Overcurrent Protection
Overcurrent Protection
Protection
for Phase and Earth
Faults
Protection against excess current was naturally the earliest protection
system to evolve.
From this basic principle, the graded overcurrent system, a
discriminative fault protection, has been developed.
This should not be confused with ‘overload’ protection, which normally
makes use of relays that operate in a time related in some degree to
the thermal capability of the plant to be protected.
Overcurrent protection, on the other hand, is directed entirely to the
clearance of faults, although with the settings usually adopted some
measure of overload protection may be obtained.
Correct overcurrent relay application requires knowledge
of the fault current that can flow in each part of the
network.