list of terms and their meanings

The Protection Engineer must be familiar with a range of technical terms in all areas of
protection engineering. Below is a list of terms and their meanings that are now
commonly encountered in the Protection and Control field.

NO. TERMS MEANINGS

1 AC Alternating Current
2 ACB Air Circuit Breaker
3 ACCURACY The accuracy of a transducer is defined by the limits of intrinsic
error and by the limits of variations.
4 ACCURACY A number used to indicate the accuracy range of a measurement
CLASS transducer, according to a defined standard.
5 ACTIVE POWER A transducer used for the measurement of active electrical power
(WATT)
TRANSDUCER

6 ADC Analogue to Digital Converter

7 A/D The process of converting an analogue signal into an equivalent
CONVERSION digital one, involving the use of an analogue to digital converter

8 ADJUSTMENT The operation intended to bring a transducer into a state of

performance suitable for its use
9 AI Analogue Input
10 AIS Air Insulated Switchgear
11 ALARM An alarm is any event (see below) tagged as an alarm during the
configuration phase
12 ALF Accuracy Limitation Factor of a current transformer
13 ALL-OR- RELAY An electrical relay which is intended to be energised by a
NOTHING quantity, whose value is either higher than that at which it picks
RELAY up or lower than that at which it drops out
14 ANTI-PUMPING A feature incorporated in a Circuit Breaker or reclosing scheme to
DEVICE prevent repeated operation where the closing impulse lasts longer
than the sum of the relay and CB operating times

15 AO Analogue Output
16 AR (OR A/R) Auto Reclose: A function associated with CB, implemented to
carry out reclosure automatically to try to clear a transient fault

17 ARCING TIME The time between instant of separation of the CB contacts and
the instant of arc extinction

HUMAID AL-MAZROUEI
NO. TERMS MEANINGS
18 ARIP Auto-Reclose In Progress
19 AUTO- A power transformer that does not provide galvanic isolation
TRANSFORMER between primary and secondary windings
20 AUX Auxiliary
21 AUXILIARY A circuit which is usually energised by the auxiliary supply but is
CIRCUIT sometimes energised by the measured quantity
22 AUXILIARY An all-or-nothing relay energised via another relay, for example a
RELAY measuring relay, for the purpose of providing higher rated
contacts, or introducing a time delay, or providing multiple outputs
from a single input.
23 AUXILIARY An a.c. or d.c. electrical supply other than the measured quantity
SUPPLY which is necessary for the correct operation of the transducer

24 BIOS Basic Input/Output System (of a computer or microprocessor)

25 BIAS CURRENT The current used as a bias quantity in a biased relay

26 BIASED RELAY A relay in which the characteristics are modified by the
introduction of some quantity other than the actuating quantity,
and which is usually in opposition to the actuating quantity

27 BCP Bay Control Point A local keypad at bay level to control the
elements of a single bay
28 BCD Binary Coded Decimal
29 BC Bay Computer (or Bay Controller) Computer dedicated to the
control of one or several bays within a substation
30 BAY The switchgear, isolators and other equipment typically associated
with a single circuit, bus section, or bus coupler.
31 BAR Block Auto-Reclose signal
32 BACK-UP A protection system intended to supplement the main protection in
PROTECTION case the latter should be ineffective, or to deal with faults in those
parts of the power system that are not readily included in the
operating zones of the main protection

33 B Susceptance
34 AWG American Wire Gauge
35 AVR Automatic Voltage Regulator

HUMAID AL-MAZROUEI
NO. TERMS MEANINGS
36 BURDEN The loading imposed by the circuits of the relay on the
energising power source or sources, expressed as the
product of voltage and current (volt-amperes, or watts if
d.c.) for a given condition, which may be either at ‘setting’ or
at rated current or voltage. The rated output of measuring
transformers, expressed in VA, is always at rated current or
voltage and it is important, in assessing the burden imposed
by a relay, to ensure that the value of burden at rated
current is used
37 C Capacitance
38 C/O Changeover Contacts ('form c')
39 CAD Computer Aided Design
40 CALIBRATION The set of operations, which establish under specified
conditions, the relationship between values indicated by a
transducer and the corresponding values of a quantity
realised by a reference standard. (This should not be
confused with ‘adjustment’)
41 CB Circuit Breaker
42 CBCT Core Balance Current Transformer
43 CH Channel. Usually, a communication or signalling channel
45 CHARACTERISTIC The angle between the vectors representing two of the
ANGLE energising quantities applied to a relay and used for the
declaration of the performance of the relay
46 CHARACTERISTIC The curve showing the operating value of the characteristic
CURVE quantity corresponding to various values or combinations of
the energising quantities
47 CHARACTERISTIC The maximum value of the System Impedance Ratio up to
IMPEDANCE which the relay performance remains within the prescribed
RATIO (C.I.R.) limits of accuracy
48 CHARACTERISTIC A quantity, the value of which characterizes the operation of
QUANTITY the relay, for example, current for an overcurrent relay,
voltage for a voltage relay, phase angle for a directional
relay, time for an independent time delay relay, impedance
for an impedance relay
49 CHECK An auxiliary protection system intended to prevent tripping
PROTECTION due to inadvertent operation of the main protection system
SYSTEM

