Protection Systems & Devices (Relays)
3rd Year
CHAPTER 6
Busbar Protection
Busbars are important and need special attention due to:
Fault level at busbars is very high.
The faults at busbars cause disconnection of power to large portions of the system.
Busbars faults should be cleared in very short time ( 50 ms ) to avoid damage to
insulation.
Stability of the system is affected by busbars faults.
It’s desirable to include the following in busbar protection:
1. High speed.
2. Stability for external faults.
3. Freedom from unwanted operation.
4. No operation due to CT saturation.
5. Interlock with generators for over current.
6.Use main and check protection to assure disconnection only when desirable.
Methods of busbar protection
1. Overcurrent relays of connected circuits.
2. Directional interlock.
3. Differential protection.
4. Frame leakage earth fault.
1. Overcurrent Relays
The fault in bus A can be sensed by R5 and R4. In this type of protection, all the circuit
breakers of the busbar zone are disconnected. These are C 1, C2, C3, C4 & C5. R6 & R7 will
act as backup protection if C4 and C5 do not clear the fault.
For fault in bus B, R8 will sense the fault and C6, C7 and C8 will open.
This type of protection is slow and evolves complicated control system to discriminate faults
within the zone. Also, the zone of the busbar is not clearly identified.
44
Protection Systems & Devices (Relays)
3rd Year
2. Directional Interlock
It uses directional relays in source circuits and over current relays in load circuits. It makes
the discrimination between internal and external faults possible.
The contacts of the relays are interlocked in such a way that if power flows the busbar is
sufficiently low, all the circuit breakers on the source side and the load side are tripped.
3. Differential Protection
For normal conditions, the vector sum of currents entering the bus zone is equal to the
vector sum of currents leaving the bus zone. i.e.
Ii = zero
During internal faults, the vector sum of currents in the circuits connected to bus bar is equal
to fault current, i.e.
Ii = If
Disadvantages:
1. Large number of circuits having different current levels.
2. Saturation of CT cores due to d.c. component in s.c. current.
3. Sectionalizing of bus makes the circuit complicated.
45
Protection Systems & Devices (Relays)
3rd Year
4. Frame leakage Earth Fault
One of the famous connections for busbars: 2 out of 3
Only 2 of the 3 circuit breakers can operate at the same time. The circuit breakers on the
transformers are normally closed but the circuit breaker in the centre of the busbar is
normally open.
46