GENERATOR

PROTECTION
Pankaj Choudhary
 WHAT IS GENERATOR
PROTECTION
• The generator, the heart of a power system is the
costliest item of all and needs to be isolated from
the load / grid either during external or internal
faults, that might be caused due to electrical or
mechanical fault. Internal fault in a generator can
occur either in stator, rotor, prime mover or
excitation system whereas external faults are usually
faults in the grid or loads.
 GENERATOR
SPECIFICATION
• Type: THDF 115/67
• 3-PHASE
• 50 HZ
• YY CONNECTION
• P.F: 0.85 Lag
• 705.9 MVA
• 600 MW
• 21 KV
• STATOR AMPS: 19407
• RPM: 3000
• COOLANT: HYDROGEN
• HYDROGEN GAS PRESSURE: 5 Kg/cm2
• INSULATION CLASS:F
• EXCITATION VOLT: 413 V
• EXCITATION CURRENT: 5192 Amp
 CLASSIFICATION OF
PROTECTIONS
• CLASS -”A” PROTECTION

• CLASS -”B” PROTECTION

• CLASS -”C” PROTECTION

 Class A protection
1. Under Voltage Relay(27G1/G2)
2. Over Voltage(59G1/G2)
3. Back up Impedance(21G1/G2)
4. Generator Dead Machine Protection(50 GDM1/GDM2)
5. Generator Field Failure with Under voltage(40G1/G2)
6. Generator Differential protection(87G1/G2)
7. Generator/GT Over fluxing(99GT1)
8. 95% Stator earth fault(64G1)
9. 100% Stator earth fault(64G2)
10. Generator rotor earth fault(64R1)
11. Generator interturn fault(64GIT)
12. Reverse Power & low forward power without turbine(32G1/37G1)
13. GT backup earth fault(51NGT)
14. GT differential(87T)
15. GT HV Overcurrent(51GT)
16. Overall Differential(87OA)
17. GT HV differential(87HV)
18. GT & UT PRV, SPR & bucholz trip
19. GT & UT Fire Protection
20. GT off circuit Tap
21. UT Differential Protection
22. UT backup earth fault and LV REF
23. UT over Current
24. UT SPR, PRV and Bucholz Relay
25. UT fire Protection
26. AVR Failure
Class B:
1. Reverse power & Low forward power with turbine (37G/32G)
2. Generator Field failure without Under voltage
3. Turbine trip to Generator trip

Class C:
1. Under frequency (81UG)
2. Generator NPS (46G)
3. GT OTI & WTI Protection
4. GCB gas pressure relay OPTD.
5. LBB Protection OPTD.
6. Bus Bar Protection Trip
 IDENTIFYING A
PROTECTION OPERATRED
Which protection operated is indicated in following
areas:
1. GRP panel
2. DCS operator computer
3. LVS Annunciation
4. SOE
5. ECP panel
6. UCP panel
• In GRP two main protection relays GR1 & GR2
provided. Any tripping to generator is initiated by
both the relays at the same time. So any protection
operated will be reflected in both the relays and
their associated protection class flag will be set (
dropped).
• In DCS protection will appear in Turbine protection
page.
• In LVS in the form of alarm and short description in
SOE
• In UCP panel and by protection name in ECP panel
95% STATOR EARTH FAULT PROTECTION
• For generators with unit transformer and with high
impedance grounding of the neutral, a neutral
voltage relay with harmonic immunity and
independent time delay is used. The relay is
normally set to operate at 5% of maximum neutral
voltage with a time delay of 0.3-0.5 second. With
this voltage setting, it protects approximately 95% of
the stator winding.
• It also covers the generator bus, the low voltage
winding of the Generator transformer and the high
voltage winding of the unit transformer.
 100% STATOR EARTH FAULT
PROTECTION
• A signal generator injects voltage pulses in the
windings of the machine at a frequency of 20 Hz.
These pulses are transmitted to ground through the
winding and back to the signal generator through
the earthing resistor. In normal conditions, total
impedance is high and low currents are measured.
If there is a phase to earth fault in any phase, the 20
Hz current increases and impedance to ground
decreases which is detected by the relay and
generate tripping. This method works even with the
machine out of service (Off Line)
 Low Forward Power Protection (37G) & Reverse Power

Protection (32G)

• Due to stoppage of steam supply, motoring of the

TG can occur. It will not affect the generator but
the turbine blades. To avoid such situations Low
Forward power Protection (37 G) and Reverse
Power Protection (32G) are used.
• Low Forward power (0.5%):
• with Turbine trip – delay 2 sec – Class B trip
• without Turbine trip – delay 10 sec – Class A trip
• Reverse power (-0.5%):
• with Turbine trip – delay 2 sec – Class B trip
• without Turbine trip – delay 10sec – Class A trip
 GENERATOR UNDER EXCITATION OR LOSS OF

EXCITATION (40G)
• This protection is applied to generators to detect
reduction or loss of excitation to the field windings.
This condition of the generator may lead to heating
in turbo alternators.
• When the synchronous machine with excitation, is
connected to the grid, it generates reactive power
along with active power to the grid and the rotor
speed is same as that of grid frequency. Loss of field
or loss of excitation results in loss of synchronism
between rotor flux & stator flux. The synchronous
machine operates as an induction machine at
higher speed and draws reactive power from the
grid.
 GENERATOR DEAD MACHINE
PROTECTION
• Employed for protection against accidental
energisation of Generator unit under S/D.
• Employed for protection against accidental closing
of Circuit Breaker.
• Class A protection.
• Protection is provided using low voltage high
current concept
• Setting for Dead machine protection is 10% of rated
current when generator voltage is less than 70% of
rated voltage with time delay of 1 sec
 GENERATOR BACKUP IMPEDANCE PROTECTION

