FAULT LEVEL, SUB-STATION CAPACITY,

EQUIPMENT SELECTION

• 1.0  Selection of protective devices and their trip settings are based
on short circuit calculations.
• 1.1 Short Circuit Protective Devices
        Circuit Breaker
        Fuses
        MCCB
        MCB
• 1.2  To Ensure Adequacy
        Short circuit protective device should be selected keeping in view future
expansion / augumentation
        Cables / bus bars should be able to withstand fault current till cleared ,
electrically and mechanically
        Check complete system from supply side due to the last motor / user for
Adequacy
• 1.3 Equipment Selection - Basic Parameters
  Rated Voltage and variation
  Rated current
  Voltage Class
  Basic Insulation level
  Clearances
  Degree of protection of enclosure
  Temp Rise
  Insulation Class
  Rated Frequency / Speed
  Max. allowable Dip
  Short Circuit Capability / withstand time
 1.4 Circuit Breaker
        Breaking Capacity
        Making Capacity
        Opening time
        Closing time
        Duty Cycle
        Switching Over voltage
1.5 HRC Fuses, Fuse Units  
a. Rated Current, voltage etc.
b. Interrupting Capacity and time
– Fault limiting fuses
– Delayed action fuses
1.6 Moulded Case Circuit Breaker (MCCB), Miniature
Circuit Breaker (MCB)
        Rated voltage
        Rated Current
        Interrupting Current and time

2.0 Short Circuit Current Sources

2.1 Generator : A synchronous generator is a variable reactance
which increases with time

Generator Reactance Time Duration Approx. Percentage reactance

Sub-transient Reactance(xd”) m. secs 10

Transient reactance (xd’) Secs 20

Steady state reactance (xd) Minutes 200

• 2.2       Induction Motors :
• Induction motors contribute to fault due to inertia of the load.
The initial contribution is equal to the locked rotor current
(600 to 800% ) but it decays rapidly. It is nil after a few
cycles.

• 2.3       Fault limiting Components

– Transformers
– Reactors
– Cables
– Bus bars / ducts

• 2.4       Short Circuit Decrement

– Interrupting MVA or Fault MVA Capacity

a)      Single phase fault level in MVA

= (Prefault voltage) x (Fault current)

= (KVrated) (KA)fault …. MVA

b)      3 phase fault level = 3 . K V rated . KAfault …. MVA

 3.0 Per unit method applied to Short Circuit Calculations

•  Vpu = Vactual / Vbase ………. (1)

•  
• Ipu = Iactual / Ibase
•  
• Zpu = Zactual / Zbase
•  
• If KVAbase and KVbase are chosen, then all other base values get fixed.

• I base = KVAbase / KVbase 

Z base
V V V  V 
 base  base base  base
2

I base Vbase  I base  VAbase 


 kVbase X 1000 2
 kVbase  1000  Abase 


 kVbase  2 
 kVbase 
2

 KVAbase  MVAbase
 1000 


Z actual MVAbase
Z pu   Z actual x
Z base ( KVbase ) 2
• 3.1 The Percentage Impedance:
The percentage impedance (% Z) of a Transformer is
the ratio of the applied voltage to rated voltage to pass rated
current through short circuited secondary winding.

• 3.2 Fault Levels:

• Fault level = Pre-fault voltage x Fault current = (I f) pu x
(KVb)pu = KVA fault in p.u.
  Pre-fault voltage can be assumed to be 1.0 p.u.
 
