Report on

REPLACEMENT OF ELECTROMECHANICAL RELAYS WITH NUMERICAL

RELAYS

Project for Midterm May-2022

Prepared By
Pothuri Rakshana Babu
Executive Trainee (Electrical)
IOP&S
CPF: 18034
GAIL (INDIA) LIMITED, PATA
CONTENTS

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 PROTECTIVE RELAYS
 DISADVANTAGES OF ELECTROMECHANICAL RELAY
 NUMERICAL RELAY
 ADVANTAGES OF NUMERICAL RELAY
 PREWORK & PROCEDURE FOR RETROFITTING
 SCHNEIDER MICOM RELAY
 SETTINGS AND PSL
 COMMISSIONING TEST
 CONCLUSION

ACKNOWLDGEMENT:

I am Grateful to the IOP&S, Electrical department for giving me this

opportunity to have an experience & understanding on replacement of
electromechanical relay with Numerical Relays.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to our DGM Shri.
Amit Malviya and my seniors who helped me during this journey, without
their support this we would not have been possible.

ABSTRACT:
“Prevention is better than cure”. As like protecting our equipment from faults is the main
thing that needs to be concentrated on. In this context, protective relays play a major role in
sensing the faults and helps in isolating our equipment from it. As per the new trends, our
relays are to be retrofitted with the latest technology that is prevailing in the market. That is
the phase from an electro-mechanical relay to a digital relay. This report deals with the draw
backs of EM relays and how to overcome these problems with digital relays.
INTRODUCTION
 Electromechanical Relay:
Type of relay which function using a magnetic field produced by an electromagnetic coil
when a control signal is applied to it. It is called as electromechanical relay since it has
moving contacts in the output circuit which are operated by applying an electrical signal.
The electromechanical relay is used as an interface between the control circuit and the load. It
takes a relatively small amount of power to turn on a relay but the relay can control
something that draws much more power.
The coil that controls the relay needs low power to switch the contacts. Output contacts of the
relay can be connected with high capacity loads such as contactors, protection devices, etc.

The electromechanical relay can be used for many purposes. The main purposes are:

 Switching of large electrical loads with a low voltage control circuit.

 Reducing a higher voltage to a control voltage level.
 Isolating the load circuit and control circuit galvanically.
 Converting a single input to multiple outputs

PROTECTIVE RELAYS:

Relays whose function is to detect defective lines or apparatus or other power system
conditions of an abnormal or dangerous nature and to initiate appropriate control circuit
action.

The Protective Relay detect the abnormal conditions in the electrical circuits by constantly
measuring the electrical quantities which are different under normal and fault conditions. The
electrical quantities which may change under fault conditions are voltage, current, frequency
and phase angle. Through the changes in one or more of these quantities, the faults signal their
presence, type and location to the protective relay. Having detected the fault, the relay operates
to close the trip circuit of the breaker. This results in the opening of the breaker and
disconnection of the faulty circuit.

Fundamental Requirements of Protective Relay:

The principal function of Protective Relay is to cause the prompt removal from service of any
element of the power system when it starts to operate in an abnormal manner or interfere with
the effective operation of the rest of the system. In order that protective relay system may
perform this function satisfactorily, it should have the following qualities:

1. Selectivity
2. Speed
3. Sensitivity
4. Reliability
5. Simplicity
6. Economy
DISADVANTAGE OF ELECTROMECHANICAL RELAY

 The contacts wear and thus have limited life depending on loads.
 Low speed of operation.
 Low isolation voltage.
 Change in characteristics due to aging.
 Short contact life when used for rapid switching applications or high loads.
 Poor performance when switching high inrush currents.

NUMERICAL RELAY
A Numerical relay is a computer-based system with software-based protection algorithms for
the detection of electrical faults. Such relays are also termed as microprocessor type
protective relays. They are functional replacements for electro-mechanical protective
relays and may include many protection functions in one unit, as well as providing metering,
communication, and self-test functions.
The digital protective relay is a protective relay that uses a microprocessor to analyse power
system voltages, currents or other process quantities for the purpose of detection of faults in
an electric power system or industrial process system. A digital protective relay may also be
called a "numeric protective relay". It is also called numerical relay.

