Article citation info: 1

Abdullah BH, Alkhayyat MT. Optimal coordination for directional overcurrent relays incorporating distribution generators: A comparative
study. Diagnostyka. 2025;26(1):2025111. https://doi.org/10.29354/diag/200947.

e-ISSN 2449-5220
DIAGNOSTYKA, 2025, Vol. 26, No. 1
DOI: 10.29354/diag/200947
1

OPTIMAL COORDINATION FOR DIRECTIONAL OVERCURRENT RELAYS

INCORPORATING DISTRIBUTION GENERATORS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY
Bassam Hamad ABDULLAH * , Mahmood T. ALKHAYYAT
Northern Technical University, Al-Minassa St., Mosul City, Nineveh Governorate, Iraq
*
Corresponding author, e-mail: [email protected]

Abstract
The integration of renewable energy-based distributed energy resources (DER) into distribution networks
has increased due to rising load demand and growing concerns about global warming. The integration of DERs
has transformed the operation of distribution networks from a passive to an active nature. As a result, a
bidirectional flow of current occurs in the distribution networks. The protection of such systems is generally
performed using directional overcurrent relays (DOCRs). However, optimal coordination of the DOCRs is
necessary to ensure safe operation. Therefore, this paper aims to develop the optimal coordination of DOCRs
using two nature-inspired techniques: Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). The
developed algorithms are tested on IEEE 6-Bus and IEEE 15-Bus test systems in the MATLAB R2022b
environment. To validate the effectiveness of the methods, the obtained results are compared with various up-
to-date algorithms. The comparison shows that the GA outperformed all the algorithms in minimizing the relay
operation time for optimum coordination of overcurrent relays.

Keywords: directional overcurrent relay, optimal coordination, genetic algorithm, particle swarm optimization.

List of Symbols/Acronyms 1. INTRODUCTION

ABC – Artificial Bee Colony; Traditionally, distribution networks have a radial
BSA – Backtracking Search Algorithm; structure in which electrical power is transmitted
CHIO – Coronavirus Herd Immunity Optimizer;
CTI – Coordination Time Interval;
from the substation towards the load [1-2].
CTR – Current Transformer Ratio; Overcurrent relays (OCR) have always been
DE – Differential Evaluation; considered an economical and efficient approach to
DER – Distributed Energy Resources; protect such systems [3-5]. However, recent trends
DG – Distribution Generators; in the energy sector, driven by the growing adoption
DOCR – Directional Overcurrent Relay; of renewable energy sources, have led to a shift
EEO – Enhanced Equilibrium Optimization; towards more complex distribution networks. These
EEO – Enhanced Equilibrium Optimization; modern networks incorporate DERs at the
FA – Firefly Algorithm; distribution level and provides various economic and
GA – Genetic Algorithm;
GSO – Group Search Optimization;
technical advantages. Consequently, traditional
GWO – Grey Wolf Optimizer; power distribution networks have been transformed
IA – Immune Algorithm; from regular radial networks to more complex
IFA – Improved Firefly Algorithm; looped networks. Although these developments
LP – Linear Programming; increase the flexibility and reliability of the power
MEFO – Modified Electromagnetic Field Optimization; system, they also cause new protection issues.
MFA – Modified Firefly Algorithm; Therefore, the protection based on OCR, which was
NLP – Non-Linear Programming; initially developed for radial networks, seems
OCR–Overcurrent Relay; inadequate for the reliable protection of these
PS – Plug Setting;
PSO – Particle Swarm Optimization;
bidirectional looped networks containing DGs [6].
TLBO –Teacher Learning Based Optimization; To address these problems, DOCRs have
TMS – Time Multiplier Setting; emerged as a promising solution to protect DER-
Top – Operation Time of Relay; integrated ring/looped distribution networks [7].
DOCRs offer a more adaptable and cost-effective
solution by considering the direction of power flow,

Received 2024-08-18; Accepted 2025-02-07; Available online 2025-02-10

© 2025 by the Authors. Licensee Polish Society of Technical Diagnostics (Warsaw. Poland). This article is an open access article distributed
under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
2 DIAGNOSTYKA, Vol. 26, No. 1 (2025)
Abdullah BH, Alkhayyat MT.: Optimal coordination for directional overcurrent relays incorporating…

which is crucial in systems with multiple generation solve the optimization problem of DOCR
sources and complex network topologies. coordination.
The primary relay is very important in electrical Metaheuristic-based DOCR coordination
protection, and its main function is to isolate the methods include differential evolution [17], artificial
faulty section as soon as a fault is detected, ensuring bee colony (ABC) [18], evolutionary algorithms
that no other parts of the system are affected. [19], teaching-learning-based optimization [20],
However, there are cases where the primary relay Firefly Algorithm [21], genetic algorithms [4], chaotic
does not operate [8-9]. In such cases, the backup differential evolution [22], biogeography-based
relay comes into effect and set to open the faulty optimization [23], improved group search
section after a time determined by the fault, ensuring optimization [24], modified electromagnetic field
that the faulty section is cleared even if the main optimization [25], and symbiotic organism search
protection fails. The settings in DOCRs are adjusted [26]. These techniques generally produce high-
so that they can act as both primary and backup quality global optimization solutions than LP and
protection. NLP methods but face challenges related to
The fault has three levels of coordination criteria, computational space, time, and early convergence.
such as near-end faults or faults that are located in Some of the latest developments in DOCR
the middle point or far-end fault as shown in Fig 1. coordination include hybrid particle swarm
In this paper, the all scenarios for our study were optimization [27], Harris Hawk optimization [28],
taken on near-end faults. the JAYA algorithm [29], and the whale
optimization algorithm [30]. Another noteworthy
Backup Primary method is the bio-inspired rooted tree algorithm
Relay Relay developed for the optimal coordination of DOCRs
G [31]. Particle Swarm Optimization solution is used
Fault 1 Fault 2 Fault 3 to constrained single-objective IDMT directional
over current relay coordination network with Wind
Fig. 1. Fault levels Energy Farms [32]. Slime Mould Algorithm used in
[33] to allocate several Photovoltaic Distributed
DOCRs are constructed using two primary Generation units with a multi-objective function to
settings: the plug setting (PS) and the time multiplier minimize voltage deviation, power loss and
setting (TMS). These settings define the operation operation time. In this paper [34] examines multiple
time of each relay, which aids in the proper algorithms for optimal relay coordination honeybee,
coordination among primary and backup relays. ABC, GA, employing NLP and LP models for
Therefore, obtaining optimal PS and TMS values is DOCRs.
crucial [10]. Another algorithm for coordinating directional
Numerous DOCR coordination methods have overcurrent and distance relays with exploration
been developed and discussed by researchers, Fig. 2 balancing exploitation for finding optimal settings
show classification of various DOCR coordination Enhanced Equilibrium Optimization (EEO)
methods. These methods can be broadly categorized algorithm [35]. Monte Carlo optimization of
into two main groups: directional overcurrent protections for transient
1. conventional methods; scenarios and fault locations [36].
2. computational intelligence methods. To increase efficiency and effectiveness in
The conventional methods of DOCR solving the coordination problem, a cuckoo search
coordination include the use of topological analysis algorithm-based hierarchical clustering mechanism
[11], graph-theoretical techniques [12], curve-fitting was proposed [37]. The grey wolf optimizer was
techniques [13], and trial-and-error techniques [14]. deployed to identify the best relay configuration and
Although these techniques are simple, they have a solve coordination issues [38]. Coronavirus Herd
very slow convergence rate and do not guarantee an Immunity Optimizer (CHIO) was applied for
optimal solution. directional overcurrent relay coordination in [39].
To overcome the limitations of conventional In general, hybrid algorithms are considered to
methods, computational intelligence techniques generate improved solutions compared to standard or
have been employed. Linear programming (LP) is metaheuristic optimization procedures. A combined
used for DOCR coordination, which is simple to method of PSO with differential evolution (DE),
implement and fast [15-16]. However, LP-based called PSO-DE, provided better solutions in a shorter
methods can only obtain TMS due to its linear time [40]. Another proposed method modified the
relation in the objective function. To optimally conventional AI-embedded firefly algorithm using
obtain both TMS and PS, nonlinear quadratic LP to improve performance [41]. A novel technique
programming-based methods were developed. for optimal DOCR coordination based on a hybrid
However, these methods also have slow optimization technique, namely an immune
convergence and cannot guarantee a global optimum algorithm (IA) and PSO, was introduced [42]. This
solution. technique combines the PSO algorithm with the
Nowadays, advanced metaheuristic and nature- immune (IA) information processing mechanism
inspired approaches are increasingly employed to
 DIAGNOSTYKA, Vol. 26, No. 1 (2025) 3
Abdullah BH, Alkhayyat MT.: Optimal coordination for directional overcurrent relays incorporating…

