, the faults are eliminated in minimum possible time, also it always isolate the

smallest section in any power system to reduce the effect of faulty section on power system. This can
achieve easily with the help of non-directional or unidirectional overcurrent relays coordination in radial
distribution system.

Micro grid connected in power grids system can operate either in grid connected mode or in island
mode. Island mode is the condition of grid in which

Micro grid can supply power separately from the grid means not connected to main grid or
Micro grid is connected parallel in system and supply power when main power grid failed

in any system can

Increase level of fault currents

Increase bi-function power flow

Protection of Micro grid system can be done by existing protection relays in system but algorithm will be
bit complicated.

requires that

the nearest section near faulty section must isolated from system instantaneously
isolated section must be smallest as compared to whole network

It can be done by effective coordination of

Overcurrent Relays
Directional overcurrent relays
Differential Relays
 Power system with micro grid is assumed as without Distributed generation system
Include Distribution Generators in Micro Grid system
Fault current level due to inclusion of DGs increases and shared between DGs and power system
Power flow becomes bi directional (one from power grid and other from micro grid DGs)
Capability of Protection relays installed in system to sense fault current reduces, let suppose we
have 33KV, 10 MVA transformer in our power system with % Z of 18% , then Short circuit MVA
will be

=
%
10
= = 55.56
18%

=

55.56
= 1000 = 1683.64
33

Installed relay have Protection settings to cater or tackle Short circuit current of 1683.64A

Now we add 1MVA transformer with 5% impedance of micro grid in this system (33KV), then

1
= = = 20
% 5%
20
= = 1000 = 606
33

Now fault level Current increases

= +

= 1683.64 + 606.4 = 2289.7006061

So the only overcurrent installed in system cannot alone clear the additional impact of parallel
connected micro grid , Solution to this issue is to installed Direction overcurrent relay at DGs of micro
grid , which can detect the fault current flow direction and isolate it from downstream or power system
while fault occurs at DGs of micro grid.

At the time of fault in power system, naturally the parallel connected micro connected micro grid will
feed the fault, but if we installed one DOC relay at micro grid , which can sense forward or reverse
direction of current

Forward direction and reverse direction can be defined by 180 angle shift in polarization quantity.
We will discuss below mention figure

Here

There are 6 buses with one external Grid power supply and two DGs. Both DGs have capabilities to
fulfilled load requirement in case of main External Grid failure. The power system shown here is radial.

now let suppose fault occurs at line 3, then R2 operates to isolate faulty section from system, but DG
connected will feed the short circuit fault as R2 is non directional and capable of isolate faults flow
towards upstream sections of power system.

Or we can say upstream sources are isolated by OC Relay R2 but fault section of line 3 is still fed from DG
in Grid connected mode.

Directional Over current (DOC) Relay Application

Differential Relay Application
 One of the Solutions of this problem is to place R2 non directional overcurrent
relay with directional overcurrent relay 1 , directional relay can sense angle between fault current
and polarizing voltage then isolate faulty section (R3, R2 and R1 operates means line 2 and line 3
isolated) from DG1 power system, issue of feeding of faulty section from DG1 is eliminated from here.
Now here line 2 and line 3 is isolated from External Grid and DG1 without fault feeding effect.
Same Connection mode solution will be applicable here

Large section of loads can be isolated in certain conditions.

As per practice

1 > 3

Which means fault occurred at line 3 , R3 and R1 will be able to isolate LoC5, LoC6 and LoC 7 means
large section of load will lost

critical load situation, if any of LcC5,LoC6 or LoC7 load is critical , our preference is to make sure supply
to this critical load remain continue , this continuation can be potentially less possible in this solution of
DOC-NOC relay solution.

Best solution is application of Differential Relays in our system.

1st replace NOC Relays R3,R6 and R7 with Differential Relays, differential Relays are Dedicated Relays ,
we are using Current comparison Differential Relays , these type of differential relays compare entering
current and leaving current in section where they are commissioned.
If fault occurs at line 2, R3 will clear the fault by opening breakers of line 2. Lo5, LoC6 and LoC7 will be
supplied by DG1, so minimum area will be affected.

Relay operation by Faults location

If we need to effectively incorporates micro grid in central grid, basic requirement for protection of
system is

NOC Relays
DOC Relays
Differential Relays

Coordination of Overcurrent, Directional and Differential Relays for the Protection of Micro grid System
Ahmad Razani Haron*, Azah Mohamed, Hussain Shareef (Published in procedia Technology 11, 2013,
page 366-373)