Power System Protection Lectures

by
Pratap Mysore, P.E.
Feeder Protection
Distribution system Protection
Feeder Circuit Configuration
❑ Four-Wire unigrounded-
❑Four-Wire Multigrounded neutral neutral System
System

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❑ Delta/WYE Ungrounded
System

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Distribution system Protection
• Distribution voltages – 4 kV – 34.5 kV
• Mostly Radial
• Distributed generation is changing this assumption

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Cross Arm –8ft
Neutral conductor rating is
generally half of phase
conductor rating
Ex: 336 Al with 2 ACSR
neutral
Neutral grounded at every
pole 3
 Distribution Feeder Conductors

• Overhead conductor or underground cable

• The impedance of the conductor depends on the type of
the system and the neutral wire. The equations for

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impedance calculations are the same as those used for
transmission lines
• Reference “Electrical Distribution System Protection
Manual” – Cooper Power Systems (now Eaton)
• This manual provides table for several conductors for
various types of distribution system
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Feeder Protection

Overcurrent protection

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• Fuses
• Reclosers / Sectionalizers
• Breaker with overcurrent relays

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 Fuse and Fuse cutout

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 Fuses

• Two main categories – Expulsion fuses and current limiting

fuses
• There are many types
• K’ link – fast type and ‘T’ link slow type fuses seem to be the

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most common . Power fuses, such as SM-4 and SM-5 type ‘E’
fuses, are also used
• Cutouts are rated for a specified short circuit current rating

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Expulsion Fuses
▪Typically Coordination is
done between same type
of fuse links
▪K type –supposed to
coordinate better with

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inverse type relays
▪T has better overload
characteristics

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Current limiting fuses
Application - indoor or confined places
Does not emit ionized particles

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Automatic Recloser
• Self contained devices with ability to sense overcurrent, trip
and reclose to restore the load.
• Single Phase or Three phase
• Hydraulic or electronic controls

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• Oil or vacuum interrupters
• Substation or pole mounted

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Sectionalizers
• Performs the function of automatic sectionalizing
• Does not have fault interrupting rating
• Counts the number of trips by the recloser and sectionalizes
(opens) during reclosing cycle (when the breaker is open).

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Single Phase
Three Phase

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Breakers and Overcurrent Relays

• Three Phase overcurrent and one ground overcurrent relay

• CTs from breakers are connected to relay/ relays

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Fuse –Fuse Coordination
• Preferred Ratings - 6,10,15,25,40,65,100,140,200 – Adjacent
ratings coordinate up to 13 times the preceding link in’K’ type
and up to 24 times the rating in ‘T’ type link
• Non-preferred series – 8,12,20,30,50,80

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Coordination
• Maximum Clearing time of the downstream fuse should not
exceed 75% of the minimum melting time of the upstream
fuse
• Use of either preferred rating adjacent sizes or non-preferred
adjacent fuses meet this requirement

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Relay –Fuse coordination

• Substation Relay is coordinated with the largest fuse

on the main feeder
• This could be 140T or K or a 200E fuse on 13.8 KV
system

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Feeder Relay Settings
• Based on the system strength, length of the feeder and the
rating of the feeder
• Short feeders in urban areas
• Long feeders in rural areas

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• Field switching for feeder ties (Could be outside the
substation)

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Feeder Settings – Typical philosophy
• The system fault current on the low voltage side of a transformer (Source)
doesn’t vary much.
• The phase pick up – one half of the minimum phase to phase fault current at
the end of the feeder
• The ground pick up – one half of the minimum single line to ground fault
current at the end of the feeder
• Time dial coordinated to provide 15-25 cycles margin with downstream
protective devices

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• The phase pick up has to be greater than the maximum load with a margin
(135-150% of the max. load).

• If any one of these are not met, we need to install an interrupting device (fuse
or pole mounted recloser) at the location where we meet all the above
requirements. The installed device will be set to protect the remaining section
of the feeder.

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Short Feeders with Strong System
• 15 kV Fuse cutouts are rated at 10,000A
• Typically the fault current at the exit of the substation is limited
to 10,000A
• The feeder conductor is rated for 560A (336)
• Feeder length – 5 miles

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• The minimum fault current at the end of the feeder – ~1500-
2000A –three phase and ~900-1000A for phase to ground faults

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Feeder Settings
• Phase pick up is set to around 150% of the phase conductor rating
– 840A
• Ground overcurrent settings are typically set to 50% of the phase
pick up on strong systems – This allows field switching with
feeders loaded up to 75% of the feeder rating – 420A

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 Feeder Relay-Fuse
Coordination
▪Feeder overcurrent pick up - Ph-
840A, Ground – 420A
Close-in Three Phase Fault
Fault current –9200A

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Fuse – Total Clearing- ~2 Cycles
Phase relay operates in 23 cycles
Coordination time- 21 cycles
CTR-120, Tap 7, Time dial –1.66
US inverse curve