NO TERMS MEANINGS

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 .
50 CHP Combined Heat and Power
51 CIP Critical Infrastructure Protection standards, for example
covering cyber security.
52 CIRCUIT The highest circuit voltage to earth on which a circuit of a
INSULATION transducer may be used and which determines its voltage test
VOLTAGE
53 CLASS INDEX The number which designates the accuracy class
54 CLOSING The time during which a closing impulse is given to the CB
IMPULSE TIME
55 CLOSING TIME The time for a CB to close, from the time of energisation of the
closing circuit to making of the CB contacts
56 COMPLIANCE For current output signals only, the output voltage up to which
VOLTAGE the transducer meets its accuracy specification
(ACCURACY
LIMITING
OUTPUT
VOLTAGE)

57 CONJUNCTIVE A test of a protection system including all relevant

TEST components and ancillary equipment appropriately
interconnected. The test may be parametric or specific
58 CONVERSION The relationship of the value of the measurand to the
COEFFICIENT corresponding value of the output
59 CORE A ring-type Current Transformer in which all primary
BALANCE conductors are passed through the aperture of the CBCT.
CURRENT Hence the secondary current is proportional only to any
TRANSFORMER imbalance in current. Used for sensitive earth-fault protection

60 COUNTING A relay that counts the number of times it is energised and

RELAY actuates an output after a desired count has been reached.
61 COURIER A proprietary data protocol for exchanging information
associated with substation automation.
62 CYCLIC Character (or Comma) Separated Values format A widely
REDUNDANCY used format for the exchange of data between different
CHECK CSV software, in which the individual data items a separated by a
known character – usually a comma
63 CT Current Transformer

NO. TERMS MEANINGS

64 CURRENT A transducer used for the measurement of a.c. current
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HUMAID AL-MAZROUEI
 TRANSDUCER
65 CCVT (OR CVT) Capacitor Coupled Voltage Transformer A voltage
transformer that uses capacitors to obtain voltage division.
These are used at EHV voltages instead of electromagnetic
VTs, for size and cost reasons
66 DAR Delayed auto-reclose
67 DBMS Data Base Management system
68 DC Direct current
69 DCP Device Control Point: local keypad on device level to control
the switchgear, often combined with local/remote switch
70 DCS Digital Control System
71 DEAD TIME The time between the fault arc being extinguished and the
(AUTO- CB contacts re-making
RECLOSE)
72 DEF Directional Earth Fault protection
73 DE-IONISATION The time required for dispersion of ionised air after a fault is
TIME (AUTO- cleared so that the arc will not re-strike on re-energisation
RECLOSE)
74 DELAYED An auto-reclosing scheme which has a time delay in excess
AUTO- of the minimum required for successful operation
RECLOSE
75 DEPENDABILIT A measure of a protection scheme's ability to operate
Y correctly when it is called upon
76 DEPENDENT A measuring relay for which times depend, in a specified
TIME manner, on the value of the characteristic quantity
MEASURING
RELAY
77 DFT Discrete Fourier Transform
78 DG Distributed Generation
79 DI Digital Input
80 DIGITAL SIGNAL A microprocessor optimised in both hardware architecture
PROCESSOR and software instruction set for the processing of analogue
signals digitally, through use of the DFT and similar
techniques
81 DIGITAL SIGNAL A technique for the processing of digital signals by various
PROCESSING filter algorithms to obtain some desired characteristics in the
output. The input signal to the processing algorithm is
usually the digital representation of an analogue signal,
obtained by A/D conversion
82 DIRECT-ON- A method of motor starting, in which full line voltage is
LINE (DOL) applied to a stationary motor

