Power Transformer Protection

Power transformer &

Reactor
Protection

By
A PHANINDRA
 Power Transformer Protection

Introduction

• Transformer is a static device used to transform the

electrical energy from one alternating current circuit
to another without any change in frequency.
• Power Transformer is a vital link in a power
transmission system and distribution

• A Power Transformer is an important and expensive part of a

power network.

• The impact of a transformer fault is more serious than a

transmission line outage.
 Power Transformer Protection

Introduction

• High availability of the power Transformer is therefore very

important in order to prevent disturbances in the power networks
transfer of power.
• Following are important.
• High quality transformer.
• Operating the transformer within specified limits of
temperature and voltage.
• Proper checking and maintenance of
OLTC.
• Providing suitable protective relays and monitoring
devices.
 Power Transformer Protection

Why we need to protect a

Transformer?
1. To Protect the Transformer from severe damages.

2. Time required to rectify the Transformer in case

of damages is more and it is very difficult.

3. Operation of a power network, when the

power transformer is out of service is always
difficult.
4. A Power Transformer fault therefore often is
a more severe disturbance for the network,
than an overhead line fault which usually can
be repaired rather quickly.
 Power Transformer Protection

TYPE OF
FAULTS

1.Internal faults

2.External faults
 Power Transformer Protection

What are the faults which can occur in a

transformer or conditions leading to faults?
• Insulation Breakdown

2. Aging of Insulation

3. Over heating due to over excitation

4. Oil contamination and leakage

5. Reduced Cooling

6. Turn to Turn Fault

7. Phase to phase

8. Phase to Ground Fault

 Power Transformer Protection

REASONS FOR FAULTS AND ITS EFFECTS

Insulation Breakdown
Main causes:
• Aging of insulation due to over temperature during long time. •
Contaminated oil.
• Corona discharges in the insulation.
• Transient over voltages due to thunderstorms or
switching in the network.
• Current forces on the windings due to external faults with high
current.
• Insulation Breakdown of the windings will cause short circuits
and /or earth faults.
• These faults causes severe damaging on the windings and
the transformer core.
 Power Transformer Protection

REASONS FOR FAULTS AND ITS EFFECTS.

Aging of Insulation

• Aging of insulation is a function of time and temperature.

• Part of the winding operated at highest temperature undergoes

greatest deterioration.

• Improved cooling of transformer helps avoid accelerated

aging of the insulation.
 Power Transformer Protection

Overheating

• The overexcited transformer flux is forced through metal tank and

other unlaminated parts of the transformer and result in heating
up.
• To get correct representation V/Hz relay should be connected to
PT measuring voltage of an untapped transformer winding.
Oil contamination and leakage

• Quality of oil should be checked to ensure dielectric strength at

site.

• Silica gel breather helps avoid moisture.

• Oil level monitored to avoid breakdown of insulation.
Reduced Cooling
• Forced cooling systems should be supervised to get alarm.

• Oil temperature should be watched and appropriate action

taken if transformer gets overheated.
 Power Transformer Protection

Turn-to-turn Faults

• Turn to turn faults between a few turns is difficult to detect by

current measuring relays. Fault current is of the order of rated
current when 2 to 4% of the turns are short circuited.

• The current in the short circuited loop is high (50-100 times of In)
and causes local damage and release of gas.

• Therefore rate of rise of pressure relay may detect this fault.

Phase to phase faults

• Short circuits between the phases will give rise to substantial fault
current only limited by the source impedance and the leakage
impedance of the transformer
Phase to ground faults

• When the faults current flows through earth return path, the fault
is called ground fault.
 Power Transformer Protection

What are the Protections for a Transformer?

1.Differential Protection
2.Restricted earth fault Protection
3.Over Flux Protection
4.Back up Over current & Earth Protection
5.Over Load Protection
6. Buchholz relay
7. WTI, OTI & PRD Trip
8.Monitors
 Power Transformer Protection

CHOICE OF PROTECTION

Choice of protection for any given Power Transformer

depends upon a number of factors

•
Size
• Importance

•Whether it has ON-Load (or) OFF-Load tap changer

 Power Transformer Protection

DATA required for selecting the Protection scheme

• Particulars of Transformer
• KVA
• Voltage ratio
• Connection of winding
• Percentage impedance
• Neutral point earthing & value of resistance
• Whether indoor (or) outdoor, dry (or) Oil filled
• With (or) Without conservator
• Length & Cross section of connecting leads between CTs and
relay panels
• Fault level at power transformer terminals
• Network diagram showing position of power transformer
 Power Transformer Protection

General practice of transformer protection

• Differential relays
• Restricted Earth Fault relays •
Over current relays
• Over fluxing relays •
Over load relays
• Buchholz
 Power Transformer Protection

DIFFERENTIAL PROTECTION

• Differential protection responds to the vector

difference between two similar quantities
• This protection is generally called as
“ UNIT PROTECTION”
• Most of the Differential relays are Current diffl. relay
BASIC requirement

Differential relay connection must be satisfy

1) the Diffl. Relay must not operate for load (or)

external fault
2) The relay must operate for severe enough
internal fault
 Power Transformer Protection

DIFFERENTIAL PROTECTION

Simplex example of such a arrangement is shown here

 Power Transformer Protection

DIFFERENTIAL PROTECTION

Simplex example of such a arrangement is shown here

Circulating current protection

 Power Transformer Protection

Problem arising in DIFFERENTIAL PROTECTION

applied to Transformer
Simple differential protection. Is inadequate because

• CT. Ratio error during short-circuit

• Saturation of CT magnetic circuit during short
circuit condition
• Tap changinng
• Mangnetising inrush current

How to Overcome?