using historical information to enhance PSO's 2. PROBLEM FORMULATION

searching capabilities.
This paper aims to develop an optimal The coordination of DOCRs is a fundamental
coordination of DOCRs in the presence of aspect of power system protection. Effective relay
distributed generators in distribution networks using coordination ensures that the correct relay operates
two nature-inspired techniques. In comparison with in response to a fault, minimizing the impact on the
the research referred to [43] research gives system and preventing unnecessary outages. The
information regarding two different protection types primary goal is to determine the optimal settings for
overcurrent and distance relays. We focused on one TMS and PS to reduce the overall relay operating
type of relay and thus explored the challenges of time while adhering to all the necessary constraints.
directional overcurrent protection with distributed
generators in a larger power distribution system with 2.1. Objective Function
more buses and higher operational complexity. The goal of the DOCR coordination problem is
Besides, our work focused on comparing well- to minimize the overall operating time of all relays
known nature-inspired algorithms for relay setting within the system. This can be mathematically
Optimization namely Genetic Algorithm (GA) and represented as [8]:
Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). With this 𝑂𝐹 = ∑𝑁 𝑖=1 𝑇𝑜𝑝,𝑖 (1)
broader application scope and focused Where OF is the objective function, N represents the
methodological comparison, the proposed method total of relays in a system, and 𝑇𝑜𝑝,𝑖 denotes the
reveals more advanced protection schemes and operating time of relay i. The operating time of each
provides a solid basis for further improvements in relay is obtained by its characteristic curve and it’s
directional overcurrent relay coordination. the theoretical operating time derived independently
The developed algorithms are tested on IEEE 6- for a relay, which is influenced by the TMS and PS.
Bus system and IEEE 15-Bus system within the The operating time can be computed by:
MATLAB R2022b environment. To validate the 𝛼
𝑇𝑜𝑝,𝑖 = 𝑇𝑀𝑆𝑖 ⋅ 𝐼𝑓 (2)
efficacy of these methods, the obtained results are ( )𝛽 −1
𝑃𝑆𝑖 ∗𝐶𝑇𝑅⋅
rigorously compared with a range of contemporary
Here, 𝑇𝑀𝑆𝑖 is the time multiplier settings of relay
algorithms. The comparison reveals that GA
consistently outperforms other methods in I, 𝐼𝑓 is the fault current seen by the relay, 𝑃𝑆𝑖 is the
minimizing relay operating time, thereby achieving plug settings, CTR is the current transformer ratio,
superior optimal overcurrent relay coordination. and 𝛼 and 𝛽 are the relay constant. In this study, the
Additionally, this study explores the robustness of IEC standard inverse time characteristics of the relay
both GA and PSO, highlighting their respective are applied, where 𝛼 and 𝛽 are 0.14 and 0.02,
strengths and potential areas for improvement. The respectively [44-45].
findings suggest that GA offers a more reliable and The TMS of each relay should be within specific
efficient solution for complex power system bounds to ensure practical and feasible settings:
protection schemes, ensuring rapid and accurate 𝑇𝑀𝑆𝑚𝑖𝑛 ≤ 𝑇𝑀𝑆𝑖 ≤ 𝑇𝑀𝑆𝑚𝑎𝑥 (3)
relay operations, which is critical for maintaining where 𝑇𝑀𝑆𝑚𝑖𝑛 and 𝑇𝑀𝑆𝑚𝑎𝑥 are the lower and upper
system stability and preventing widespread outages. limits of the TMS for the ith relay, respectively.
Similarly, The PS of each relay should also lie within
specific bounds.

Relay Coordination Methods

Computational intelligence methods Conventional methods

Linear Non-Linear Optimization curve-fitting graph-theoretical

programming Programming trial-and-error
Strategies techniques techniques

Metaheuristic Techniques Hybrid Optimization Techniques

Fig. 2. coordination methods

4 DIAGNOSTYKA, Vol. 26, No. 1 (2025)
Abdullah BH, Alkhayyat MT.: Optimal coordination for directional overcurrent relays incorporating…

