IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER DELIVERY, VOL. 32, NO.
1, FEBRUARY 2017
A Comprehensive Digital Protection Scheme for
Low-Voltage Microgrids with Inverter-Based and
Conventional Distributed Generations
Seyed Fariborz Zarei and M. Parniani, Senior Member, IEEE
Abstract—Microgrid (MG) protection is one of the main chal-
lenges in proliferation of microgrids. Due to limited fault current
feeding of inverter-based distributed generations (DGs), in islanded
operation of MG, protection problems become more complicated;
and, therefore, conventional protection strategies cannot be ap-
plied. Hence, new protection methods that are applicable in is-
landed and grid-connected modes of operation are necessary. In
this paper, a comprehensive digital-relay based protection is intro-
duced for the protection of MGs. The proposed method includes
protection of lines, distributed generations, and the point of com-
mon coupling. The structure and graphical schematic of the pro-
posed digital relays are also presented. The proposed method is
independent of the MG operation mode and benefits from single-
phase tripping. In this method, due to fault isolation from both
sides of a line, downstream loads and DGs can operate after fault
clearance. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed pro-
tection method, numerous simulations are carried out on an MG
test system in the PSCAD/EMTDC environment.
Index Terms—Digital relay, distributed generation (DG),
inverter-based distributed generation, microgrid, microgrid
protection.
I. INTRODUCTION
HE low voltage microgrid (MG) is a three-phase asym-
T metric system that has many distributed energy resources
(DERs) and loads, such as distributed generators (DGs), stor-
age devices, and controllable loads [1]. By introduction of MG
concept and its proliferation, it is expected that customer ser-
vice continuity increases and power quality indices enhance [2].
Moreover, due to grid-connected and islanded operation capa-
bility of MGs, system reliability increases [3]. In spite of these
benefits, it changes the fundamental concepts of distribution
systems, and grid protection and control methods should be
adapted accordingly [4]. Without considering these challenges,
the aforementioned benefits will be inaccessible.
In grid connected mode of operation, large current contribu-
tion of the main grid causes the amplitude of fault current to
become large, and it may lead to miscoordination of protective
Manuscript received July 31, 2015; revised January 13, 2016 and March 17,
2016; accepted May 7, 2016. Date of publication May 10, 2016; date of current
version January 20, 2017. Paper no. TPWRD-01015-2015.
The authors are with the Department of Electrical Engineering, Sharif Uni-
versity of Technology, Tehran, Iran (e-mail: zarei_fariborz@ee.sharif.edu;
parniani@sharif.edu).
Color versions of one or more of the figures in this paper are available online
at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TPWRD.2016.2566264
0885-8977 © 2016 IEEE. Personal use is permitted, but republication/redistribution requires IEEE permission.
See http://www.ieee.org/publications standards/publications/rights/index.html for more information.
441
devices (PDs) in presence of conventional DGs [5]. In islanded
mode, fault current levels significantly decrease because of iso-
lation from main grid, and conventional fuse and overcurrent
(OC) relay protection may not operate [6]. This problem is
more troublesome for MGs with inverter-based distributed gen-
erations (IBDGs), since their fault current contribution is limited
[7]. Furthermore, conventional DGs with low inertia are com-
monly utilized in MGs [8]. Because of their low inertia, it can be
expected that transient instability occurs in islanded mode of op-
eration. The MG protection strategy should then be fast enough
to isolate the faulty section [9]. Inasmuch as conventional PDs
such as fuses and OC relays take long time to operate, alteration
of protection strategy will be necessary.
In spite of abundant number of researches in the field of MG
protection, there is no comprehensive method that is applicable
in grid connected mode as well as islanded mode. In [10], the
effects of high penetration of DGs on coordination of PDs has
been explored and an adaptive protection scheme that is based
on communication links has been suggested. This strategy is
applicable only for grid-connected mode and is not effective for
systems with low penetration of DGs. Reference [11] describes
a voltage measurement based protection strategy for microgrids
with high penetration of inverter-coupled resources. The pro-
posed strategy does not rely on communication; but considers
only the islanded mode of operation. In [12], the efficiency of
under/over frequency relays is investigated for protection of
distributed synchronous generators. In this study, islanded op-
eration is not considered and the effects of inverter-based DGs
are not included. In [13] current sequence components are used
for fault detection in islanded operation of MG. Reference [14]
proposes a method based on monitoring the output voltages of
inverter-based DGs. By transformation of voltage signals from
abc coordinate to rotating dq-frame, disturbances are extracted,
and occurrence of fault is detected. This scheme seems suitable
for islanded MG, but not for grid-connected mode of operation.
In addition, noise immunity of this method has not been proved.
