LESSON 5: A GUIDE FOR POWER SYSTEM PROTECTION SELECTIVITY AND COORDINATION (IMPEDANCE TYPE DISTANCE RELAY)

THE DISTANCE RELAY OR IMPEDANCE RELAY (21) IS OFTEN USED IN HIGH VOLTAGE TRANSMISSION LINE RATHER THAN THE OVERCURRENT RELAYS BECAUSE IT IS MORE FASTER, MORE SELECTIVITY (THE SELECTIVITY IS OBTAINED IN THE BASIS OF THE CHANGES OF VOLTAGE AS WELL AS CURRENT), EASIER TO COORDINATE BECAUSE IT IS NOT AFFECTED AS MUCH BY THE SHORT CIRCUIT MAGNITUDE AND HENCE THE GENERATION CAPACITY AND SYSTEM CONFIGURATION. DISTANCE RELAY (21): 1. IMPEDANCE TYPE NON-DIRECTIONAL TYPE 2. MHO TYPE DIRECTIONAL TYPE 3. REACTANCE TYPE - NON-DIRECTIONAL TYPE 4. MHO SUPERVISED REACTANCE TYPE - DIRECTIONAL TYPE (MORE SELECTIVE FOR LOAD OR POWER SWING)

THE IMPEDANCE RELAY PRINCIPLE IS LIKE A BALANCE BEAM. THE VOLTAGE COIL IS FED FROM THE VOLTAGE TRANSFORMER WHILE THE CURRENT COIL WILL FED FROM THE CT ON THE PROTECTIVE LINE. DURING THE NORMAL SITUATION, THE VOLTAGE COIL ATTRACTIVE FORCE IS FAR BIGGER THAN THE CURRENT COIL AND THEREFORE THE BALANCE BEAM WILL STAY IN VOLTAGE POSITION. HOWEVER WHEN THE FAULT OCCURS, THE CURRENT COIL WILL EXCEEDS FAR GREATLY AND SO ITS ATTRACTIVE FORCE WILL OVERCOME THE RESTRAIN OF THE VOLTAGE COIL. BALANCE BEAM WILL THEN CLOSE THE CONTACT OF THE TRIP CIRCUIT. THE ACTUAL POINT OF TRIPPING COULD BE SET BY ADJUSTING THE POSITION OF PIVOT OR MORE SIMPLY BY ADJUSTING TAPS ON THE CURRENT AND VOLTAGE COILS TO INCREASE OR DECREASE THE NUMBER OF TURNS. EITHER WAY THE ACTUAL POINT OF TRIPPING IS DEPEND ON THE COMPARISON OF VOLTAGE AGAINST CURRENT (V/I). THE RELAY IS IN FACT MEASURING THE IMPEDANCE OF THE CIRCUIT BEING PROTECTED INCLUDING THE IMPEDANCE LOAD.

HOWEVER IF WE HAVE PHASE TO PHASE FAULT ON THE LINE, THE ONLY IMPEDANCE IN THE CIRCUIT IS THECONDUCTOR IMPEDANCE TO THE FAULT AS WE KNOW THAT THIS IS RELATIVELY LOW VALUE. INDEED THIS IS THE VERY REASON WHY THE FAULT CURRENT IS SUCH A HIGH MAGNITUDE. SO THE RELAY IS SET TO OPERATE IF THE MEASURED IMPEDANCE IS BELOW THE SET VALUE.

IF WE KNOW THE IMPEDANCE PER MILE OF THE CONDUCTOR, WE CAN SET THE IMPEDANCE RELAY TO TRIP FOR FAULT WITHIN AT ANY PARTICULAR DISTANCE FROM THE RELAY.

