Grady, www.ece.utexas.

edu/~grady/, 10/24/98

Section 8. Short Circuit

General formulation of the short circuit problem with specific application to three common fault
types.

8.1 Formulation of the Problem

Short circuit studies require positive, negative, and zero sequence impedance information,
depending on whether or the fault is balanced or not. For example, the commonly-studied, but
relatively rare, three-phase fault is balanced. Therefore, only positive sequence impedances are
required for its study.

Consider the three-phase fault represented by the one-line diagram in Figure 8.1, where VTH and
ZTH are the Thevenin equivalent circuit parameters for bus k.

Zth
Bus k
+
Vth IF ZF

Figure 8.1: Three-Phase Fault at Bus k

The fault current and voltage are clearly

VTH  ZF 
I kF = , and VkF = VTH − Z TH I kF = VTH   .
Z TH + Z F  Z TH + Z F 

In a large power system, the Thevenin equivalent impedance for a bus is the corresponding
diagonal impedance matrix element, and the Thevenin equivalent voltage is usually assumed to be
1.0 /0 pu.

The type of machine models used when building impedance matrices affects the Thevenin
equivalent impedances and fault calculations. Rotating machines actually have time-varying
impedances when subjected to disturbances. However, for simplification purposes, their
impedances are usually divided into three zones - subtransient (first few cycles), transient (5
cycles - 60 cycles), and steady-state (longer than 60 cycles). When performing fault studies, the
time period of interest is usually a few cycles, so that machines are represented by their
subtransient impedances when forming the impedance matrices.

Developing the equations for fault studies requires adept use of both a-b-c and 0-1-2 forms of the
circuit equations. The use of sequence components implies that the system impedances (but not
the system voltages and currents) are symmetric. In general, there are six equations and six
unknowns to be solved, regardless of the type of fault studied.

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It is common in fault studies to assume that the power system is initially unloaded and that all
voltages are 1.0 per unit. When there are multiple sources, this assumption requires that there are
no shunt elements connected, such as loads, capacitors, etc., except for rotating machines (whose
Thevenin equivalent voltages are 1.0 pu.).

Since wye-delta transformers shift positive, negative, and zero sequence components differently, it
is important to model transformers according to the rules given in Section 3. This means that the
pre-fault voltages all have magnitude 1.0 pu., but that the pre-fault voltage angles can be
0 0 ,+30 0 , or − 30 0 , depending upon the net transformer phase shift between them and the chosen
reference bus.

8.2 Balanced Three-Phase Fault

Consider the three-phase fault at bus k, as shown in Figure 8.2.

Bus k
a

ZF ZF ZF

IF IF IF
kc kb ka

Figure 8.2: Three-Phase Fault at Bus k

The Thevenin equivalent circuit equation, assuming no other current injections in the system, is

V F  V Pr e   z z ka, kb z ka, kc   I ka 
F
 ka   ka   ka, ka  F

F Pr e
Vkb  = Vkb  −  z kb, ka z kb, kb z kb, kc   I kb  ,
 F   Pr e    
Vkc  Vkc   z kc, ka z kc, kb z kc, kc   I F 
  kc

or in sequence form,

V F  V Pr e   z 0 0  I k 0 
F
 k 0   k 0 e   k 0, k 0  F 
VkF1  = VkPr
1 − 0 z k1, k1 0   I k1  .
 F   Pr e    
Vk 2  Vk 2   0 0 z k 2, k 2   I F 
 k 2 

In abbreviated form, the above equations are

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F Pr e F
Vkabc = Vkabc − Z k −k , abc I kabc , and VkF012 = VkPr e F
012 − Z k −k ,012 I k 012 ,

where VkF consists of the voltages at bus k during the fault, VkPr e consists of the pre-fault

voltages, I kF gives the fault currents, and Z k −k contains the individual impedance elements
extracted from the impedance matrix.

The above matrix equations represents three equations (repeated in abc and 012 form), but there
are six unknowns represented by VkF and I kF , so that three additional equations are required.
The additional equations are found by observing that

F F
Vkabc = Z F I kabc , or VkF012 = Z F I kF012 .

Substituting into the Thevenin equation, and recognizing that all zero- and negative-sequence
voltages and currents are zero for a balanced fault yields

 0   0   z k 0, k 0 0 0  0 
 Z I F  = V Pr e  −  0 z k1, k1

0   I kF1  ,
 F k1   k1  
 0   0   0 0 z k 2, k 2   0 

so that the positive sequence fault current is found to be

F VkPr e
I k1 = 1 , I kF0 = 0, I kF2 = 0 .
z k1, k1 + Z F

Substituting into Thevenin equation

VkF012 = VkPr e F
012 − Z k −k ,012 I k 012

yields the fault voltage at Bus k. Similarly, because the impedance matrix relates the voltages at
network busses to current injections at network busses, the voltage at any other bus j is found
using

V jF012 = V jPr e F
012 − Z j −k ,012 I k 012 .