Central control and monitoring unit is used in [15], [16] for pro-
tection of MG. It updates all of the relays settings upon any con-
figuration changing of MG. Installation of a new DG completely
disorders the previous settings, and new ones would be required.
Moreover, IBDGs are not considered in these studies. Reference
[17] investigates protection issues related to LV microgrids and
elaborates LV microgrid protection concepts comprehensively.
442
Voltage and frequency relays are used as a point of common
coupling (PCC) relay, and directional OC (DOC) relay is uti-
lized for feeder protection. DOC takes a long time to operate.
Besides, with its operation, all of the feeder elements should be
tripped. In [7] a protection strategy for LV microgrids is pre-
sented. The proposed strategy is applicable for both modes of
operation and is independent of fault current magnitude. Single
phase tripping is another feature of this work. In this method, all
of a feeder elements should be tripped for a fault in that feeder,
which is undesirable for sensitive loads. Shortcomings of the
previous studies can be summarized as follows:
Some of the proposed methods are dependent to the mode
of operation [10], [18], [19]. In some others, PDs act in one
direction, and therefore all of downstream DGs should be tripped
[5]. This results in imbalance of production and consumption,
which is an important issue in islanded MG. Also, some of the
previous researches do not consider all types of fault, and/or do
not have single phase tripping capability [13].
This paper proposes a comprehensive protection strategy
based on digital relays, which is applicable to both grid con-
nected and islanded modes of operation. The proposed strategy
covers all elements of MG and considers various types of fault.
In this method, downstream DGs and loads can be maintained in
service when a fault occurs in an upstream feeder. Furthermore,
it works properly even with low magnitudes of fault current.
This research is organized as follows. Section II briefly re-
views the structure of low voltage microgrids. In Section III,
novel protective relays and protection strategy for LV microgrid
are proposed, and Coordination among the protective relays is
covered in Section IV. Simulation results for grid connected and
islanded modes are presented in Section V. Finally, the study is
concluded in Section VI.
II. STRUCTURE OF LOW VOLTAGE MICROGRIDS
In this section, characteristics of different elements of low
voltage MG will be reviewed; in order to present appropriate
protective relays for them in the next section.
A. Configuration
LV-network contains a number of LV feeders initiating from
LV busbars. LV feeders include many branches, and loads may
be installed anywhere along the feeder. Due to the presence
of single-phase loads and lines, LV networks are unbalanced
networks. Main substation of LV network often connects to
upstream network through a single transformer with rating of
up to 1MVA, and its connection group is usually DYn11 [20]. LV
side of the transformer has Y connection windings that provides
ground connection for single-phase loads.
B. Earthing
Effective earthing system is necessary in electrical systems
to increase human safety and reduce electrical hazards. Proper
earthing system reduces long term over-voltages and diminishes
the electrical shocks. In addition, earthing system provides a
return path for leakage currents, so that PDs can detect and
interrupt the fault [21].
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER DELIVERY, VOL. 32, NO. 1, FEBRUARY 2017
Generally, there are three configurations for earthing which
are TT, TN, and IT systems [21]. These configurations are differ-
ent in connection of transformer neutral and electrical equipment
to the earth. References [21]–[23] denote that TN system is the
most suitable for MG application. In this configuration, trans-
former neutral and electrical equipment frame are connected to
the earth. This system provides large amount of fault current by
which PDs can sense the fault and interrupt it. Also, by using
TN system, touch voltage value will be in a range that satisfies
the safety margin.
C. Distributed Generations
Conventional DGs and IBDGs are commonly used in MGs.
In this section, their operations are briefly described, and the
proposed protections for them will be presented in Section III.
1) Conventional DGs: This type of DGs is chiefly syn-
chronous machine based DGs that have low inertia and
their fault current contribution is larger than IBDGs. Pres-
ence of these DGs in MG can disturb the protection coor-
dination and MG stability [5]. Thus their effects should be
considered carefully.
2) Constant Power Controlled Inverter-Based DGs: Con-
stant power controlled IBDGs operate in constant power control
mode, and exchange predefined real and reactive powers with
the rest of MG or main grid. They do not contribute to volt-
age and frequency control, and it is assumed that other sources
control the voltage and frequency [24]. Therefore, they can be
simulated as constant current sources that inject power to the
grid. For correct operation, an appropriate synchronization al-
gorithm is required [25]. Upper-level controllers, such as max-
imum power point tracking in wind turbines and photovoltaic
cells may provide the power sharing [26]. This type of IBDG is
known as grid-feeding voltage source inverter, and has an inter-
nal current control loop. Basic control block diagram of these
IBDGs are thoroughly described in [27].
