IMPEDANCE RELAYS
Impedance relays are used whenever overcurrent relays do not provide adequate protection. They
function even if the short circuit current is relatively low. The speed of operation is independent
of current magnitude.
Impedance relays monitor the impedance between the relay location and the fault. If the
impedance falls within the relay setting, the relay will operate. The basic construction for
impedance relays on which the principle of operation is easily explained is the balanced beam.
Figure: Principle of Impedance Relay
The relay consists of a balanced beam. At each end of the balanced beam is a coil that exerts a
force on the beam at that end. One coil is connected to a current from a current transformer, the
other coil is connected to a potential transformer. The voltage coil functions as a restraining coil,
the current coil functions as an operating coil. Under normal conditions, the contact of the relay
is kept open. During a fault, the voltage drops, and the current rises. The torque due to the
current coil overpowers the torque due to the voltage coil, and the relay closes its contact.
The torque caused by the current through the current coil is
where Ki is a constant of proportionality that depends on the relay construction
The torque caused by the voltage coil is
where Kv is a constant of proportionality that depends on the relay construction
When the torques are balanced,
The ratio of voltage and current is the impedance the relay detects at the point of its connection.
To close its contacts,
The contacts will close anytime the impedance the relay sees is less than a preset value given by
This can be represented on an impedance graph X vs R
Figure: Operating Diagram of an Impedance Relay
This type of impedance relay is not directional. It will detect a fault in any direction. If it is used, it is used together
with a directional relay that eliminates half of its characteristic.
Figure: Operating Diagram of an Impedance Relay with a Directional Unit
OFFSET IMPEDANCE RELAY
Offset impedance relay is also known under names ADMITTANCE RELAY or MHO RELAY
Phasor Diagram
The torque of the watt element is
where Kw is a constant of proportionality that depends on the relay
construction
The torque caused by the voltage coil is
where Kv is a constant of proportionality that depends on the relay construction
Relay operates if
The phase angle depends on impedance Zs . Zs can be chosen so that = 0. Also, both voltage
coils are connected to the same voltage V. (
It follows that
Similarly as for the impedance relay, this impedance can be represented by an X vs R graph. This
time the circle is offset from the center.
Figure: Operating Diagram for an Offset Impedance Relay with Characteristic Angle equal to 0
If impedance Zs is chosen so that 0, the circle shifts:
Figure: Operating Diagram for an Offset Impedance Relay with Characteristic Angle Different from 0
For impedance relays detecting short circuits on transmission lines, impedance Zs is chosen so
that is the same as the impedance angle of the line. This relay will detect a fault in only one
direction.
RESISTANCE AND REACTANCE RELAYS
The torque of the watt element is
where Kw is a constant of proportionality that depends on the relay construction
The torque caused by the current coil is
where Ki is a constant of proportionality that depends on the relay construction
Relay operates if
The phase angle depends on impedance Zs . Zs can be chosen so that = 0. Also, both current
coils are connected to the same current I.
It follows that
The operating characteristic of this relay is a straight line
Figure: Operating Diagram for a Resistance Relay
Figure: Operating Diagram for a Reactance Relay
All distance relays are connected to the power system through instrument transformers. The relay
monitors the impedance in secondary ohms. Secondary ohms are related to the primary ohms
by the equation
where CTR is the current transformer ratio
PTR is the potential transformer ratio
Zones of Protection
In general, distance protection includes three steps of protection, with each step reaching a fixed
preset distance and operating in a preset time.
Zone 1 reaches 80 - 90% of the protected line. The tripping is instantaneous.
Zone 2 extends beyond the protected line up to about 50% of the adjacent line. The tripping has
a time delay, usually set to a value between 0.3 s to 0.5 s.
Zone 3 covers the protected line, the adjacent line, and up to 25% of the line next to the adjacent
line. Tripping is delayed between 0.6 s to 1.0 s.