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NO. TERMS MEANINGS
83 DIRECTIONAL A protection relay in which the tripping decision is dependent in part
RELAY upon the direction in which the measured quantity is flowing
84 DISCRIMINATION The ability of a protection system to distinguish between power
system conditions for which it is intended to operate and those for
which it is not intended to operate
85 DISTORTION The ratio of the r.m.s. value of the harmonic content to the r.m.s.
FACTOR value of the non-sinusoidal quantity
86 DLR Dynamic Line Rating. This is a technique to adapt thermal protection
to include additional line heating and cooling factors, in addition to
the traditional inputs of current and ambient temperature. Wind
speed, wind direction and solar radiation sensors may be added to
the scheme in order to more accurately simulate the thermal state
and allow greater line loadability.
87 DNP Distributed Network Protocol. A communication protocol used on
secondary networks between HMI, substation computers or Bay
Computers and protective devices
88 DO Digital Output
89 DROP-OUT (OR A relay drops out when it moves from the energised position to the
DROP-OFF) un-energised position

90 DROP-OUT/PICK- The ratio of the limiting values of the characteristic quantity at which
UP RATIO the relay resets and operates. This value is sometimes called the
differential of the relay
91 DSP Digital Signal Processing
92 DT Definite time
93 EARTH FAULT A protection system which is designed to respond only to faults to
PROTECTION earth
SYSTEM
94 EARTHING A three-phase transformer intended essentially to provide a neutral
TRANSFORMER point to a power system for the purpose of earthing

95 EFFECTIVE The range of values of the characteristic quantity or quantities, or of

RANGE the energising quantities to which the relay will respond and satisfy
the requirements concerning it, in particular those concerning
precision
96 EFFECTIVE The ‘setting’ of a protection system including the effects of current
SETTING transformers. The effective setting can be expressed in terms of
primary current or secondary current from the current transformers
and is so designated as appropriate

NO. TERMS MEANINGS

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97 ELECTRICAL RELAY A device designed to produce sudden predetermined changes in
one or more electrical circuits after the appearance of certain
conditions in the electrical circuit or circuits controlling it
NOTE: The term ‘relay’ includes all the ancillary equipment
calibrated with the device
98 ELECTROMECHANICAL An electrical relay in which the designed response is developed by
RELAY the relative movement of mechanical elements under the action of a
current in the input circuit
99 EMC Electro-Magnetic Compatibility

100 EMBEDDED Generation that is connected to a distribution system (possibly at LV

GENERATION instead of HV) and hence poses particular problems in respect of
electrical protection
101 E.M.F. Electro-motive Force (or voltage)

102 ENERGISING The electrical quantity, either current or voltage, which along or in
QUANTITY combination with other energising quantities, must be applied to the
relay to cause it to function
103 EPROM Electrically Programmable Read Only Memory
104 ERROR (OF A The actual value of the output minus the intended value of the
TRANSDUCER) output, expressed algebraically
105 EUT Equipment Under Test in certification activities
106 EVENT An event is any information acquired or produced by the digital
control system
107 FAT Factory Acceptance Test. Validation procedures witnessed by the
customer at the factory
108 FAULT PASSAGE A sensor that detects the passage of current in excess of a set
INDICATOR value (i.e. current due to a fault) at the location of the sensor.
Hence, it indicates that the fault lies downstream of the sensor
109 FBD Functional Block Diagram: One of the IEC 61131-3 programming
languages
110 FFT Fast Fourier Transform

111 FIDUCIAL VALUE A clearly specified value to which reference is made in order to
specify the accuracy of a transducer (For transducers, the fiducial
value is the span, except for transducers having a reversible and
symmetrical output when the fiducial value may be either the span
or half the span as specified by the manufacturer. It is still common
practice, however, for statements of accuracy for frequency
transducers to refer to ‘percent of centre-scale frequency’ and, for
phase angle transducers, to an error in electrical degrees.)
112 FLC Full Load Current (full nominal rated load current for the electrical
equipment)
113 FPI Fault Passage Indicator