3) IBDGs With Voltage and Frequency Control: This type of
IBDGs operate as controllable voltage sources, in which their
voltage and frequency references are obtained from superior
controls such as droop controls [24]. As a result of their contri-
bution in controlling the voltage and frequency, MG voltage and
frequency controls are enhanced. This type of IBDG is known
as grid-forming voltage source inverter, and possesses two in-
ternal voltage and current control loops. Basic control block
diagrams of this type of IBDGs are comprehensively explained
in [27], [28].
To control the aforementioned IBDGs, rotating dq-frame co-
ordinate is commonly used. In this coordinate, balanced signals
appear as constant quantities. Therefore, controller design in
dq-frame is straightforward. In this paper, for proper opera-
tion of IBDGs in faulty and unbalanced conditions, negative
sequence filtering and elimination is assumed. Using this ap-
proach, three phase IBDGs can feed the single phase and unbal-
anced three phase loads, a capability which is not accessible by
conventional controllers. Some papers such as [29]–[31] have
explored the issue of power converters control in unbalanced
condition. In this paper, a voltage controller similar to that pre-
sented in [30] is utilized to control IBDGs with voltage and fre-
ZAREI AND PARNIANI: A COMPREHENSIVE DIGITAL PROTECTION SCHEME FOR LOW-VOLTAGE MICROGRIDS WITH INVERTER-BASED 443

quency control. The method is based on elimination of negative

sequence voltage by feeding the necessary negative sequence
current. This voltage control ensures balanced voltage in load
buses. Also, a current control loop similar to that proposed in
[32] is used to simulate constant power controlled IBDG. For
the sake of brevity, these mentioned controllers are not further
described here.

D. Point of Common Coupling

Point of common coupling (PCC) is defined as the point that
several loads are connected to each other or several generators.
In case of MG, PCC is the interface between MG and main grid.
Usually the PCC comprises one isolation transformer and a fast
switch that can be of static type [13]. In the faulty condition and
disturbances in main grid, this switch operates and isolates the
MG from grid.

E. Control of Micro-Grid
As already stated in part C of this section, MG generally
comprises three types of distributed generations having their
own internal controls. To assure stable operation of MG and
appropriate power sharing among the DGs, another outer power
control loop is necessary. Droop control is a prevalent method
utilized in the literature, and hence is used in this paper. For
conciseness, the concept of droop control is not elaborated in
this paper, and detailed explanations can be found in [27], [33]. Fig. 1. (a) Characteristic of differential current protection (b) schematic illus-
tration of protection.
III. PROPOSED PROTECTIVE RELAYS AND PROTECTION
STRATEGY FOR LOW VOLTAGE MG ation, downstream DGs control the voltage and frequency of
their loads, and a new MG is formed. If a connection ring is
In most of existing protection methods for LV grids, a large
utilized at the end of feeders, the new MG can be connected to
area should be isolated in faulty condition. For instance, upon
the main MG or to the main grid. For this operation to fulfill,
a fault in one feeder, all of energy resources and loads of this
appropriate synchronization means should be employed. Using
feeder should be interrupted and the faulty feeder is separated
this protection strategy, all of downstream loads can be operated
from the rest of the grid. In this situation, if the feeder protection
normally without any interruption, creating a better condition
fails, the whole MG should be tripped and all of its loads lose
for MG with sensitive loads. To accomplish this aim, current
electricity. This problem arises from unidirectional operation of
information in both sides of the protected line is collected and
conventional PDs employed in these methods. These PDs are
fault occurrence is detected based on their differences. The pro-
coordinated in a way that for a forward fault, the nearest PD to
tection scheme based on information of two sides of line is
the fault operates with a time delay and isolates the fault from
much faster than the conventional PDs that are coordinated with
one side. In the presence of DGs, downstream network is active,
load protections.
and in faulty condition, all of the downstream DGs of the faulty
Fastness of the suggested protection helps the MG stability
feeder should be tripped to isolate the fault. In other words, in
and operation continuity of sensitive loads. Capacitor charging
this situation, by operation of upstream relay, a trip signal is
current and CT saturation are the main issues of differential
sent to all of its downstream DGs. Besides, in the former studies
current based protections. In LV microgrids with short lines and
for asymmetrical faults, three-phase tripping had been applied
low voltage levels, the former problem is not critical, and for
rather than single phase tripping. However, for a LV MG with
the latter, one-slope differential relay characteristic is utilized.
many unbalanced and single phase loads, three-phase tripping
Fig. 1 shows graphical representation of this relay. For grid-
is not the best remedy.
connected mode of operation, owing to the large fault current
In the following, the proposed protections for lines, DGs and
supplied by main grid, a high set region is considered.
PCC are presented.
