TRANSFORMER

PROTECTIONS
Arif Hussain
WHAT IS A POWER
TRANSFORMER
Power Transformers are the major equipment in the power system network. As we
know the Transformers are used to deliver the power to the consumer without
changing its power and frequency. The transformer has numerous kinds of protection
in order to maintain the transformer healthy at all the conditions of the power system
network.
 OTI
 WTI
 Buchholz Protection
 Surge Protection
 Pressure Relief Valve Protection
 Differential Protection
 Restricted Earth Fault Protection

LIST OF MAJOR TRANSFORMER

PROTECTION:
 OTI is abbreviated as Oil Temperature Indicator.
 OTI is used to measure the temperature of the Oil inside the Transformer
Main Tank.
 OTI has the temperature indicator connected with Thermostat along with the
probe.
 This thermostat is mounted at the top of the transformer main tank.
 Since hot oil will be at top of the tank, it is mounted anywhere at the topmost
part of the tank

OTI:
 Normal OTI indicator will have lobe like structure, inside which the mercury
is called along with the contacts. It is called a mercury switch.
 This switch is fixed in a circular disk along with a marking scale in it.
Whenever the temperature increases the mercury starts melting and makes the
disk to rotate indicating the temperature.
 By rotating, the contacts inside the mercury switch/lobe get changed from
NO/NC position giving signals to the cooling system.
 This contacts of OTI is used to control the Air forced/oil forced cooling
system in the transformer

OTI:
 WTI is called a Winding Temperature Indicator.
 WTI indicator is like an OTI indicator. But here the only change is the Thermostat.
 In WTI, thermostat can’t be used in the winding to measure the winding
temperature.
 Instead of using the Thermostat, a rheostat is being used. This rheostat, having
some standard resistance is connected to the control circuit.
 Based on the level of temperature near the winding area, the resistance of the
device will vary.
 This value is converted into temperature using a separate Current conversion unit
and a transducer unit.

WTI:
 The Output from the WTI indicator unit will be utilized for activating the
Cooling unit.
 The digital output from the CCU unit will be given to control devices. For
both OTI and WTI, Alarm temperature and Trip temperature can be adjusted
manually based on the user's needs.
 When the temperature reaches the fixed alarm state, the device will give an
alarm indication.
 Likewise, if the temperature goes beyond the fixed value of trip temperature,
the command will be initiated by the protection system to the transformer
connected breaker to isolate the transformer from the grid.

WTI:
OTI & WTI
IMAGE OF OTI AND WTI INDICATORS
 Buchholz relay is an internal protection device of a power transformer.
 These relays are used to protect the transformer from internal faults.
 These relays are very fast and sense the internal fault against the transformer.
 Buchholz relay is fixed in-between the Transformer Main tank and the
Conservator Tank.
 Buchholz relay has two floats inside it. These oats are used to sense the
internal faults in a transformer.

BUCHHOLZ RELAY:
 For example, there is a sudden rise in the temperature inside the transformer
due to some spark or any other burning inside the tank.
 Due to this, there will be the formation of some unwanted gases inside the
tank. These unwanted gases are collected at the top of the Buchholz relay
which is installed at the topmost point of the transformer main tank.
 This results in the activation of the Buchholz relay giving alarm or trip signals
to the protection system.
 DGA sample collection device is also installed with the Buchholz relay point.
 Buchholz relay will mal-operate if the level of oil inside the Relay changes,
which disturbs the position of floats under normal condition

BUCHHOLZ RELAY OPERATION:

 A surge Protection relay is used in the transformer that is equipped with
OLTC’s.
 Surge relay is installed between the OLTC tank and the OLTC conservator
tank.
 Each phase of the transformer will have a separate OLTC tank. Its working is
the same as that of a Buchholz relay, but it has only one float.
 It is used to monitor the level of oil in the OLTC’s conservator tank and how
force the oil enters and leaves the chamber of the OLTC tank.
 Surge relay will not operate during the normal transformer tap changing
process. It will operate only when surge develops inside the OLTC tank.

SURGE PROTECTION:
 PRD called a Pressure relief device installed in the transformer main tank.
 PRD is used to relieve the high pressure inside the transformer tank during a
fault condition. PRD has a spring-loaded diaphragm, which is designed to
release a huge amount of pressure rapidly under abnormal conditions.
 Based on the amount of oil, and the rating of the transformer, the number of
PRD’s mounted on the transformer tank will differ.
 The operation of PRD will trip the transformer/ reactor considering a sudden
rise in temperature and pressure as a fault occurrence.

PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE RELAY:

 Differential protection is one of the important protection in the power
transformer.
 Differential protections are employed in order to measure the difference in
current between the primary and secondary of the power transformer and take
necessary action against the conditions.
 Differential protection schemes of any transformer, based on its conversion
ratio, will have a current transformation ratio. Any difference in this
ratio/values can be sensed with the help of neutral CT.

DIFFERENTIAL PROTECTION:
 Under normal conditions, changes in the ratio will be minimum and current
flowing through the Neutral CT will be negligible.
 If Fault in any one of the phases, the return current will be flowing through
the Neutral CT measuring fault current.
 During this condition, the ratio of current will not be the same and hence the
relay operates.
 This protection is main for transformer, reactor, and bus bar protection. For
this protection in the transformer’s, bay CT’s will be used based on the
electrical scheme

DIFFERENTIAL PROTECTION:
 This relay is used in the transformer for finding the internal earth faults.
 This is the same as that of Differential protection, but it is for sensing earth fault.
 Each transformer will have 6+1 CT mounted in the turret and connected with
bushing lead. This relay is connected along with the neutral CT.
 The common phases of Individual phase Ct will be connected to the secondary
of NCT is such a way that secondary unbalanced phase current of phase CT’s
will opposes the secondary current of NCT.
 Under normal conditions, both these currents will nearly be the same and relay
will not respond. Under abnormal conditions, the value will change and the relay
operates

RESTRICTED EARTH FAULT

PROTECTION:
 In-order to nullify the phase shift at bushings of the power transformer
(Primary will be Delta Connected and Secondary will be Star connected with
Solid Grounding), the CT's are connected Star side with Delta and vice-versa.
 By connecting the Delta side(Primary side) CT’s as Star connected, 30degree
electrical phase shift can be nullified.
 This method was employed in olden days while using Electromagnetic relays.
 Nowadays, numerical relays are equipped and it's not necessary to physically
do the wiring as mentioned above. All the numerical relays have an in-built
algorithm to sense the differences.

RESTRICTED EARTH FAULT

PROTECTION:
THANKS