NO TERMS MEANINGS
.
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114 FREQUENCY A transducer used for the measurement of the frequency of an a.c.
TRANSDUCER electrical quantity
115 FULL DUPLEX A communications system in which data can travel simultaneously
COMMUNICATIONS in both directions
116 FUZZY LOGIC A probability-based extension to straight binary logic, whereby
intermediate fractional values between limits of 0 and 1 are used
117 G Conductance
118 GATEWAY The Gateway is a computer which provides interfaces between the
local computer system and one or several SCADA (or RCC)
systems
119 GIS Gas Insulated Switchgear (usually SF6)
120 GLOBAL A system used for locating objects on Earth precisely, using a
POSITIONING system of satellites in geostationary orbit in Space. Used by some
SYSTEM numerical relays to obtain accurate UTC time information
121 GMT Greenwich Mean Time
122 GOOSE Generic Object Oriented Substation Event. An IEC61850 Ethernet
control mechanism in which status and value data is grouped into
a data set and transmitted within a set time period. Typically
applied for peer-peer communication between devices such as
relays and other IEDs
123 GPS Global Positioning System
124 HALF- DUPLEX A communications system in which data can travel in both
COMMUNICATIONS directions, but only in one direction at a time
125 HI-Z Sometimes used to indicate high impedance unit protection, but
sometimes used to indicate downed conductor protection.
126 HIGH-SPEED A reclosing scheme where re-closure is carried out without any
RECLOSING time delay other than that required for de-ionisation, etc.
127 HMI Human Machine Interface. The means by which a human inputs
data to and receives data from a computer-based system. This
usually takes the form of a Personal Computer (PC) (desktop or
portable) with keyboard, screen and pointing device. This term is
also used to describe the front panel interface on numerical relays.
128 HRC High Rupturing Capacity (applicable to fuses)
129 HSR High Speed Auto-Reclose. Also denotes High-availability
Seamless ring for redundant Ethernet topology as per IEC62439
130 HV High Voltage
131 HVDC High Voltage Direct Current

HUMAID AL-MAZROUEI
NO. TERMS MEANINGS
132 I Current
133 I/O Input/Output
134 ICCP Term used for IEC 60870-6-603 protocol
135 ICT Interposing Current Transformer
136 IDMT Inverse Definite Minimum Time
137 IEC International Electrotechnical Commission
138 IED Intelligent Electronic Device. Equipment containing a
microprocessor and software used to implement one or more
functions in relation to an item of electrical equipment (e.g. a
bay controller, remote SCADA interface/protocol converter). A
microprocessor-based numerical relay is also an IED. IED is a
generic term used to describe any microprocessor-based
equipment, apart from a computer
139 IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
140 IGBT Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor. These are typically used in
high-speed high-break static output contacts
141 INDEPENDENT A measuring relay, the specified time for which can be
TIME MEASURING considered as being independent, within specified limits, of the
RELAY value of the characteristic quantity
142 INFLUENCE A quantity which is not the subject of the measurement but
QUANTITY which influences the value of the output signal for a constant
value of the measurand
143 INPUT QUANTITY The quantity, or one of the quantities, which constitute the
signals received by the transducer from the measured system
144 INSTANTANEOUS A relay that operates and resets with no intentional time delay.
RELAY NOTE: All relays require some time to operate; it is possible,
within the above Meanings, to discuss the operating time
characteristics of an instantaneous relay
145 INSULATED GATE A special design of transistor that is suitable for handling high
BIPOLAR voltages and currents (relative to an ordinary transistor).
TRANSISTOR Frequently used in static power control equipment (inverters,
controlled rectifiers, etc) due to the flexibility of control of the
output
146 INTRINSIC ERROR An error determined when the transducer is under reference
conditions
148 INVERSE TIME A dependent time delay relay having an operating time which is
DELAY RELAY an inverse function of the electrical characteristic quantity
149 INVERSE TIME An inverse time relay having an operating time that tends
RELAY WITH towards a minimum value with increasing values of the
DEFINITE electrical characteristic quantity
MINIMUM TIME
(IDMT)

NO. TERMS MEANINGS

HUMAID AL-MAZROUEI
150 IP Internet Protoco
151 IRIG-B An international standard for time synchronisation
152 ISO International Standards Organisation
153 K-BUS A proprietary serial communications link used by Alstom's range of
IEDs.
154 KNEE-POINT That sinusoidal e.m.f. applied to the secondary terminals of a current
E.M.F. transformer, which, when increased by 10%, causes the exciting
current to increase by 50%
155 L Inductance
156 LAN Local Area Network
157 LCD Liquid Crystal Display
158 LD Ladder Diagram. One of the IEC 61131-3 programming languages.
This can also mean an IEC61850 Logical Device
159 LDC Line drop compensation
160 LED Light Emitting Diode
161 LIMITING The upper limit of output current which cannot, by design, be exceeded
VALUE OF under any conditions
THE OUTPUT
CURRENT
162 LN Logical Node. Standardised IEC61850 data model describing the
logical attributes of a protection or control function
163 LOCAL When set for a given control point it means that the commands can be
CONTROL issued from this local point within the substation
MODE
164 LOCK-OUT Prevention of a CB reclosing after tripping
(AUTO-
RECLOSE)
165 LOL (LOSS Loss of life in the context of transformer asset monitoring
OF LIFE)
166 LOW-SPEED See Delayed auto-reclose
AUTO-
RECLOSE
167 LV Low Voltage
168 MAIN The protection system which is normally expected to operate in
PROTECTION response to a fault in the protected zone
169 MAXIMUM Values of current and voltage assigned by the manufacturer which the
PERMISSIBLE transducer will withstand indefinitely without damage
VALUES OF
THE INPUT
CURRENT
AND
VOLTAGE
169 MCB Miniature Circuit Breaker
170 MCCB Moulded Case Circuit Breaker