A digital relay is also suggested to be utilized as backup for the
load and line protections. This relay is installed at the beginning
A. Protection of Microgrid Lines and Feeders of feeders, and hereafter is called MG feeder protection relay or
This research proposes a protection strategy based on double- MGFPR. By operation of this relay, the corresponding feeder
end disconnection of faulty line, in which downstream DGs and is disconnected and one trip signal is sent to all downstream
loads are allowed to work after fault clearance. In this situ- DGs on the feeder. MGFPR consists of two modules, namely
444
Fig. 2. Microgrid feeder protection relay (MGFPR).
directional overcurrent, and directional negative sequence
current modules. Fig. 2 demonstrates graphical illustration of
the proposed MGFPR. The description of the two modules in
Fig. 2 are provided in the following.
Directional Overcurrent Module Due to the large fault cur-
rent contribution of the main grid in grid connected mode, OC
relay is the best remedy to identify faults. To distinguish the
faults behind the relay, directional elements are incorporated
in the module. Furthermore, for proper coordination, a definite
time delay tdr−OC is added in the reverse mode. Also, OR logic
is used to calculate the trip signal of this module. As a result,
with occurrence of a fault in either of three phases, the relay
output will be activated. Due to the inverse time characteristic
of the relay, it operates faster for the currents with larger am-
plitude. However, due to the reduced fault current in islanded
mode, the module will not operate in a reasonable time. This
deficiency is overcome by the next module.
Directional Negative Sequence Current Module This mod-
ule uses negative sequence component to detect faults. There-
fore, it is highly sensitive to asymmetrical faults. This module
does not depend on large fault current amplitude. Thus, it can op-
erate properly in the islanded mode as well as the grid connected
mode. For correct detection of fault direction (forward/reverse),
directional negative sequence element is employed. This se-
quence current is fed to its corresponding instantaneous OC
relay (Block 50 in Fig. 2). Afterwards, the outputs together with
its directional elements is passed through AND logic, to dis-
criminate the direction of fault. Different definite time delays
are also utilized to provide the necessary coordination.
Description of the negative sequence directional element used
in this work is available in Appendix A.
Two aforementioned modules have overlaps in some types
of faults, but their operational time is different from each other.
Therefore, they provide a redundant protection, which improves
reliability of MG.
It should be noted that differential current-based protections
are only exerted to the lines with at least one DG controlling
the voltage and frequency in their downstream side. For protec-
tion of the lines in which there is no source with voltage and
frequency control in their downstream, it is allowed to clear the
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER DELIVERY, VOL. 32, NO. 1, FEBRUARY 2017
Fig. 3. First type DG trip command generation unit.
fault in one direction. For this aim, the MGFPR can be used at
the sending end of these lines.
B. Distributed Generations
In this paper, two types of trip command are used for DG
protection. First, trip command from external protections, and
the second, trip command from their self-protective relays.
The first type DG trip command comes from MGFPR and
lines protection. The first type trip command generation unit is
displayed in Fig. 3. With regard to the feeder protection strat-
egy, by operation of MGFPR, one trip signal is sent to all of
DGs which are installed in the feeder downstream. To issue this
command, some important points should be noted.
1) If the line differential current protection scheme faces
some hardware problems like connection wires defect and
so forth, the MGFPR operates and sends a trip command
to the DGs on the feeder, and disconnects them. In this
situation, trip command should be sent without any con-
straints. (trip signal number 1 in Fig. 3)
2) If the main protection (i.e., the line protection) operates
properly and the sending end circuit breaker of that line
fails to operate, the faulted line will be isolated from down-
side and supplied from upside. Therefore, downstream
DGs and loads operate properly, but due to operation of
MGFPR a trip signal will be sent to the relevant DGs and
loads. Hence, this trip command should be restrained with
sending end circuit breaker failure (SECBF) signal. (trip
signal number 2 in Fig. 3)
3) If the main protection is operating properly and the re-
ceiving end circuit breaker fails to operate, the sending
end will be isolated and the MGFPR does not act. As a
result, the fault is fed through the receiving end DGs. In
this case, receiving end circuit breaker failure (RECBF)
ZAREI AND PARNIANI: A COMPREHENSIVE DIGITAL PROTECTION SCHEME FOR LOW-VOLTAGE MICROGRIDS WITH INVERTER-BASED
Fig. 4. Self-protection of IBDGs with V&f control.
signal is used for interruption of its downstream DGs. (trip
signal number 3 in Fig. 3)
The second type of trip command comes from DG’s own
protection. The proposed DG protection is set according to the
fault behavior of DGs, as explained in the following.
1) IBDGs With Voltage and Frequency Control: For this type
of DG, three different features are introduced. Based on these
features, three different modules are used in the proposed re-
lay. The suggested self-protection of IBDGs with voltage and
frequency control are depicted in Fig. 4.
Under Voltage Module: Solid faults in islanded MG with IB-
DGs extremely decrease the voltage. Therefore, voltage drop
can be used for fault detection. Characteristics of voltage relay
are extracted from CBEMA curve, in which allowable over-
voltage and under-voltage ranges for a computer system are
specified [34].
