DIFFERENTIAL PROTECTION

PROTECTION OF AC MACHINES
AGAINST INTERNAL FAULTS
 INTERNAL & EXTERNAL FAULTS

TR 1

Why a normal O/C relay is inadequate ?

 DIFFERENTIAL RELAY

- SHOULD TRIP INSTANTANEOUSLY

FOR AN INTERNAL FAULT

- SHOULD NOT TRIP FOR

AN EXTERNAL FAULT

- NORMAL SETTINGS FOR

DIFFERENTIAL PICK UP = 15%
Differential Protection

Ip Ip
TA TA
P ro te c te d
E q u ip m e n t

50 Ie 2 - Ie l

Ip - Ie l Ip - Ie 2
Differential Protection

T .A T .A
P ro te c te d
E q u ip m e n t

IL IR
IL IR
 PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION OF DIFFERENTIAL RELAYS

CIRCULATING CURRENT PRINCIPLE

G1
 INTERNAL / EXTERNAL FAULTS

I1 I2 Id

100 100 0 NORMAL LOAD

500 500 0 THROUGH FAULT (500%)

500 300 200 INTERNAL FAULT (200%)

100 80 20 INTERNAL FAULT (20%)

NOTE :
1. THROUGH FAULT CONDITION HAS TO BE DETECTED BY
NORMAL O/C RELAY (SINCE FAULT CURRENT IS
HIGHER THAN 100%)

2. INTERNAL FAULT HAS TO BE CLEARED BY DIFFERENTIAL

RELAY - SINCE FAULT CURRENT IS LESS THAN FULL LOAD,
NORMAL O/C RELAY WILL NOT PICK UP
MOTTO OF A DIFFERENTIAL RELAY

SHOULD OPARATE FOR

INTERNAL FAULT

SHOULD NOT OPERATE

FOR EXTERNAL FAULT

SATABILITY OF
DIFFERENTIAL RELAY
TYPES OF DIFFERENTIAL RELAYS

CIRCULATING CURRENT
(HIGH IMPEDANCE)

PERCENTAGE BIASED
(LOW IMPEDANCE)
 CIRCULATING CURRENT
HIGH IMPEDANCE DIFFERENTIAL RELAY

I1 - I2 RELAY OPERATING
CURRENT

TRIP IN TERMS OF
SETTING CT PRIMARY
(20% OF In)

RELAY WILL TRIP IF I1-I2 IS

GREATER THAN 20% 0F In
(In = RATING OF CT PRIMARY)
 CIRCULATING CURRENT
HIGH IMPEDANCE DIFFERENTIAL RELAY

Id RELAY TRIP AREA

Is =20%

0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5

Average current Ir /In
=((I1 +I2)/2)/In
 CIRCULATING CURRENT
HIGH IMPEDANCE DIFFERENTIAL RELAY

DISADVANTAGES :

DUE TO CT CHARACTERISTICS MISMATCH,

RELAY CAN DETECT A CONDITION WHERE
I1-I2 EXCEEDS SET VALUE

A) UNDER NORMAL OPERATRING CONDITIONS

B) UNDER THROUGH FAULT CONDITIONS
C) WHENEVER THE TAPS ARE CHANGED IN
TRANSFORMERS

THIS IS MAINLY DUE TO :

DC OFFSET EFFECT AND
ASSYMMETRIC CT RESPONSE UNDER LARGE
THROUGH FAULT CURRENTS.
 CIRCULATING CURRENT
(HIGH IMPEDENCE) DIFFERANTIAL RELAY

ADD A
STABILISING RESISTOR
TO IMPROVE
PERFORMANCE
 CIRCULATING CURRENT
HIGH IMPEDANCE DIFFERENTIAL RELAY

STABILISING RESISTOR

WILL IMPROVE PERFORMANCE OF RELAY

FOR CT CHARACTERISTICS MISMATCH
- TO CERTAIN LIMITS

BUT RELAY HAS BECOME INSENSITIVE

DUE TO ADDITION OF RESISTOR.
RELAY MAY NOT TRIP FOR A REAL
INTERNAL FAULT.