THE RELAY WOULD BE INSTALLED AT THIS SUBSTATION CLOSE TO THE BREAKER BUT IT CAN BE ADJUSTED TO FAR ACROSS THE LINE AS WE WISH. TYPICALLY IT WOULD BE SET TO ABOUT 90% OF THE LENGTH OF THE LINE WHICH IS SET TO 90 OHM. WELL THE RELAY IS HAVE A 10% ERROR OF MARGIN AND SO WE ARE PREVENTING THE RELAY FROM OVERREACH. THE RELAY IS USING THE SECONDARY VALUES OF CTS AND VTS SO IT REALLY MEASURES THE SECONDARY IMPEDANCE. THE RELAY WILL CONTINUOUSLY COMPARES THE VOLTAGE AND CURRENT. IF THE PRIMARY IMPEDANCE FALLS BELOW 90 OHMS THEN THE RELAY WILL TRIP ITS ASSOCIATED BREAKER.

HOWEVER IF THE FAULT OCCUR BEYOND THE SETTING OF 90OHMS DISTANCE THEN IT WILL NOT TRIP THE BREAKER. SO THE RELAY IS GIVING US THE DESIRED SELECTIVITY.

USUALLY THE SECOND ELEMENT IS INSTALLED TO PROTECT THE REMAINDER OF THE LINE OR TO REACH OUT THE SECOND ZONE. THE THIRD ELEMENT IS PROVIDED TO EVEN PROTECT FURTHER AND TO PROVIDE BACKUP PROTECTION TO FIRST AND SECOND ZONE. IN EACH CASE THE TIMER IS ADDED SO AS TO DELAY OPERATIONS OF THE SECOND AND THIRD ELEMENTS AND GIVING THE PRIMARY PROTECTION TO OPERATE FIRST.

PIC 1

PLOT THE RESISTANCE VS REACTANCE OF THE CABLE GIVEN IN PIC 1.

THE BALANCE BEAM TYPE IMPEDANCE RELAY WILL OPERATE IN ANYWHERE OF THE IMPEDANCE INSIDE THIS CIRCLE WHERE 90OHMS IS THE RADIUS. THE BALANCE BEAM DOESNT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE PHASE ANGLE OR DIRECTION OF CURRENT FLOW. IT WILL TRIP AS LONG AS THE VALUE OF IMPEDANCE FALLS BELOW 90 OHMS.

IN FACT IT WILL TRIP IF THE FAULT IS IN UPSTREAM THAT IS IN THE BUS OR THE LINE FEEDING THE BUS. THE OPERATING POINT OF THE DISTANCE RELAY IF THE FAULT IS AT THE BUS WOULD BE IN THIRD QUADRANT SHOWN IN PIC 2.

PIC 2

IN ORDER TO AVOID THIS OPERATION AT THE REVERSE DIRECTION, THE DIRECTIONAL POWER RELAY DEVICE NO. (32) ARE USUALLY COMBINE WITH BALANCE BEAM RELAY (21) IN ORDER TO RESTRICT THE OPERATION TO FAULT DOWNSTREAM OF THE RELAY.

IF THE FAULT VALUES WITH IMPEDANCE OF 140 OHMS THEN ITS RESPECTIVE RELAY WILL TRIP THE BREAKER. THE RELAY FOR ZONE 2 WILL OPERATE FIRST BUT IF ITS FAILS THEN THE BACKUP PROTECTION FOR ZONE 3 WILL DO THE ACTION AS INTENDED.

TO INCLUDE THE IMPEDANCE OF LOAD IN TOTAL IMPEDANCES. ASSUMING THAT THE LOAD IS OPERATING AT THE POWER FACTOR OF 25 DEG. LAGGING.

TOTAL IMPEDANCE OF THE LINE INCLUDING LOAD IMPEDANCE AS SHOWN ABOVE. IT IS NOT FAR OUTSIDE OF THE THIRD ZONE BUT STILL MAY NOT TRIP BY THE RELAY. BUT IN LARGE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM WE

OFTEN EXPERIENCE LOAD SWINGS. DURING SUCH A SURGE, AN INCREASE IN CURRENT COULD BE SEEN BY THE RELAY AS THE IMPEDANCE OF LOAD WILL DECREASE AND IT MAY WELL FALL IN THE THIRD ZONE OF PROTECTION. IF SURGES REMAIN FOR SEVERAL SECONDS THEN THE RELAY WILL TRIP THE FIRST BREAKER. REMEMBER THAT ALL RELAYS FOR ZONE 1 TO 3 IS LOCATED IN BUS A.