Overcurrent and Overload Module: For high impedance
faults and overload condition, heating effect of the current can
be used for fault detection. This feature yields a delayed char-
acteristic and the IBDG relay operates with a long delay in this
case. The proposed module comprises an instantaneous overcur-
rent relay and a definite time delay for each phase. The outputs
of three phases are connected to the OR logic, and the final out-
put yields the trip command of the module. As a consequence,
the module operates for asymmetrical overcurrent and overload
condition as well as symmetrical ones.
Voltage and Current Total Harmonic Distortion (THD)
Module: The third module is based on the output voltages
and currents THD. In the IBDGs, inner control loop is current
control loop. To protect inverter switches from overload and
faulty conditions, the current reference is limited to 1.5–2 times
of nominal current. In faulty condition, this limiter is saturated
and output voltages and currents get distorted. As this distorted
voltages and currents are fed back to the voltage and current
controllers, more distortion is caused in the output voltages and
currents, leading to significant rise in THDs. Then, the THD
rise can be used as a feature for fault detection. This feature has
a great appearance in solid and medium impedance faults.
445
Fig. 5. Proposed relay for conventional DGs.
In this module, voltage and current THDs are first calculated
and compared with the corresponding threshold values using
instantaneous relays. The resultant trip signals of three phases
are passed through OR logic. For the purpose of coordination,
definite time delays are also utilized in the module.
2) IBDGs With Constant Power Control: This type of DG
does not regulate voltage and frequency. If islanding condition
occurs after clearing the fault by MGFPR, voltage and frequency
will change widely. Thus, for this type of DGs, voltage and fre-
quency relays can be used to protect them against such excur-
sions. Reference [17] proposes features of the relevant voltage
and frequency relays.
3) Conventional DGs: To protect synchronous DGs from
faults and imbalances, the following two modules are suggested
to be used.
Overcurrent Module Due to large fault current contribution
of these DGs, in comparison to IBDGs, OC relays are used
as primary protection. These relays operate with a time delay
relative to the main PDs and should be coordinated with them.
Imbalance Detection Module It should be noted that syn-
chronous generator-based DGs (SGDGs) cannot operate in an
unbalanced condition; hence, single phase tripping is not per-
mitted for OC relays. Furthermore, unbalanced currents cannot
be supplied from SGDGs, because the flow of negative sequence
currents through the stator windings creates a rotating magneto
motive force (mmf) in counter direction of the main mmf. Hence,
the rotor sees the mmf with twice the synchronous speed and
high eddy current and associated losses arise. In this module,
trip signal is issued using an instantaneous relay whose pick up
current is the maximum allowable negative sequence current. To
consider the heating effect of negative sequence current, which
is a slow phenomenon, a definite time delay is used.
Outputs of the two modules are connected to OR logic, and
the final output is the DG trip signal. Graphical illustration of
the proposed relay for conventional DGs is presented in Fig. 5.
C. Point of Common Coupling: A MG is normally operated
in grid connected mode. To enhance the power quality of loads
in faulty condition and abnormal events of the main grid, the
MG is disconnected from the grid. Isolation of MG from the
grid is performed by PCC relay. For the faults in the main grid,
the PCC relay should operate quickly, and delayed mode is used
as a backup for protections of MG. Perfect operation of the
PCC relay in the grid and MG faults entails employment of an
446
Fig. 6. Graphical illustration of the proposed relay for PCC.
efficient fault detection method and protection strategy. Thus,
because of low amplitude fault current contribution of MG in the
main grid faults, conventional OC relay which is solely based
on current amplitude is not a suitable tool for fault detection. To
overcome this problem, the PCC relay shown in Fig. 6 is utilized
in this work. This relay consists of three modules described
as follows.
Directional Negative sequence Current Module In this mo-
dule, negative sequence component of current is employed as
fault detection means. The module detects asymmetrical faults
in the main grid as well as the MG. To discriminate between
the main grid and MG faults, negative sequence directional
element is used. Also, two definite time delays are utilized
for forward and reverse operation. Very small time delay is
selected for forward operation, such that the PCC relay rapidly
isolates the MG from grid in response to the faults in main
grid. On the other hand, time delay of reverse operation should
be very long, so that coordination between the PCC relay and
MG protections is maintained. Inasmuch as this module takes
the same time to operate for all types of faults in the reverse
mode, this feature is not appropriate for solid faults with high
amplitude currents. Also, this module cannot respond to three
phase symmetric faults. The following two modules overcome
these challenges.
Overcurrent Module for MG Faults In the grid connected
mode, the main grid contributes a large current for faults in
the MG. Thus, OC relay can be used as a redundant protection.