FOR TOTAL IMPROVEMENT

USE PERCENTAGE BIASED RELAY
 BIASED DIFFERENTIAL

I1 - I2 RELAY OPERATING
CURRENT

(I1+I2)/2 RELAY RESTRAINING

CURRENT

TRIP SETTING = (I1- I2)

(BIAS %) (I1 +I2)/2

NORMALLY BIAS % = 20%

RELAY WILL TRIP WHEN

(2*(I1 - I2)/(I1+I2))*100
VALUE EXCEEDS TRIP SETTING
BIASED DIFFERENTIAL

Refer excel sheet

PERCENTAGE BIASED DIFFERENTIAL RELAY

INTERNAL FAULT
EXTERNAL FAULT

BIAS PERCENTAGE
PERCENTAGE BASED DIFFERENTIAL RELAY BIASE CHARECTERSTICS

( I1-I2)

DIFFERENCE RELAY OPERATES

CURRENT

RELAY NOT TO OPERATE

%Id

I1+I2
MIN I1-I2 2 SUM CURRENT
SLOPE
DUAL SLOPE ?
 DIFFERENTIAL RELAYS

INTERPOSING CTs

IN TRANSFORMER DIFFERENTIAL RELAYS

FOLOWING COMPENSATIONS WILL BE
REQUIRED FOR:

A) PROVIDING MAGNITUDE COMPENSATION

B) PHASE ANGLE COMPENSATION DUE

TO VECTOR GROUP SHIFT BETWEEN
Py & Sy
 DIFFERENTIAL RELAYS

INTERPOSING CTs

INELECTROMECHANICAL / SOLIDSTATE RELAYS

INTERPOSING CTs ARE USED FOR PROVIDING
THE MAGNITUDE AND VECTOR COMPENSATION

IN NUMERICAL RELAYS THE SOFTWARE INSIDE

INSIDE THE RELAY TAKES CARE OF THESE
COMPENSATION
 TRANSFORMER VECTOR GROUPS

R R

1. YY0
B B
Y Y

R B
Y
2. YY6

B
Y R

B
3. YD1 Y

4. YD11 B
Y
PHASE ANGLE COMPENSATION
THROUGH INTERPOSING CT’S
CONNECTION DIAGRAM MD32-T RELAY

WHY REF ?
RESTRAINTS IN DIFFERENTIAL RELAYS

2ND HARMONIC RESTRAINT

WHEN A TRANSFORMER IS SWITCHED ON,

THE DIFFERENTIAL RELAY MAY SENSE A
DIFFERENTIAL CURRENT AND INITIATE TRIP.

THIS IS DUE TO THE MAGNETISING CURRENT

INRUSH ON ONE SIDE OF THE TRANSFORMER.
THIS WILL RESULT IN A LARGE VALUE OF
I1-I2 FOR ABOUT 4 OR 5 CYCLES.

RELAY IS RESTRAINED FROM OPERATION

AT THE TIME OF SWTICH ON BY THE
2ND HARMONIC RESTRAINT FEATURE.
 RESTRAINTS IN DIFFERENTIAL RELAYS

5TH HARMONIC RESTRAINT

WHEN OVER FLUXING OCCURS IN A TRANSFORMER

THE DIFFERENTIAL RELAY MAY SENSE A
DIFFERENTIAL CURRENT AND INITIATE TRIP.

THIS IS DUE TO THE HIGH LEVEL OF FLUX

PRESENT IN THE CORE CAUSING AN ARTIFICIAL
I1-I2 FOR A SHORT TIME.

RELAY IS RESTRAINED FROM OPERATION

AT THE TIME OF OVER FLUXING BY THE
5TH HARMONIC RESTRAINT FEATURE.
 SALIET FEATURES OF MD32 T

1. PERCENTAGE BIASED
2. DUAL SLOPE
3. DISPLAYS OF Id
4. VECTOR/AMPLITUDE
COMPENSATION
(W/O ICTs)
5. 2ND HARMONIC RESTRAINT
6. 5TH HARMONIC RESTRAINT
7. WAVE FORM CAPTURE
8. INBUILT REF