• A 3-phase single zone impedance relay (21 G) is

provided for the back-up protection of generator
against external 3-phase and phase to phase faults in
the 400 KV system which is not isolated due to failure
of their own primary protection. Protection 21 G will
trip the generator so that generator is tripped only if
the 400 KV line protection has not cleared the fault .
21G GEN. BACKUP IMPD. RELAY

Z=1.68ohm
Td=2.0s

UT

GCB
CT-3

GEN GT

UAT
UT

21G
21G1
Class-A Trip with td
 OVER VOLTAGE PROTECTION
• Due to mal operation of automatic Voltage
regulator or a load throw off while generator
excitation is under manual control, Generator can
develop high voltage. Hence two stage over
voltage protection is provided. On operation of 59
G1 alarm will appear but on operation of 59 G2
generator will trip with a time delay.
• Protection class: Class-A
• 1. Alarm at 105% (116 volts of 21000/110 PT) of rated
voltage with 2 sec. delay.
• 2. Trip at 130% (143 volts of 21000/110 PT) of rated
voltage with no delay.
 GENERATOR UNDER VOLTAGE
PROTECTION
• Generator under voltage may occur due to AVR
mal-functioning or a system disturbance resulting
from a sudden increase in load. Sustained over
voltages may give rise to increase in current for
same MW requirement and may lead to over
heating of stator windings.
• Protection class: Class A
• Settings : Relay gives a trip command at 70% of
rated terminal voltage with no time delay
 ROTOR EARTH FAULT PROTECTION
• A DC voltage is applied between rotor shaft and
neutral of the Exciter Armature. Armature winding of
Exciter is connected to the Generator Field (Rotor)
through Rotating Diode. If an earth fault occurs in
Generator Rotor, the applied voltage drives a fault
current. From this driving voltage and the fault
current the relay measures the fault resistance.
Depending on value of the fault resistance, relay
gives signal for Alarm or Trip.
• Protection class: Class A
• Alarm : At <80kOhm with time delay of 5 sec.
• Trip : At <5kOhm with time delay of 1 sec.
Rotor earth fault
 GENERATOR DIFFERENTIAL
PROTECTION
• It is one of the important protections to protect
generator winding against internal faults such as
phase-to-phase and three phase-to-ground faults.
This type of fault is very serious because very large
current can flow and produce large amounts of
damage to the winding if it is allowed to persist.
One set current transformers of the generator on
neutral and phase side, is exclusively used for this
protection.
Generator Differential Relay (87G)

CT-2 CT-3

GEN GT

87 Class-A Trip
 GENERATOR OVER FLUXING
PROTECTION
• Moderate over fluxing (105-110%) increases core
loss resulting in increase of core temperatures due
to hysterics & eddy currents loss. Long term
operation at elevated temperatures can shorten
the life of the stator insulation.
• Severe over fluxing can breakdown inter-laminar
insulation followed by rapid local core melting.
Over fluxing normally can be caused by over
excitation during Off-line condition, and load
rejection or AVR mal-functioning during On-line
condition.
• Protection type: Class A
 GENERATOR OVER & UNDER FREQUENCY

PREOTECTION
• Under frequency may occur due to sudden outage of
huge amount of Power Input to the Network and Over
Frequency due to outage of a massive load of the
Network. These are associated with System
Disturbance. Protection is required to prevent
abnormal vibration of the turbine.
• Under frequency –
• below 48.5 Hz (97%)– 2.5sec delay – Alarm
below 47.5 Hz(95%) – 2 sec delay – Class C trip
• Over frequency – above 51.5 Hz(103%) – 1sec delay –
Alarm
 GENERATOR OUT OF STEP PROTECTION
• Out of step/Pole slip Protection is provided for
tripping of the Gen. in case of a pole slip due to
instability in the grid. Due to gradual overloading
the magnetic locking between stator and rotor field
begin to weaken as the load angle increases. At
certain degree of load angle , any further increase
in load causes the gen. to go out of sync.
 GENERATOR LBB PROTECTION
• Local breaker back-up or breaker failure protection
50 LBB will operate if the generator breaker is not
getting tripped even after receiving the tripping
command from the protective relays. On operation
of this protection tripping command will go to all
the 400 KV breakers connected on the same bus in
which generator is connected. This relay is located
at the switch yard control room.
 STATOR INTER TURN FAULT
PROTECTION
• Generator Stator Inter Turn Fault occurs due to
failure of inter turn insulation resulting in reduction of
line to neutral voltage in the affected phase. PT
secondary voltage of the generator is fed to a star-
open delta transformer. In normal condition
(Balanced generator terminal voltage) open delta
voltage will be zero but in case of inter turn fault a
voltage will be appeared there. Sensing this voltage
the relay will operate if the voltage be greater than
preset value
 Generator Intern Fault Protection(95G)
INTER TURN PROTECTION

IVT 25.4/110v

R
95G
Y

B
Setting 7.5v
0.456
IVT 110/80v

NGT
GT PRV, SPR & BUCHOLZ RELAY
 Generator NPS
• Due to NPS an current will flow in rotor in opposite
direction causing an Eddy current to flow in the
rotor core and hence boosting the rotor end core
heating and limiting the generator capability.
• Tripping on 100% of NPS current.
 GT & UT OTI/WTI
• GT OTI: alarm in 75 and trip in 80
• GT WTI: alarm in 85 and trip in 90
• UT OTI: alarm in 75 and trip in 85
• UT WTI: alarm in 80 and trip in 90
 Generator Overload
• Only Alarm is given when Generator Load reaches
to 110% of its max capacity
Thank you