Lecture 9th

Transformer Protection - 2

Course Teacher:
Dr. Muhammad Mohsin Aman
Course Code:
EE-523
Venue:
Computer Laboratory, Department of Electrical Engineering ,
NED University Karachi.
9th Lecture’s Outline
9th Lecture’s Outline
 Inrush Phenomenon in Transformer
 Percentage Differential Relay with Harmonic Restraint
 Tank Protection
 Transformer Protection Application Chart
 Problem: Differential Protection of Transformer
 Bus Bar Protection
 Differential Protection of Bus Bars
 Internal and External faults
 Actual Behavior of a Protective CT
 Circuit Model of Saturated CT
Inrush Phenomenon
Magnetizing Inrush Current
 When a transformer is first energized, a transient magnetizing or exciting
inrush current may flow. This inrush current, which appears as an internal fault to
the differentially connected relays, may reach instantaneous peaks of 8 to 30 times
those for full load.
The factors controlling the duration and magnitude of the magnetizing inrush

are:
 Size and location of the transformer bank
 Size of the power system
 Resistance in the power system from the source to the transformer bank
 Type of iron used in the transformer core and its saturation density
 Prior history, or residual flux level, of the bank
 How the bank is energized
 Magnetizing inrush Current

 For the first few cycles, the inrush current decays rapidly. Then, however, the current
subsides very slowly, sometimes taking many seconds if the resistance is low.
 The time constant of the circuit (L/R) is not, in fact, a constant: L varies as a result of
transformer saturation. During the first few cycles, saturation is high and L is low. As
the losses damp the circuit, the saturation drops and L increases.
 According to a 1951 AIEE report, time constants for inrush vary from 10 cycles for
small units to as much as 1 min for large units.
 Magnetizing inrush Current
 The resistance from the source to the bank determines the damping of the current
wave.
 Banks near a generator will have a longer inrush because the resistance is very low.
 Likewise, large transformer units tend to have a long inrush as they represent a large
L relative to the system resistance.
 At remote substations, the inrush will not be nearly so severe, since the resistance in
the connecting line will quickly damp the current.
Inrush Phenomenon
•Figure 4.12 shows an unloaded transformer being switched on to an ac
supply.
Inrush Phenomenon

•The applied voltage is exactly equal to the induced voltage. Thus, the flux in
a transformer lags the applied voltage by 90 degree in the steady state as shown in
Figure 4.13.
Inrush Phenomenon
•Therefore when voltage is passing through zero and becoming positive the
flux should be at its negative maxima and increasing as shown in Figure 4.13.
Inrush Phenomenon
•In a time equal to T/2
(half cycle), the flux changes
from -ϕm, to + ϕm, as
shown in Figure 4.14.
•The change in flux is
therefore 2ϕm in T/2
seconds. This is the steady-
state picture.
Inrush Phenomenon
•Let us assume that the
transformer is switched on at
positive zero crossing of the
voltage waveform as shown in
Figure 4.14.
•Further, assume that the
residual flux is zero. Thus, the
initial value of flux is zero but
subsequently the flux must have
the same rate of change and
same waveform as it has in the
steady-state. Thus, the flux must
reach a peak value of + 2ϕm, in
half a cycle.
Inrush Phenomenon
•Since power transformers operate near the knee of the saturation curve, a
flux demand of 2ϕm, drives the transformer core deep into saturation, causing it to
draw a very large magnetizing current with a peaky non-sinusoidal waveform.
•The magnetizing current is, therefore, very high, of the order of 8 to 30
times the full-load current. This current is known as inrush current.
•The time constant of this transient component of current could be of the
order of a few seconds at worst.
Inrush Phenomenon
•Therefore when
voltage is passing through
zero and becoming positive
the flux should be at its
negative maxima and
increasing as shown in
Figure 4.13.
•In a time equal to T/2
(half cycle), the flux changes
from -$, to + 6, as shown in
Figure 4.14.
•The change in flux is
therefore 2q, in TI2 seconds.
This is the steady-state
Inrush Phenomenon
•asasa
Inrush Phenomenon
•Thus, the flux in the transformer is a function of the following three factors:
1. Residual flux ϕR
2. Instant of switching θ
3. Magnetic properties of core, i.e. the amount of magnetizing current required to
produce a given amount of flux.

