PROT 401: Protecting Power Systems for
Engineers
Class Exercise Solution: Bus Protection
Solution 1. Bus Protection Scheme Selection
Application Issue (R) Recommended Scheme
(X) Neutral
(N) Not
Recommended
Fixed-Bus, Single Breaker R % Restrained
Arrangement Differential
Single Bus/Single Breaker R Advanced %
Differential
R HiZ Differential
X Zone Interlocked
This is the simplest application
None of the four schemes are not recommended
Zone interlocked schemes are listed as neutral
o Typically is not recommended over differential unless other constraints
limit the differential application
Fixed-Bus, Dual Breaker R % Restrained
Arrangement Differential
Double Bus/Double Breaker R Advanced %
Breaker and a Half Differential
R HiZ Differential
N Zone Interlocked
Any of the three differential schemes are recommended
Zone interlocked schemes are not recommended
o Branch circuit elements are connected to more than one bus
o Branch zone protection cannot determine which bus a fault might be on
PROT 401, Section 18b Copyright © SEL 2013 Page 1 of 10
Application Issue (R) Recommended Scheme
(X) Neutral
(N) Not
Recommended
Switchable Bus Arrangement N % Restrained
Double Bus/Single Breaker Differential
R Advanced %
Differential
N HiZ Differential
X Zone Interlocked
Advanced differential schemes with internal zone switching are recommended
Percentage restrained and HiZ schemes are not recommended
o External switching of CTs is not recommended
Zone interlocked schemes are listed as neutral
o Signals can be switched to the correct zone in the logic
Buses With Low Minimum Short- X % Restrained
Circuit Levels Differential
X Advanced %
Differential
R HiZ Differential
R Zone Interlocked
HiZ schemes are recommended
o Very high sensitivity for ground faults
High immunity from CT saturation for phase faults
Zone-interlocked schemes are recommended
o Assuming branch circuit protection has adequate sensitivity and security
for both phase and ground faults
Percentage-restrained and advanced differential are not recommended
o Difficult to balance sensitivity and security with the slope only
Dedicated CTs Available R % Restrained
Differential
R Advanced %
Differential
R HiZ Differential
X Zone Interlocked
None of the four types of schemes are discouraged
Zone-interlocked schemes are listed as neutral
o Zone-interlocked schemes share CTs by definition
Page 2 of 10 Copyright © SEL 2013 PROT 401, Section 18b
Application Issue (R) Recommended Scheme
(X) Neutral
(N) Not
Recommended
CTs Must Be Shared With Other R % Restrained
Protection Differential
R Advanced %
Differential
N HiZ Differential
R Zone Interlocked
Percentage-restrained and advanced differential schemes are recommended
o Consider zone overlap
HiZ schemes are not recommended
o Internal faults cause severe CT saturation and high voltage
o Other relays may misoperate
Zone-interlocked schemes share CTs by definition
CTs With Unmatched Ratios R % Restrained
Differential
R Advanced %
Differential
N HiZ Differential
R Zone Interlocked
Percentage-restrained and advanced differential schemes are recommended
o Currents can be normalized by tap factors
Zone-interlocked schemes are recommended
o CTs are sized for branch circuit protection
HiZ schemes are not recommended
o They can be applied with special connections
o Tapping MR CTs to a common ratio is not recommended
o Advanced relays can be applied to protect buses with many branches
CTs With a Low Accuracy Class X % Restrained
(Voltage Rating) Differential
R Advanced %
Differential
N HiZ Differential
X Zone Interlocked
PROT 401, Section 18b Copyright © SEL 2013 Page 3 of 10
Application Issue (R) Recommended Scheme
(X) Neutral
(N) Not
Recommended
Advanced differential schemes are recommended
o External fault detector puts the relay in high security mode to tolerate
CT saturation
HiZ schemes are not recommended
o The voltage pulses from severely saturated CTs during an internal fault
can be too narrow to sample
o This scheme can have poor dependability
Percentage-restrained and zone-interlocked schemes are listed as neutral
Problem 2 Solution. High-Impedance Relay Settings
In this exercise, we will calculate settings for a high‐impedance bus protection scheme. This
exercise is based on Appendix A of C37.234, IEEE Guide for Protective Relay Applications to
Power System Buses. See Figure 1 for the bus configuration.
Information for the application:
Table 1. Fault Current Contributions
Maximum Fault Current Contributions Three-Phase Single-Line-to-
Per Circuit Ground
Network Element F-1 2 kA 1.2 kA
Network Element F-2 8 kA 8.8 kA
Network Element F-3 5 kA 3.5 kA
Network Element F-4 5 kA 3.5 kA
Minimum Bus Fault Current 1.8 kA 0.9 kA
Table 2. CT Circuit Characteristics
One Way Lead Resistance From the CT to the Summing 0.4
Junction (RL)
Stabilizing Resistance in the High-Impedance Relay (RS) 2000
CT Secondary Winding Resistance (RCT) 0.6
CT Ratio (CTR) 1200:5 (N = 240)
CT Accuracy Class (VCT) C400
CT Excitation Characteristic See Figure 2
MOV Characteristic See Figure 3
Page 4 of 10 Copyright © SEL 2013 PROT 401, Section 18b
Figure 1. High-Impedance Bus Protection Application
Figure 2. C400, 1200:5MR CT
PROT 401, Section 18b Copyright © SEL 2013 Page 5 of 10
Figure 3. MOV Characteristic
Page 6 of 10 Copyright © SEL 2013 PROT 401, Section 18b
Step 1. Calculate short-circuit levels.