𝑃𝑆𝑚𝑖𝑛 ≤ 𝑃𝑆𝑖 ≤ 𝑃𝑆𝑚𝑎𝑥 (4) the best fitness among the selected candidates is
where 𝑃𝑆𝑚𝑖𝑛 and 𝑃𝑆𝑚𝑎𝑥 are the minimum and chosen as a parent for reproduction. This is done
maximum boundaries of the PS for the ith relay, sequentially until the required number of parents is
respectively. selected. This method is also efficient in terms of
The operating time of each relay should be within computations and hence can be used in optimization
the specific range. problems of many kinds. Tournament selection helps
𝑇𝑜𝑝, 𝑚𝑖𝑛 ≤ 𝑇𝑜𝑝, 𝑖 ≤ 𝑇𝑜𝑝, 𝑚𝑎𝑥 (5) maintain diversity and prevents premature
The upper operating time limit is set by the convergence by ensuring that even less fit
thermal limit of the component being protected, individuals have a chance to be selected.
whereas the lower operating time limit is specified
by the relay manufacturer (7). 3.3. Crossover
Crossover is one of the basic operators in GA that
2.2. Coordination Time Interval is responsible for mating two parents to produce new
The coordination constraint is essential to offspring. This mimics the biological reproduction
warrant that the backup and primary relay trip with process, where the progeny inherits characteristics
no unwanted or uncoordinated tripping. Effective from both parents. Crossover is used effectively in
coordination mandates that the backup relay's GA to ensure population diversity, as it allows
operational time must exceed that of the primary different individuals to exchange the better qualities
relay by a predetermined constant. These they possess.
coordination demands mean that the backup relay In this study, blend crossover is used because it
operating time should be greater than that of the is best for continuous optimization problems. The
primary relay by a specific Coordination Time equation for blend crossover is as follows:
Interval (CTI), which can be expressed as: 𝐶 = 𝑃1 + 𝛼(𝑃2 − 𝑃1 ) + 𝛽(𝑃1 − 𝑃2 ) (7)
𝑇𝑗,𝑘 − 𝑇𝑖,𝑘 ≥ 𝐶𝑇𝐼 (6) Where C is a child; 𝑃1 and 𝑃2 are the parents and 𝛼
Here, 𝑇𝑗,𝑘 , and 𝑇𝑖,𝑘 operation times of the backup and 𝛽 are the crossover coefficients. In this study, 𝛼
relay 𝑗 and primary relay 𝑖 respectively, for a fault and 𝛽 are selected as 0.3 and 0.5 respectively.
occurring at location 𝑘. And it is important to note, Crossover ensures that the offspring have a
𝑇𝑗,𝑘 , and 𝑇𝑖,𝑘 show the optimized operating time balanced mix of the characteristics of their parents.
under specific fault scenarios, taking coordination This promotes genetic diversity and improves the
into account and the constraints while minimizing search for optimal solutions.
total relay operating times.
3.4. Mutation
3. GENETIC ALGORITHM Mutation is another critical operator in GA, as it
introduces variation into the population by randomly
GA was originally developed by Holland in the altering individual genes. This process is similar to
1960s and extensively studied by Goldberg in 1989 natural mutation in biological evolution and permits
[4]. It is an optimization technique rooted in the the algorithm to discover unvisited parts of the
concepts of natural evolution and selection, inspired solution space. The primary role of mutation is to
by the "survival of the fittest" principle. For DOCR maintain population diversity, hence preventing
coordination, the goal is to reduce the total relay hasty convergence to a local minimum and make the
operation time while guaranteeing all constraints are search process more effective.
met. The steps involved in the DOCR coordination This study utilized random mutation, where an
using GA are as follows: individual within the population is randomly
selected, and its value is changed to a random value.
3.1. Initialization of Population This helps prevent the algorithm from getting stuck
The initialization of the population is a crucial in local optima and aids in exploring the search space
step in GA. In the DOCR coordination problem, the more thoroughly.
initial population for TMS and PS is randomly
generated within their upper and lower bounds. This 3.5. Elitism
diversity in the initial population ensures a wide In elitism, some of the best solutions from the
exploration of the solution space, which is essential current generation are transferred directly to the next
for the efficiency of the GA. GA can better avoid generation without any changes. This strategy is
local optima and improve the chances of finding the useful in sustaining the quality of the solutions as it
global optimum by starting with a varied set of preserves the best candidates, thus avoids their
potential solutions. elimination during crossover and mutation steps.
The algorithm can accelerate convergence to the
3.2. Tournament Selection optimal solution and maintain high-quality solutions
In GA, after the generation of the initial throughout the generations by retaining elite
population, the next step is the selection of parents individuals. This ensures that the best solutions are
for reproduction in the population. In this study, not lost and continue to contribute to the overall
tournament selection is used, and the individual with population fitness.
 DIAGNOSTYKA, Vol. 26, No. 1 (2025) 5
Abdullah BH, Alkhayyat MT.: Optimal coordination for directional overcurrent relays incorporating…

3.6. Genetic Algorithm for DOCR Coordination Start

The flowchart of GA for DOCR coordination is
shown in Fig.3. It is clear from the figure the
Generate random initial population
algorithm starts with creation of initial population of for PS & TMS
solutions for PS and TMS randomly. Afterward,
tournament selection is applied to obtain a set of
parents for mating to generate a new population. Apply tournament selection
This involves comparing individuals at random and
then choosing the best ones to be the parents of the
next generation. Next, the selected parents go Apply blend crossover
through blend crossover to create offspring.
This operation combines the genes of the parents
to produce new individuals, which inherit features Apply random mutation
from both parents but also contain variations. Then,
mutation is applied to the offspring by making small
random changes in the genes inherited from the
Preserve best solution using Elitism
parent generation. This step helps avoid stagnation
of the algorithm at local optima and achieve better No
genetic diversity. The high performers of the current Calculate/Repair constraints for all
generation are carried over to the next without population
degradation. This ensures the best solutions are
retained and not diluted by less optimal individuals.
The constraints are then applied to all members Calculate total operating time
of the population to check for feasible solutions. This
guarantees that all individuals maintain the required
operational constraints. Moreover, the total Check
operating time for each population is computed. termination
Finally, termination conditions are checked. If they criteria
have been fulfilled, the results are displayed, and the
algorithm is terminated. Otherwise, the algorithm Yes
applies tournament selection, crossover, and
mutation to the new population, and continue the Display result
search for the optimal solution. This iterative process
ensures continuous improvement of the solution
End
quality until the best possible coordination of
DOCRs is achieved. Fig.3. shown the flowchart of
iterative process for DOCR coordination. Fig. 3. GA Flowchart for DOCR
Coordination
4. PARTICLE SWARM OPTIMIZATION
swarm. The collective behaviour of particles
PSO is an evolutionary computation technique guarantees an equilibrium between investigation and
inspired by the social behaviours observed in nature. utilization and allows the algorithm to search
It was introduced by Kennedy and Eberhart in 1995. through complex solution spaces efficiently.
PSO is extensively used to solve various The PSO algorithm begins with the initialization
optimization problems due to its simplicity and of particles in the search space randomly, followed
efficiency [40]. PSO operates by maintaining a by fitness assessment and setting personal and global
population of candidate solutions, known as bests. The diversity in initial positions helps in
particles, that explore the search space of the covering a wide area of the search space, enhancing
optimization problem. Each particle adjusts its the chances of finding the global optimum.
position based on its own experience as well as the The velocity and position of each particle are
collective experience of neighbouring particles. The updated iteratively. The mathematical expression to
algorithm iteratively improves the quality of the update the velocity is as follows [27,40]:
solutions through these adjustments. 𝑣𝑖 (𝑡 + 1) = 𝑤 ⋅ 𝑣𝑖 (𝑡) + 𝑐1 ⋅ 𝑟1 ⋅ (𝑝𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡,𝑖 − 𝑥𝑖 (𝑡)) +
The key components of PSO include particles, 𝑐2 ⋅ 𝑟2 ⋅ (𝑔𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡 − 𝑥𝑖 (𝑡)), (8)
position, velocity, personal best, and global best. Here, 𝑣𝑖 (𝑡) is the velocity of particle 𝑖 at time 𝑡, 𝑤 is
Each particle has a velocity and position, which the inertia weight, 𝑐1 and 𝑐2 are cognitive and social
represent a potential solution and the rate of change coefficients, and 𝑟1 and 𝑟2 are random numbers
in its position, respectively. The personal best is the between 0 and 1.
best solution that a particle has discovered, while the The position of each particle after following the
global best is the best solution found by the entire velocity update, is adjusted as follows:
𝑥𝑖 (𝑡 + 1) = 𝑥𝑖 (𝑡) + 𝑣𝑖 (𝑡 + 1) (9)
6 DIAGNOSTYKA, Vol. 26, No. 1 (2025)
Abdullah BH, Alkhayyat MT.: Optimal coordination for directional overcurrent relays incorporating…