•Thus, we see that for θ = 0 and ϕR =+ϕm, the flux attains an amplitude
of 3ϕM, at ωt = π radians.
•To satisfy a flux demand of 3ϕm, the transformer primary draws a very
large magnetizing current with a peaky non-sinusoidal waveform.
Inrush Phenomenon
•Inrush is also experienced whenever there are sudden changes in the system
voltage such as sudden recovery of system voltage on clearing of a fault,
somewhere in the system.
•While an unloaded transformer, which is being switched on, experiences an
inrush, an adjacent transformer, which is in service, may also experience a smaller
degree of inrush. This is known as sympathetic inrush.
•Further, as such a high current flows only on one side of the transformer (on
the side which is being connected to the supply), it looks like an internal fault to
the differential scheme and ends up as spill current.
•As seen in Section 4.3, a short circuit at the terminals of a transformer
causes similar magnitudes of currents to flow. Hence, the percentage differential
relay is likely to mal-operate on magnetizing inrush seconds at worst.
Percentage Differential Relay with Harmonic
Restraint
Percentage Differential Relay with Harmonic Restraint
•We have seen that the percentage differential scheme tends to mal-operate
due to magnetizing inrush. One way to combat this problem is to desensitize the
relay for a brief period of time, just after switching on. However, this is not
desirable, since the probability of insulation failure just after switching on is
quite high, and a desensitized relay would be blind to faults taking place at that
crucial time.
•A solution to this problem suggests itself, when we compare the
waveforms of internal fault current with that of the inrush current. The inrush
waveform is rich in harmonics whereas the internal fault current consists of only
of the fundamental.
•Thus, we can develop additional restraint based on harmonic content of the
inrush current. This additional restraint comes into picture only during the inrush
condition and t is ineffective during faults.
Percentage Differential Relay with Harmonic Restraint
•Table 4.1 gives the harmonic content of a typical inrush waveform.
Percentage Differential Relay with Harmonic Restraint
•Figure 4.15 shows the conceptual scheme of a harmonic restraint
differential relay.
•The fundamental component of spill current is segregated with the help of
a filter and is used to develop the tripping torque.
•The non-fundamental component of the spill current aids the unfiltered
circulating current in developing the restraining torque. This makes the relay
stable on inrush while at the same time not affecting its operation in case of
genuine internal faults.
Percentage Differential Relay with Harmonic Restraint
•Figure 4.15 shows the conceptual scheme of a harmonic restraint
differential relay. The fundamental component of spill current is segregated with
the help of a filter and is @. used to develop the tripping torque. The non-
fundamental component of the spill current (17 - 12) I currents I,, aids the
unfiltered circulating current in developing the restraining torque. This makes the
relay stable on inrush while at the same time not affecting its operation in case of
genuine internal faults.
Percentage Differential Relay with Harmonic Restraint
•A harmonic restraint percentage differential relay which implements the
conceptual scheme shown in Figure 4.15 is illustrated in Figure 4.16.
Transformer Tank Protection
 Transformer Tank protection
 This is a low cost protection against some of the internal faults of the transformer,
which consists of an overcurrent relay which measures the current flow through the
ground connection of the transformer tank.
It detects the ground faults of the transformer and bushings trough the metallic

tank.
To achieve this the transformer must be completely isolated from ground (putting

some isolating material under the transformer wheels), and a toroid current transformer
is needed surrounding the only ground connection cable.

64 (Ground fault
relay)
Transformer Protection Application Chart
Equivalent Circuit of Transformer
Transformers are used for a very wide variety of applications. The type of protection
that will be provided for a transformer depends upon its kVA rating and its
importance. The only protection that will possibly be provided to a small lighting
transformer may be in the form of fuses while a transformer connected to a generator
in a thermal power station may have very elaborate protection. Tables 4.3 and 4.4
summarize the transformer protection scenario and application of various protection
schemes.
Equivalent Circuit of Transformer
ghh
 Problem
Differential Protection of Transformer
Problem
•A single-phase transformer is rated at 69/110 kV, 20 MVA. It is to be
protected by a input differential relay, with taps of 3.0, 4.0, 4.5, 4.8, 4.9, 5.0, 5.1,
5.2, 5.5 A secondary. The transformer has an under load tap changer (ULTC) with
a turns ratio of −5% to +5% in steps of 58 %.
•Specify the CTs, the pickup setting and the percentage differential slope for
the relay. The available slopes are 10, 20 and 40 %.
•What is the level of fault current, for an unloaded transformer, for which the
differential relay will not operate?
Solution
•Find the primary and secondary currents of 69/110 kV, 20 MVA
Transformer. S
I
VL

•The currents in the primary and the secondary for the rated load are 289.8
and 181.8 A respectively.
•Therefore we may select CT ratios of 300 : 5 and 200 : 5 for the two sides.
These will produce 289.8 × 5/300 = 4.83 A, and 181.8 × 5/200 = 4.54 A in the two
CT secondaries.
•Therefore the difference between the two current is 0.29A.
Solution
•In order to reduce a mismatch between these currents, we may use the relay
tap of 4.8 for the CT on the primary side and the relay tap of 4.5 for the CT on the
secondary side.
•This will give us a value of 4.83/4.8, or 1.00625 × 5 A, and 4.54/4.5, or
1.009 × 5 A in the relay coils.
•Thus, the differential current in the relay due to CT ratio mismatch would
amount to (1.009 − 1.006) pu, or about 0.3 %.
Solution
•The tap changer will change the main transformer ratio by 5 %, when it is in
its extreme tap position. Thus, a total differential current of 5.3% would result
from these two causes.
•If no information on unequal CT errors is available, we must make
appropriate assumptions, so that we may select a proper percentage slope for the
relay characteristic.
•Assuming the CTs to be of the 10CXXX type, we may expect a maximum
error of under 10% in each of the CTs. It is therefore reasonable to assume that the
errors in the two CTs will not differ from each other by more than 10% under all
fault conditions. This gives a net differential current of 15.3% for the largest
external fault, while the tap changer is at its farthest position.
•With about a 5% margin of safety, we may therefore select a 20%
differential slope for the relay.
Solution
•For the pickup setting, we may select the lowest available setting. A typical
available value is 0.25 A.
•With a 0.25 A pickup setting, the primary current on the 69 kV side will be
(300/5) × (4.8/5) × 0.25, or 14.4 A.
•A fault on the 69 kV side producing currents smaller than this will not be
seen by this relay.