In this paper, an OC relay is used for each of three phases,
and their outputs joined with OR logic produce the trip signal.
Due to the inherent inverse time characteristic of the relay, solid
faults can be removed faster. Low fault current contribution of
the MG to grid faults causes the OC relay not to have desirable
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER DELIVERY, VOL. 32, NO. 1, FEBRUARY 2017
performance in this case. As a result, this module is only suit-
able for MG faults (reverse mode). For this reason directional
element is not utilized in this module.
Directional Under-Voltage Module For three phase sym-
metrical faults in the main grid, both of the aforementioned
modules fail to operate. Considering severe voltage drop during
this fault, then, an under-voltage relay accompanied by direc-
tional element can be used for proper diagnosis. Also, definite
time delays are utilized for coordinated operation of the mod-
ule in forward and reverse directions. By using the module, for
solid three phase faults, the under voltage relay operates with
minimum delay and isolates the MG from the grid.
IV. COORDINATION OF PROTECTIVE RELAYS
In Section III, individual protective relays were introduced for
different elements of MG, i.e., lines, feeders, IBDGs, SGDGs
and PCC. For full coverage of MG protection, these relays must
be employed in a coordinated manner. Otherwise, unwanted trip
commands will be issued for out of zone faults.
For better description of the coordination method, the test
microgrid system of Fig. 7 is utilized. This test system is a low
voltage (400 volt) network containing all components (includ-
ing all relays and MG elements) discussed earlier. Line and load
protections are the fastest PDs in the system, which operate in-
dependent of other protections. On the other side, the rest of
protections such as MGFPRs, DG relays and PCC relay are co-
ordinated with them. In this system, there are three MGFPRs as
backup for their corresponding line and load PDs. For this rea-
son, the minimum trip time of 80 msec is selected for the fastest
MGFPRs (i.e., MGFPR1 and MGFPR3). Furthermore, the PCC
relay and MGFPRs of neighboring feeders in their reverse mode
are backup for the specified MGFPR. For example MGFPR2,
MGFPR3 and the PCC relay are back up for MGFPR1 in their
reverse mode.
Fig. 8 shows the coordination of MGFPRs and PCC relay.
Each of these relays has individual forward and reverse modes
and the corresponding trip times. Trip time of each relay depends
on the modules incorporated in that relay. For example, trip time
of MGFPR1 depends on its two mentioned modules. Due to the
OR logic used in the relay, its trip time is the minimum of
the two modules trip time. Parameters of Fig. 8 are described
in Table I.
Fig. 9 displays t-I characteristics of OC relays. It should be
noted that OC relays are depicted with number 51 in Figs. 2, 5,
and 6. In this paper, extremely inverse OC relay based on IEC
60255 is utilized. Fig. 9 shows that OC module of MGFPR3 is
the fastest one among all. This module should be coordinated
with downstream load protections. For this reason, it is assumed
that the OC module of MGFPR3 operates in 80 msec for the fault
in Bus4. By this assumption, OC module of MGFPR3 operates
with enough delay, allowing load protections to isolate faults,
as main protection. Above all, this assumption leads to fast
operation of OC module for faults within Line22, due to their
higher fault current as compared to the end of line fault current.
While coordinating the OC module, it is supposed that SGDG
is in service and contributes to fault current. This assumption
ZAREI AND PARNIANI: A COMPREHENSIVE DIGITAL PROTECTION SCHEME FOR LOW-VOLTAGE MICROGRIDS WITH INVERTER-BASED
Fig. 7. Test system.
Fig. 8. Coordination among MGFPRs and PCC relay.
prevents miscoordination, which is a common problem in MGs
with conventional DGs.
The setting of MGFPR2’s OC module is calculated based on
the assumption that for a fault at location just after MGFPR3 (in
Line22), OC module of MGFPR2 should operate with enough
margin with respect to OC module of MGFPR3 to preserve
447
TABLE I
DESCRIPTION OF FIG. 8 PARAMETERS
Parameter Description
t1 f Trip time caused by module 1 in forward direction
t2 f Trip time caused by module 2 in forward direction
t1 r Trip time caused by module 1 in reverse direction
t2 r Trip time caused by module 2 in reverse direction
t3 f Trip time caused by module 3 in forward direction
t3 r Trip time caused by module 3 in reverse direction
tO C Trip time caused by directional OC relay
tU V Trip time caused by under voltage relay
coordination. When calculating the setting, it is assumed that
SGDG is out of service; otherwise the calculated margin will
not be achieved when SGDG is out of service. It should be
noted that presence of SGDG causes MGFPR2 to sense less
fault current than MGFPR3 for a fault in Line22.