The velocities and positions of the particles are Start

updated iteratively, and the fitness is evaluated again
to update the personal best and the global bests until
a stop criterion, such as a certain number of iterations Initialize the variable PS and TMS
randomly for PSO
or the attainment of an acceptable fitness level, is
reached. The iterative process ensures continuous
refinement of the solutions. The strength of PSO lies Calculate the total operating time of
in its simplicity and flexibility. It is easy to particles in PSO
implement with several adjustable factors, making it
applicable to both continuous and discrete
optimization problems Update the velocity of particles
The inertia weight balances the exploration of
new areas and the exploitation of known solutions,
while the cognitive and social components guide the Update the position of the particles
direction of particles within the solution space.
However, PSO might encounter some problems,
such as premature convergence to a local solution.
Strategies like adaptive parameter tuning and hybrid Repair constraints of each particle
methods can mitigate these issues and enhance No
robustness of PSO.
The process begins by initializing the variables, Determine personal best of particles
including the PS and the TMS, with random values.
Next, the algorithm calculates the total operating
time for the particles within the PSO. The PSO flow
Determine global best of the particles
chart for DOCR coordination is shown in Fig. 4.
This step involves evaluating the fitness of each
particle based on the objective function. This is
followed by updating the velocity and positions of Is
termination
the particles based on their global best and personal satisfied ?
best positions found so far. The algorithm then
repairs any constraints that may be violated by the
particles, to ensure feasible solutions. After this, it Yes
determines the global best and personal best
positions of the particles, updating these values Display result
based on the current fitness evaluations. The process
continues iteratively until a termination condition is
End
satisfied, at which point the final result is displayed,
and the algorithm ends. The iterative nature of PSO Fig. 4. PSO Flow chart for DOCR coordination
ensures that the solutions improve progressively,
leading to optimal or near-optimal DOCR settings. The competence of the algorithms is established
The optimization process benefits from the by comparing the results with those of other
ability of PSO to navigate complex search spaces optimization methods. The effectiveness of both
efficiently. The collective intelligence of the swarm algorithms is validated and tested on IEEE 6-bus
enhances the capability to find high-quality system and 15-bus system. The program was utilized
solutions, ensuring effective and reliable power to perform simulation is MATLAB software version
system protection. 2022b.
Additionally, the reliability and robustness of the
5. SIMULATION RESULTS proposed methods are highlighted through rigorous
testing and comparison, showcasing their superiority
In this section, the results obtained for the DOCR in minimizing relay operating times and ensuring
coordination by employing the GA and PSO optimal coordination.
algorithms are presented, The GA was configured The proposed methodology is valid on IEEE 30-
with a population size of 100 and 5,000 generations, bus test system network application. This study
utilizing Blend Crossover ( 𝑎 = 0.5) and an 8% model and algorithms are designed to handle
mutation rate. And PSO employed 150 particles over distributed generation and coordination in complex
5,000 iterations, with inertia weight (w = 0.12) and distribution systems. Though simulations were
cognitive (C1 = 1.5) and social (C2 = 2.0) performed on smaller test systems, scalability of
coefficients. Both algorithms maintained a proposed methods allows compatibility with larger
Coordination Time Interval (CTI) of at least 0.2 networks such as the 30-bus system. Further studies
seconds and minimized relay operating times. could directly verify this on the IEEE 30-bus
network under different fault and load conditions.
 DIAGNOSTYKA, Vol. 26, No. 1 (2025) 7
Abdullah BH, Alkhayyat MT.: Optimal coordination for directional overcurrent relays incorporating…

The proposed methods may be applied selectivity criteria, 14 side constraints for PS, and 14
experimentally to check their real-world side constraints for TMS.
performance. The necessary hardware setup and
facilities to test and validate the methods under Table 1. Input data for 6 Bus System
practice may require future work. Short- Short-
In applying the proposed methods in simulations Fault Primary Circuit Backup Circuit
some challenges were encountered and solved. First, location Relay Current Relay Current
instability of the algorithm was detected during (kA) (kA)
simulations with high fault currents caused by DGs. F1 1 18.172 13 0.6010
Hence this issue was solved by adding constraints in
F2 2 4.8030 3 1.3650
the algorithm that reduced the effect of reverse fault
currents on system stability. Second, long F3 3 30.547 4 0.5528
computation times were a problem especially for F4 4 5.1860 12 3.4220
modelling large and complex systems. This was
F4 4 5.1860 14 1.7640
minimized by using parallel programming
techniques and optimizing the code structure, which F5 5 2.8380 11 1.0740
significantly accelerated the simulation without F5 5 2.8380 14 1.7640
losing result accuracy. These solutions enabled the
F6 6 18.338 8 0.7670
application and testing of proposed methods in
different scenarios. F7 7 4.4960 11 1.0740
5.1. IEEE 6-Bus System F7 7 4.4960 12 3.4220
The one-line diagram of the IEEE 6-bus system
F8 8 2.3510 2 0.8690
is shown in Fig. 5. It has seven branches, four
generators, and fourteen relays. In this system, a F8 8 2.3510 7 1.4830
three-phase near-end bolted fault was applied and F9 9 6.0720 1 4.5890
measured for analysis. The data of this system and
F9 9 6.0720 7 1.4830
the fault currents for backup and primary relay pairs,
shown in Table 1, were sourced from reference [46], F10 10 4.0770 9 0.6390
while the corresponding CTRs are presented in F11 11 30.939 10 0.9455
Table 2. F12 12 17.705 6 0.8610
The Coordination CTI for this system is 0.2
seconds. The TMS and PS are continuous and F13 13 17.821 5 0.9770
bounded by the ranges of [0.1, 1.1] and [1.5, 5.0], F14 14 5.4570 1 4.5890
respectively. The system incorporates a total of 76 F14 14 5.4570 2 0.8680
constraints, which consist of 14 inequalities for
minimum operating times, 14 inequalities for
maximum operating times, 20 constraints related to

Fig. 5. IEEE 6-Bus system

8 DIAGNOSTYKA, Vol. 26, No. 1 (2025)
Abdullah BH, Alkhayyat MT.: Optimal coordination for directional overcurrent relays incorporating…

The optimal PS and TMS values derived by advantage, thereby signifying both enhanced and
employing the GA and PSO are detailed in Table 3. acceptable performance. Additionally, the improved
The table clearly depict that the GA delivers better results highlight the potential of GA and PSO in
results compared to the PSO. Fig. 6 illustrates the optimizing the coordination of DOCRs, ensuring
total net time savings achieved through the two more efficient and reliable power system protection.
methods relative to other algorithms, including
Firefly algorithm (FA) [21], and improved Firefly Table 4. Algorithmic parameters
algorithm (IFA) [41], TLBO [20], PSO-DE [40].
Table 4, show the iterations of each algorithm. algorithm iterations
TLBO [20] not mentioned
Table 2. CTR of Relays for IEEE 6 Bus PSO-DE [40] 100
FA [21] 1000
Relay Number CTR
IFA [41] 100
10 600/5
2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14 800/5 The Operation time of relay pairs of each relay pair,
1,6,13 1200/5 as calculated by the two algorithms, is illustrated in
Fig. 7 and Fig. 8. The figure clearly reveals that all
CTI values exceed the minimum threshold of 0.2
seconds.