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NO. TERMS MEANINGS
171 MEAN-SENSING A transducer which actually measures the mean (average) value of
TRANSDUCER the input waveform but which is adjusted to give an output
corresponding to the r.m.s. value of the input when that input is
sinusoidal
172 MEASURAND A quantity subjected to measurement
173 MEASUREMENT A non-protection IED capable of measuring a large number of
CENTRE electrical system parameters
174 MEASURING A unit or module of a transducer which converts the measurand, or
ELEMENT part of the measurand, into a corresponding signal
175 MEASURING RANGE That part of the span where the performance complies with the
accuracy requirements
176 MEASURING RELAY An electrical relay intended to switch when its characteristic quantity,
under specified conditions and with a specified accuracy attains its
operating value
177 METERING (NON- Values computed depending on the values of digital or analogue
TARIFF) inputs during variable periods
178 METERING (TARIFF) Energy values computed from digital and/or analogue inputs during
variable periods and dedicated to energy measurement for billing
(tariff) purposes
179180 MODBUS Communication protocol used on secondary networks between HMI,
substation computers or Bay Computers and protective devices

181 MU Merging Unit. A merging unit connects voltage and current measured
quantities to the protection and control devices, typically using
IEC61850-9-2 Ethernet sampled values. The main task of the
merging unit is to merge current and voltage data from the three
phases, and in some applications it must translate the input received
from non-conventional sensors.
182 MULTI-ELEMENT A transducer having two or more measuring elements. The signals
TRANSDUCER from the individual elements are combined to produce an output
signal corresponding to the measurand
183 MULTI-SECTION A transducer having two or more independent measuring circuits for
TRANSDUCER one or more functions
184 MULTI-SHOT A reclosing scheme that permits more than one reclosing operation
RECLOSING of a CB after a fault occurs before lock-out occurs
185 MV Medium Voltage
186 N Neutral
187 N/C Normally Closed
188 N/O Normally Open
189 NCIT Non-Conventional Instrument Transformer, or transducer. Typically
used to describe optical, Rogowski, or other advanced solutions.
190 NERC North American Electricity Reliability Corporation

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NO. TERMS MEANINGS
191 NOMINAL RANGE OF A specified range of values which it is intended that an influence
USE quantity can assume without the output signal of the transducer
changing by amounts in excess of those specified
192 NOTCHING RELAY A relay which switches in response to a specific number of
applied impulses
193 NPS Negative Phase Sequence
194 NUMERICAL RELAY A protection relay which utilises Digital Signal Processing to
execute the protection algorithms in software
195 NV Non-volatile. Typically used to describe a secure memory
facility in numerical relays.
196 NVD Neutral Voltage Displacement
197 OCB Oil Circuit Breaker
198 OFF-LOAD TAP A tap changer that is not designed for operation while the
CHANGER transformer is supplying load
199 OHL Overhead line
201 OLTC On Load Tap Changer.
202 ON LOAD TAP A tap changer that can be operated while the transformer is
CHANGER supplying load.
203 OPENING TIME The time between energisation of a CB trip coil and the instant
of contact parting
204 OPERATING The current at which a relay will pick up
CURRENT (OF A
RELAY)
205 OPERATING TIME The time between energisation of a CB trip coil and arc
(CB) extinction
206 OPERATING TIME With a relay de-energised and in its initial condition, the time
(RELAY) which elapses between the application of a characteristic
quantity and the instant when the relay operates
207 OPERATING TIME The curve depicting the relationship between different values of
CHARACTERISTIC the characteristic quantity applied to a relay and the
corresponding values of operating time
208 OPERATING VALUE The limiting value of the characteristic quantity at which the
relay actually operates
209 OPGW Optical Ground Wire – a ground wire that includes optical fibres
to provide a communications link
210 OPTO An optically coupled logic input (also referred to as a binary
input)
211 OSI 7-LAYER MODEL The Open Systems Interconnection 7-layer model is a model
developed by ISO for modelling of a communications network.
212 OUTPUT COMMON An unwanted alternating voltage which exists between each of
MODE the output terminals and a reference point
INTERFERENCE
VOLTAGE
213 OUTPUT CURRENT The current produced by the transducer which is an analogue
(OF A TRANSDUCER) function of the measurand