• 3 phase to ground Fault current= If3ph P.U.
Where Zpp = Driving point impedance looking into the
network from P expressed in p.u.
• Single phase to ground fault current = 3.0 /
(Z1+Z2+Z0+3Zg)
  Where Z1 = Impedance of +ve seq. network
Z2 = Impedance of -ve seq. network
Z0 = Impedance of zero seq. network
Zg = Neutral earthing impedance of the network
 
• The 3 ph fault level is the severe most and is considered for
selection of equipment like CB, Bus bar, fuse, cable etc.
3.3    Ex.1: What is the fault current at the LV terminal of the 11
kV/415V transformer having percentage Impedance of 5% . (Ignore the
source impedance)
0.05pu
11KV

1.0pu
Source

If

If

 
Let KVA base = 1000 KVA = 1 MVA

kVbase =11 kV ; 1
 20 pu
Fault Current =If = 0.05 Ignoring the source Impedance)
 

Fault MVA = (KVbase) (If) pu

= (1.0) (20)
= 20 pu
= 20000 KVA
 

20000
Fault current on HT side = I f  A   10497 A
  3  11
 
If (KA) on LT side = 20000 = 27.82 KA
√3 x 415
3.4 Change in Base KVA
 
Z act
  Z pu 
Z base

Zact = Z . Z base = Z pu old (KVb.old)2

pu
(MVAbold)
 Z p u new =
 
Z pu old  KVb old   MVA2 new
2
Z act

Z basenew  KVb new 2  MVAbold 

MVAb new
 Zpu.old .
MVAb old

when KVbold = KVbnew

 3.5 Ex.2: Find fault level in p.u. for Ex.1 after changing the base MVA from 1
MVA to 2 MVA
 
Sol: Z pu = 0.05 pu on 1 MVA base
 

2
Z pu new on 2MVA base  0.05   0.1 pu on2MVAbase
1

Base Value 1 MVA 2 MVA

Corresponding Z pu 0.05 0.1

Fault Level in pu 20 pu 20 pu.

 
 
Hence it does not make any difference to the fault calculation results.
All the impedances of Gen., Transformer, Transmission line etc.
have to be converted to a common base MVA before fault
computations.
 
 4.0 Ex.3: Find the fault levels of the system at F1 and
F2

PCC
5%
11/ 0.415KV 600 kW
1 MVA DB
3½ X 400
C2, 50 mts
5 x3 ½ x 400

G G
C1, 100 mts
M

2X3½X400 MCB
C3, 200 mts

F1
F2

Zs PU
(Soln) Base MVA = 1.0 MVA
Base KV = 11 kV
1.0pu
Source
  
(A)   Let Fault level on 11 kV bus. : 350 MVA = 350 p.u. ;
Source impedance = X1
 
1
If in p.u =
X1
1
Source impedance =X1 =  0.00286 p.u
(B) 350
 
1.0
I f on LT side of Transformer 
0.00286  0.05

1 .0
  18.918 pu
0.05286
0.00286 Z= 0.05

Ftr

1.0
Source If

 
Fault level = (1.0) (18.918) pu MVA
= 18918 KVA
If Zs is neglected  Fault level = 20 pu MVA = 20000 KVA
(from EX1)
 Equivalent Circuit &
11 kV Source , PU impedances
Fault Level= 350 MVA

ZS =0.0285pu
Fault
level=350MVA

1000 KVA, 5%,

Y 11/ 0.415 kV
ZT =0.05pu

Fault current=
X 18.918KA

5x3 ½ x 400 cable, 100m

C1 ZC1 =0.0145pu
600KW 600KW

Fault level=14.842MVA
PCC X X Fault current=20.648 KA
X
F1 X F1 X
SWF
UNIT 2x3 ½ x 400 cable,
C2 3½ x 400 X 200m C3
ZC2 =0.225pu
cable 50m X
415 V,200KW,
MCB 0.8pf
M M
DB
DB F2
F2

Lighting loads

Lighting loads FIG.B

FIG. A
 
(C) Cable impedance :
 
3½ x 400 mm2 Resistance = 0.1 Ω / km
reactance = 0.075 Ω / km
Zact of 5 parallel conductors of 100 m. length =
 
100 1
  0.1  j 0.075    0.0025
1000 5
ZKV=b  2

 0.415
2
 0.172 pu
 MVAb 
base
1
Z act
Cable impedance in Zp.u. =
base
 
0.0025
Zpu of cable =  0.0145 pu
 
0.172
  
(D) Fault level at F1
  0.05 0.0145
F1

1.0pu If
Source

FIG. 8