Fig. 6. Comparison of the proposed methods with other

method for IEEE-6 Bus system

Table 3. TMS and PS obtained from GA and PSO

Fig. 7. Operation time of relay pairs obtained
Relay GA PSO
by GA
Number TMS PS TMS PS

1 0.1753 1.4942 0.2781 0.6223

2 0.1024 1.2092 0.1596 0.7383
3 0.1065 1.4661 0.1584 1.0219
4 0.1039 0.5245 0.1000 0.9400
5 0.1042 0.7659 0.1096 0.8508
6 0.1027 0.8243 0.1020 0.9882
7 0.1143 1.4667 0.1463 1.0167
8 0.1030 0.6421 0.1034 0.7269
9 0.1065 0.6400 0.1065 0.8181
10 0.1026 1.0266 0.1360 0.7775 Fig. 8. Operation time of relay pairs obtained
by PSO
11 0.1027 1.4648 0.1440 0.9655
12 0.1806 1.4990 0.2354 0.9320 This indicates that the two methods effectively
13 0.1042 0.5958 0.1007 1.1329 ensure the desired sequential operation of relay pairs,
thereby fulfilling the objective of optimal relay
14 0.1240 1.4945 0.1942 0.6439 settings. These results confirm the efficacy of the
Total GA algorithm in achieving reliable and coordinated
Operating 2.90 s 3.43 s protection for the power system. Fig. 9. Show the
time convergence comparison between the two proposed
methods PSO and GA.
Results indicate that the GA shows superior
performance for the IEEE 6-bus test system. These 5.2. IEEE 15-Bus System
results indicate that when compared to other The other system used here consists of 42 relays
methods, the GA offers a significant net time savings on 21 lines and 15 buses, as depicted in Fig. 10. In
 DIAGNOSTYKA, Vol. 26, No. 1 (2025) 9
Abdullah BH, Alkhayyat MT.: Optimal coordination for directional overcurrent relays incorporating…

Fig. 9. Convergence Comparison between PSO and GA

Fig. 10. IEEE 15-Bus System

10 DIAGNOSTYKA, Vol. 26, No. 1 (2025)
Abdullah BH, Alkhayyat MT.: Optimal coordination for directional overcurrent relays incorporating …

this system, a three-phase bolted fault at the near-end PS have values between [0.5, 2.5] for PS and [0.1,
was applied and measured for analysis. The fault 1.2] for TMS. A CTI of 0.2 seconds is applied to
currents observed at both backup and primary relays, ensure proper relay coordination and system
detailed in Table 5, were sourced from reference protection.
[46], whereas Table 6 provides the Current The coordination problem involves a total of 250
Transformer Ratios (CTRs) for the DOCRs. constraints, which include 82 constraints on
This scenario describes a distribution network with inequality for selectivity requirements, 42
a high level of distributed generation (DG), as shown constraints on maximum acceptable operating times,
in Fig. 10. Each generator has a synchronous 42 constraints on minimum acceptable operating
reactance of 15% and is rated at 15 MVA and 20 kV. times, and 42 additional constraints for both PS and
The external grid has a short-circuit capacity of 200 TMS. These constraints are essential to achieve
MVA. The impedance per kilometre for each line optimal relay settings, thereby improving the
section is defined as 𝑍 = 0.19 + 𝑗0.46 𝛺/𝑘𝑚 [47] reliability and stability of the power distribution
All relays in this scenario are considered network.
numerical relays. The continuous variables TMS and
Table 5. Input data for 15 Bus System

Short- Short- Short- Short- Short- Short-

Primary Circuit Backup Circuit Primary Circuit Backup Circuit Primary Circuit Backup Circuit
Relay Current Relay Current Relay Current Relay Current Relay Current Relay Current
(A) (A) (A) (A) (A) (A)

1 3621 6 1233 15 4712 1 853 26 2300 36 1109

2 4597 4 1477 15 4712 4 1477 27 2011 25 903
2 4597 16 743 16 2225 18 1320 27 2011 36 1109
3 3984 1 853 16 2225 26 905 28 2525 29 1828
3 3984 16 743 17 1875 15 969 28 2525 32 697
4 4382 7 1111 17 1875 26 905 29 8346 17 599
4 4382 12 1463 18 8426 19 1372 29 8346 19 1372
4 4382 20 1808 18 8426 22 642 29 8346 22 642
5 3319 2 922 18 8426 30 681 30 1736 27 1039
6 2647 8 1548 19 3998 3 1424 30 1736 32 697
6 2647 10 1100 19 3998 7 1111 31 2867 27 697
7 2497 5 1397 19 3998 12 1463 31 2867 29 1828
7 2497 10 1100 20 7662 17 599 32 2069 33 1162
8 4695 3 1424 20 7662 22 642 32 2069 42 907
8 4695 12 1463 20 7662 30 681 33 2305 21 1326
8 4695 20 1808 21 8384 17 599 33 2305 23 979
9 2943 5 1397 21 8384 19 1372 34 1715 31 809
9 2943 8 1548 21 8384 30 681 34 1715 42 907
10 3568 14 1175 22 1950 23 979 35 2095 25 903
11 4342 3 1424 22 1950 34 970 35 2095 28 1192
11 4342 7 1111 23 4910 11 1475 36 3283 38 882
11 4342 20 1808 23 4910 13 1053 37 3301 35 910
12 4195 13 1503 24 2296 21 1326 38 1403 40 1403
12 4195 24 753 24 2296 34 970 39 1434 37 1434
13 3402 9 1009 25 2289 15 969 40 3140 41 1434
14 4606 11 1475 25 2289 18 1320 41 1971 31 809
14 4606 24 753 26 2300 28 1192 41 1971 33 1162
42 3295 39 896
 DIAGNOSTYKA, Vol. 26, No. 1 (2025) 11
Abdullah BH, Alkhayyat MT.: Optimal coordination for directional overcurrent relays incorporating…