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NO. TERMS MEANINGS
214 OUTPUT LOAD The total effective resistance of the circuits and apparatus
connected externally across the output terminals
215 OUTPUT POWER The power available at the transducer output terminals
(OF A
TRANSDUCER)
216 OUTPUT SERIES An unwanted alternating voltage appearing in series between
MODE the output terminals and the load
INTERFERENCE
VOLTAGE
217 OUTPUT SIGNAL An analogue or digital representation of the measurand
218 OUTPUT SPAN The algebraic difference between the lower and upper nominal
(SPAN) values of the output signal
219 OVERCURRENT A protection relay whose tripping decision is related to the
RELAY degree by which the measured current exceeds a set value.
220 OVERSHOOT The overshoot time is the difference between the operating time
TIME of the relay at a specified value of the input energising quantity
and the maximum duration of the value of input energising
quantity which, when suddenly reduced to a specific value below
the operating level, is insufficient to cause operation
221 PARAMETRIC A conjunctive test that ascertains the range of values of each
CONJUNCTIVE parameter for which the test meets specific performance
TEST requirements
222 PCB Printed Circuit Board
223 PCC Point of Common Coupling
224 PDC See Phasor Data Concentrator
225 PHASE ANGLE A transducer used for the measurement of the phase angle
TRANSDUCER between two a.c. electrical quantities having the same frequency
226 PHASOR DATA An IED, or software function, able to receive Synchrophasor
CONCENTRATO frames from a number of PMUs, archive them in non-volatile
R memory, and/or retransmit them to upstream equipment with the
data content merged, filtered or at a different resolution than the
incoming data
227 PHASOR An IED whose function is to accurately measure
MEASUREMENT timesynchronised current, voltage or other phasor vectors, and
UNIT (PMU) communicate these to other devices in a standard format.
228 PICK-UP A relay is said to ‘pick-up’ when it changes from the deenergised
position to the energised position
229 PILOT CHANNEL A means of interconnection between relaying points for the
purpose of protection
230 PLC Programmable Logic Controller A specialised computer for
implementing control sequences using software

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NO. TERMS MEANINGS
231 PLCC Power Line Carrier Communications
232 PMU See Phasor Measurement Unit
233 POINT OF The interface between an in-plant network containing embedded
COMMON generation and the utility distribution network to which the in-
COUPLING plant network is connected
234 POW Point-on- Wave
Point-on-wave switching is the process to control moment of
switching to minimise the effects (inrush currents, overvoltages)
235 POWER FACTOR The factor by which it is necessary to multiply the product of the
voltage and current to obtain the active power
236 POWER QUALITY Classification of power system disturbances according to
standards such as EN50160
237 POWER LINE A means of transmitting information over a power transmission
CARRIER line by using a carrier frequency superimposed on the normal
COMMUNICATION power frequency
S
238 PPS Positive Phase Sequence. Also Pulse Per Second in time
synchronising applications
239 PROTECTED ZONE The portion of a power system protected by a given protection
system or a part of that protection system
240 PROTECTION The apparatus, including protection relays, transformers and
EQUIPMENT ancillary equipment, for use in a protection system
241 PROTECTION A relay designed to initiate disconnection of a part of an electrical
RELAY installation or to operate a warning signal, in the case of a fault or
other abnormal condition in the installation. A protection relay
may include more than one electrical element and accessories
242 PROTECTION The co-ordinated arrangements for the protection of one or more
SCHEME elements of a power system. A protection scheme may comprise
several protection systems
243 PROTECTION A combination of protection equipment designed to secure, under
SYSTEM predetermined conditions, usually abnormal, the disconnection of
an element of a power system, or to give an alarm signal, or both
244 PROTOCOL A set of rules that define the method in which a function is carried
out – commonly used in respect of communications links, where
it defines the hardware and software features necessary for
successful communication between devices.
245 PRP Parallel Redundancy Protocol. A redundant star Ethernet
topology as per IEC62439
246 PSB Power Swing Blocking
247 PSM Plug Setting Multiple – a term used in conjunction with
electromechanical relays, denoting the ratio of the fault current to
the current setting of the relay
248 PSTN Public Switched Telephone Network
249 PT100 Platinum resistance temperature probe
250 PTP Precision time Protocol, typically as per IEEE1588

