Distance Protection

for transmission lines: part 1

Gustav Steynberg
The year of Profitable Growth

Global network of innovation

 Power Transmission and Distribution

Why impedance protection?

Power Automation Situation: Meshed network and two infeeds
Progress. It‘s that simple.
Directional overcurrent time relays

0,6s 0,3s

0,6s 0,3s

0,6s 0,3s

0,6s 0,3s

non-selective trip

TLQ 2004 Distance Protection – Part1 2

 Power Transmission and Distribution

Basic principle of impedance protection

Power Automation
Progress. It‘s that simple.
Localization of short-circuits by means of an impedance measurement:

- fault on the protected line

Z1

relay A

- fault outside the protected line

Z2

relay A

selectivity

TLQ 2004 Distance Protection – Part1 3

 Power Transmission and Distribution

Distance measurement (principle)

Power Automation
Progress. It‘s that simple.
IL1 ZL

IL2 ZL = RL + j X L
IL3

IE ZE ZE = RE +j XE

UL1 UL2 UL3

6 loops: 3 phase- phase loops and

3 phase- ground loops

phase- phase -loop: UL1-L2 = ZL ( IL1 - IL2)

Measured current
measured voltage

The same applies to the remaining loops

06.08.97
dtgerdis3

TLQ 2004 Distance Protection – Part1 4

 Power Transmission and Distribution

Distance measurement (principle)

Power Automation
Progress. It‘s that simple.
IL1 ZL

IL2
ZL = RL + j XL
IL3

IE ZE ZE = RE +j XE

UL1 UL2 UL3

phase-ground-loop:
UL1 = L1 · ( RL + j XL )- E · ( RE +j XE)

L1, E measured current

UL1 measured voltage

The same applies to the remaining loops

06.08.97
dtgerdis3

TLQ 2004 Distance Protection – Part1 5

 Power Transmission and Distribution

Load and short-circuit impedances

Power Automation
Progress. It‘s that simple. distance relay ZL
operating ZLF1
characteristic ZLF2

Fault area
X RF RF
ZL F1 F2 ZLoad
D
ZLF2 Phase - Phase Fault
RR ZF2
RR  RF / 2
ZLoad
RR Phase - Earth Fault
ZLF1 ZF1 ad
as i ng l o RR  RF /(1 + RE/RL)
Incre
L
Minimum Load Impedance:
SC2
R Minimum voltage 0,9 Un
Fault in SC1
Maximum current 1,1 In
reverse Maximum angle  30°
direction
Load area

TLQ 2004 Distance Protection – Part1 6

 Power Transmission and Distribution

Principle of (analog) distance relaying

Power Automation
Progress. It‘s that simple.
ISC
ZS A ZL B

ZSC
E

U1= k1 USC= k1 ISCZSC.

Relay design:
comparator operation if
U1< U2
i.e. ZSC< ZReplica

X ZReplica
U2=k2 ISCZReplica Ext. fault
ZReplica (line replica impedance)
Internal fault
(corresponds to the set zone reach)
R

TLQ 2004 Distance Protection – Part1 7

 Power Transmission and Distribution

Typical distance zone-characteristic

Power Automation MHO-circle
Progress. It‘s that simple. shifted circle
X ZR X ZSC'
ZSC'
external
ZSC
ZSC fault

internal
centre
fault
R
 
R

polarised
MHO-circle quadrilateral
X
X
ZS = 0
RF XA
ZL settable arc
ZSC-L compensation
R Rarc
ZS small
RA R

ZS high ZS

TLQ 2004 Distance Protection – Part1 8

 Power Transmission and Distribution

Graded distance zones

Power Automation
Progress. It‘s that simple.

Z3
t = grading time
time Z2 t3
Z1 t2

t1

A B C D
D1 D2 D3

distance
Grading rules:
Safety margin is 15 %:
Z1 = 0,85 ZAB
- line error
Z2 = 0,85 (ZAB + 0,85 ZBC) - CT, VT error
- measuring error
Z3 = 0,85 (ZAB + 0,85 (ZBC + 0,85 ZCD))

TLQ 2004 Distance Protection – Part1 9

 Power Transmission and Distribution

Determination of grading times

(With numerical relays 250 ms is possible)
Power Automation 2nd Zone: It must initially allow the 1st zone on the neighbouring feeder(s) to clear the fault.
Progress. It‘s that simple. The grading time therefore results from the addition of the following times:

• operating time of the neighbouring feeder mechanical 25 - 80 ms

static: 15 - 40
digital: 15 - 30

+ circuit breaker operating time HV / EHV: 60 ms (3 cycles) / 40 ms (2 cycles)

MV up to about 80 ms (4 cycles)

+ distance relay reset time mechanical: approx. 60-100 ms

static: approx. 30 ms
digital: approx. 20 ms.

+ errors of the distance relay internal timers mechanical: 5% of the set time, minimum 60-100 ms
static: 3% of the set time, minimum 10 ms
digital: 1% of the set time, minimum 10 ms

+ distance protection starting time *) mechanical: O/C starter: 10 ms, impedance starter: 25 ms
static: O/C stater: 5 ms, impedance starter: 25 ms
digital: generally 15 ms

+ safety margin (ca.) grading; mechanical-mechanical: 100 ms

static/digital-mechanical or vice versa: 75 ms
digital-digital or static-static 50 ms

*) only relevant if the set relay times relate to the instant of fault detection / zone pick-up. This is the case with all
Siemens relays. There are other relays where the time is adapted by software to relate to the instant of fault
inception. In the latter case the starting time has to be dropped.