Table 6. CTR of Relays for IEEE 15 Bus Table 8. TMS and PS for IEEE 15 Bus
Relay Number CTR Relay GA PSO
2, 4, 8, 11, 12, 14, 15, 23 1200/5 Number TMS PS TMS PS
1, 3, 5, 10, 13, 19, 36, 37,
800/5 1 0.1028 1.3161 0.1138 1.4584
40, 42
18, 20, 21, 29 1600/5 2 0.1063 1.0992 0.1000 1.4961
6, 7, 9, 16, 24, 25, 26, 27, 3 0.1066 2.1731 0.1732 1.1636
600/5
28, 31, 32, 33, 35
4 0.1089 1.1975 0.1205 1.1843
17, 22, 30, 34, 38, 39, 41 400/5
5 0.1131 2.0072 0.1596 1.5494
Table 7. Algorithmic parameters 6 0.1041 2.0585 0.1520 1.3079
7 0.1044 2.1492 0.1550 1.4931
algorithm iterations
8 0.1128 1.3676 0.1340 1.4965
BSA [44] 400 iterations
GSO [24] 1000 iterations 9 0.1035 2.1801 0.1859 1.1578
MFA [45] 100 iterations 10 0.1077 1.7695 0.1477 1.3481
MEFO [25] 5000 iterations 11 0.1022 1.4153 0.1733 0.7752
12 0.1010 1.6032 0.1444 1.0897
13 0.1029 2.3686 0.2026 0.8431
14 0.1027 1.1699 0.1000 1.8862
15 0.1108 1.0302 0.1003 1.7479
16 0.1105 1.3626 0.1672 0.9070
17 0.1035 1.5523 0.1374 1.4034
18 0.1080 1.0892 0.1093 1.3240
19 0.1167 1.5433 0.1364 1.6269
20 0.1076 1.2473 0.1196 1.3741
Fig. 11. Comparison of the proposed methods with other
method for IEEE-15 Bus system 21 0.1121 1.3005 0.1077 1.7118
22 0.1068 1.7211 0.1541 1.2326
The superior performance of the GA is evident
23 0.1031 1.4693 0.1475 1.2059
from the comparative analysis of the total operating
time. The GA not only surpasses the PSO but also 24 0.1069 1.3901 0.1392 1.1902
outperforms other known optimization techniques. 25 0.1185 1.6862 0.1825 1.1751
This highlights the robustness and reliability of the
26 0.1057 1.7038 0.1383 1.5125
GA in optimizing relay settings, ensuring efficient
and effective coordination among the relays. 27 0.1069 1.4311 0.1337 1.3533
The Operation time for each relay pair as 28 0.1215 2.1434 0.2383 0.8917
determined by the proposed algorithms is shown in
29 0.1015 1.6500 0.1475 1.4194
Fig. 12 and Fig. 13. The figures clearly reveal that
all CTI values exceed the minimum threshold of 0.2 30 0.1121 1.6060 0.1119 1.8219
seconds. 31 0.1137 2.2186 0.1492 2.0245
32 0.1064 1.6266 0.1518 1.3858
33 0.1418 2.4173 0.2353 1.4703
34 0.1152 2.3517 0.2171 0.9062
35 0.1156 1.7778 0.1660 1.4495
36 0.1057 1.7229 0.1345 1.4627
37 0.1084 2.4542 0.1896 1.3179
38 0.1124 2.4750 0.2037 0.9522
39 0.1170 2.1535 0.1888 1.0865

Fig. 12. Operation time of relay pairs 40 0.1255 2.0772 0.2111 1.0941
obtained by GA 41 0.1710 2.3923 0.2800 1.2477
42 0.1049 1.5747 0.1243 1.6178
Total Oper.
12.87 s 16.10 s
time
12 DIAGNOSTYKA, Vol. 26, No. 1 (2025)
Abdullah BH, Alkhayyat MT.: Optimal coordination for directional overcurrent relays incorporating…

algorithms were implemented by using the

MATLAB R2022b on IEEE 6-Bus and IEEE 15-Bus
test systems.
Table 9. Parameters of IEEE 15 Bus [47]
Parameters Value
Synchronous reactance of
15%
all generators
Rated at 15 MVA and 20 kV
Short-circuit capacity of
200 MVA
external grid
Impedance per kilometre
𝑍 = 0.19 + 𝑗0.46 𝛺/𝑘𝑚
for each line
Length of each Line
L1 20 km
Fig.13.Operation time of relay pairs
L2 10 km
obtained by PSO
L3 10 km
L4 10 km
This indicates that the suggested techniques
L5 15 km
effectively ensure that desired sequential operation L6 10 km
for relay pairs. Consequently, primary relays will L7 15 km
trip before backup relays if the coordination time L8 20 km
margin has been violated. L9 15 km
This demonstrates that the proposed methods fulfil L10 15 km
the objective of optimal relay settings, thereby L11 10 km
enhancing the overall protection scheme of the L12 20 km
system. Fig. 14. Show the time-current curve for L13 15 km
relays 1 and 6 when relay1 act as primary relay and L14 10 km
relay6 act as backup It is clear from the figure that if L15 10 km
the main relay fails to operate for any reason, the L16 20 km
backup relay will operate for a time not exceeding L17 10 km
0.2. Additionally, the consistency in maintaining the L18 15 km
CTI above the threshold signifies the reliability of L19 10 km
L20 10 km
the proposed algorithms in real-world applications,
L21 20 km
ensuring the system's stability and integrity under
fault conditions. The data of IEEE 15-Bus system
shown in Table 9. In this paper highlights how to find the best
coordination settings between directional protection
relays in distribution networks. Improper
coordination between protection devices may lead to
faults or failure of protection relays, which puts
equipment at risk and endangers the safety of
peoples.
To justify the utility of the proposed
methods, the outcomes of these tests were compared
with other current algorithms. It was observed that
the GA provided significantly less relay operating
time, indicating better efficiency of the technique in
obtaining the best coordination of the overcurrent
relays.
Fig. 14. Curves of time-current for relays 1 and 6 future work will focus on hardware
implementation of proposed algorithms on FPGA or
6. CONCLUSION microcontrollers to enable fast real time applications
and computational efficiency. Also, the methods will
The incorporation of renewable energy-based be validated in the field with large scale test cases
DG in the distribution system has completely under real world conditions to confirm their
changed the dynamics of the distribution system reliability, practicality and robustness in dynamic
from a passive to an active one which has led to two- power system environments.
way flow of current. Hence proper tuning of DOCRs The results of the study shown the suggested. GA
that are applied for safe operation of mentioned can identify optimal settings of PS and TMS. Which
systems is mandatory. To alleviate this problem, this gave a safe coordination margin and reduced the
paper implemented two nature-inspired total tripping time in collecting all the primary relays
metaheuristic techniques, which are genetic and eliminated the miscoordination of the relays.
algorithm and particle swarm optimization. The
 DIAGNOSTYKA, Vol. 26, No. 1 (2025) 13
Abdullah BH, Alkhayyat MT.: Optimal coordination for directional overcurrent relays incorporating…

