Arc flash hazard level is directly proportional to the

C (uF) R(Ω) Vo RC(s) Vc Imax(A) Q (uC) I(A)

Capacitor discharge case

As a rule of thumb take 15-20 times the full current rating

- Consider that all motors are connected and running at

- Typical motor armature has large L/R time constant ≈

- Rule of thumb: Use 4 times of running FLA

 So if the protection fuse or breaker has larger I2t than

 Ex. Switchmode power supplies provide fast current

Both provide over-current, short circuit

Breakers can provide remote monitoring,

Fuse or circuit breaker?

Inherent current limit

Ground Leakage alarms

Other protection considerations

Few applicable standards

So, in this case, more accurate

Require professionals with relevant

8/28/2011 Primax Technologies Inc. 42

8/28/2011 Primax Technologies Inc. 43

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