Differential Relay

Attia El-Fergany
Professor of EPS and Protection
 Differential Protection
▪ Relay that operates when the vector difference of two or more
similar electrical quantities exceeds a predetermined value
▪ Almost any type of relay, when connected in a certain way,
can be made to operate as a differential relay
▪ Guard against faults arising only within the protected unit,
ignoring those occurring outside it.
 Differential Relaying
▪ Voltage Balance

▪ Current Balance

▪ Low Impedance Schemes

▪ High Impedance Schemes

▪ The restraint characteristic

▪ Low Impedance Differential Settings

 Principles of Differential Relaying

𝐾𝐶𝐿: ෍ 𝐼𝑖 = 0

𝐼𝑖𝑛 = 𝐼𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝐼𝑖𝑛 ≠ 𝐼𝑜𝑢𝑡

Voltage Balance
Voltage Balance
▪ Normal conditions, 𝐼1 = 𝐼2 as before.

▪ By virtue of CT connections 𝐼1 and 𝐼2

oppose each other and thus no CT
secondary current.

▪ Implies that CT s are effectively open-

circuited!

▪ Overcome by loading each CT with a

resistor.
Current Balance – Normal/External
faults
Current Balance – Internal Fault
High Z / unbiased differential protection
High Z / unbiased differential protection

▪ Stabilisation is achieved by means

of a stabilizing resistor, 𝑹𝒔 ,
intended to raise the operating
voltage of the system.

▪ Fault current through 𝑹𝒔 could

lead to dangerous overvoltages
voltage limiters are required.
High Z / unbiased differential protection

𝑽𝒔 = 𝑰𝑭 𝑹𝑪𝑻 + 𝟐𝑹𝑳

𝑽𝒔
𝑹𝒔 = − 𝑹𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒚
𝑰𝒔
 Current transformer knee point requirements

▪ Current transformers must have sufficient output to

ensure fast operation of relay during internal fault
conditions

▪ Required 𝑉𝑘 > 2𝑉𝑠 (typically -depends on actual relay

type)
High Impedance Circuit Arrangement

𝑽 = 𝑪𝑰𝜷
▪ Suitable values of C & β chosen
based on :

▪ Max secondary current under fault

conditions

▪ Relay setting voltage

 Principles of Differential Relaying

▪ In reality provision has to be made for nonzero

differential quantities under normal, healthy
conditions.

▪ These could result due to line charging current, CT

mismatching, the transformer tapchanger, etc.
Differential Protection Principle

CTR CTR
Protected
Equipment

Internal
Fault

87 IDIF > ISETTING

Relay Operates
 Problem of Unequal CT Performance
CT CT
Protected
Equipment

87 IDIF  0

▪ False differential current can occur if a CT saturates during a

through-fault

▪ Use some measure of through-current to desensitize the relay

when high currents are present
Possible Scheme – Percentage Differential
Protection Principle
ĪSP ĪRP
CTR Protected CTR
Equipment

ĪS ĪR

Relay
(87)

Compares: IOP = I S + I R
| IS | + | IR |
k  I RT =k
2
Differential Protection Applications
▪ Bus protection,
▪ Transformer protection,
▪ Generator protection,
▪ Line protection,
▪ Large motor protection,
▪ Reactor protection,
▪ Capacitor bank protection,
▪ Compound equipment protection.
 Principle of Bias Differential Protection Relay

 
  I1 + I 2
I Diff = I1 − I 2 I Bias =
2
 Starting ratio (S)

▪ Differential current caused by CT

errors and tap-changer positions
grows at the same per sent ratio as
the load current increases

▪ setting range 10 - 50%

 2nd turning point (turn point 2)

▪ CT saturation at high currents

passing through the
transformer
▪ Slope always 100% (45°)
▪ Setting range 1.0 - 3.0
– Trafo: 1.5 - 2.0
– Generators: 1.0 - 1.5
– Motors: 1.0
 Magnetising Inrush

▪ The phenomenon of magnetising inrush is a

transient condition (It is not a fault condition),

▪ Protection must remain stable during the inrush

transient.

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 Typical magnetising characteristic
▪ To minimise material costs, weight and size, transformers are

generally operated near to the ‘knee point’ of the magnetising

characteristic.