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 Feeder Relay-Fuse
Coordination
▪Feeder overcurrent pick up - Ph-
840A, Ground – 420A
Close-in Phase to ground Fault
Fault current –9300A

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Fuse – Total Clearing- ~2 Cycles
Phase relay operates in 23 cycles
Ground relay operates in 46 cycles
Ground relay- CTR-120, Tap 3.5, Time
dial –4
US inverse curve 21
 Feeder Relay-Fuse
Coordination
▪Feeder overcurrent pick up - Ph-
840A, Ground – 420A
Feeder end Phase to ground Fault
Fault current –967A

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Fuse – Total Clearing- ~73 Cycles
Phase relay –No operation
Ground relay operates in 374 cycles
Fault current is 2.3 times the ground
pick up value

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 Feeder Relay-Fuse
Coordination
▪Feeder overcurrent pick up - Ph- 8A,
Ground – 420A
Feeder end Three Phase Fault
Fault current –1779A

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Fuse – Total Clearing- ~20 Cycles
Phase relay operates in 188 cycles
Fault current is 2.1 times the phase
pick up value

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 Feeder Relay-Fuse
Coordination
▪Feeder overcurrent pick up - Ph-
840A, Ground – 420A
Feeder end phase- Phase Fault
Fault current –1541A

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Fuse – Total Clearing- ~27 Cycles
Phase relay operates in ~270 cycles
Fault current is 1.8 times the phase
pick up value ( -preferable ratio-2.0)

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Longer Feeders

• If 840A setting is needed on longer feeders, protective devices

are installed on the feeder at a point where the fault current/
relay pick up ratio is 2.0

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Pole top
R recloser with
protection
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Substation –Feeder Relay
coordination
• Feeder relay operating time for close-in Fault on Feeder – 23
cycles.
• The bus relay op. time – 23 +15-25 cycles = 38-48 cycles
• Transformer high side relay – 53-73 cycles

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• Note- Bus relay set to 160% of transformer rating may not
reach far on the feeder

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Instantaneous Settings
• Feeder instantaneous settings – 85-90% of the fault current –
8300A
• The instantaneous setting – 0.5 miles on the feeder

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 Fuse Savings Scheme
• The instantaneous setting is blocked after first trip and reclose
• Saves customer fuse for temporary faults
• Momentary outage to the rest of customers

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Instantaneous settings on bus back up
relay
• Animal faults are common on distribution buses
• One shot reclose restores feeders for a temporary fault
• Could be set only if the feeder has instantaneous setting

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• 15 cycle coordination delay with feeder instantaneous relay

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Multiple Transformer Stations
• Two or three transformer stations
• Bus ties open or closed
• If fault currents at feeder exits exceed 10,000A, current limiting
reactors are used.

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51B

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Overcurrent Relays in Multiple Transformer
Stations
• Settings are based on max. fault current
• With N.C. bus ties open, one shot reclose for bus faults will not
operate
• Distance relays are used especially in substations with feeder

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reactors

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Distribution Transformer
Feeder Coordination

Close-in ph-G fault on the feeder

• Fuse – 2 cycles
• Feeder 23(ph)/46(G) –23 cycles

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• Bus – 36/46; coordination-13 ~
• 51N- 56 cycles
• 51H – 102 cycles

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Distribution Transformer
Feeder Coordination

Close-in ph-ph fault on the feeder

• Fuse – 2 cycles
• Feeder 24 cycles

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• Bus – 41 cycles
• 51H – 58 cycles

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Long Feeders with weaker
sources
• The relay has to clear faults at the end of the feeder
• The fault current/relay pick ratio of 2.0 can be used as a setting
philosophy.
• The phase pick up is usually set to 135-150% of the maximum

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load [with fault ratio > 2]

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Rural Feeders
• Rural Electrification Administration (REA)
bulletin 61-2, “Guide for making a
sectionalizing study on Rural Electric Systems”
• Key points – Fault resistance of 40 ohms for

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substation transformer less than 5MVA and 30
ohms for transformers sizes greater than 5 MVA
• 5 mile feeder with 30 ohm fault resistance at the
end of the feeder – fault current –240A

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Other Features in Modern Relays
• Negative sequence overcurrent relays
• Use of Torque control with other protection elements are also
available.

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Whatever overcurrent we use, these have to coordinate with
downstream devices- fuses or relays or reclosers.

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Auto-Reclosing
• Reclosers have fixed (2 or 4 sec) time delays
with adjustable number of recloses (# of trips up
to 4)
• Substation relays - Settable

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• High speed reclosing in Distribution – any
reclose within 5 sec
• Reset time is set longer than the trip time for
end of the feeder faults –60 sec or 120 sec
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Relay Reset time coordination
• When the upstream devices are electro mechanical,
microprocessor based relays need to account for the reset time
of electromechanical relays when reclosing is applied.
• Additional time interval is needed to coordinate with upstream
fuse to consider faster clearing time due to heating when

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reclosing is considered.

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