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.
251 R Resistance
252 RATIO A feature of digital/numerical relays that enables compensation to be
CORRECTION carried out for a CT or VT ratio that is not ideal
253 RATING The nominal value of an energising quantity that appears in the
designation of a relay. The nominal value usually corresponds to the
CT and VT secondary ratings
254 RBAC Role-Based Access Control
255 RCA Relay Characteristic Angle. The centre of the directional characteristic
256 RCD Residual Current Device. A protection device which is actuated by the
residual current
257 RCP Remote Control Point
The Remote-Control Point is a SCADA interface. Several RCP’s may
be managed with different communication protocols. Physical
connections are done at a Gateway or at substation computers or at a
substation HMI
258 REACTIVE A transducer used for the measurement of reactive electrical power
POWER (VAR)
TRANSDUCER
259 RECLAIM TIME The time between a successful closing operation, measured from the
(AUTO- time the auto-reclose relay closing contact makes until a further
RECLOSE) reclosing sequence is permitted in the event of a further fault occurring
260 REF Restricted Earth Fault
261 REFERENCE Conditions of use for a transducer prescribed for performance testing,
CONDITIONS or to ensure valid comparison of results of measurement
262 REFERENCE A specified range of values of an influence quantity within which the
RANGE transducer complies with the requirements concerning intrinsic errors
263 REFERENCE A specified single value of an influence quantity at which the
VALUE transducer complies with the requirements concerning intrinsic errors
264 RELAY See Protection relay
265 RESETTING The limiting value of the characteristic quantity at which the relay
VALUE returns to its initial position
266 RESIDUAL The algebraic sum, in a multi-phase system, of all the line currents
CURRENT
267 RESIDUAL The algebraic sum, in a multi-phase system, of all the line-toearth
VOLTAGE voltages
268 RESPONSE TIME The time from the instant of application of a specified change of the
measurand until the output signal reaches and remains at its final
steady value or within a specified band centred on this value
269 REVERSIBLE An output current which reverses polarity in response to a change of
OUTPUT sign or direction of the measurand
CURRENT

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HUMAID AL-MAZROUEI
NO. TERMS MEANINGS
270 RIPPLE CONTENT With steady-state input conditions, the peak-to-peak value of
OF THE OUTPUT the fluctuating component of the output
271 RMS Root Mean Square
272 RMS SENSING A transducer specifically designed to respond to the true
TRANSDUCER r.m.s. value of the input and which is characterised by the
manufacturer for use on a specified range of waveforms
273 RMU Ring Main Unit
274 ROCOF Rate Of Change Of Frequency (protection relay)
275 RS Recommended Standard. Terminology still commonly used
when referring to EIA serial communication
276 RSTP Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol
277 RTD Resistance Temperature Detector
278 RTOS Real Time Operating System
279 RTU Remote Terminal Unit. An IED used specifically for data
gathering and control within a substation. Sometimes may
include control/ monitoring/storage functions
280 SAT Site Acceptance Test
Validation procedures for equipment executed with the
customer on site
281 SCADA Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition
282 SCL Substation Configuration Language
Normalised configuration language for substation modelling
(as expected by IEC 61850-6)
283 SCP Substation Control Point
HMI computers at substation level allowing the operators to
control the substation
284 SCS Substation Control System
285 SECURITY A measure of a protection scheme's ability to restrain and
prevent spurious operation, when no operation is required
286 SEF Sensitive Earth Fault
287 SETTING The limiting value of a ‘characteristic’ or ‘energising’ quantity
at which the relay is designed to operate under specified
conditions. Such values are usually marked on the relay and
may be expressed as direct values, percentages of rated
values, or multiples
288 SFC Sequential Function Chart: One of the IEC 61131-3
programming languages
289 SIMPLEX A communications system in which data can only travel in
COMMUNICATIONS one direction
SYSTEM
290

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NO TERMS MEANINGS
.
291 SINGLE-SHOT An auto-reclose sequence that provides only one reclosing
RECLOSING operation, lock-out of the CB occurring if it subsequently trips
292 S.I.R. System Impedance Ratio
293 SINGLE ELEMENT A transducer having one measuring element
TRANSDUCER
294 SIPS System Integrity Protection Schemes
295 SNTP Simple Network Time Protocol
296 SOE Sequence Of Events
297 SOTF Switch On To Fault (protection)
298 SPECIFIC A conjunctive test using specific values of each of the parameters
CONJUNCTIVE
TEST
299 SPRING WINDING For spring-closed CB’s, the time for the spring to be fully charged
TIME after a closing operation
300 ST Structured Text: One of the IEC 61131-3 programming languages
301 STABILITY (OF A The ability of a transducer to keep its performance characteristics
TRANSDUCER) unchanged during a specified time, all conditions remaining
constant
302 STABILITY (OF A The quantity whereby a protection system remains inoperative
PROTECTION under all conditions other than those for which it is specifically
SYSTEM) designed to operate
303 STABILITY LIMITS The r.m.s. value of the symmetrical component of the through fault
(OF A PROTECTION current up to which the protection system remains stable
SYSTEM)
304 STARTING RELAY A unit relay which responds to abnormal conditions and initiates the
operation of other elements of the protection system
305 STATCOM A particular type of Static Var Compensator, in which Power
Electronic Devices are used to generate the reactive power
required, rather than capacitors and inductors
306 STATIC RELAY An electrical relay in which the designed response is developed by
electronic, magnetic, optical or other components without
mechanical motion. Excludes relays using digital/numeric
technology
307 STC Short Time Current (rating of a CT)
308 STORAGE The conditions, defined by means of ranges of the influence
CONDITIONS quantities, such as temperature, or any special conditions, within
which the transducer may be stored (non-operating) without
damage
309 SVC Static Var Compensator
310 SYNCHROPHASOR A vector synchronised to real time, accurately defining the