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 Transformer energizing

Ie: inrush current envelope

τe: time constant

▪The waveform contains a substantial amount of 2nd harmonics.

▪This phenomenon is part of normal power system operation and should not be detected
as a fault by the protection units, which should let the peak energizing current through.
Transformer Magnetizing Inrush Current
Point(s)

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 Differential Protection Stabilisation
▪ Time Delay - delays operation of the relay in the event
of a fault occurring at switch-on, the method is no
longer used.
▪ Harmonic Restraint –
– the inrush current contains all harmonic orders, but
these are not all equally suitable for providing bias.
In practice, only the second harmonic is used.
– Normal fault currents do not contain second or other
even harmonics,

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% winding protected during
an earth fault
 % winding protected during an
earth fault
𝑉𝑠
𝐼𝐹 =
3𝑅𝑓
(Nominal fault SLGF at x=1)

@ any x%
𝑉𝑠
𝐼𝑆 = 𝑥. = 𝑥. 𝐼𝐹 → 𝐼𝑆 ∝ 𝑥
3𝑅𝑓

𝑁𝑠
𝐼𝑃 = 𝐼𝑆 . → Nominal TTR
𝑁𝑃

@ any x%

𝑥.𝑁𝑠
𝐼𝑃 = 𝑥. 𝐼𝐹 . → 𝐼𝑃 ∝ 𝑥 2
𝑁𝑃
Star-Connected Winding – Resistance Earthing

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Star-Connected Winding – Solid Earthing
 Derivation
𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 SLGF : 𝐼𝐿 (𝑆𝐿𝐺𝐹) = 𝐼𝑃

@ 20% setting of 𝐼𝐿 (nominal)

𝐼𝐿 (𝑆𝐿𝐺𝐹) ≥ 0.2𝐼𝐿 (nominal)

𝑥.𝑁𝑠 𝑁𝑠
𝑥. 𝐼𝐹 . ≥ 0.2. 3𝐼𝐹 .
𝑁𝑃 𝑁𝑃

𝑥 2 ≥ 0.2. 3 → 𝒙 ≥ 58.86%
i.e. 41.14% of secondary winding is protected.
 Derivation
𝑥 2 ≥ 𝑠. 3

𝑥2
s≤
3

To protect 80% of winding i.e. 20% is unprotected.

Therefore, set relay at 2.3% (which is very difficult to
achieve)
Group No. 1 : Phase displacement = 0°
Group No. 2 : Phase displacement = 180°
Group No. 3 : Phase displacement = -30°
Group No. 4 : Phase displacement = +30°
 Phase Correction
▪ Electromechanical and static relays use appropriate CT
connections to ensure that the primary and secondary
currents applied to the relay are in phase.
▪ For digital and numerical relays, it is common to use
star connected line CT’s on all windings of the
transformer and compensate for the winding phase
shift in software.

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Percentage Differential Protection

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 Conventional Differential Relay Issues

▪ Need for interposing CTs,

▪ Matching Vector Groups,

▪ Elimination of the zero-sequence components.

 Interposing CTs

▪ Matching the secondary

Currents
– Example: 115/20 kV, 75 MVA,

– CTs are 400/5 and 2500/5

– HV: In = 376A (relay has 4.7A)

– LV: In = 2165A (relay has 4.3A)

✓ Interposing CT required for matching the
secondary currents
 Elimination of the zero-sequence components

▪ Neutral connected Y-
windings
– E/F current flows in the Star-side
only.

– Without elimination, the relay will

see this as a differential current!
 Advantages of Numerical Relay

▪ Numerical computation of
– Vector group matching
– CT ratio corrections
– Zero sequence Elimination
▪ Eliminates the need of
interposing CTs (for two-
winding transformers).
Numerical Relays

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Single, dual, and variable-slope percentage
differential characteristics
Selection of Slope Characteristic
Settings - 87
✓ Mismatch (0) - Digital

✓ Load Tap Changer (10%)

✓ No-Load Tap Changer (5%)

✓ Measuring Relay Error (<5%)

✓ CT Errors (1-10%)

✓ Transformer Excitation (3-4%)

 END

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