Source of funding: This research received no external for Energy, Mechatronics, and Smart Systems
funding. (ISTEMS). IEEE. 2024:1–6.
https://doi.org/10.1109/ISTEMS60181.2024.10560193.
Author contributions: research concept and design, 10. Lestari DS, Samsurizal S, Makkulau A. Integration of
B.H.A., M.T.A.; Collection and/or assembly of data, artificial intelligence for enhanced coordination of
B.H.A.; Data analysis and interpretation, B.H.A.; DOCR protection in distributed generation systems.
Writing the article, B.H.A.; Critical revision of the ELKHA: Jurnal Teknik Elektro. 2024;16(1):43–9.
article, B.H.A., M.T.A.; Final approval of the article, https://dx.doi.org/10.26418/elkha.v16i1.72876.
M.T.A.. 11. Choudhary PK, Das DK. An effective optimization
method for solving the relay coordination problem of
Declaration of competing interest: The authors of this the microgrids. Knowledge-Based Systems. 2023;
paper declares no conflict of interest. 264: 110337.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.knosys.2023.110337.
REFERENCES 12. Tripathi JM, Ayush K, Mallik SK. Optimal
coordination of DOCRs utilizing disparate relay
1. Lestari DS, Pujiantara M, Purnomo MH, Rahmatullah characteristics in a microgrid. In: 2023 3rd
D. Adaptive DOCR coordination in loop distribution International Conference on Emerging Frontiers in
system with distributed generation using firefly Electrical and Electronic Technologies (ICEFEET).
algorithm-artificial neural network. In: 2018 IEEE; 2023:1–6.
International Conference on Information and https://doi.org/10.1109/ICEFEET59656.2023.10452212.
Communications Technology (ICOIACT). IEEE. 13. Al-Roomi AR, El-Hawary ME. A new technique to
2018:579–84. locate faults in distribution networks based on optimal
https://doi.org/10.1109/ICOIACT.2018.8350679. coordination of numerical directional overcurrent
2. Alipour A, Pacis M. Optimal coordination of relays. In: 2017 IEEE 30th Canadian Conference on
directional overcurrent relays (DOCR) in a ring Electrical and Computer Engineering (CCECE).
distribution network with distributed generation (DG) IEEE. 2017:1–6.
using genetic algorithm. In: 2016 IEEE Region 10 https://doi.org/10.1109/CCECE.2017.7946624.
Conference (TENCON). IEEE; 2016, p. 3109–12. 14. Ramli SP, Usama M, Mokhlis H, Wong WR, Hussain
https://doi.org/10.1109/TENCON.2016.7848621. MH, Muhammad MA, et al. Optimal directional
3. Gabr MA, El-Sehiemy RA, Megahed TF, Ebihara Y, overcurrent relay coordination based on
Abdelkader SM. Optimal settings of multiple inverter- computationalintelligence technique: A review.
based distributed generation for restoring coordination Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and
of DOCRs in mesh distribution networks. Electric Computer Sciences. 2021;29(3):1284–307.
Power Systems Research. 2022; 213: 108757. https://doi.org/10.3906/elk-2012-98.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsr.2022.108757. 15. Ralhan S, Ray S. Directional overcurrent relays
4. El Idrissi Z, Haidi T, Elmariami F, Belfqih A. Optimal coordination using linear programming intervals: A
coordination of DOCRS using GA with integration of comparative analysis. In: 2013 Annual IEEE India
DGS in distribution networks. International Journal on Conference (INDICON). IEEE. 2013:1–6.
Technical and Physical Problems of Engineering https://doi.org/10.1109/INDCON.2013.6725883.
(IJTPE). 2022;(50):10–17. 16. Srinivas STP, Swarup KS. A new mixed integer linear
5. Racewicz S, Kutt F, Michna M, Sienkiewicz Ł. programming formulation for protection relay
Comparative study of integer and non-integer order coordination using disjunctive inequalities. IEEE
models of synchronous generator. Energies. 2020; Power and Energy Technology Systems Journal. 2019;
13(17):4416. https://doi.org/10.3390/en13174416. 6(2):104–112.
6. Zand HK, Mazlumi K, Bagheri A, Abdali A. Optimal https://doi.org/10.1109/JPETS.2019.2907320.
coordination of DOCRs in microgrid via contingency 17. Shih MY, Enríquez AC, Hsiao TY, Treviño LMT.
reduction mechanism and clustering algorithms Enhanced differential evolution algorithm for
considering various network topologies based on N-2 coordination of directional overcurrent relays. Electric
contingencies. Expert Systems with Applications. Power Systems Research. 2017; 143: 365–375.
2023; 234: 121061. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsr.2016.09.011.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2023.121061. 18. Dehaghani MA, Soltani M, Ahmadi SM, Panah PG.
7. Usama M, Mokhlis H, Moghavvemi M, Mansor N, Application of artificial bee colony algorithm for
Alotaibi M, Muhammad M, Bajwa A. A optimal overcurrent relay coordination for power
comprehensive review on protection strategies to system including DGs. Life Sci J. 2012; 9(4): 1–8.
mitigate the impact of renewable energy sources on http://www.dx.doi.org/10.7537/marslsj090412.765.
interconnected distribution networks. IEEE Access. 19. So CW, Li KK. Time coordination method for
2021;9:35740-65. power system protection by evolutionary algorithm.
https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3061919. IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications. 2000;
8. Tripathi JM, Mallik SK. An adaptive protection 36(5): 1235–1240. https://doi.org/10.1109/28.871269.
coordination strategy utilizing user-defined 20. Singh M, Panigrahi BK, Abhyankar AR. Optimal
characteristics of DOCRs in a microgrid. Electric coordination of directional over-current relays using
Power Systems Research. 2023; 214: 108900. Teaching Learning-Based Optimization (TLBO)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsr.2022.108900. algorithm. International Journal of Electrical Power &
9. Kumari R, Naick BK. Adaptive protection Energy Systems. 2013;50:33–41.
coordination scheme for distribution networks with https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijepes.2013.02.011.
distributed generation. In: 2024 1st International 21. Sulaiman M, Waseem, Muhammad S, Khan A.
Conference on Innovative Sustainable Technologies Improved solutions for the optimal coordination of
14 DIAGNOSTYKA, Vol. 26, No. 1 (2025)
Abdullah BH, Alkhayyat MT.: Optimal coordination for directional overcurrent relays incorporating…