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 magnitude and phase of a power system quantity. Typically IEEE
C37.118 applies
311 SYSTEM ) The time between fault inception and CB contacts making on
DISTURBANCE TIME successful re-closure
(AUTO-RECLOSE)
NO. TERMS MEANINGS
312 SYSTEM The ratio of the power system source impedance to the
IMPEDANCE impedance of the protected zone
RATIO
313 T101 Term used for IEC 60870-5-101 protocol
314 TAP CHANGER A mechanism, usually fitted to the primary winding of a
transformer, to alter the turns ratio of the transformer by small
discrete amounts over a defined range
315 TCP/IP Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. A common
protocol for the transmission of messages over the Internet
316 TCS Trip Circuit Supervision
317 TC57 Technical Committee 57 working for the IEC and responsible for
producing standards in the field of Protection (e.g. IEC 61850)
318 TF Transfer Function of a device (usually an element of a control
system. Also Transient Factor (of a CT)
319 THD Total Harmonic Distortion
320 THROUGH FAULT The current flowing through a protected zone to a fault beyond
CURRENT that zone
321 TIME DELAY A delay intentionally introduced into the operation of a relay
system
322 TIME DELAY A relay having an intentional delaying device
RELAY
323 TIME DIAL (TD) An alternative to the time multiplier setting (TMS), applied to
IEEE inverse-time curves
324 TIME MULTIPLIER Used to Adapt the speed of operation of inverse-time curves
SETTING (TMS)
325 TPI Tap Position Indicator (for transformers)
326 TRANSDUCER A device that provides a d.c. output quantity having a definite
(ELECTRICAL relationship to the a.c. measurand
MEASURING
TRANSDUCER)
327 TRANSDUCER A transducer which gives a predetermined output other than
WITH OFFSET zero when the measurand is zero
ZERO (LIVE ZERO)
328 TRANSDUCER A transducer whose output is zero when the measurand is less
WITH than a certain value
SUPPRESSED
ZERO
329 TVE Total Vector Error. A composite percentage error measurement,
used to describe the accuracy requirement for phasor
measurement units.

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330 UDP User Datagram Protocol.
331 UNIT ELECTRICAL A single relay that can be used alone or in combinations with
RELAY others

NO. TERMS MEANINGS

332 UNIT A protection system that is designed to operate only for
PROTECTION abnormal conditions within a clearly defined zone of the
power system
333 UNRESTRICTED A protection system which has no clearly defined zone of
PROTECTION operation and which achieves selective operation only by
time grading
334 UCA Utility Communications Architecture. UCA2 was a
forerunner of IEC61850
335 UPS Uninterruptible Power Supply
336 USB Universal Serial Bus
337 UTC Universal Time Coordinated. The precise internationally
recognised time reference, equivalent to GMT.
338 V Voltage
339 VCB Vacuum Circuit Breaker
340 VDEW Term used for IEC 60870-5-103 protocol. The VDEW
protocol is a subset of the IEC 60870-5-103 protocol
341 VECTOR A feature of digital and numerical relays that compensates
GROUP for the phase angle shift that occurs in transformers
COMPENSATIO (including VTs) due to use of dissimilar winding
N connections – e.g. transformers connected delta/star
342 VOLTAGE A transducer used for the measurement of a.c. voltage
TRANSDUCER
343 VT Voltage Transformer
344 WAMPAC Wide-Area Monitoring/Measurement, Protection and
Control
345 WAN Wide Area Network
346 X Reactance
347 Y Admittance
348 Z Impedance
349 ZONE The boundary limits, typically for a protected unit in the
power system, within which protection is expected to
operate

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