To find the setting of OC module in MGFPR1, it is necessary
to consider the most delayed PDs in Feeder 1. Considering this
point, the OC module should operate at least with 80 msec delay
to preserve coordination with downstream load PDs. Hence, the
setting of OC module is calculated in a way that for a fault in
Bus1, it takes 80 msec to operate. This setting ensures that for a
fault within Line11, with higher currents, OC module operates
with reduced time and isolates the fault faster. In this case, it is
also assumed that SGDG is in service and contributes in fault
current; otherwise operation time of OC relay for the fault will be
smaller than 80 msec when SGDG is in service. Finally, to select
the PCC relay setting, it is necessary to note that PCC should
be coordinated with OC modules of MGFPR1 and MGFPR2.
448
Fig. 9. t-I characteristics of OC relays.
It should be noted that the protection relays for DGs are
dependent on load and line protections. To clarify the operation
of DGs relays, coordination manner of SGDG and IBDG1 relays
are presented here.
As shown in Fig. 7, for a fault in Line22, MGFPR3 is re-
sponsible to create trip signal and isolate the fault; therefore,
in this situation SGDG relay is back up protection. Consider-
ing 80 msec definite time delay for negative sequence module
of MGFPR3 and also using t-I characteristic of its OC module,
setting of SGDG relay is calculated. To do the job, it is enough to
coordinate SGDG relay with MGFPR3 for fault at Line22 right
after MGFPR3, having maximum value of fault current along
the feeder. In addition, to assure coordination of IBDG1 relay
with load protections, 150 msec definite time delay is utilized
for THD modules.
Tables IV to VIII in Appendix B demonstrate the settings of
relays used in this work. In the next section, various simula-
tion results are presented to verify the correct and coordinated
operation of proposed relays.
V. SIMULATION RESULTS
To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method, the test
microgrid system is simulated in PSCAD/EMTDC environment
[35]. All types of fault (including LG, LL, LLG, and 3phase)
have been examined on the test system for different locations in
both grid-connected and islanded modes of operation. Based on
the simulation results, the proposed relays isolate the faults in
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER DELIVERY, VOL. 32, NO. 1, FEBRUARY 2017
a coordinated manner. In addition, they allow DGs and loads to
remain in service after fault clearance in both modes of opera-
tion. Performance of the proposed protection scheme in the two
modes of operation is examined in the following subsections.
A. Grid Connected Mode
It is observed that for line faults, differential current based
protection operates as main PD. It also detects faults in less than
1 cycle. MGFPR and PCC relays are backups to this protection.
Simulation results show that OC relay and current sequence
component relay operate in an acceptable time range. Due to
space limitation, few number of simulation results for grid con-
nected mode are tabulated in Table II. Columns one and two
of the table specify location and type of faults, respectively. In
column 3, activated relays to the fault are listed according to
their operation sequence. Also, column 4 represents operation
times of the relays. To clarify the results presented in the table,
LL fault at location Fault2 is explained as an example.
The first two top waveforms in Fig. 10 illustrate the fault cur-
rent supplied from upstream and downstream of fault location. In
the upstream, the main grid and DGs of neighboring feeder con-
tribute to the fault current, and in the downstream, IBDG1 feeds
the fault. As expected, the currents supplied by IBDG1 present
reduced magnitudes and distorted shapes, which is caused by
hard limiter incorporated in IBDG1 to reduce its fault current
feeding capability. Also, other Boolean type waveforms in Fig.
10 are related to trip signals issued by different relays in the
system. In order to analyze performance of all relays, the trip
commands are intentionally blocked, and therefore the fault re-
mains active. As shown in the figures, upon occurrence of Fault2
at t = 1.6 sec, the current differential based protection first de-
tects the fault and issues trip command after 3 msec. After 56
msec, MGFPR1 operates with its OC module. The second mod-
ule of MGFPR1 responds to the fault in 83 msec. Later, THD
and UV modules of the IBDG1 relay create trip signals 150 msec
and 112 msec after fault occurrence, respectively. Afterwards,
the PCC relay, MGFPR2 and MGFPR3 respond to the fault in
308, 352, and 504 msec by their reverse mode. This sequence of
operation demonstrates coordinated operation of the proposed
protection strategy and protective relays.
B. Islanded Mode
In this case, due to the presence of IBDG in the MG and
disconnection from main grid, fault current level decreases sig-
nificantly. Simulation results show that current differential based
protection operates as main PD and detects the fault in less than
one cycle. This fast operation reinforces transient stability of the
MG especially when it comprises synchronous machine based
DGs with low inertia. MGFPR acts as a backup PD and isolates
the faulty feeder from rest of the MG. Due to space limitation, a
few number of simulation results for islanded mode are shown
in Table III. To clarify the results the LG (phase A to ground)
fault in location Fault3 is explained as follows.