DOCRs using firefly algorithm. Complexity. 2018; Periodica Polytechnica Electrical Engineering and
2018: 1–15. Computer Science. 2024;68(1):27–36.
https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/7039790. https://doi.org/10.3311/PPee.21780.
22. Chelliah TR, Thangaraj R, Allamsetty S, Pant M. 34. Agwa AM, El-Fergany AA. Protective relaying
Coordination of directional overcurrent relays using coordination in power systems comprising renewable
opposition based chaotic differential evolution sources: Challenges and future insights. Sustainability.
algorithm. International Journal of Electrical Power & 2023;15(9):7279.
Energy Systems. 2014; 55: 341–350. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097279.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijepes.2013.09.032. 35. Korashy A, Kamel S, Jurado F, Fendzi Mbasso W.
23. Albasri FA, Alroomi AR, Talaq JH. Optimal OptiCoord: Advancing directional overcurrent and
coordination of directional overcurrent relays using distance relay coordination with an enhanced
biogeography-based optimization algorithms. IEEE equilibrium optimizer. Heliyon. 2024;10:e26366.
Transactions on Power Delivery. 2015; 30(4): 1810– https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26366.
20. https://doi.org/10.1109/TPWRD.2015.2406114. 36. Oliveira-De Jesus PM, Sorrentino E. A Monte Carlo
24. Alipour M, Teimourzadeh S, Seyedi H. Improved method to solve the optimal coordination of
group search optimization algorithm for coordination directional overcurrent protections considering all the
of directional overcurrent relays. Swarm and possible fault locations. Electric Power Systems
Evolutionary Computation. 2015; 23: 40–49. Research. 2024;236:110974.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.swevo.2015.03.003. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsr.2024.110974
25. Bouchekara H, Zellagui M, Abido MA. Optimal 37. Darji GU, Patel MJ, Rajput VN, Pandya KS. A tuned
coordination of directional overcurrent relays using a cuckoo search algorithm for optimal coordination of
modified electromagnetic field optimization directional overcurrent relays. In: 2015 International
algorithm. Applied Soft Computing. 2017; 54: 267– Conference on Power and Advanced Control
283. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asoc.2017.01.037. Engineering (ICPACE). IEEE; 2015:162–167.
26. Sulaiman M, Ahmad A, Khan A, Muhammad S. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICPACE.2015.7274936.
Hybridized symbiotic organism search algorithm for 38. Korashy A, Kamel S, Youssef AR, Jurado F. Solving
the optimal operation of directional overcurrent relays. optimal coordination of direction overcurrent relays
Complexity. 2018; 2018: 1–11. problem using grey wolf optimization (GWO)
https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/4605769. algorithm. In: 2018 Twentieth International Middle
27. Yang MT, Liu A. Applying Hybrid PSO to optimize East Power Systems Conference (MEPCON). IEEE;
directional overcurrent relay coordination in variable 2018:621–625.
network topologies. Journal of Applied Mathematics. https://doi.org/10.1109/MEPCON.2018.8635234.
2013; 2013: 1–9. 39. Mounir A, El-Amary NH, Diab H, Abdelsalam M.
https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/879078. Optimization of directional overcurrent relay
28. Irfan M, Wadood A, Khurshaid T, Khan BM, Kim KC, coordination using metaheuristic coronavirus
Oh SR, et al. An optimized adaptive protection scheme technique. In: 2024 6th International Youth
for numerical and directional overcurrent relay Conference on Radio Electronics, Electrical and
coordination using Harris hawk optimization. Power Engineering (REEPE). IEEE; 2024.
Energies. 2021; 14(18): 5603. https://doi.org/10.1109/REEPE60449.2024.10479908
https://doi.org/10.3390/en14185603. 40. Tresnadi HA, Nugroho TA, Abdillah M, Pertiwi NI.
Coordination of directional overcurrent relay using
29. Kumar N, Jain DK. An adaptive DOCR Coordination
PSO-DE algorithm. In: 2021 International Conference
for microgrid protection using JAYA optimization.
on Technology and Policy in Energy and Electric
2023 9th IEEE India International Conference on
Power (ICT-PEP). IEEE; 2021.
Power Electronics (IICPE). IEEE; 2023:1–6.
https://doi.org/10.1109/ICT-PEP53949.2021.9601118
https://doi.org/10.1109/IICPE60303.2023.10474763.
41. Ramli SP, Mokhlis H, Wong WR, Muhammad MA,
30. Khurshaid T, Wadood A, Gholami Farkoush S, Yu J,
Mansor NN. Optimal coordination of directional
Kim CH, RHEE SB. An improved optimal solution for
overcurrent relay based on combination of Firefly
the directional overcurrent relays coordination using
Algorithm and Linear Programming. Ain Shams
hybridized whale optimization algorithm in complex
Engineering Journal. 2022; 13(6): 101777.
Power Systems. IEEE Access 2019;7; 90418-90435.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2022.101777.
https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2019.2925822.
42. Hatata A, Kaddah SS, Abdraboh H, Frahat M. Optimal
31. Wadood A, Gholami Farkoush S, Khurshaid T, Kim
directional overcurrent relay coordination using
CH, Yu J, Geem ZW, et al. An optimized protection
artificial immune algorithm. MEJ-Mansoura
coordination scheme for the optimal coordination of
Engineering Journal. 2020; 39(4): 9–18.
overcurrent relays using a nature-inspired root tree
https://doi.org/10.21608/bfemu.2020.102738.
algorithm. Applied Sciences. 2018; 8(9): 1664.
43. Roy S, Babu PS, Babu NVP. Intelligent
https://doi.org/10.3390/app8091664.
overcurrent and distance relays coordination: a
32. Zellagui M, Benabid R, Boudour M, Chaghi A. Mixed
comparative analysis using GA, PSO and TLBO. In:
integer optimization of IDMT overcurrent relays in the
Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on
presence of wind energy farms using PSO algorithm.
Electrical Energy Systems (ICEES); 2018:162–167.
Periodica Polytechnica Electrical Engineering and
https://doi.org/10.1109/ICEES.2018.8442329.
Computer Science. 2015; 59(1): 9–17.
44. Othman AM, Abdelaziz AY. Enhanced backtracking
https://doi.org/10.3311/PPee.7525.
search algorithm for optimal coordination of
33. Zellagui M, Belbachir N, Amroune M, El-Bayeh CZ.
directional over-current relays including distributed
Investigating the performance of non-standard
generation. Electric Power Components and Systems.
overcurrent relay with integration of photovoltaic
2016;44(3):278–90.
distributed generation in power distribution system.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15325008.2015.1111468.
 DIAGNOSTYKA, Vol. 26, No. 1 (2025) 15
Abdullah BH, Alkhayyat MT.: Optimal coordination for directional overcurrent relays incorporating…

45. Chheng K, Priyadi A, Pujiantara M, Mahindara VR.

The coordination of dual setting DOCR for ring
system using adaptive modified firefly algorithm. In:
2020 International Seminar on Intelligent Technology
and Its Applications (ISITIA). 2020:44–50.
https://doi.org/10.1109/ISITIA49792.2020.9163714.
46. Al-Roomi AR. Optimal relay coordination test
systems repository. dalhousie university, halifax,
Nova Scotia, Canada. 2015. Available from:
[https://al-roomi.org/coordination/6-bus-
systems/system-ii].
47. Amraee T. Coordination of directional overcurrent
relays using seeker algorithm. IEEE Trans Power
Deliv.2012;27(3):1415–22.
https://doi.org/10.1109/TPWRD.2012.2190107.

Bassam Hamad ABDULLAH

obtained his high school
diploma in 2017 and a
bachelor’s degree in 2021 in the
field of Electrical Power
Techniques Engineering from
the Technical Engineering
College, Northern Technical
University, Mosul, Iraq. He is
currently pursuing a master’s
degree at the same university.
His research interests include
power system, protection and renewable energy.
e-mail: [email protected]

Mahmood T. ALKHAYYAT
received his BSc, M.Sc., and
Ph.D. degrees from Mosul
University, Iraq in 1994, 1998,
and 2018 respectively. He is a
senior lecturer at Technical
College, Northern Technical
University. His research interests
include power system assessment,
power electronics, FACTS,
renewable energy, and power
system optimization.
e-mail: [email protected]