• Modification of circulating current differential

relay is necessary to overcome the trouble
arising out of differences in CT characteristics
and errors.
 Power Transformer Protection

DIFFERENTIAL PROTECTION

Additional restraining (BIAS) coil in the pilot wire is introduced

A.T = I1 N/2 + I2 = N * ( ( I1 + I2 ) /
N/2 2
The relay is now called BIASED DIFFERENTIAL RELAY
 Power Transformer Protection

DIFFERENTIAL PROTECTION

This relay is also called as PERCENTAGE DIFFERENTIAL RELAY

Ratio of differential operating current to average restraining

current is in “Fixed percentage”

I.e ( I1 - ) / ( ( I1 + I2 ) / 2 )= % Bias
I2

( I1 + I2 ) / 2
 Power Transformer Protection

One more difficulty in DIFFERENTIAL PROTECTION is

magnetising inrush current which is not yet overcome
What is magnetising inrush current?
The shape , magnitude and duration of the inrush current
depend on the following factor

• Size of power transformer

• Source impedance
• Magnetic properties of the core material

• The moment when the Tr. Is switched in, Inrush current contain
a large content of several HARMONICs
 Power Transformer Protection

Inrush current will have following harmonic

components predominantly

• 2nd Harmonic component

• 3rd Harmonic component
• 5th Harmonic component
Out of all second harmonic is predominant, hence most of
the relays filter the 2nd harmonic component from the inrush
current and feed it to restraining circuit
Now the relays is called HARMONIC RESTRAINT DIFFL.RELAY
 Power Transformer Protection

Current Transformer connection for differential relay

Simple thumb rule

• CTs on “Star” winding of power transformer
should be connected in “Delta”
• CTs on “Delta” winding of power transformer
should be connected in “Star”
 Power Transformer Protection

E/F (or) Ground Fault protection

power transformer with impedance
grounded (or) solid grounded neutrals
can be equipped with different type
GROUND FAULT RELAY required to
Protect the grounded winding
• Restricted Earth Fault relay #
High impedance
# Low impedance
 Power Transformer Protection

REF. protection
• When the fault occur very near the neutral point of the TR.
the voltage available for driving E/F current is small. Hence
fault current would be low

• If the relay is to sense such a faults , it has to be too

sensitive and would therefore operate for spurious
signals, external faults and switching surges

• The practice is to set the relay such that it operate for E/F
current of the order of 15% of rated winding current.
Such a setting protects restricted protection of winding.
Hence the name is called
Restricted Earth Fault protection
 Power Transformer Protection

Over Current protection

Through faults are not detected by differential protection

of Transformer. If the through fault persists for longer
duration, the Transformer gets damaged by thermal
stresses.
Through faults are detected by O/C relays
• Protection against Phase fault .
• Below 1MVA , Main protection against short circuit.
• Above 1MVA, Backup protection for sustained
through fault.
 Power Transformer Protection

Over Current protection

While selecting O/C protection of TR. Following aspects
need consideration

• Magnetising Current inrush

IDMT relays are not affected by the current inrush as they
have enough time lag
Inst. O/C relays should be HIGH-SET to avoid mal operation

• Fault currents on pri. Side and sec. Side of power

transformer are different for Ph-Ph fault
 Power Transformer Protection

While selecting O/C protection of TR. Following aspects

need consideration
• Pri. Fault current should be considered while setting O/C.
• Setting of IDMT relays is generally 125% of Tr. Rating
to take care of normal O/L . Enough time delay should
be provided as per the application.
• Same set of CTs should not be used for Diffl. And O/C. protn.

• Setting of Inst. O/C relay on pri. Side should be more than

asymmetrical value of fault current for 3 ph. Fault on sec.side
of Tr. (which generally adequate for mag. Inrush current )
 Power Transformer Protection

Consists of 2 units:
. Directional Unit.
. Non Directional or Inverse time current unit.

For Directional Unit V&I should be fed.

. V- Polarising quantity & is taken as reference.
. Phase angle of V remains more or less fixed.
. Phase angle of I suffers wide changes in phase angle.

Unless Directional unit contacts are closed, the O/C unit is not
energised.

The torque developed by directional unit is

T=VI cos(θ-τ)-K
 Power Transformer Protection
Characteristics of DOCR

I
Operation

I min

Non operation
V min

V
 Power Transformer Protection

Over load protection

• The permissible O/L and their duration depends upon

• Type of cooling
• Insulation class of transformer
• Higher O/L are permissible for a shorter duration

Over load % 125 150 175 200 300

Duration (Mts) 125 45 15 10 1
 Power Transformer Protection

Over Fluxing protection

• Over fluxing causes

• Over heating of core •
Insulation failure
• The magnetic flux in the Tr. Core is a function of V/F

• V = line to earth voltage

• F = frequency

This voltage is fed to “Voltsper herz” relay and provided with

enough time lag.
 Power Transformer Protection

Monitors:
• Monitors are very important devices which detect faults
and abnormal service conditions which may develop into
fault.
• Gas Detector Relay

• Temperature Monitoring

• Oil Level Monitor

Protective relays limit the damage in case of fault
and monitors to prevent the fault. Therefore fast and
reliable protective relays should be used.
 Power Transformer Protection

Gas Detector Relay

• During fault, arching occurs releasing gas.

• Gas collected in alarm device gives alarm.
• Can detect a slowly developing fault before it becomes
more serious.
• Trip devices responds to the high flow of oil which occurs
during the sudden occurrence of a serious fault.
Power Transformer Protection