1. Calculate the maximum internal three-phase fault.
I 3 PH 2 kA 8 kA 5 kA 5 kA 20 kA
2. Calculate the maximum external three-phase fault.
I 3 PH 8 kA 5 kA 5 kA 18 kA
(On network element F-1)
3. Calculate the maximum internal single-line-to-ground fault.
I SLG 1.2 kA 8.8 kA 3.5 kA 3.5 kA 17 kA
4. Calculate the maximum external single-line-to-ground fault.
I SLG 8.8 kA 3.5 kA 3.5 kA 15.8 kA
(On network element F-1)
5. Calculate the minimum internal fault.
I 3 PH _ Minimum 1.8 kA
(given)
I SLG _ Minimum 0.9 kA
(given)
Step 2. Calculate a secure voltage element setting, VSR.
An external fault on F‐1 is the worst‐case scenario. Assume CT‐1 saturates completely and
delivers no secondary current. All other CTs perform with no saturation and deliver the full
fault current (IF) reflected into the secondary side. The voltage developed at the differential
relay (VR) equals:
I
VR F RCT RL • n (1)
N
where
n is 1 for three‐phase faults
n is 2 for single‐line‐to‐ground faults
and
VSR m • max(VR _ 3 PH , VR _ SLG ) (2)
PROT 401, Section 18b Copyright © SEL 2013 Page 7 of 10
where
m is the margin factor
VR_3PH is the voltage developed at the differential relay for the maximum external three‐
phase fault
VR_SLG is the voltage developed at the differential relay for the maximum external single‐line‐
to‐ground fault
1. Determine VR_3PH and VR_SLG, applying equation (1).
18000
VR _ 3 PH (0.6 0.4 •1) 75 V
240
15800
VR _ SLG (0.6 0.4 • 2) 92 V
240
2. Calculate the secure voltage limit VSR, applying equation (2) and assuming a margin
factor of 2.
VSR 2 • 92V 184 V
Step 3. Calculate a dependable voltage element setting, VD.
The voltage setting should be below 1.0 to 0.5 of the accuracy class voltage to maintain high‐
speed, positive operation for internal faults. The accuracy class voltage is the voltage where the
excitation current is 10 percent of the ratio current. This should not be confused with the knee‐
point voltage. The dependable voltage setting is calculated using the following equation:
VD m • VCT (3)
where
m is the margin factor
VCT is the CT secondary voltage rating, e.g., 400V for a C400 CT at a full secondary winding
1. Calculate VD, assuming a 0.5 margin factor.
VD 0.5 • 400V 200V
Page 8 of 10 Copyright © SEL 2013 PROT 401, Section 18b
Step 4. Choose a secure and dependable setting, 87V.
1. Determine a secure and dependable voltage setting. This setting should be above VSR and
below VD.
87V 200 V
Step 5. Calculate a current element setting, 50P.
If the current element (50) is used in the scheme, its pickup setting must be below the minimum
fault current.
I MIN
I PKP m •
CTR (4)
where
m is the margin factor
1. Calculate the current pickup setting, assuming a margin of 0.5.
900
I PKP 0.5 • 1.8 A
240
Step 6. Calculate sensitivity for internal faults.
The sensitivity of the scheme is limited by the current leakage through the excitation branches
of the CTs and the MOV leakage current. These currents leak around the relay operate path.
The minimum operating current in primary amperes for the bus protection system is estimated
using the equation below:
87
I OP n • I EX I MOV V • CTR
RS
(5)
where
The excitation current (IEX) at the voltage setting is read from the CT excitation curve
(Figure 2). Since there are four CTs in parallel, n = 4.
The MOV current, IMOV, at the voltage setting is obtained from the MOV characteristic (Figure
3). The MOV characteristic is given in peak volts and amperes so the quantities must be
converted to rms values using the √2. However, the voltage level is off the chart and
therefore can be neglected.
87V / RS is the burden impedance current at the voltage setting.
PROT 401, Section 18b Copyright © SEL 2013 Page 9 of 10
1. Given the above information, calculate the minimum operating current in primary
amperes for the bus protection scheme.
200V
I OP 4 • 0.04 A 0.0 • 240 62.4 APRIMARY
2000
Step 7. Verify that sensitivity is adequate.
1. Check the minimum operate current versus the minimum fault current. Is the sensitivity
of the voltage setting adequate?
62.4 A < 900 A, so the sensitivity is adequate.
Page 10 of 10 Copyright © SEL 2013 PROT 401, Section 18b