Note that the minus sign is needed because the fault current has been drawn as positive outward.

Once the fault voltages are known at neighboring busses, the contribution currents through the
connected branches can be easily found.

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8.3 Single-Phase to Ground Fault

Consider the single-phase fault at bus k, as shown in Figure 8.3.

Bus k
a

c IF = 0
kb

IF = 0
kc ZF

IF
ka

Figure 8.3: Single-Phase Fault at Bus k, Phase a

As before, the Thevenin equivalent circuit equations, assuming no other current injections in the
system, is

VkF012 = VkPr e F
012 − Z k −k ,012 I k 012 .

Examining I kF012 shows that in this case

1   I ka  I F 
F
1 1   1  ka 
F −1 F 1 2 F F
I k 012 = T I kabc = 1 a a   I kb = 0 =  I ka  .
3
1 a 2   3 F 
a   I = 0 
F
 I ka 
 kc 

Substituting into the Thevenin equation yields

V F   V Pr e = 0   z 0 0   I ka / 3
F
 k 0   Prk 0   k 0,k 0  F 

F e Pr e
Vk1  = Vk1 = Vka  −  0 z k1,k1 0   I ka / 3
 F     
Pr e
Vk 2   Vk 2 = 0   0 0 z k 2,k 2   I F / 3
 ka 

Add the three rows yields

VkF0 + VkF1 + VkF2 = Vka

F Pr e 1 F
= Vka (
− I ka z k 0,k 0 + z k1,k1 + z k 2,k 2 .
3
)

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From the circuit it is obvious that

F F
Vka = I ka ZF ,

so that

F
I ka Pr e 1 F
Z F = Vka (
− I ka z k 0,k 0 + z k1,k1 + z k 2, k 2 .
3
)
F
Solving for I ka yields

Pr e
F 3Vka
I ka = .
z k 0,k 0 + z k1,k1 + z k 2,k 2 + 3Z F

Now, using

F
F F F I ka
I k 0 = I k1 = I k 2 = ,
3

all network voltages can be found from

V jF012 = V jPr e F
012 − Z j −k ,012 I k 012 .

Note that if z k 0,k 0 < z k1,k 2 , a single-phase fault will have a higher value than does a three-phase
fault.

8.4 Line-to-Line Fault

Consider the line-to-line fault at bus k, as shown in Figure 8.4.

Bus k
a

b IF = 0
ka

IF
IF kb
kc
ZF

Figure 8.4: Line-to-Line Fault Between Phases b and c at Bus k

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Examining IkF012 shows that in this case

1   I ka = 0   
F
1 1 0
F −1 F 1
I k 012 = T I kabc = 1 a

a 2   F
I kb
 1  F
 =  I kb ( )
a − a2  .
3
1 a 2 
a   I F = − I F 
 kc kb
 3 F
  I kb ( )
a2 − a 

Note that there is no zero sequence fault current.

Substituting into the Thevenin equation yields

V F   0   z 0 0  0 
 k0  
( )
k 0, k 0
F Pr e    F 2 
Vk1  = Vka  −  0 z k1,k1 0  I
 kb a − a / 3 .
 F  
Vk 2   0   0 0
 kb
F 2
(
z k 2,k 2  I a − a / 3

 )
Subtracting the last two rows of the Thevenin equation yields

F F Pr e
Vk1 − Vk 2 = Vka − z k1,k1
F
I kb a − a2 ( )
I F a2 − a
+ z k 2, k 2 kb ,
( )
3 3

or

 ( 2
F  z k 2, k 2 a − a
I kb
)−
(
z k1,k1 a − a 2 ) = V F − V F − V Pr e .
k1 k2 ka
 3 3 
 

From the circuit, we see that

F V F − Vkc
F
I kb = kb .
ZF

Using Vabc = TV012 , we find that

F
Vkb F
− Vkc ( )
= VkF1 a 2 − a + VkF2 a − a 2 , ( )
so that

F 2
( )
F
F Vk1 a − a + Vk 2 a − a
I kb =
(2
F
, or I kb
) V F −V F a2 − a
= k1 k 2
(.
)( )
ZF ZF

Combining equations yields

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 ( 2 − a) − z k1,k1 (a − a 2 ) = I kbF Z F − V Pr e .

F  z k 2,k 2 a
 (a 2 − a ) ka
I kb
 3 3
 

Collecting terms yields

 ( 2
F  z k 2,k 2 a − a ) (
z k1,k1 a − a 2 )
ZF 
 = −V Pr e ,
I kb


3
−
3
−
(
a2 − a )

ka

or


F  ZF (
a − a2 )( 
) = VkaPr e .
I kb
(
 a2 − a

+
) 3
z k1,k1 + z k 2,k 2



Simplifying yields

F F F
and where I kc = − I kb , I ka = 0 . All network voltages can now be found from

Pr e
F − j 3Vka
I kb = ,
z k1,k1 + z k 2, k 2 + Z F

V jF012 = V jPr e F
012 − Z j −k ,012 I k 012 .

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