TLQ 2004 Distance Protection – Part1 10

 Power Transmission and Distribution

Determination of fault direction

Power Automation
Progress. It‘s that simple.
Fault location Where is the fault ?

Current area for Impedance area for

forward faults X forward faults
USC
SC ZSC
SC
SC
R

SC Z'SC
Current area for Impedance area for
reverse faults reverse faults

current / voltage diagram impedance diagram

The impedance also shows the direction, but ....

TLQ 2004 Distance Protection – Part1 11

 Power Transmission and Distribution

Impedance measurement and directional determination

Power Automation
Progress. It‘s that simple. Why impedance measurement and directional determination separately?
A B

line characteristic
X
fault with arc resistance
in forward direction
fault in forward direction

close-in fault
R
fault in reverse
direction

direction may be determined together with the impedance measurement

but: problems may arise in certain cases (e.g. close-in faults)
separate directional determination required!

TLQ 2004 Distance Protection – Part1 12

 Power Transmission and Distribution

Alternatives for the directional measurement

Power Automation
Progress. It‘s that simple. ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ fault L1-E
Zgrid relay Zline

Method 1 Method 2
Vf
VL1
If VL1
VL1 Vf
VL3
Vf
VL2
faulty phase voltage
If If

VL3 VL2
VL3 VL2-L3 VL2
voltage memory
healthy-phase voltage (pre-fault voltage)
(phase to phase voltage)

TLQ 2004 Distance Protection – Part1 13

 Power Transmission and Distribution

Directional measurement
Summery of all 3 methods
Power Automation
Progress. It‘s that simple.
uRI = uL2-L3

uf = uL1

if(t)
uL1

 Distance measurement

Measuring uL1 if
 Direction measurement
window if

 with voltage memory
uL2-L3 
 Direction measurement
 with unfaulted voltage
if

06.08.97
dtgerdis9

TLQ 2004 Distance Protection – Part1 14

 Power Transmission and Distribution

Fault detection techniques

Power Automation
Progress. It‘s that simple.

Over-current fault detection

Voltage dependant X
over-current fault detection
U Voltage and
angle dependant
over-current
fault detection R
Impedance
fault
detection

I> I> I >> I

Not in 7SA522

TLQ 2004 Distance Protection – Part1 15

 Power Transmission and Distribution

Reach of over-current fault detection

Power Automation 110 kV
Progress. It‘s that simple. ph-ph fault as an example net SCC(3)" = 1500 MVA

ISC(2) [kA] 40 MVA

20 kV uSC = 15 %
2,5

400/1 A D I>start = 1,5 · IN = 600 A

2,0
l OH-line
95/15 Al/St
1,5
Z'L = 0,483 /km

1,0 UN · 1,1
ISC(2) =
I>start = 600 A 2 · (ZS + ZS + Z L' · l)
N T
0,5
There is a limitation
to the reach
10 20 30 40 50 60 l [km]
reach of OC starter
approx. 32 km

TLQ 2004 Distance Protection – Part1 16

 Power Transmission and Distribution

Voltage controlled overcurrent fault detection

Power Automation
Progress. It‘s that simple.

G SC
Power line
system digital
USC U
electro-mechanical
G
Relay UN

ZS ISC ZSC
UI>
E USC
UI>>

I> I>> I
E
USC

TLQ 2004 Distance Protection – Part1 17

 Power Transmission and Distribution

Voltage and angle controlled overcurrent fault detection

(U-I--starting)
Power Automation X X
Progress. It‘s that simple.
2 2
1 R 1 R

U/UN
100 %

U(I>) U(I >>)

50 %

I> I> I>>

1 2 3
I/IN

This method is used in Germany

TLQ 2004 Distance Protection – Part1 18

 Power Transmission and Distribution

Impedance zones of digital relays (7SA6 and 7SA52)

Power Automation

for
Progress. It‘s that simple.

wa
X

rd
Line
Distance zones

s
Z5
Inclined with line angle 
Z4 Angle  prevents overreach of Z1
Z2 on faults with fault resistance
Z1B that are fed from both line

ends
Z1
rev
ers
e

Load  Load

forw
ard
s
Fault detection
no fault detection polygon: the
Z3
largest zone determines the
fault detection characteristic
simple setting of load
rev

encroachment area with

e rs
e

Rmin and Load

TLQ 2004 Distance Protection – Part1 19

 Power Transmission and Distribution

Zone grading chart, radial feeder

Power Automation
Progress. It‘s that simple.

Z3
Z2
A Z1 B C D

D D D >> ZT
>t


Z1 = 0.85 ZA-B
Grading according
Z2 = 0.85 (ZA-B + 0.85 ZB-C) the recommendation
with the safety margin
Z3 = 0.85 [ ZA-B + 0.85 (ZB-C+ 0.85 ZC-D) ]
of 15%.

TLQ 2004 Distance Protection – Part1 20

 Power Transmission and Distribution

Ring feeder: with grading against opposite end

Power Automation
Progress. It‘s that simple.

grading time
(s)
0.6
0.3

The same grading from both sides

TLQ 2004 Distance Protection – Part1 21

 Power Transmission and Distribution

Grading in a branched radial system

Power Automation
Progress. It‘s that simple.
Z3

L2

Z1 L3

L1
Z2

L4

The impedances of the Z2 and Z3 must be grading with the shortest impedance

TLQ 2004 Distance Protection – Part1 22