ADVANTAGES OF NUMERICAL RELAY:

1. Compact Size: Electromechanical Relay makes use of mechanical comparison devices,

which cause the main reason for the bulky size of relays. It uses a flag system for the
indication purpose whether the relay has been activated or not.

While numerical relay is in compact size and use indication on LCD for relay activation.

Digital protection can be physically smaller, and almost always requires less panel wiring
than equivalent functions implemented using Analog technology.

2. Flexibility: A variety of protection functions can be accomplished with suitable

modifications in the software only either with the same hardware or with slight modifications
in the hardware.

3. Reliability: A significant improvement in the relay reliability is obtained because the

use of fewer components results in less interconnections and reduced component failures.

4. Multi-Function Capability: Traditional electromechanical and static protection relays

offers single-function and single characteristics. Range of operation of electromechanical
relays is narrow as compared to numerical relay.

5. Different types of relay characteristics: It is possible to provide better matching of

protection characteristics since these characteristics are stored in the memory of the
microprocessor.
6. Digital communication capabilities: The microprocessor based relay furnishes easy
interface with digital communication equipment. Fibre optical communication with
substation LAN.

7. Modular frame: The relay hardware consists of standard modules resulting in ease of
service.

8. Low burden: The microprocessor based relays have minimum burden on the instrument
transformers.

9. Sensitivity: Greater sensitivity and high pickup ratio.

10. Speed: With static relays, tripping time of ½ cycle or even less can be obtained.

11. Fast Resetting: Resetting is less.

12. Data History: Availability of fault data and disturbance record. Helps analysis of faults
by recording details of:

1. Nature of fault,
2. Magnitude of fault level,
3. Breaker problem,
4. T. saturation,
5. Duration of fault.

13. Auto Resetting and Self Diagnosis

Electromechanical relay do not have the ability to detect whether the normal condition has
been attained once it is activated thus auto resetting is not possible and it has to be done by
the operating personnel, while in numerical relay auto resetting is possible.

14. Other Advantages

 By combining several functions in one case, numerical relays also save capital cost
and maintenance cost over electromechanical relays
 Separate connection is not required, zero sequence voltages and currents can be
derived inside the processor
 Basic hardware is shared between multiple functions, the cost of individual protection
functions can be reduced significantly.
 Loss of voltage feature helps block the relay in case of momentary/permanent loss of
voltage.

PREWORK & PROCEDURE FOR RETROFIT:

 Note down the ferrules along with their respective TB numbers
 Go through the drawing and mention where they are going and description
 Also note the inter panel wirings
 Check the voltages at all TBs with respect to earth, if there is voltage at the terminal
tape that wire with red insulated tape else with blue or black tape based on the
availability of the color
 Ensure that there is no voltage at the MCBs after removal of the external wires
terminating at TBs
 Do not disturb the voltages coming from other panels as the section is live and cover
the portion with insulated glass
 Wires of both AC and DC supply should not be touched and should be covered with
plastic glass
 All the external wirings should be properly taped so that the ferrule numbers will not
lost
 The external cables should be brought out and all the internal wirings should be
removed
 Ensure that the panel door can be removed without any interruption
 Handover the panel to the relay vendor for retrofitting

SCHNEIDER MICOM RELAY:

The relay used for retrofit is Schneider’s MICOM relay. There are various types of relays
for various functions. They are

1.MICOM P14X - feeder management relays

2.MICOM P24X - rotating machine management relay
3.MICOM P341 & MICOM P922G - interconnection protection relays
4.MICOM P34X - Generator protection relay
5.MICOM P44X - Distance protection relay
6.MICOM P54X - current differential protection relay
7.MICOM P64X - transformer protection and control
8.MICOM P74X - numerical Bus bar protection
9.MICOM P841 - multifunction line terminal protection
10.MICOM P849 - IEC 61850 input & output extension device
MICOM P14X
In this we mostly used MICOM P14X relay which is feeder management relay.