Upon occurrence of the fault, the line protection sents out trip
signal in 3 msec. Similar to the grid connected mode, to analyze
ZAREI AND PARNIANI: A COMPREHENSIVE DIGITAL PROTECTION SCHEME FOR LOW-VOLTAGE MICROGRIDS WITH INVERTER-BASED 449

TABLE II
SIMULATION RESULTS FOR GRID-CONNECTED MODE

Fig. 10. Fault current waveforms and relays trip signals for LL fault at location
Fault2 in grid-connected mode.
450
TABLE III
SIMULATION RESULTS FOR ISLANDED MODE
the performance of other protective relays the trip command
is deliberately blocked. Therefore, the fault will remain active.
MGFPR2 and the SGDG relay respond to fault in 124 msec
and 181 msec in their forward modes, respectively. Afterwards,
MGFPR1 and MGFPR3 create trip signals in 361 msec and
505 msec after fault occurrence in reverse mode. For the sake
of brevity, the waveforms and trip signals of the relays are not
shown in this case.
In summary, simulation data demonstrate the effective, coor-
dinated and selective operation of the proposed relays in both
modes of operation. It is worth mentioning that the proposed
protection does not need mode switching from grid connected
mode to islanded mode or vice versa.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER DELIVERY, VOL. 32, NO. 1, FEBRUARY 2017
TABLE IV
DIFFERENTIAL CURRENT BASED PROTECTION SETTINGS
diff. relay parameter Value(A)
Diff relay for Line 11 I dmi fi fn 15
It h 15
Id i f f 2 1200
Diff relay for Line 12 I dmi fi fn 10
It h 10
Id i f f 2 600
Diff relay for Line 21 I dmi fi fn 28
It h 13
Id i f f 2 1100
relays slope = 0.3
VI. CONCLUSION
This research suggests a comprehensive protection strategy
for low voltage microgrid. In this strategy different protective
relays (based on digital relays) were introduced for all of mi-
crogrid components, such as lines, feeder, conventional and
inverter-based DGs, and PCC. Schematic illustration of new
digital relays was also presented. The proposed method does
not rely on microgrid central protection and adaptive protec-
tion methods, and thus, avoids their associated problems. Since
the suggested strategy is credible in both grid-connected and
islanded modes of operation; there is no need for mode switch-
ing. The applied method benefits from double side fault clearing
and single phase tripping capabilities to increase service conti-
nuity of loads. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed
method, numerous simulations in both grid-connected and is-
landed mode of operation have been conducted on the test MG
system. Simulation results verify safe, selective and reliable op-
eration of protective devices in both modes of operation for
internal and external faults in microgrid.
APPENDIX A
NEGATIVE SEQUENCE DIRECTIONAL ELEMENT [36]
The principle behind the Negative Sequence Directional El-
ement is that for a forward fault, negative sequence impedance
would be negative and for a reverse fault, it would be positive.
Considering the source behind the relay terminal is strong, this
may result in a very low negative sequence voltage. To over-
come such situations, a compensating quantity is added to boost
the negative sequence voltage.
Applying the compensating quantity introduces a forward
and reverse threshold. Then the criteria is that if Z2 < Z2f , then
the fault is forward and if Z2 > Z2r , then the fault is reverse.
The forward threshold must be less than the reverse threshold
to avoid any overlap. The output will be generated only if the
ratio of negative sequence current to positive sequence current
exceeds the specified limit.
APPENDIX B
RELAYS SETTINGS
The parameters of the proposed protections are reported in
Tables IV–VIII. It should be noted that current settings of relays
ZAREI AND PARNIANI: A COMPREHENSIVE DIGITAL PROTECTION SCHEME FOR LOW-VOLTAGE MICROGRIDS WITH INVERTER-BASED 451

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Seyed Fariborz Zarei received the B.Sc. degree in
electrical engineering from Amirkabir University of
Technology, Tehran, Iran, in 2012 and the M.Sc. de-
gree in electrical engineering from the Sharif Univer-
sity of Technology (SUT), Tehran, in 2014, where he
is currently pursuing the Ph.D. degree in electrical
engineering.
His fields of interest include control and protec-
tion of microgrids and renewable energy sources.
Mostafa Parniani (SM’06) received the B.Sc. degree
in electrical power engineering from the Amirkabir
University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, in 1987, the
M.Sc. degree in electrical power engineering from
Sharif University of Technology (SUT), Tehran, in
1989, and the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering
from the University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada,
in 1995.
Currently, he is a professor at the SUT. During
1988–1990, he was with Ghods-Niroo Consulting
Engineers Co. and the Electric Power Research Cen-
ter, both in Tehran, Iran. He was a Visiting Scholar at Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute, Troy, NY, USA, during 2005–2006. His research interests include
power system dynamics and control, applications of power electronics in power
systems, and renewable energies.