Front side of MICOM relay:

Rear side of MICOM relay:

SETTINGS AND PSL:

 Connect PC and relay and select the type of port whether it is a front port or series port
 Choose the settings to be extracted (whether incomer setting or Bus-coupler or outgoing
feeder ) if the revamping is not done previously then extract the default settings from the
relay and make changes as per our requirement
 Make a new bay based on its voltage level and name the folder
  Copy the previously extracted settings and PSL and paste them in the newly created
folder.
 Through connections option make a test connection with the relay in which we are
going to send the settings and PSL and send both settings and PSL

SIMULATION AND TESTING:

 Before going for the simulation, go for scheme checking with the help of drawing
 Check the continuity and the operation of switches i.e., in case of bus-coupler check the
continuity of TNC , ECS &SWGR selection , DCSS , ACSS and if we ensured every
wire is correctly terminated then go for simulation
 Before checking the continuity, check the voltages of both the terminals between which
we are going to check the continuity
 Once we ensure that all the connections are okay, then we will switch ON the DC
supply
 Once the relay get rebooted, now connect the PC to the and select the type of port
which we are using for giving the settings
 Now select the type of relay on which we are going to insert the logic
 And then send the settings and PSL simultaneously
 Now enable the tests and go for BI checking. For BIs checking make a temporary loop
between the TB number from which we are going to get input and check whether the
particular input is getting high
 And do the same for all the inputs and check whether the BI is going high
 Now once the logic is sent to our relay we can go for protection check, with the help of
omicron kit and match the tripping time & pickup values on which the relay is picking
up

COMMISSIONING TEST MENU:

To help minimise the time required to test MICOM relays the relay provides several test
facilities under the ‘COMMISSION TESTS’ menu heading. There are menu cells which
allow the status of the opto-isolated inputs, output relay contacts, internal digital data bus
(DDB) signals and user \programmable LEDs to be monitored. Additionally there are cells to
test the operation of the output contacts, user-programmable LEDs and, where available, the
autoreclose cycles. The following table shows the relay menu of commissioning tests,
including the available setting ranges and factory defaults:

 Opto I/P status: This menu cell displays the status of the relay’s opto-isolated inputs
as a binary string, a ‘1’ indicating an energised opto-isolated input and a ‘0’ a de-
energised one. If the cursor is moved along the binary numbers the corresponding
 label text will be displayed for each logic input. It can be used during commissioning
or routine testing to monitor the status of the opto-isolated inputs whilst they are
sequentially energised with a suitable dc voltage.
 Relay O/P status: This menu cell displays the status of the digital data bus (DDB)
signals that result in energization of the output relays as a binary string, a ‘1’
indicating an operated state and ‘0’ a non-operated state. If the cursor is moved along
the binary numbers the corresponding label text will be displayed for each relay
output. The information displayed can be used during commissioning or routine
testing to indicate the status of the output relays when the relay is ‘in service’.
Additionally fault finding for output relay damage can be performed by comparing the
status of the output contact under investigation with it’s associated bit.
Note: When the ‘Test Mode’ cell is set to ‘Enabled’ this cell will continue to indicate which
contacts would operate if the relay was in-service, it does not show the actual status of the
output relays.
 Test port status: This menu cell displays the status of the eight digital data bus
(DDB) signals that have been allocated in the ‘Monitor Bit’ cells. If the cursor is
moved along the binary numbers the corresponding DDB signal text string will be
displayed for each monitor bit. By using this cell with suitable monitor bit settings,
the state of the DDB signals can be displayed as various operating conditions or
sequences are applied to the relay. Thus the programmable scheme logic can be
tested. As an alternative to using this cell, the optional monitor/download port test box
can be plugged into the monitor/download port located behind the bottom access
cover.
 LED status: The ‘LED Status’ cell is an eight bit binary string that indicates which of
the user-programmable LEDs on the relay are illuminated when accessing the relay
from a remote location, a ‘1’ indicating a particular LED is lit and a ‘0’ not lit.
 Monitor bits: 1 to 8 The eight ‘Monitor Bit’ cells allow the user to select the status of
which digital data bus signals can be observed in the ‘Test Port Status’ cell or via the
monitor/download port.Each ‘Monitor Bit’ is set by entering the required digital data
bus (DDB) signal number (0 – 511) from the list of available DDB signals in section
P14x/EN GC of this guide. The pins of the monitor/download port used for monitor
bits are given in the table below. The signal ground is available on pins 18, 19, 22 and
25.
 Test mode: The Test Mode menu cell is used to allow secondary injection testing to
be performed on the relay without operation of the trip contacts. It also enables a
facility to directly test the output contacts by applying menu controlled test signals.
To select test mode the Test Mode menu cell should be set to ‘Test Mode’ which
takes the relay out of service and blocks operation of output contacts and maintenance
counters. It also causes an alarm condition to be recorded and the yellow ‘Out of
Service’ LED to illuminate and an alarm message ‘Prot’n Disabled’ is given. This
also freezes any information stored in the CB CONDITION column and in IEC60870-
5-103 builds changes the Cause of Transmission, COT, to Test Mode. To enable
testing of output contacts the Test Mode cell should be set to Contacts Blocked. This
blocks the protection from operating the contacts and enables the test pattern and
contact test functions which can be used to manually operate the output contacts.
 Once testing is complete the cell must be set back to ‘Disabled’ to restore the relay
back to service.
 Test pattern: The ‘Test Pattern’ cell is used to select the output relay contacts that
will be tested when the ‘Contact Test’ cell is set to ‘Apply Test’. The cell has a binary
string with one bit for each user-configurable output contact which can be set to ‘1’ to
operate the output under test conditions and ‘0’ to not operate it.
 Contact test: When the ‘Apply Test’ command in this cell is issued the contacts set
for operation (set to ‘1’) in the ‘Test Pattern’ cell change state. After the test has been
applied the command text on the LCD will change to ‘No Operation’ and the contacts
will remain in the Test State until reset issuing the ‘Remove Test’ command. The
command text on the LCD will again revert to ‘No Operation’ after the ‘Remove
Test’ command has been issued. Note: When the ‘Test Mode’ cell is set to ‘Enabled’
the ‘Relay O/P Status’ cell does not show the current status of the output relays and
hence cannot be used to confirm operation of the output relays. Therefore it will be
necessary to monitor the state of each contact in turn.
 Test LEDs: When the ‘Apply Test’ command in this cell is issued the eight user
programmable LED’s will illuminate for approximately 2 seconds before they
extinguish and the command text on the LCD reverts to ‘No Operation’.
 Test auto reclose: Where the relay provides an auto reclose function, this cell will be
available for testing the sequence of circuit breaker trip and auto reclose cycles with
the settings applied. Issuing the command ‘3 Pole Trip’ will cause the relay to
perform the first three phase trip/reclose cycle so that associated output contacts can
be checked for operation at the correct times during the cycle. Once the trip output has
operated the command text will revert to ‘No Operation’ whilst the rest of the auto
reclose cycle is performed. To test subsequent three phase auto reclose cycles repeat
the ‘3 Pole Trip’ command. Note: The factory settings for the relay’s programmable
scheme logic has the ‘AR Trip Test’ signal mapped to relay 3. If the programmable
scheme logic has been changed, it is essential that this signal remains mapped to relay
3 for the ‘Test Auto reclose’ facility to work.

CONCLUSION:

In this work, the importance of protective relays is discussed in brief. Types of relays for
different functions are also mentioned. The demerits of electro mechanical relay and the
merits and numerical relay are highlighted. The need for retrofit and the work to be done are
discussed in detail.

REFERENCES:
Schneider MICOM relay manual (link is attached below)
https://download.schneider-electric.com/files?
p_enDocType=User+guide&p_File_Name=P14x_EN_M_Hg8__A0__LM.pdf&p_Doc_R
ef=P14x_EN_M_Hg8__A0__LM